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View presentation descriptions, presenter bios, and presenter contact information for the NOCO Women’s Small Business Conference below.

Let’s Explore How to Turn a Contact into a Powerful Connection!

Networking is a verb; it signifies action and movement. Thriving networks make things happen. When you share and “CONNECT” with the right people and the right opportunities your career can rev-up and really take off. We will delve into the law of abundance and giving freely and willfully to your colleagues. Learn to be intentional and trust your instincts. Successful networking takes practice and capitalizes on multiple forms of communication. You will cultivate skills to be genuine, caring, curious, and confident. Together we will discover tools and polish techniques you can implement successfully to become more memorable!

Kristi Helzer

Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn Here or email Kristi directly at Kristi@kristihelzer.com

Kristi Helzer, president of Kristi’s Kreations, LLC has 40 years of Marketing/ Communications, Business Matchmaking and Creative Solution-Building experience. She is a life-long Greeley / Weld County resident; a product of Greeley/Evans School District 6, a Greeley West and UNC graduate. She is devoted to learning something new every day.

Her resume lists: event planner, teacher, speaker, influencer, business coach, networking diva, writer, business tool creator. In January of 2009 she launched a professional women’s networking organization: Northern Colorado Women in Business, which has attracted over 1,200 local women to its events and continues to thrive.

She’s been a “communicator” since she started talking as a child and has yet to run out of things to share. But she states her Superpower is: “listening between the lines,” being OTHER- FOCUSED and truly engaging and caring about the people in her life.

She has been married 45 years to Richard and is a “boy Mom” of two sons, Joey in Heaven and her oldest, Ben, who has blessed their family with a 10-year-old BONUS granddaughter, Bri, and a nearly 4-year-old grandson, Finley. She has recently retired and is busier than ever working to make a difference in her beloved community.

Kristi has a servant heart and is a dedicated community cheerleader and volunteer who believes helping others keeps personal challenges in perspective, because the rewards of giving, far outweigh their challenges. She says: “Volunteering fills me up; I pray that I am making a difference and not just taking up space while finding my way in this life!”

HR Strategy: Seat at the Table

This session will will help you understand where Human Resources fits at the table, real life experiences from HR leaders in NoCo community, and walk away with some strategies you can use and implement in your workplace.

Amanda Ericson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn Here or email Amanda directly at hr@hrxservices.com

A graduate of CU Boulder with her Bachelor’s. Amanda has worked in the Human Resources field for nearly 2 decades. She began her career in recruiting and talent acquisition. She continued in her career predominantly working in consulting roles working to support HR in various companies. Her primary focus has been in compliance and strategy. She has worked in a variety of industries in both the private and public sectors. Amanda is one of the founding partners of HRx.

Amanda has presented at many conferences and workshops focusing on HR best practices and strategy. She has testified at the State Capitol and has lobbied on HR issues at both the State and National levels.

Additionally, Amanda gives her time as the Past Director for COSHRM the state SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) council, serves as the Past Chair for the Weld County Workforce Development Board, and serves as a board member to Northern Colorado DisruptHR.

Does Your Business “Check Out”?
Business Health Check

This session will focus on the important financial questions new and growing businesses face. We will review which business entity elections are available, what the differences are, and which may be the best for a growing business. We will discuss different deductions available for small businesses. Finally, we will finish by reviewing what business credits are available.

Samantha White

Connect with Samantha on LinkedIn Here or email Samantha directly at sam@westridgetaxes.com

My name is Samantha White, and I am an Enrolled Agent with West Ridge Accounting Services in Greeley, CO. As an Enrolled Agent I work with clients to handle preparing tax returns, offering business advice and general planning services for their personal or business situations. I have been working in the tax field for 14 years and have opened my own business in 2016.

Helping clients with their businesses and personal goals is a passion. Running my own business has helped me understand the hurdles small business owners face and where I can help be more of an asset for my clients.

I spend any free time with my husband, our 4 children and two goldendoodles. We love to hike, swim, do escape rooms and go to arcades. 

Stress – Learn to Manage the Cause, Not Just the Symptoms
Health & Wellness

What if instead of using tips and tricks to ‘manage stress’ we learned to minimize it? ‘Stress management’ is focused at addressing the symptoms rather than the root cause. Join Julie M. Gold, National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach as she explores how women can fundamentally change our relationship with stress by addressing our thoughts, how we treat ourselves, our boundaries and personal expectations. This lively break-out session will be full of thought-provoking ideas, tools, and lots of humor. 

Julie Gold

Connect with Julie on LinkedIn Here or email Julie directly at julie@juliemgold.com

Julie Gold is a Colorado native who lives in Fort Collins with her husband, school aged twin girls and one enormous black lab named Charlie. She started her career in the software industry in 1999. In 2015, she decided to make a significant career change and become a Health and Wellness Coach so that she could have a more direct impact on her community.

She became a Certified Professional Health and Wellness Coach through Wellcoaches, Inc. In 2017 she became a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). In 2022 Julie earned her International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential. During her career she has coached hundreds of clients from all walks of life, from CEOs to Interns and everyone in-between.

Julie is a firm believer in focusing on creating the life we want by using our strengths and choosing what serves us best, rather than trying to ‘fix’ what is wrong. As a coach she is an unconditional advocate for her client’s best self, bringing empathy, compassion, and humor into every interaction.

