Meet Marcia McGilley

Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Advisory Board

Director, South Metro Denver Small Business Development Center

Contact Marcia McGilley:

Director, South Metro Denver Small Business Development Center 6840 S. University Boulevard Centennial, CO 80122 p: 303.795.0142 [email protected] www.SmallBusinessDenver.com

Marcia McGilley is currently the Director of the South Metro Denver Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosted by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce in Centennial, Colorado. The Center, which services over 1,500 individuals each year in pursuit of launching or growing their own businesses, has recently achieved national recognition as one of the top ten SBDC’s in the country by the U.S. Small Business Administration. On May 3, 2011, Greg Lopez, Colorado District Director for the U.S. SBA – Region VII, presented Marcia and her Center the 2010 Small Business Development Center of the Year Service Award for Excellence and Innovation.

Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, she grew up in a rich entrepreneurial setting. In fact, twelve of her immediate relatives are entrepreneurs including her father, mother, two sisters, two grandfathers, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and brothers-in-law. The family seemed to see business opportunities in life’s every moment, from her mother’s wedding consulting to her father’s funeral business.

Shortly after graduating from the University of Kansas with a double major in Political Science and Speech & Drama, Marcia’s first step was to learn as much from corporate America as she could while creating an entrepreneurial nest egg. During that time, she held various sales and marketing positions with Hyatt Hotels, The Lee Apparel Company, and Showtime Networks.

After 10 years of incubating her own skills, and with $5,000 in hand, Marcia visited the local SBDC to start her first business in 1989. Based on her initial training, she quickly worked up a business model, bought her first computer, joined the local Chamber of Commerce, and began a marketing consulting firm focused on providing companies with full-service marketing assistance. The result of her first foray in the family footsteps was impressive indeed, as she succeeded in assisting over 1,000 new companies launch in the next 10 years.

She went on to launch five other companies of her own including a motivational speaking company, a murder mystery theatre troupe, and most recently, Limelight Presentations, LLC, a presentation skills training and consulting firm.

While money is often important, it is not Marcia’s central driving force. She believes that the true score card in her personal life is the number of people she has helped. Throughout her career, Marcia has donated her time as a consultant to four different SBDC’s across the country and believes in their mission of being the number one resource for small businesses, while assisting them in starting, growing and prospering — making their entrepreneurial dreams come true. Moreover, Marcia has held leadership positions supporting those people with cancer at The Cancer FitSpa and QuaLife Wellness Center, all the while running her own business as a national motivational speaker.

She grew up attending summer camp and going on winter ski vacations in Colorado, remarking on her 13th birthday that someday she would live in Colorado, own her own business and a mountain home. In 1993, she embarked on just this path, moving to Colorado, owning a successful business, and by 1996, owning a home in Silverthorne. This solidified her dream. Since joining the South Metro Denver SBDC in 2008, Marcia has added such prestigious programs as the Colorado Leading Edge business planning program, a unique pilot project for SBDC’s and the Cleantech Open, and grew the capital formation for the Center’s clients from $1M to $7.5M in two years. She built strategic alliances with public, private and governmental entities such as the South Metro Denver Chamber, the Cleantech Open and the WIRED organization, to deliver best-of-practice training and individualized business consulting, planning and market research for the five state regional teams.

Marcia is both a professional speaker and actress. She has been a member of the National Speakers Association for over 10 years and is represented by Big Fish Talent for film and commercial work. She is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur and she is likely to continue launching others’ ideas, and her own, for a long time to come.

Meet Dawn Gifford Engle

Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Advisory Board

Contact Dawn Gifford Engle:

PeaceJam Foundation 11200 Ralston Road Arvada, CO 80004 p: 303.455.2099 [email protected] www.peacejam.org

Dawn Gifford Engle has a background in public service. She worked for the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. for 12 years, first as a research assistant to U.S. Senator Robert Griffin, and then as Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jack Kemp and as Legislative Director to U.S. Senator Robert Kasten. In 1986, she was promoted to be Senator Kasten’s Chief of Staff, becoming the youngest woman ever to serve in that position. She also served as an assistant director of the Republican Platform Committee. In 1994, she founded Colorado Friends of Tibet, a statewide nonprofit organization.

