Success Stories
The East Colorado Small Business Development Center has seen many entrepreneurs launch successful startups, expand existing businesses, or return a business to profitability. Here are a few clients who have shared their small business success stories with us.
Our partners within the business community, academic world, and media are always looking for the local entrepreneurial successes. Help us share your success!
Still Waters Coffee
Still Waters Coffee is located right in the heart of Greeley, Colorado. This is a venture close to our hearts, founded by family. Our journey began during a missionary expedition in Costa Rica, where we chanced upon a remarkable coffee farm. Inspired by the high-quality coffee we discovered, we made it our mission to bring that exceptional taste back to Greeley. Tired of the typical chain coffee shops in our community, we envisioned Still Waters …
By His Grace Worship Dance School
By His Grace has been serving the Arkansas Valley for twelve years. It was started by Charaki and Shawna Yeomans with the goal of providing tuition-free dance classes to the community, and using the classes as a way to reach others for Christ. Our mission statement is “Teaching the art of dance with a heart of worship and promoting dance as a legitimate form of worship”. Over the last several years it has grown to …
B2B Solutions LLC
B2B Solutions is a family and minority-owned distribution company based in Elizabeth Colorado. Our mission is to provide much-needed products to our customers at competitive pricing. Especially right now with the disruption of the supply chain. We stock over 200,000 products from over 600 manufacturers within our 21 warehouses across the country. So, our supply chain is well equippedOur products include;Safety Supplies, Environmental Supplies, Firefighting Supplies, Janitorial Supplies, Industrial Supplies such as (MRO, Hand Tools, …
High Plains Dice and Games
High Plains Dice and Games started with a little girl who loved to read books. I fell into worlds filled with Dragons, Ghosts, Shield-maidens, and Magic. Worlds that I longed for and dreamt of. As I got older that desire for fantastically magical worlds was filled thanks to Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, and Board Games. As an adult, I discovered the “Friendly Local Game Store”, a place filled to the brim with all the …
Blossom Baby Co, LLC
Blossom Baby Co, LLC is owned and operated by a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo – Tabi Jaramillo and Kayla Jaramillo. Kayla is a mother of four, and Tabi is a mother of three adult children and grandma to five grandchildren. Blossom Baby Co became a dream three years ago while Kayla was expecting and had to travel nearly an hour for early gender determination and her 3D/4D scan. She saw a need for this experience …
Huberd’s Shoe Grease Company
In 1921, the United States was just coming out of World War I and kicking off the Roaring ‘20s. Babe Ruth broke the home run record with the Yankees. Coco Chanel introduced “Chanel No. 5”. John Glenn, a future astronaut, was born. And, in a small town in Oregon, an enterprising young man named J.W. Huberd concocted a leather care product out of beeswax and pine tar. Mr. Huberd traveled to logging camps throughout the …
Fox Haven Aesthetics
Prior to working with the East Colorado SBDC, my practice, Fox Haven Aesthetics, was located on the west side of Ft. Collins. However, I lived in Windsor (and still do!) After seven years making the commute, I decided to start working in Windsor. In order to make that transition a reality, I knew I’d need help. Working with East CO Associate Director, Kyla Benson, helped me get in touch with the City of Windsor and …
Sisu Therapies
Sisu Therapies was founded by married couple Laura Simenson, DPT, and Joe Schroeder, DPT in January 2020. For 15 years, the couple had a long-standing goal of starting a therapy and wellness practice together that offers a dynamic and holistic pathway leading to healthier lifestyles. When the space at 1230 W. Ash Street became available in December 2019, it finally seemed that all the pieces were starting to fall into place. Working with East CO …
Parker Garage and Foraged Restaurants
We’ve been invited to share our success story with the history of our company, dating back to the purchase of our original location in Parker, Colorado “The Parker Garage“. Parker Garage and Foraged Restaurants – Boom to Shutdown We took on this project as re-hab of an old building on Mainstreet in Parker in 2014. We bought an older rundown business called the Warhorse that had been in business for many years and had the …
PICTURE IT STUDIOS, INC
Navigating COVID Relief with the SBDC During the COVID lockdown, Craig provided information and guidance about the PPP and the EIDL programs that might stabilize the Studio once we were able to re-open. At that point most of my capital had been spent on rent and utilities during the 2.5 months we were forced to close. Without that support we would have had to permanently close. Thankfully we were approved for both types of assistance …
Amanda’s Custom Meat Processing
Amanda’s Custom Meat Processing is a custom butcher shop, that processes beef and wild game. Our business is owned and operated by my husband Brad and I. For now it is just the two of us with two other employees. Working with the SBDC This shop has been a dream of ours for a long time. We were always out in our shop planning ways to make our perfect butcher shop. We finally decided to …
Elaine’s Place
Our goal at Elaine’s Place is to provide fresh traditional meals, making our customers feel like they are eating at their own dining room table all for a reasonable price! Working with the SBDC Merle Rhoades at East CO SBDC helped us in obtaining a grant from Morgan County Safe Open. This COVID grant will help keep me in business for at least another year and keep the employees I have employed. I told Merle …
Seeds Counseling
I started my private therapy practice in June and frankly had no ideas about business. Working with the SBDC East CO SBDC was amazingly helpful; most Mondays before the pandemic I’d take my 2 year old to meet with Chelsie to talk about building a business plan and what steps I needed to be successful. I reached my goal of having enough clients to leave my job and be full time private practice in October, …
Evans Early Childhood Center
Evans Early Childhood is a Colorado State Licensed childcare center and preschool, serving children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. Located on Colorado’s Eastern Plains in Fort Morgan, Rosie Evans and Brian Evans, a husband and wife team started the company in June 2014, both following careers in teaching.