Your Unique Sales Style- A Roadmap to Closing More Sales
Marketing

You are a unique individual and have a unique business. This is why cookie-cutter sales scripts and strategies often don’t work. These tools don’t take into account the impact that thoughts and emotions may be having on your results– like closing the sale. Imagine if you could see these intangible factors of thoughts and emotions in a tangible way.  In this session, learn how the Energy Leadership model and Index can help you understand your unique sales style AND create a personalized roadmap for more sales success.

Alison Proffit

Connect with Alison on LinkedIn Here or email Alison directly at alison@proffitcoach.com

Alison Proffit, the founder of Proffit Coach takes a holistic approach to helping purpose-driven small business owners feel more heart-centered and soul-aligned in their sales and marketing. She has a background in corporate HR, Operations, and Sales & Marketing, but what really sets her apart is that she’s a certified Energy Leadership coach and has found the magic ingredient to success after 4 failed business attempts…and that is that “Joy is the best business strategy.”

Women in the Workforce
Success Panel
Moderator - Aikta Marcoulier
SBA

Connect with Aikta on LinkedIn Here

As Region VIII Administrator, Aikta Marcoulier will oversee SBA programs, offices, and operations in the SBA’s Rocky Mountain region, serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Ms. Marcoulier joined the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network as the Executive Director of the Pikes Peak office in May 2012. Prior to the SBDC, she was the director of partnership marketing with the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. She is also the program creator and manager of the Colorado SBDC’s Cyber: Cover Your Assets program providing education, training, and one-on-one consulting to small businesses throughout Colorado, and currently serves as a regional coordinator for the NorthStar CMM program.

Ms. Marcoulier is involved in the El Pomar Emerging Leaders Program and is an active board member of the Pikes Peak Workforce Development Board, vice-chair of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado, member of the Pikes Peak Community College Business Advisory Board, and president of the Colorado Business Development Foundation. She serves on numerous committees for the Colorado Springs Business Journal and is on the technology and capacity committees for the Colorado SBDC Network. Additionally, she is a member of ROAR (Relationships, Opportunities, Acumen, and Readiness Committee) for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) College of Business.

She received her MBA in global management from the University of Phoenix and undergraduate degrees in both economics and psychology from the University of Iowa.

Panelist - Shantel Hansen

Connect with Shantel on LinkedIn Here or email Shantel directly at shantelhansen@gmail.com

Shantel Hansen is an award-winning documentary director and producer. With a fly-on-the-wall approach, Hansen was able to provide an honest portrayal of events, intentionally departing “Her Turf” from the often sensationalized docudrama genre. She also captured unprecedented behind-the-scenes footage and interviews served as the centerpiece to this documentary. Hansen is fascinated with subcultures that unwittingly impact their larger community. She seeks to visually redefine subjects through storytelling that examines existing power structures and shakes up stereotypes reinforced by the media. When Hansen is not filming, she is overseeing her marketing consulting company, traveling, and spending time with her kiddo, Walker.

Panelist - Stephanie Pouse Giesel

Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn Here or email Stephanie directly at stephanie@brahmaroofingconstruction.com

Stephanie is a founding partner of Brahma Roofing & Construction and serves as the company’s Chief Operations Officer, overseeing the company’s Roofing & Construction operations and partnerships across all US locations in both the residential and commercial sectors.

As part of her commitment to positively representing women within these industries and creating innovative opportunities for her team, Stephanie aims to stay on the cutting edge of new leadership techniques and industry standards, while remaining connected to the imminent needs of the communities she serves through their Brahma Strong program.

Acknowledged as a leader in her field, Stephanie has been recognized as a 40 Under 40 Honoree and recently, Beacon’s first ever North American Female Roofing Professional of the Year. Featured in publications like Roofing Contractor Magazine, Roofers Coffee Shop, National Women in Roofing and more, Stephanie outwardly speaks about her passion of enhancing the roofing experience while educating our next generation about the vast opportunities this industry presents.

Panelists - Allison Seabeck

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn Here or email Allison directly at allison.seabeck@warehouseinnovation.com

Allison serves as Executive Director of the Warehouse Business Accelerator and Innovation Hub.  The Accelerator is a scale-up mentorship program for technology and advanced manufacturing companies who have graduated from start-up phase. And the Warehouse Innovation Hub facility offers shared industrial space and community to catalyze the next generation of great Colorado manufacturing businesses. Allison is co-chair of the Networks Committee for the Northern Colorado Manufacturing Sector Partnership. 

Previously, Allison Seabeck was the President of Prosci Inc., a global leader in research, training and consulting in the discipline of change management.  At Prosci, Allison led transformational business model changes, systems and culture building and global expansion initiatives under Private Equity ownership.  As an executive leader and business adviser, Allison focuses on building alignment and clarity of purpose with leadership teams, particularly during times of growth and change.  

Allison studied linguistics at the College of William and Mary and spent several years in Japan building professional development programs for English teachers. She and her husband Dave live in Larimer County but run, work and play all around Northern Colorado with their two young children and two elder dogs.

Boundaries in Business: How to protect your energy

Lauren Storeby and Tiffany Helton, accomplished female entrepreneurs and mothers, will walk you through their blueprint to leadership success. Thriving in the business world isn’t easy but these strong women leaders share their experiences and expertise on what it takes to reach mountain tops. We want to discuss the importance of identifying and being aware of the boundaries business owners need to create to protect their energy and well being.