In 1994, Dawn Gifford Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff began working together to create the PeaceJam program, which was launched in March of 1996. Suvanjieff and Engle became husband and wife in March of 2000, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu presiding over the ceremony. Currently, Suvanjieff serves as PeaceJam’s president, and Engle as the foundation’s executive director. Over the past 15 years, almost 650,000 young people across the globe have participated in the PeaceJam program, creating more than one million projects to improve their communities and the world. In September of 2008, The Dalai Lama, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and 7 other Nobel Peace Laureates joined together to launch PeaceJam’s ‘Global Call to Action’ campaign, calling for one billion acts of service and peace by the year 2018.

Dawn Gifford Engle has received dozens of awards and has been nominated six times for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the co-director of the award-winning documentary film, PEACEJAM, produced four hours of programming for BBC World, and co-authored the book, Simple Acts of Peace, which was published by Penguin Press in 2008. New projects include 2012: The True Mayan Prophecy — her first solo film directing effort which was released this year. To learn more go to http://www.peacejam.org!

Innovation and Growth Are Imperative To Creating Jobs!

By: Jan Mazotti Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Letter From The Editor

We are in one of the worst recessions in American history. More than one in 10 Americans is without a job, and the federal budget is driving our country’s debt to unparalleled levels. Because of this, and because of an uncertain legislative atmosphere, many businesses —small and large — are postponing capital investments in their businesses and are holding off on hiring additional workers.

This issue of ICOSA is focused on collaborations that are innovative and/or growth-based and that have the potential to create jobs. Our cover story on competitive taxation is a compelling argument to restructure corporate tax codes to make the system more competitive globally, thus increasing the pace of economic growth here in the U.S. to support conditions for robust job creation and investment in the private sector.

The article on foreign direct investment in the U.S. offers a counter to a historic argument among liberals and conservatives. The article details how foreign direct investment is a key source of capital, job creation, and innovation, while sustaining U.S. exports.

PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi is another fascinating story of innovation and growth. The company, as most people know, does not just operate in the United States, but rather it has a massive international reach with presence in more than 200 countries. In its own way, it is a “citizen” of many cultures and lands, therefore it must be a “force of good in society,” said Nooyi when discussing innovation with the Business Roundtable. Nooyi asserts, “Industry creates jobs, keeps the wheels of the economy turning. Government should celebrate us, not regulate us.”

Haroum Cowans is another entrepreneurial collaborator who is reviving iconic neighborhoods in his city, which he believes further serves as a catalyst for larger redevelopment. At the same time, Cowans supports entrepreneurial education for inner-city youth who are looking at their future in a dismal economy. He serves as an interesting case study for how “guerilla entrepreneurship” can change the way communities deal with poverty, low graduation rates, violence, and economic viability.

These are just a few of the interesting stories in this issue — stories of what is working locally, regionally, and nationally. They are stories of how creative, collaborative doers are working hard to sustain innovation and growth to create jobs wherever they are.

The United States is at a critical juncture, and the big question is what are we going to do about it? We need aligned, growth-oriented policies implemented by collaborative businesses and leaders that encourage investment and innovation for growth, and that spur on job creation. It might be the only way to restore the economy in this country. Think about it.

All the best,

- Jan Mazotti

Taking Risks Is Sometimes the Answer

By: Gayle Dendinger Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Letter From The Publisher









ICOSA is thriving! And when I say thriving, I mean it.

I should apologize for my enthusiasm, but I won’t, because since its inception, ICOSA has made some truly noteworthy advances. And while I am excited about the direction of ICOSA’s future, it is only through each past experience that the magazine has grown to be what it is now.

Looking back, I am exceptionally proud of the connections that we have made over the years — whether it is our writers, our connectors or our collaborators — we have all taught each other something about collaboration. The magazine has become a tool to share the stories of people and groups across academia, business, community and government who truly affect change.

In 2005, during a staff meeting, I shared materials that I had researched on the fundamental principles of collaboration. As an enthusiast of symbolism, I was struck by information on the Native Americans portrayal of animals and how each one is representative of patterns in nature. Grasshoppers, for example, represent messengers of good news that benefit the entire community, while the bear represents protection, strength and the progeny of the tribe.

As I continued my research of this lore, I found that certain creatures exude characteristics that are essential for their collaborative models to endure. It was through this exploration that my staff and I decided to write a book about these characteristics and their relation to collaborative efforts.

It was shortly after our decision to write the book that I met the business school dean from Colorado Christian University. I spoke with him in depth about the book and he offered us the opportunity to teach a leadership course entitled, The Building and Deployment of Connection and Collaboration. As a result of the experience with these students, we were able to finish our book.

