A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown

Heidi Williams is the Director of Opioid Response for the Colorado Attorney General and is the former Mayor of Thornton. She also serves as board President for Ralston House Child Advocacy Center, is on the Board of Directors for Front Range Community College Foundation, and to support her children, she is vice-chair of the Valley District executive committee for Boy Scouts of America. Heidi graduated Summe cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2017 and earned her master’s degree in public administration from CU Denver in 2018.  

On this week's show, Heidi discusses what led to her pursuit of and service in public office, disliking the "politics of politics," and how to work together to find solutions with people who have different values than herself. She also discusses her new role in addressing the opioid crisis as part of the Colorado Attorney General's office, how settlement money from opioid manufacturers and distributors is being used, and how the business community can contribute positively to ending this problem.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.  

Jesse Mallory is the State Director for Americans for Prosperity-Colorado. According to their website, Americans for Prosperity "protect[s] the American Dream by fighting each day for lower taxes, less government regulation and economic prosperity for all." Prior to his current role, Mallory worked in the Colorado State Senate. He served as Chief of Staff to Senate President Bill Cadman and Senate President Kevin Grantham. He’s a graduate of Colorado State University with bachelor’s in political science.

On this week's episode, Jesse discusses the work of Americans for Prosperity-Colorado, their role not only in campaigns but in educating Coloradans about issues of importance, how COVID-19 has changed not their strategy, but their tactics, and the tough choices facing the Colorado Legislature this year. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

Christa Zaharias is the Co-Founder and CEO of Corrosion Integrity Solutions (CIS), which specializes in corrosion assessment and mitigation for upstream and midstream oil and gas clients. In addition to CIS, Christa worked as a project manager with a start-up midstream company, Cureton Midstream from 2017 to 2019. With Cureton, Christa oversaw the engineering and construction of a 10 mmscfd Temporary Gas Processing facility and a 60 mmscfd Cryogenic gas processing facility. She also currently contracts as a part-time Project Manager for Summit Engineering in Colorado.

Throughout her career, Christa has spent considerable time in the field, both domestically and internationally, including Trinidad, Canada and Turkey, supporting projects through various phases. Christa is a member of NACE, GPA, DPC and sits on the board of the Women in Oil and Gas Association.

On this week's show, Christa shares her journey in oil and gas leading her to run her own company, discusses the outlook for oil and gas in Colorado and how long the road to recovery will be, and covers the important work of the Women in Oil and Gas Association.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

 

Gwenivere Snyder has a cumulative total over $150 million in real estate transactions. Her professionalism, integrity and confidentiality exceeds the demands of affluent buyers and sellers. She has been recognized by Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and ranked by REAL Trends for my 2018 sales volume. In 2019, she accepted an invitation to join the new Denver brokerage of Christie's International Real Estate office. You can find her website here. 

She is President of the Executive Board of the Women’s Guild for A Precious Child which strives to bring effective and meaningful change for disadvantaged and displaced Colorado children. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Colorado Uplight. These activities offer powerful networking opportunities, yet her greatest reward is knowing that she am making a difference for those in need. 

On this week's show, Gwenivere shares her history in real estate, the particular challenges and joys of working in luxury real estate, and her work in giving back to the community through A Precious Child and other organizations. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

Kristen Blessman serves as the President and CEO of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC).  As CEO of the CWCC, Blessman is responsible for executing the organization’s mission of advancing women in business.  Blessman was hired in 2017 to bring value to membership through innovation, brand awareness and long-term vision. Through the creation of a new leadership program, mentoring program and unique peer group programming, Blessman has overhauled programming and curriculum at the CWCC and brought a new value proposition to CWCC members and the community.  Additionally, Blessman is recreating the CWCC brand through new educational and inspiring events, enhanced digital and traditional media as well as extensive community outreach programs to create awareness and advocacy for women in the workplace.

On this week's show Kristen discusses how she came to lead the CWCC, the mission of advancing women in business, the multitude of events put on by the organization, and the mentorship she has both received and provides in her business journey.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

Tom Bugnitz is the CEO of Manufacturer’s Edge, which encourages the strength and competitiveness of Colorado manufacturers through coaching, training, and consulting, collaboration-focused industry programs, and by leveraging government, university, and economic development partnerships. Jessica Cowden is their Director of Marketing and Communications.

Through onsite support and technical assistance, Manufacturer’s Edge works to boost the competitiveness of Colorado manufacturers. The experienced engineers and business professionals at Manufacturer’s Edge have skills in manufacturing, management, process improvements, and technology acceleration and work closely with manufacturers to provide company assessments and customized solutions including hands-on facilitation and implementation.

On this week's episode, Tom and Jessica discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the manufacturing industry and how Manufacturer's Edge is helping during the crisis. Tom strikes a hopeful and optimistic note regarding collaboration, innovation, and rapid response he's seen in his work at Manufacturer's Edge. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

On the April episode of Redefining Rural sponsored by CSU-Global, listen to how the Bayfield, Elizabeth, and Greeley-Evans school districts are tackling the challenge of continuous learning. Superintendents Aten, Bissonnette, and Pilch talk through the tremendous work of their staffs, broadband access challenges for families, and the grit among the education community that so rapidly pulled together a whole new system of learning for students, staffs, and families through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t forget to like and follow Redefining Rural on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

Mike Sommers is the 15^th chief executive of the American Petroleum Institute since its founding almost a century ago. API is the largest national trade association representing all aspects of America's oil and natural gas industry. Before being named APl's president and CEO, Sommers led the American Investment Council, a trade association representing many of the nation's leading private equity and growth capital firms and other business partners.

Sommers spent two decades in critical staff leadership roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the White House, including chief of staff for Speaker of the House John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Special Assistant to President George W. Bush at the National Economic Council.

On this week's show, Mike discusses the positive contributions oil and natural gas have made to Colorado, the headwinds facing the industry in 2020 (even before COVID-19), the dangers of a national ban on hydraulic fracturing, and the importance of STEM education. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

Lee Wheeler-Berliner (pictured), is Managing Director of the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) where he manages the execution of strategies to develop and sustain an industry-led talent development network in Colorado.

Glenn Plagens is Director of Business Support & Rural Prosperity for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and is responsible for strategic planning, direction, management, implementation and evaluation of four major programs within OEDIT: Employee Ownership, Minority Business Office, Rural Economic Development, and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

Together, they discuss in more detail what their respective offices do, the fallout from COVID-19, and what resources are available for those affected. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

 

On the re-launch of the Colorado Business Roundtable Podcast, we welcome Dan Nordberg, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Region VIII Administrator based in Denver. In this role he oversees delivery of the agency's small business programs and services in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Montana.

A Colorado native, Dan shares with us his journey which includes a stint in the Colorado State House of Representatives and sees him currently working with the federal government to support small businesses during this unprecedented time of a global pandemic. Dan discusses the tools and products available to small businesses to assist in weathering the economic turmoil of the Coronavirus. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.