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Lauren Storeby

Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn Here or email Lauren directly at lauren@snackattackit.com

My name is Lauren Storeby and it’s so great to meet you! My husband and I own Snack Attack Specialty Sandwiches & Brews located in Midtown Fort Collins! Some would call me a serial entrepreneur- I just love working for myself, creating new businesses and helping others thrive to live their best lives!

Here’s my background… I grew up in the restaurant business. My parents opened a small grill shop when I was 8 years old where you would find me helping at the register and sweeping up the floor. My parents have always been self-employed which gave me the inspiration to own my worth and continue the legacy of being an entrepreneur.

When I turned 15 and got an official workers permit, I continued that restaurant life working in various concepts ranging from yogurt shops, to burger stands, corporate structures and family owned establishments all through college and even after. I feel in love with the customer service aspect of making peoples day and building relationships.

I’ve been employed with small family owned business to high level corporate restaurants including Islands Burgers, Yard House Restaurants and Fisherman’s Wharf. Throughout my experience I’ve held positions including hosting, serving, bartending, table service and management as well as time spent being a corporate trainer. I’ve seen the ins and outs of restaurants in all levels.

I took a 6 year hiatus to follow my dreams of working in the apparel industry gaining knowledge as a product developer for brands including Oakley, Fox Head, Quicksilver, Abercrombie & Fitch, Roxy, Billabong and even created and owned my own clothing line, SelaWear Inc. My time as a product developer prepared me to be a restaurant owner through working the trenches of branding, merchandise marketing, costing, developing processes and procedures but most importantly attention to detail.

In 2017 my husband and I took the jump into the American dream and opened our first restaurant together, Snack Attack Specialty Sandwiches & Brews. In a short 4 years we’ve built a successful high 6 figure and community driven business serving up the best sandwiches and beers in town! In 2021 we were voted “Best Sandwiches in Noco” by our community!

I’m also proud to say I’m a Larimer County Small Business Development Center consultant for restaurant owners where I help mentor new and seasoned restaura

Tiffany Helton

Connect with Tiffany on LinkedIn Here or email Tiffany directly at tiffany@stuftburgerbar.com

My name is Tiffany Helton and it’s so great to meet you! I am the Co-Founder of Stuft a Burger Bar in Fort Collins, Colorado. I have a true passion for cooking and customer service and I love to make that personal connection with my guests. I am a results driven, strong woman and I truly love this industry.

Here’s my background… I started working in a snack shop when I was 15. After I graduated High School I made the big move to beautiful Colorado from Los Angeles. As soon as I arrived I started working at a local bar and grill at 18 years old. After learning how to be a bouncer, cook and bartender I finally had my chance to learn the General Manager position. I spent 8 years running a very successful operation with the help of some amazing mentors.

After several years, I decided I needed a change. I stepped into a role at a fast casual sandwich shop where I met my business partner (my boss at the time). We went on to open up our own restaurant Stuft burger bar. I am very grateful for the opportunity he gave me and work extremely hard at it everyday! He and I have a great partnership and have been partners for over 10 years.

Somehow along the way, on my “time off” I managed to meet my amazing husband and we have two wonderful little boys. Being a Mom is the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had. I always say if it wasn’t for them I’d still be working 80 hours a week.

I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some amazing chefs and managers throughout the years. Our restaurants have had some amazing accolades over the years as well. “Yahoo! Travel’s Best Fries” award, and The Burger Battle Winner. I was also extremely honored with being chosen for The Coloradoan’s “Super Woman” Award.

A few years ago I became a part time Restaurant Consultant at the Larimer County Small Business Development Center where I mentor and coach up and coming restauranteurs.

Get Focused! Take a 360° Perspective On Your Business
Business Health Check

This session gives you a snapshot of how to use GrowthWheel’s 360° Screening Tool to evaluate the health of your business. You will learn how to identify the most important elements of your business right now and create an action plan to keep your business moving forward.  

Laurie Ganong Jones

Connect with Laurie on LinkedIn Here or email Laurie directly at Laurie@EastColoradoSBDC.com

Laurie Ganong Jones is an East Colorado SBDC Business Consultant.  For 11 years, she has combined her serial entrepreneurial experience with corporate finance, marketing and international expertise to advise business owners. She co-founded Plain Skincare LLC in 2020 and created, developed and branded a new line of plant-based skincare products called Rideau Organics.  Their primary sales channel is ECommerce. She is a GrowthWheel advocate and recommends all her SBDC clients use this tool to stay focused on decision making and action plans to maintain or grow their business.  

Employee Retention through Burnout Prevention

Bolstering mental wellness in the workplace leads to employees being less distracted, better able to deal with stress, more productive, and a higher level of commitment. Becky will equip you with foundational tools to increase your overall mental wellness by strengthening your ability to recognize warning signs, reverse negative symptoms, and build resiliency to burnout and stress. These tools will not only be supportive for your valued team members but even more importantly, for yourself as a leader. Learn a simple, accessible, and quality solution to the overall mental wellness of your organization. 

Becky Lauridsen, LPC

Connect with Becky on LinkedIn Here or email Becky directly at becky@iowemenow.com

Becky Lauridsen is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the proud founder of IOME. It’s an I Owe Me instead of an I Owe You offering Guilt Free Self Care by first providing quality mental wellness and then partnering with local businesses to offer discounted self care services and products to individuals, groups, and employers.