Nearly three years later in 2008, the economy was in an atrocious state. In an effort to keep our core business, an international logistics company, afloat we decided to purchase a $99 magazine template and publishing software — it was from there that ICOSA was born. With the addition of our art director, we managed to produce a 64 page magazine similar to what readers see today in just six weeks.

In just over two years, ICOSA has grown from an idea and is transitioning into a full media company. We are now working with various universities to offer an expanded course on connection and collaboration with the expectation of updating our book with new principles and practices that we have learned from our collaborative partners and their amazing stories.

The magazine continues to be a source of best practice case studies, while our new radio show, Connect and Collaborate with ICOSA on the Experience Pros Radio Show on 560 AM (in the Rocky Mountain region) highlights various contributors and topics.

We are proud of our work, and not just our staff, but contributors too. We know that without their support we wouldn’t be where we are today. I am honored to have worked with former Mayor turned Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper on his collaborative project, The Biennial of the Americas 2010, which brought leaders from across the Western Hemisphere together to discuss the pertinent issues affecting our world today. The Biennial emanated the mission of ICOSA and is an example of what can happen when people come together to discuss common issues. The Biennial opened our eyes to the vast possibilities of new ideas, new stories, and new heights.

We have witnessed the amazing power people have when they connect and collaborate. I continue to ask for your help in sharing not only your stories but the stories of others through our magazine and now through our radio show. Together we can create success.

- Gayle Dendinger

Innovation and Job Creation

By: Daisy Rocha Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Opinion

A Youth Perspective

Six years ago, when I was 12, I walked into YouthBiz for the first time. I was stunned to see people, not much older than myself, running a program that advances the social and economic empowerment of youth through a focus on entrepreneurship, education, and community leadership. On that first day, I knew I would be a leader in this organization. With all of the new responsibilities and expectations of a first job, over time, I began to understand how important the entrepreneurial, academic, and leadership skills were to my future. YouthBiz uses a peer-to-peer leadership model. Youth who have excelled in the foundational programs are hired to facilitate classes, participate in program evaluations, and engage in curriculum development. When I started the program, I realized the youth leaders were not much different from me. In fact, they were just kids from school, or neighbors, or friends. But seeing them lead at YouthBiz, I saw a different side of them. They had an intention and goal, not only to teach, but to help others help themselves.

Early on, I had the ambition to become a youth leader and was willing to do whatever it took to earn that position. By the age of 15, I proved my dedication and was hired on as a youth leader. During my tenure, I had to overcome many challenges, but this only made my experience richer because I was able to share my story, my struggles, and my triumphs with other youth. I was proud to set an example of accomplishment for my fellow peers and trainees, and I would soon realize how unbelievable it was to be a part of a program run by young adults.

YouthBiz is not only an after-school program, but a first job experience for youths in a predominately low-income neighborhood with few options for employment. Many young people apply to the program because they see the financial incentive as a way to earn money and help their often financially struggling parents. Last year, the organization conducted an extensive survey asking young people what they valued most about their experience at YouthBiz. It was a surprise to find that the financial incentive was the primary reason most kids applied. However, by the time students completed the program, skills and knowledge gained became the primary reason for participation.

In some neighborhoods, the odds are often against the kids finding success and opportunities. There is a perception that there is no alternative to the neighborhood norms of poverty, lack of opportunities for education, and gang affiliation. I have worked with so many students who tell me, “I’m stuck here. I don’t know what to do to make a future for myself.” YouthBiz targets northeast Denver neighborhoods where the high school graduation rate is below 50 percent, one-third of children live in poverty, and there are higher rates of violence compared to any surrounding neighborhood.

We must change the path. We need more programs and businesses that are willing to hire youths in leadership positions, giving them the opportunity to develop and apply their knowledge and strengths in a real-world setting.

I have taught hundreds of students at my time with YouthBiz, but Omar really stands out. One day he stood up to do his public speaking presentation. I asked him, “Are you sure you don’t want to use your notecards? They will help you talk about your main points.” He simply replied, “I don’t need notecards to remind me of what I have to say.” As he shared the challenges facing him, his failures and victories, I saw a change in him. His story held the class in awe — they were speechless as this fourteen-year-old talked about how drugs and gang affiliation encircled his world, but how he was resolved to choose a different path for himself.