Orozco Security Agency
Orozco’s Beginnings Our professional management team has over 80 years of combined security experience with the knowledge and adaptability to meet our client’s changing security needs. Orozco Security Agency Inc. (O.S.A) is Colorado’s security expert in Latin events (Quinceanera and weddings), as well as, heavy industrial / agricultural. Our COVID Pivot Being an event security company, the social distancing that was required during COVID-19, caused the events to be cancelled and work to come to a …
Affiliation Welding
Affiliation Welding is based in Greeley, CO and provides welding and fabrication services for customers in Northern Colorado. Affiliation specializes in plastic welding & fabrication and serves residential, commercial and industrial customers. Our Beginnings Alex is a Colorado native and is proud to serve the community his family has lived in for over 100 years. Before opening Affiliation Welding, Alex worked for a local research and development company as the lead welder and fabricator while …
Hogan Design Group
I’m Richard Hogan, Owner of Hogan Design Group LLC. Hogan Design Group provides website design, hosting, and graphics for its customers. The goals of HDG are to help small businesses in Sterling and Logan County to grow and prosper. Affordable pricing and the ability to build professional responsive websites on our own hosting platform was my goal three years ago when I escaped Denver’s rising rent and settled in Sterling. Building a website for Elements …
RC Auto Detail & Carpet Cleaning
Building a Business The fall of Circuit City, where I was a store manager, started my hunt to redefine who I am and what I will do. After spending years in retail and business operations, I wanted to start and run my own business. I thought I could build it, and of course people would use this new company and services that I started. Wow – looking back now I am glad I didn’t know …
The Hipstir Wagon
We are a food trailer with a permanent location as well as the ability to go to special events in the area. The Hipstir Wagon roots are a bakery – making donuts, cinnamon rolls, and good coffee. Our menu has expanded already to include several egg-based breakfast items and lunch sandwiches. The list of pastries we can prepare has also expanded to fruit turnovers, crescent rolls, apple fritters (with a gluten-free version), and fruit and …
E C Translations
My name is Curtis Cox. My wife, Elsa, and I had been earning extra money for many years by translating documents of various kinds between Spanish and English. In 2013, we felt that it was time to turn our side sources of income into a full-fledged business. So, in March, of that year, we began E C Translations. the “E” is for Elsa and the “C” is for Curtis; plus, it sounded like “easy.” Not …
RDRX Nutrition
I was working full-time as a clinical dietitian in the outpatient setting. Before SBDC, my private practice helping clients who were ready to make healthy lifestyle changes was just a dream. Working with the SBDC Kyla helped me from the very beginning. I came in with just ideas, questions and was totally lost. I had no clue where to start. She walked me through filing an LLC, reviewed my always-changing business plan, guided me to …
Jessie’s Performance
We started our business of building and restoring Hot Rods in June 2014. and it grew much faster than we had imaged! Being New to running this king of business, we “flew by the seat of our pants” for the first few years. Working with the SBDC Spring 2018, we started working with the SBDC to make a business plan, and in hopes of finding some funding (since we started the business without any working …
Aunt Helen’s Coffee House
Aunt Helen’s Coffee House is a unique, quick service restaurant that serves specialized coffee, tea, and an array of breakfast and lunch options. Owners Aimee and Bob Hutson continue to grow their business by providing high quality products, creating unique and healthy dining options, delivering an unmatched level of customer service, and giving back to the community. Aimee was a Director in the childcare service industry for most of her career, and understands the importance …
Ala Carte Learning Solutions
Ala Carte Learning Solutions, Inc., a public benefit corporation, offers a variety of services to the education industry. The primary focus began with revolutionizing the way public and charter schools hired their “hard to fill” special education professional positions. As someone working in the education industry, Dr. Margo Barnhart noticed the demand to find and keep qualified individuals in specific areas due to competition among other industries for the same professionals. The demand on these …