Alongside her counseling licensure, Becky is a certified Enneagram Coach and a Trained EMDR Therapist. Giving her clients support for their past, present, and future. She is proud to say that IOME won NoCo Best of Counseling services in 2022. She was also the recipient of Female Founder of the Year in 2022 from Greater Colorado Venture Company.

Becky is the proud wife to her cowboy husband, Tyler, and mother to two beautiful girls, Bryer and Brystol. She believes that similar to our physical health, we can take a preventative approach to our mental health too. Remember, “You deserve the best because your loved ones deserve the best of you, not what’s left of you.” – Becky.

Nailing Down Your Narrative
Marketing

At the end of this interactive session, you will walk out with a story about your business you can share with others – maybe even in the next session you attend! Buckle up, because we are going deep on something that is really hard to do – developing solid Business Storytelling Skills. Bring your pen, your paper, and your story ideas. Let’s get to work!

Cindy Skalicky

Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn Here or email Cindy directly at cindy@onpoint-communications.com

Cindy works with individuals and executive teams who want to improve their persuasive presentation skills so they “Nail it” and land bigger deals.

Twice published in Forbes.com, she is the creator of the HOW-TO method that has helped clients raise more than $30M in venture capital, grants, partnerships and more. Cindy is the owner of On Point Communications, LLC. She provides seminars, consulting services, and 1-to-1 coaching to teach others about messaging theory, how to, craft savvy slides, and tell stories that stick. She trains them to execute with authenticity and executive presence.

Creatives Panel
Success Panel
Moderator - Trish O'Neil

Connect with Trish on LinkedIn Here or email Trish directly at trish@the-cooking-studio.com

Trish O’Neill is the Founder & Owner of The Cooking Studio, a recreational cooking school in Old Town Fort Collins.  The Cooking Studio was founded in 2015 and is now in it’s 7th year of operation.  Classes at The Cooking Studio are popular and are consistently sold out with waiting lists.  There are classes for all ages and include datenight classes, skills classes, international cuisines, parent-child cooking classes, desserts, pastry, and bread classes, and much more. Team building and private cooking parties are booked in The Studio often and the kids cooking classes & camps are very popular.  
 
Trish is a former Nurse Executive who consulted throughout the US on the creation of Nurse Residency programs for large hospital systems. Before doing that she was an NICU nurse and the Nursing Director of Maternal/Newborn programs at The University of Colorado. In her creative time Trish is a student at The CSU Nancy Richardson Design Center where she is learning furniture design and woodworking.
Panelists - Allison M Dunning

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn Here or email Allison directly at info@balloonartbymerrymakers.com

Allison Dunning has lived in Greeley with her husband Brian and their three daughters for over 22 years now, building the Merry Makers LLC and Balloon Art by Merry Makers businesses into what they are today. Merry Makers LLC is an entertainment business that provides Award Winning balloon artists, face painting, glitter tattoos, caricatures, and Santa!   Balloon Art by Merry Makers works with corporate and company event planners to create fun, fabulous and friendly events out of balloons: including Award Winning dance floor canopies, Award Winning Balloon Walls, arches, columns, balloon drops, and bouquets that will make your event stand out from the rest! 

The Balloon Boutique is the realization of a dream that started in Allison’s head over 10 years ago, a new retail balloon and candy store in downtown Greeley.  The Balloon Boutique offers customers the chance to hand-select elements for smaller arrangements and watch as they are inflated, twisted and assembled–the chance to taste the wondrous experience that ultimately drew Allison to the craft over 20 years ago!

Allison is very involved with the Greeley Creative District, Greeley Monster Day Board, Northern Colorado Women in Business, and her local Chambers of Commerce. Allison is also a watercolor artist, a potter, a glass artist, and an avid gardener.   

“My purpose is to bring joy” – Allison Mitchell Dunning

Panelists - Sarah E. LaBarre

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Here or email Sarah directly at sarah.labarre@artworksloveland.org

Sarah E. LaBarre has over 14 years of administrative and curatorial experience in non-profit arts organizations. She believes that art has the capability of transforming lives and is especially interested in points of connection between artists and the communities they live in. She holds an MFA in fibers from Colorado State University, a post-baccalaureate in fibers from Oregon College of Art and Craft, and a BFA in ceramics from the University of Arts in Philadelphia. She has assisted in teaching workshops at Haystack Mountain School of Craft and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Among other artist accomplishments, Sarah’s work is in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum.

Panelist - Peggy Lyle

Connect with Peggy on LinkedIn Here or email Peggy directly at info@dfccd.org

Peggy Lyle has been a creative force in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado for over two decades. Peggy currently serves as the director for the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District and consultant to the creative industry. She is passionate about the arts and creative approaches to business, branding and communications.  With 20+ years of large and small scale event production, marketing, entertainment programming and business support experience she has aided entrepreneurs, musicians, performers, galleries, non-profits, and small businesses navigate promotion, audience cultivation, programming, creative thinking and business strategy.  Highlight Projects/Businesses include The Downtown Fort Collins Business Association, Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest, Fort Collins Music eXperiment FoCoMX, Larimer Small Business Development Center, Colorado Brewers’ Festival, FoCo Book Fest, Fort Collins Musicians Association and the Boulder International Film Festival FoCo.

Panelist - Mary Bahus-Meyer

Connect with Mary directly at artsource@fullcircle-creative.com

Mary is passionate about the arts! As an artist, she creates pet portraits, and meets weekly with a group in Loveland to paint pastels. As a performer, she has danced at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins and Rialto Theater in Loveland, and has acted in “Age of Aquarius,” in which she delivered Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and danced and sang as part of the ensemble at Harrington Arts Alliance in Loveland. 