At that moment, I realized how lucky I was to be part of an organization creating space for young people to be honest and hopeful, while inspiring others to envision and work towards their future. Knowing and working with the participants closely, I see the need for and value of job creation for our communities. So many young people, like Omar, feel they do not have options to build a future for themselves. I believe job creation means empowerment to pursue and innovate ideas, allows people to provide for themselves, their families, and the community around them. And I know, this economic empowerment can lead to social empowerment.

I am stronger today because of my affiliation with YouthBiz. My experiences have taught me the importance of inspiring and supporting young adults to overcome obstacles, and it has broadened my views, especially working with such diversity. In the fall of 2011, I will attend the Metropolitan State College of Denver where I plan to major in Journalism and minor in Communications so that I can capture and report such true-life stories like Omar’s. Because of my experience at YouthBiz, I have been enabled to pursue my goals, become a role model in my neighborhood, and work towards the empowerment of the young adults in a community.

Imagine a network of young people, empowered with character, vision, and leadership in every community. Powerful, isn’t it?

Job creation translates to a more secure community that can invest in schools and young people’s futures, and can bring positive change to society’s perception of a neighborhood. I see YouthBiz and similar youth development programs as an opportunity for students to open new doors to their future and for their community. Rarely are we given the opportunity to make a significant difference in the life of another person. YouthBiz gave me the drive to push myself to do what seemed impossible. My experience has prepared me to get out there, set big goals for myself, and pursue a life filled with passion and dedication. Before my early YouthBiz days, I would have been afraid to step out as a leader, but now I seek opportunities for leadership and to advance my career.

We need programs to support our youth. Throughout history, young people have driven innovation and change. We cannot ignore the intelligence, drive, and valuable resources that they bring to the table. To not invest in these communities, we are missing a huge opportunity to empower young people who can approach the enormous social and economic challenges facing our neighborhoods with ingenuity, an awareness of the fabric of the community, and a dedication to creating positive change because it is their home.

Daisy Rocha is a YouthBiz Youth Marketing & Fundraising Intern and a high school senior.

Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA

By: Eric Reamer Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Making airWaves

When Angel Tuccy and I were first approached in 2009 by executives of AM 560 KLZ in Denver, the possibility of their grassroots radio “revolution” gaining momentum found a crack in the soil of the business community, and a seed was planted. Up until that time, the Experience Pros Radio Show had been a once-a-week, one-hour internet radio show with an average listenership of 200 people per week. The opportunity to bring their unique message to tens of thousands of listeners inspired them to think big, and take the leap of faith that brought their show to the Colorado airwaves for 30 minutes every weekday for the first 15 months, and is now live for two hours (10:00 a.m. – noon MST) Monday through Friday. The whole point of our radio show is to feature the very best in business from the customer's point of view. By giving the listeners a voice that trumps paid endorsements and advertisements, we open the door to a more genuine collaboration between business owners and their customers.

This is why Tuccy and I call the show a “revolution.” And, it appears to be taking root, as more and more business owners are finding a common source of connection with each other, their customers and their communities. The Experience Pros' use of current technology, including web 2.0, social media, and terrestrial radio, has provided a much broader opportunity for the audience to participate in the conversations being presented. Listeners may call-in, e-mail, tweet, text or write their comments and questions on the Experience Pros' Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ExperiencePros). And because the show is live, we respond in real-time to the stream of incoming commentary.

Partnering With ICOSA

In March 2011, the message of ICOSA hit the airwaves as the Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA show joined the Experience Pros Radio Show. "We are very pleased with our partnership with Experience Pros", says ICOSA founder and publisher, Gayle Dendinger. "They have provided us with a vehicle for our message that we did not have previously and provided a solution that we didn't need to recreate."

Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA started as a once-a-week segment of the Experience Pros Radio Show, airing Thursdays from 11:20 a.m. to noon (MST). Hosted by ICOSA's editor, Jan Mazotti, the show's guests have included six-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and award-winning filmmaker, Dawn Engle as well as the Executive Director of the World Trade Center Denver, Karen Gerwitz.

“We are thrilled to report the huge impact and positive feedback that we are receiving from our listeners,” says Tuccy. “ICOSA brings a fabulous lineup of guests and truly fresh information to our programming that our listeners are raving about!” And the show's ratings, already strong in a competitive business talk market, support the value that ICOSA brings to the table. There is a demonstrative spike in listenership that has grown every Thursday since the addition of the program. The news that people were indeed listening and responding to the content prompted discussions about expanding ICOSA's footprint within the Experience Pros Radio Show. “We are very happy to announce that beginning the first week of July 2011, Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA will expand to a daily presence, airing from 11:20 - noon (MST) Monday through Friday,” says Mazotti.

We couldn't be more pleased with our growing relationship with ICOSA. Here is a company (ICOSA) that doesn't just talk about collaboration — it actually lives it in every aspect of its corporate and community-minded culture. ICOSA’s vision and objectives are a perfect complement to our own, and what we have created is a perfect example of a business connection that offers a result that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

The show's listeners are the ultimate beneficiaries of this partnership, and the readers of ICOSA are invited and encouraged to tune in to experience it for themselves. Residents of Colorado and the five-state region reached by KLZ may tune in at 11:20 AM (MST) on AM 560 on the radio dial. The show is also streamed live on www.icosamag.com or www.560TheSource.com. Archives are available on iTunes or www.ExperiencePros.com.

Rediscovering a Great American City

By: Emily Haggstrom Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Government

Salt Lake City’s Economic Prosperity

It’s a city perfectly situated for a balanced life of work and play. Nobody knows this better than residents of the greater Salt Lake metropolitan communities, nestled between the Great Salt Lake and the steep Wasatch and Oquirrh mountain ranges, lending to dramatic sunsets and staggering colorful vistas fit for an artist’s pallet.

For the most part, Salt Lake has been attributed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), weekend ski trips, and films at its annual Sundance Film Festival. But what businesses are slowly figuring out and what outsiders will soon embrace about this quiet city, is that Salt Lake is a prominent source of business and employment with a renowned and undeniably reliable workforce. Whether this is attributed to a trifling nightlife, a rich outdoor lifestyle or simply the desire for rich family culture, residents and transplants of Salt Lake’s metropolitan communities are proud to live in this ever-growing and vibrant state.

It is during one of the nation’s worst economic slumps that Salt Lake and the state of Utah have had what some may consider an economic deliverance. The city and its surrounding metropolitan areas are thriving with new manufacturing facilities, sprawling new business campuses, and data centers popping up in every part of the city, while other parts of the country are experiencing development stagnation.

Growth persists in key industries as Salt Lake continues to lead the charge nationally in a quest for sustainable economic recovery, courting some of the biggest names in business by offering huge economic incentives in the form of tax breaks. Global companies like Oracle, eBay, Adobe, Goldman Sachs, and Proctor & Gamble are either expanding or locating to the Salt Lake valley and working with all that Utah has to offer. “Success breeds success, and we want companies that fit together and offer opportunities to each other,” said Jeffrey Edwards, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah), a public-private partnership that assists businesses in relocating or expanding into the state.

However, most of the state’s success can be attributed to the government of Utah — it shines as a bright light among states in the West with a balanced and stable budget that offers consistency in the face of an on-going fiscal crises. In what could be considered a truly conservative move, the Republican-forward state cut a third of the government functions, saving money and allowing contracted private sector entities to fill many former government roles. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development, an executive branch agency of the state, believed there was no reason to do what the private sector could do better, so the state gave EDCUtah the ability to offer performance-based incentives and site selections to ensure a fair-minded approach for all parties involved.

“We manage the state taxpayers’ money, and are very proud of the fact that we manage it with a high degree of private sector professionalism. And even though it is tax dollars, we expect a return on our investment. One of the key factors of what we do is post performance,” said Michael Sullivan, director of communications at Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

By strategically courting companies that fit the model of each individual community’s economic climate and workforce, EDCUtah and the Office of Economic Development use a targeted approach to insure businesses and communities succeed despite individual business volatility. This helps support incentive programs whereby companies receive a percentage of their tax credits based on population and job growth.

“Economic Development in Utah is a team sport. Governor Gary Herbert has set his vision for the State, ‘That we will lead the nation as the best performing economy and be recognized as a premier global business destination.’ This goal relies on unprecedented partnerships forged between the business community and government at all levels,” said Spencer P. Eccles, executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “We utilize a mix of natural incentives found in our unparalleled quality of life, we maintain a business-friendly environment through low taxes and sensible regulations, and we offer competitive post-performance tax credit incentives to bring the best companies, globally, into the Utah business community.”