Mary has a varied background in the creative industry. Mary served as Executive Director of Wildfire Community Arts Center. This included planning programming for arts classes and a major annual event, hiring teachers, handling finances and operations for this nonprofit arts hub in Berthoud, Colorado Mary developed museum reproductions and was a buyer for the Smithsonian Institution Gift Catalog for 7 years in Washington D.C. Helping artists learn to sell and connect with clients is something she especially loves. She has developed interactive programs, such as “Wearing Many Hats,” for teaching artists how to market themselves, which she has taught at the Business of Art Center in Manitou Springs, during Loveland Start Up Week, and at the Loveland Museum in Loveland, Colorado.

Mary has served as the Project and Sales Manager for Loveland ARTSource for a dozen years. Loveland artists expressed the need for a marketing piece for this arts community. This sophisticated guide to the arts is distributed throughout the state’s Colorado Welcome Centers, promoting local artists and Loveland as an arts and cultural tourism destination. 

My Journey of Being Unstoppable

2% of VC funding goes to female founders. Discover the lessons learned from one female founder during her entrepreneurial journey and how it will require an army of tenacious, unyielding, change-makers to make a difference. 

Jennifer Henderson

Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn Here or email Jennifer directly at jen@ourtilt.com

Jennifer Henderson is the founder and CEO of Tilt, a company revolutionizing employee leave in the workplace. She spent 15 years in corporate America prior to founding Tilt in a variety of operational roles. She became a highly sought out leader and consultant in employee retention, engagement, career development and coaching. As a professional mom with 2 small children, she experienced career stagnation and pregnancy discrimination when she disclosed both of her pregnancies so she set off on her own and founded TiLT to revolutionize leave in the workplace. She graduated from CSU with a BA in Speech Communications, lives in the Fort Collins area with her husband, 2 kids, several animals and loves being outdoors.

The Trivial Pursuit Self Care Game

Learn how small actions in self-care can create positive momentum in your life. Explore 6 areas of self-care and get actionable items to prioritize your own well-being. Put your oxygen mask on first and take control of your health and happiness!

Chalice Springfield

Connect with Chalice on LinkedIn Here or email Chalice directly at chalice@unstoppablecuriosity.com

Chalice Springfield is a passionate and inspiring motivational speaker, personal coach, and trainer.

She has over 20 years of expertise in the area of motivational speaking and received certified training as a personal coach. She has spoken at National Conferences and in Colorado for various groups, non-profits and businesses.

Chalice believes in and embodies a life that is full of Mondo Beyondo possibilities where “daring greatly” is a routine item on the to-do list.

She is the founder of Unstoppable Curiosity, a company dedicated to helping individuals and teams reach their full potential.

Creating a Healthy Culture for Hiring and Retention
Business Health Check

Hiring and Retaining talent is more difficult than ever, so what can we do to find and keep great employees? We’ll spend time digging into the employee experience, research on employee priorities, quiet quitting, and what to do when you identify warning signs within your workforce, so that you can get back to the things you do best!

Tina Todd

Connect with Laurie on LinkedIn Here or email Laurie directly at Tina.Todd@Dutchbros.com

I’m a true HR nerd and love digging into wage and hour rules, working with the amazing team at DB NOCO to understand all of the fun (and sometimes tricky) aspects of HR, and continuing to create the best workplace possible for our employees.

My professional experience has ranged from restaurants and retail to non-profit, small, and large corporations, and several years of business ownership! My functions ranged from HR specific tasks like staffing to culture and compliance and employee relations, to a variety of other functions including forecasting, budgeting, and general operations.

I feel extremely fortunate to work at an organization that genuinely cares about each and every employee and everyone does their best to create a culture of inclusion. Outside of work, I enjoy running, getting outside any way possible, and spending time with my husband and twin boys.

Embracing Our Inner Power
Health & Wellness

We’ve all faced adversity in life. In those moments, we allow our inner critic to convince us we’re not powerful or worthy enough. We are simply consumed by doubt and fear. As women, we need to be reminded that we possess a power within, our inner-mentor. She is strong, confident, and well-able. We need to connect and embrace her power.

Betzy Valdez

Connect with Betzy on LinkedIn Here or email Betzy directly at betzys970@gmail.com

Betzy Valdez is a proud mother, wife, entrepreneur, and connector. She is the founder and visionary of Empowered Leader – her true passion and calling in life. This business is her vision to provide opportunities for growth, connection, and community involvement. She hosts workshops, coordinates volunteer opportunities, and serves as a speaker for various events. Betzy’s goal is to empower YOUR vision, presence, and impact! Betzy is the owner of BV Virtual Custom Services which offers social media management, content creation, translating services, etc. Betzy’s goal is to provide custom services that allow local businesses to thrive. She also serves as the current President for the Hispanic Women of Weld County (HWWC), an organization that engages civically, awards academic scholarships, and recognizes the accomplishments of Latinas across Weld County. In her free time, Betzy enjoys spending time with family, supporting friends and colleagues, and finding new ways of making an impact in her community.