With the recent addition of international consumer products giant, Proctor & Gamble, who expanded its manufacturing arm into Utah, the state is poised for continued growth and development. “Our experience in Utah — opening P&G’s first new plant in the U.S. in more than 40 years — has been outstanding,” said Joe Tomon, plant manager of the P&G facility, based in Box Elder County, Utah. “We chose this site for many reasons, including the availability of appropriate land and space, its location relative to the areas we most needed to ship to customers and consumers in the west and northwestern portions of the U.S., availability of adequate natural resources, the skilled work force, and a strong partnership with state and local leaders. Overall it has been a wonderful experience, and we deeply appreciate the warm reception we have received from folks in the community and across the state.”

Although Utah is known primarily for manufacturing, producing everything from paper to aircraft, it is courting other key industries to diversify its economic climate. “There really is some of everything, which is a real strength for us, so that as one particular industry has a downturn we don’t feel the effects of that like other cities have felt,” said Edwards.

Lehi, Utah — labeled the new Silicon Valley — is being targeted for its ever expanding technology sector. And while most tech companies that start in Utah often leave after experiencing substantial growth, Omniture, a Web analytics company recently acquired by creative software company Adobe, has decided that it will remain in Salt Lake, allowing the local talent to stay while Adobe continues to grow its presence across the country. “Adobe’s previously announced expansion plans in Utah are a natural extension of the growth and success of our Omniture Business Unit operations. And, Utah has proven to be a great place for Adobe to do business. We’ve found the region to offer vibrant communities, a skilled talent base, and a business-friendly environment,” said a representative from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Playing its role, Utah University, one of the original locations linked by a packet satellite to the ARPANet, aides in maintaining Utah’s technology industry’s long standing historical relationship with Silicon Valley. As technology is developed, having local organizations like Adobe, that are catalysts for business and understand the need for new and innovative ideas, these universities become more important than ever. Now companies like Microsoft, Twitter, eBay, Oracle, NSA Federal Data Center, and a major Fortune 100 company are set to announce their presence in the valley and will become beneficiaries of the local schools.

And to stay competitive with other schools like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Utah universities have been integral in creating over 40 new businesses through on-going research and development. “Universities are economic engines. If you treat them correctly and give them the resources that they need, they really are drivers of the economy,” said Edwards.

Capitalizing on the strength of their resident talent and seeing the progress made by the local universities, which have been catapulted to the top of national statistics, a special program called Utah Science Technology and Research Organization (USTAR) was created to attract national and international thought leaders to Utah, and was awarded $250 million in funding by the state legislature. By bringing in these elite research teams, Utah is poised to set new standards in research and innovation, improving the economic environment for graduates, residents, and transplants to the city and across the state.

With the addition of these new companies and the steadfast entrepreneurial spirit of Utah’s existing businesses, the state is also leading the nation in trade, doubling its exports on the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union address where he emphasized that, “To help businesses sell more products abroad, we set a goal of doubling our exports by 2014 — because the more we export, the more jobs we create here at home.” And this is just what Utah is doing. With the collective support from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development coupled with the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah), Utah is on track to retain stable and sustainable businesses across the state. “Exports are a wonderful barometer of economic health,” said Jeffrey Edwards, president and CEO of EDCUtah.

Over the last five years, Salt Lake has seen 3.5 percent annualized growth, with almost 70 percent of the new jobs in the Salt Lake City metro area. Like other urban cities, sections of Salt Lake’s downtown include run-down industrial areas that are more of an eye-sore than an economic driver. However, the city devised a plan to transform areas of disrepair into attractive areas. One such example is the City Creek project, described as a “sustainably designed, walkable urban community of residences, offices, and retail stores rising over the next two years on approximately 20 acres across three blocks in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City.” Primary funding from the private sector helps to drive the project and avoids bureaucracies that exist within any city. With the completion of the City Creek project in 2012 the three square block development will serve as an example of community capitalism at its finest.

It is clear that Utah and the City of Salt Lake are brimming with capitalism and pride. Despite the many misconceptions about this state, luring businesses in is not one of them. Over 250 possible new business ventures sit in the pipeline ready to break ground and move in. With low taxes, access to multi-faceted skilled workers, and a zest for businesses that produce return on investment comparable to other large states, why wouldn’t companies want to be in Utah?

Foreign Direct Investment and the U.S. Economy

By: Tazeem Pasha Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Government

Invest in America

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a key source of capital, job creation, innovation, and U.S. exports. Firms invest in the United States to balance business growth and sustainability with global economic pressures to raise productivity and lower operating costs. Their investments contribute to the overall economic strength and competitiveness of the United States.

Businesses worldwide recognize the longstanding, unequivocal U.S. policy of openness to foreign direct investment (FDI). They invest in the United States to access the world’s largest, most innovative single-country economy with an annual GDP (gross domestic product) of approximately $14 trillion and a population of about 310 million, representing 42 percent of the global consumer goods market. The United States is the world’s largest recipient of FDI, and these investments are a sign of U.S. economic strength. Companies invest in the United States because our economy is stable, our workforce is reliable, and our climate of innovation and access to global markets can help achieve unparalleled success.

Even through the global economic volatility in recent years, FDI in the United States has remained steady. Preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) shows that approximately $190 billion in FDI flowed into the United States in 2010, almost a 30 percent increase from 2009. Overall, the $2.3 trillion stock of FDI in the United States is nearly 16 percent of our total GDP. In numerous confidence indices, the U.S. is consistently ranked among the top. A.T. Kearney ranks the U.S. as second in FDI confidence, and the World Economic Forum has ranked the U.S. fourth in global manufacturing competitiveness. Meanwhile, the World Bank names the United States fifth in its “ease of doing business” index. Given the sheer size and industrial diversity of the U.S. economy, it is impressive to secure uniformly high rankings in business benchmarks.

In addition to new capital, foreign direct investment contributes to the U.S. economy through employment of U.S. workers. In 2009, sSubsidiaries of foreign-owned firms directly employ over 5.2 million U.S. workers, paying almost $408 billion in annual salaries and wages in 2009. Multinational firms value the quality of U.S. education and training. Their U.S. operations are often in specialized functions, leading to job creation in highly skilled sectors. They want the best workers in the world and are willing to pay a premium for U.S. talent. Recent statistics show that nearly 40 percent of U.S. jobs created through FDI are in manufacturing. On average, U.S. employees of foreign-owned firms earn 25 percent higher wages than the U.S. private sector average wage.

Another significant impact of FDI on the U.S. economy is the continued growth of its assets in research and development (R&D) and innovation. Already a world leader in R&D, the U.S. is further enhanced by FDI occurring in this sector. In 2008, over $40 billion was spent on R&D by U.S. subsidiaries of foreign firms. Recently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) collected business data gathered by the NSF, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to find that U.S. affiliates of foreign firms have a growing share of R&D investments in the United States. Firms recognize the hospitable climate the U.S. provides for product research and development, intellectual property rights protection, and commercialization.

Not only does the United States excel in R&D, but we also safeguard new inventions and innovations through a robust intellectual property protection rights (IPR) system. Last year, 34 percent of all R&D in the world took place in the United States with almost half of the developed world’s researchers working here. This research yields to impressive results, including the research of 45 percent of all Nobel Prize winners in the fields of chemistry, medicine and physics being completed in the United States. Further contributing to our competitiveness, the U.S. has a clear global advantage in the ability of firms to commercialize their technologies while relying on IPR protection. As the Global Manufacturing Index published by Deloitte and the U.S. Council on Competitiveness notes, “Strong intellectual (property) protection not only encourages innovation, it provides a level of confidence in an economy needed to attract FDI and spur technology transfer.” Multinational companies have choices, and they choose to invest in the United States for its supportive environment for their research, development, and commercialization.

FDI’s impact on the U.S. economy transcends its borders. In addition to introduction of new capital, creation of new jobs and strengthening U.S. competitiveness in R&D, U.S. affiliates of foreign-owned firms account for almost 19 percent of total U.S. exports. In recent years, the steady rise in the proportion of U.S. exports originating from these firms is evidence that multinational companies establish themselves not only to service the U.S. market but to utilize our business climate as an export platform, as well. After all, the United States nearly doubles its market access through strategic trade agreements representing 610 million consumers worldwide. Growing this trend is integral to the success of the President’s National Export Initiative to double U.S. exports over a five-year period.

Foreign firms with U.S. operations contribute to the U.S. economy in numerous ways, ranging from job creation on our shores, to contributing to our global trade balance. These firms recognize the unique opportunity presented by an integrated U.S. platform of economic stability, open-market principles, a well-educated workforce, a focus on innovation, and access to global markets. For these and many more reasons, firms from around the world target the United States for business investment and further strengthen the overall global competitiveness of the United States.

Invest in America is the lead United States government effort to promote and support foreign direct investment (FDI) into the U.S. It is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. To learn more, visit investamerica.gov. Tazeem Pasha is an International Investment Specialist at Invest in America.