Price Your Service Right
Marketing

Competitively pricing your services is a challenge for many service providers, consultants, and freelancers. One of the biggest challenges is getting comfortable selling yourself. As a result, you may underprice your services, offer unnecessary discounts, or work yourself to burnout. In this talk we’ll discuss how to stop under-valuing yourself and over-giving to clients and price your service right so you and your clients are happy and successful!

Chrysta Bairre

Connect with Chrysta on LinkedIn Here or email Chrysta directly at cindy@onpoint-communications.com

Chrysta Bairre is a dynamic keynote speaker and author of the book, Beautiful Badass: How To Believe In Yourself Against The Odds. Chrysta has presented to audiences of 30 – 300+ at Ignite Denver, Boulder Startup Week, Fort Collins Startup Week, Northern Colorado Women’s Small Business Conference, General Assembly Denver, Polkadot Powerhouse Celebration, Aurora Chamber of Commerce Women In Business, and more than 100 other events and organizations.

Chrysta is also the founder of She Goes High, a 1,400+ introvert-focused member women’s leadership community in Northern Colorado.

She is a 2016 and 2017 participant and facilitator of Larimer County Women of the Year program.

Her book, Beautiful Badass: How to Believe in Yourself Against the Odds, shares stories and lessons from overcoming poverty and depression in this guide for women who want to take command of their destinies and no longer fall prey to the hardships and setbacks that previously defined them.

Show Me the Money - Alternative Funding Resources Panel
Success Panel
Moderator - Hope Hartman

Connect with Hope on LinkedIn Here or email Hope directly at Hope@larminersbdc.com

Hope has a diverse background that includes software, startups, technology transfer and commercialization, education, and non-profits. She has worked for family owned and operated businesses as well as high-tech, high growth venture-backed companies. Most recently she served as a coach for the “Startup to Scale Up” learning community at Ingomu, a Colorado startup and was the Executive Director of Girls in the Spotlight Foundation, a Fort Collins non-profit. She started her first company when she was 18 and experienced her first acquisition in 2016 to a Japanese venture capital firm. Although Hope has worn many hats over the years, she is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses learn, grow, and succeed.

Panelist -Madison Goering

Connect with Madison on LinkedIn Here or email Madison directly at denver@local.kiva.org

Madison Goering (she/her/ella) works for Prairie Rose Development Corporation as the Capital Access Manager for the Northern half of Colorado. She is currently getting her Masters in Social Work and Public Health. Previously Madison’s work has been in community development efforts, from supporting families experiencing houselessness to running a referral hotline for survivors of human trafficking. Madison grew up in Colorado and is thrilled to be connecting with local entrepreneurs after living and working in Bolivia for 2 years. In her free time she loves to go trail running, cook dinner with friends and practice West Coast Swing dancing.

Panelists - Priscilla Orozco-Garcia

Connect with Priscilla on LinkedIn Here or email Pricilla directly at priscilla@coloradoenterprisefund.org

Priscilla Orozco-Garcia was born in Denver, Colorado. In 1997, she moved to Jalisco Mexico, while completing high school, she also obtained her Professional Certificate of Accounting from the National College of Professional Technical Education in Jalisco Mexico and in 2012 was certified as a Professional Bookkeeper by the Accounting & Business School of the Rockies. She is a business consultant at the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center and at Colorado Enterprise Fund. Priscilla has helped hundreds of local & international entrepreneurs with their small business accounting and bookkeeping needs.

Priscilla possesses over two decades of experience in the accounting industry. Her resilience allowed her to launch YTD Bookkeeping Service’s following a job layoff during the great recession in 2011. Respected by her former employers for her financial acumen, they provided Priscilla with her first referral for bookkeeping services. Growing her business from scratch, Priscilla has become a go-to within the small business community – guiding hundreds of small businesses and leading countless small business financial literacy trainings in English & Spanish.

Panelist - Karen Wainscott

Connect with Karen at karen.wainscott@state.co.us

Karen Wainscott is a development professional originally from Richmond, Virginia who has lived in Colorado for ten years. She completed her B.A.s in Political Science and International Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she also received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. Karen has worked for businesses and organizations across all sectors specializing in fund development, marketing, communications, and strategic planning. She is currently the EDA Program Manager with the Colorado Rural Opportunity Office. Karen started Wainscott Consulting in 2020 and serves as the grant-writer for Albany County, Wyoming among other clients. She lives in Greeley, CO with her husband Josh and two stepchildren.

How to be a Successful, Balanced Woman in Leadership
Leadership

Find success in the midst of our storms by embracing your power within

Mindy McCloughan

Connect with Mindy on LinkedIn Here or email Mindy directly at chalice@unstoppablecuriosity.com

Mindy McCloughan has served as the president and CEO of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce since June of 2012. Before moving to Loveland, Colo. in 2012, McCloughan served as president to the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce in Paris, Texas. Her tenure covers 21 years of chamber, economic development, community development and tourism. She is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute with University of Oklahoma; Institute for Organizational Management through the American Chamber of Commerce Executives at Colorado College and a Community/Economic Development Institute graduate from the University of Central Arkansas; and the Western Association of Chamber Executives Academy.
McCloughan is a member of W.A.C.E, ACCE, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Mountain View Rotary Club, Colorado Women of Influence, and serves on various boards such as, Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, Loveland Business Development Center, Loveland Broadband Task Force, Leadership Northern Colorado, Leadership Loveland, Fix North I-25 Business Alliance, and Loveland Downtown Partnership, Loveland Strategic Partnership, OneNoCo and Western Association of Chamber Executives.
McCloughan’s accomplishments in Loveland consist of expanding the Chamber membership base, stabilizing the organization, reducing debt and implementing a balanced budget and creating programs and partnerships that bring added value to Chamber investors as well as the community. In 2013 McCloughan started a business recovery grant program and raised $645,000 for grants to help the businesses affected by the flood. Mindy is the co-founder of the Love Lock Sculpture and the new annual Sweetheart City Festival in downtown Loveland; is a co-founder of the #liveloveland campaign; and the founder of the DWTS program for Loveland.
BizWest recognized Mindy as one of the 2017 Woman of Distinction honorees and Colorado Women of Influence recognized her as a 2017 Woman of Vision.
McCloughan’s purpose and passion is to strengthen and expand the economy through programs that lead to bringing business, industry and economic growth to Loveland and Larimer County which fosters the overall quality of life initiatives that make Loveland a great place to live, work and raise a family. In her spare time she enjoys the mountains, boating and golfing with her husband (Dave McCloughan) and their four children (Logan, Ryan, Landon and Grant) and producing Mimi Camp for her grandchildren (Emmie, Sutton & Layne).

Developing a Healthy Marketing Strategy for 2023
Business Health Check

As we move into 2023, it’s important to keep in mind the changing landscape of marketing. What worked last year may not work this year. We’ll be giving some key pointers and tactical solutions to put into your marketing strategy for the new year.

Vallene Kailburn

Connect with Vallene on LinkedIn Here or email Vallene directly at val@oldtownmedia.com

Vallene (Val) is the Chief Creative Officer, Owner, Founder, and Ringleader at Old Town Media, Inc. In addition to being a successful business owner, Val’s expertise includes creating unique and innovative design concepts that provoke emotion and establish a connection between a business’s brand and its audience. Val works directly with the design team providing direction, inspiration, and critique to ensure that Old Town Media is consistently producing quality design.

Leveraging Your Strengths as a Woman Leader

Sometimes it’s too easy to overlook one of the greatest tools for success, human capital. Leveraging your own and employees’ strengths leads to a resilient business that supports everyone in doing what they do best. It is 10X’s easier to build and develop what we are good at rather than focusing on our
weaknesses. How can you use your talents and strengths as women leaders to help you build upon yourleadership potential and have increased impact on those you lead.

This session is for you if you want to:

1. Have more fun in your business, at work, and in your life.
2. Stop focusing on your weaknesses and discover how to manage weaknesses.
3. Learn about how you can take this powerful assessment for free.

Connect with Elizabeth on LinkedIn Here or email Elizabeth directly at emahoney@completprodev.com

“If it’s not fun- it’s not worth doing!” 

You stop in your tracks when reading the first statement because when thinking about hiring a coach/consultant for your business or personal development needs…fun is not the first thing that comes to mind. You are here for business not to play around. But I  bet you notice a tug from your heart that says “But what if we can grow AND have fun at  the same time?!” 

We say…listen to your heart. Tapping into her own strength of Positivity, Elizabeth has a passion for guiding people in uncovering, developing, and executing on their career well-being, growth, and development. in a way that is engaging, empowering, and actionable.  

She loves to work with companies to help them define and build a healthy and thriving workplace culture. Focused in on developing employees, managers, and teams.  Informed through an educational and professional background in counseling, higher education, and small business leadership, she has a unique ability to work with both leaders and individual contributors. 

Fun is a core belief that Elizabeth holds, and she believes that when businesses and individuals are leveraging their strengths fun can effortlessly be a natural part of the growth process. When we feel like things are more effortless and fun, the hard work becomes more palatable and then issues like conflict, turnover, and dis-engagement begin to decrease in the small business, corporate, and non-profit spaces.

Upping your Instagram Game in a Post Pandemic World
Marketing

The pandemic showed us how critical social media is for brand success, especially Instagram. While we were in lockdown, businesses leveraged all social channels to nurture consumers and keep business afloat. However, social media and specifically Instagram, is changing. It’s becoming more than a pretty picture post and morphing into a full-blown communication and search engine channel. As we move toward the post-pandemic social media landscape, executives realize that social media and Instagram are explicitly driving the business forward. As Gen Z becomes buying power, we must realize their reliance on Instagram to learn about brands. In this conversation, we will discuss Instagram’s different “neighborhoods” and which are helpful. What types of content and strategy are reaching consumers in a post-pandemic world.

Jade Shebelski

Connect with Jade on LinkedIn Here or email Jade directly at jade@mavenandmusemedia.com

Jade Shebelski is a seasoned social media manager specializing in coaching and strategizing Instagram, LinkedIn & Pinterest for product & service-based businesses. She started her business Maven and Muse Media after other businesses saw her success in niche marketing, telling stories, and selling her vintage products directly off social media. Established business’ witnessed her growth and reached out to create contents that would transition into sales. Jade finds stories and tells them through motivational means, converting followers and hearts to conversations and bookings.

Resilience Strategies from Immigrant Women Entrepreneurs Panel
Success Panel

Being able to constantly adapt to challenging and uncertain situations became bluntly evident as a crucial skill (emotional, intellectual and financial) during the pandemic; but that’s not new; resilience and grit have always been required for entrepreneurs to thrive and much more so for women, people of color, and immigrants. According to the American Immigration Council, the United States has 44.5 million immigrants (53% are naturalized citizens) and 3.2 million immigrants in America are entrepreneurs generating $86.3 billion in business income. In this powerhouse panel, latina women entrepreneurs living in Colorado, California and Utah, come together to inspire, motivate and share practical insights on how to practice resilience in the face of fear, doubt, societal and cultural barriers. Their goal is to share the amazing power and importance of diversity, community, the sense of belonging and overcoming. A call to action for everyone (foreigners and locals) to find their purpose, overcome challenges, embrace their stories and share their voices.

www.strategiesforentrepreneurs.com

Introduction - Patrícia Guimarães

Connect with Patrícia on LinkedIn Here or email Patrícia directly at patricia@probr.network

Patrícia Guimarães was born and raised in Brazil and is a naturalized American living in Colorado for over 15 years. She graduated in Journalism from MSU Denver, holds certificates from the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), Landmark Education Self-Expression and Leadership Program, Co.Starters, was a state finalist for the Go Code Colorado competition, and has academic and professional experience with nonprofits and businesses. She is a member of the Denver Startup Week organizing committee and the host of the podcast PROdCAST in which she interviews immigrants about their personal and professional journeys. She is a consultant providing different strategies for entrepreneurs and the founder and CEO of the startup PRO BR NETWORK, an online platform and directory for Brazilians around the world to connect, network, share educational and professional resources and opportunities between Brazilian and international communities. Patricia is married, has two children, loves to travel, read, listen to podcasts, network and dreams of one day leading philanthropic projects.

Moderator - Lidiane Mocko

Connect with Lidiane on LinkedIn Here or email Lidiane directly at lidiane.mocko@crmgrowthstrategy.com

Lidiane Mocko is the owner of CRM Growth Strategy, a boutique Salesforce consulting practice that helps growing organizations to implement Salesforce. Lidi serves as a board member for the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT). She is a creative soul that is finding her voice. A voice that embraces the full spectrum of her experiences. A voice that expresses the passion of a Brazilian, the grit of an immigrant, and the entrepreneurial spirit of a true American. A voice that is assertive and inspiring. With authenticity, truth, grace and compassion. Lidiane is married, lives near Golden, CO, loves to hike, meditate and to practice yoga. 

Panelist - Fernanda Firman

Connect with Fernanda on LinkedIn Here or email Fernanda directly at hello@fernandafirman.com

Fernanda Lima Firman is a Brazilian architect who became a Virtual Events Strategist and Producer. She is behind some of the most popular 6-figure launches and visibility-driven summits online. Founder of the Summit to Scale™️ system, she has hosted over 50 virtual events in the past 2 years. She partners with her clients to skyrocket their income, visibility, and expert-status with custom, and automated virtual events that generate warm leads, build authority, influence and profit. She is passionate about using her gifts to provide opportunities for women and kids survivors of domestic violence, so they can get back on their feet and begin a new life. When she’s not focused on summits and launching, she’s often spending time teaching her two boys about entrepreneurship and empowering them to design their own future, just as she is designing hers. Fernanda is married and lives in San Diego, CA with her family.

Panelist - Ariane Barboza

Connect with Ariane on LinkedIn Here or email Ariane directly at ariane.4ever@hotmail.com

Ariane Barboza has been a lawyer licensed in Brazil for 7 years, mentor and digital producer. Four years ago, she dropped everything in Brazil to study in the United States even though she didn’t know anyone and didn’t speak English. Incredibly, in less than 2 years she reached more than $40k in college scholarships.Passionate about sharing information, she decided to help professionals to walk the unknown paths of scholarships in American Universities, and career validation for immigrants pursuing professional success. Today she is the founder of Estudando na Gringa (Studying Abroad), and has helped dozens of people using the same method to arrive in the United States, validate their diploma, continue their career and live legally. Ariane lives in Salt Lake City, UT, with her family.

Panelists - Betina Meyer Pflug

Connect with Betina on LinkedIn Here or email Betina directly at betina@wity.tech

Betina Pflug is an executive and life coach with over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, relational intelligence, strategic decision-making, nonprofits, facilitation, training, marketing, and CRM. Her international experience enables her to share best practices from a different perspective and allows her to communicate in several languages, such as Portuguese, German, Spanish, and English. With a personal motto of “leave every place you go, better than you found”; and her organizational skills, Betina identifies problems and dreams up actionable solutions.

Panelists - Victoria Garcia

Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn Here or email Victoria directly at victoriagarcia77@gmail.com

Born in Mexico City and raised in the mountains of Colorado, Victoria brings a unique combination of empathy, understanding, and expertise when it comes to appreciating and supporting Hispanic-American professionals. Being bilingual and bicultural has provided Victoria with a powerful opportunity to serve her community in both English and Spanish throughout her 14 years as a working professional. In 2014 Victoria graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a B.A. in Speech Communication and an emphasis in Broadcasting. Her presentation and public speaking skills have allowed Victoria to establish herself as a bilingual speaker and leader in the Colorado business community. As a woman who is passionate about helping Latinas close their own wage gap and gain financial independence, Victoria launched a community called Latinas Who Dare with the sole mission of helping Latinas close their own wage gap by starting a business that can supplement their income and help them build wealth. In addition to growing and leading her unique community, Victoria is also the proud owner and co-founder of Apapacho Cacao, a food company that specializes in creating organic cacao blends that serve as a health and wellness supplement. Victoria lives in Aurora with her husband Jeff, her 10-year-old son Liam, and their fur babies Mochi and Skyler.

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