The Peak Solution

By: Derek D'Andre & Rhonda Paxson Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Government

Promoting Customer Service, Reducing Workloads, and Providing Cost Effective Management

The Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) is the eligibility determination system for the State of Colorado. CBMS incorporates eligibility determination for Medicaid, food assistance, cash assistance, and the children’s Basic Health Plan, including case management functions such as work programs. Currently, anyone who wishes to apply for any of the public assistance programs must apply in person, during normal business hours, at one of the 64 county offices or approximately 155 Medical Assistance (MA) sites throughout the state that help administer the programs. Most individuals show up at one of the application intake sites without the proper paperwork and often do not know the programs for which they may be eligible. The citizens of Colorado need better access and more options for determining their potential eligibility.

The Colorado Program Eligibility and Application Kit (PEAK) was designed for this purpose. PEAK is a Web-based portal designed to provide clients and community partners with a modern and easily accessible tool to apply for public assistance benefits. It currently allows new clients to determine program eligibility and allows existing patrons to check on their benefits. New functionality was released in May 2011, which allowed citizens to apply for benefits and change their public assistance data through PEAK. The CBMS staff worked in collaboration with several states to implement the PEAK system in a very short timeframe. While the base system came from Wisconsin, certain enhancements and project documentation were leveraged from New York, Georgia, and New Mexico, as well. By working in collaboration and leveraging valuable assets from other states, CBMS has been able to deliver a cost efficient, quicker to market (compared with custom development) solution to meet the needs of Coloradoans.

The requirements and design phases of any software developing project can be time and labor intensive. CBMS was able to accelerate delivery of the system and reduce cost because requirements and design documents already existed and only required minimal changes to make them Colorado specific. Colorado PEAK is architectured as a true three tier/layer (logical and physical) object-oriented implementation. The presentation layer was developed using Java Server Pages (JSP) and HTML and is delivered to the client through the Internet. The business object layer contains the business logic for the application. It was developed using JEE technology and implemented using an IBM WebSphere application server. The data access layer was developed using the Oracle 10g relational database management system.

PEAK is already benefiting many stakeholders, but has had the most impact on the individuals who seek benefits, state staff supporting CBMS, and the county and MA site users who traditionally help those individuals apply for the various public assistance programs. PEAK is available 24/7 and has given individuals additional ways to access information about the programs. The program was implemented as a result of a growing numbers of low income residents who have access to computers and the Internet — whether at home, at work, at the public library, or at other community-based locations. The PEAK solution is available in English and Spanish, is written at a level accessible to most individuals, and provides basic instructions for people who have not used a computer previously. Assessments are anonymous, and the application is self-guiding. Therefore, individuals do not need knowledge of the various programs. All of these factors help increase participation in the programs by identifying individuals who would not normally have been aware of the assistance available to them.

Once subsequent phases are completely rolled out, the workload on county and MA site users will be significantly reduced. Individuals will be able to apply for benefits online and change their personal information, virtually eliminating much of the data entry and upfront application intake process. Finally, PEAK utilizes on-screen edits and validations to help improve the accuracy of the data entered. This will benefit all parties by eliminating data entry errors that may result in an inaccurate determination of eligibility and benefits or may prolong the overall determination process.

The PEAK initiative has succeeded on many fronts. First was leveraging the benefits obtained through collaboration. The CBMS team is comprised of multiple Health and Human Services (HHS) agency representatives who worked together to identify a technology solution to a very important customer/user business need. Second, the PEAK initiative leveraged existing leading practices from other state governmental agencies and then synergized the technical solution. Third, PEAK’s design focused on the customer’s needs and usability by being user-friendly and intuitive. Finally, PEAK’s development methodology was efficient and cost-effective when compared to standard software development life cycle projects. The full benefits related to customer service delivery and reduced caseworker activities are yet to be realized pending release of future functionality. However, this functionality is currently being piloted in several counties.

During the first four months of 2011, there was a monthly average of 3,873 self-assessments, 12,720 clients checking benefits, and 70 new applications. This resulted in a significant workload reduction on county staff who would normally assist citizens and clients with these tasks. Although no formal data has been collected, it appears that online applications can be processed by county workers in half the time it takes to process the application of a walk-in citizen. The PEAK solution can most accurately be described as a best practice that can be leveraged across government organizations that offer a similar set of services to a customer base with a similar set of needs. It is highly transferable because it is a solution that “sits on top” of the core system and can be integrated without significant changes to the core system. In addition, it can be easily tailored to the specific needs of other organizations. The PEAK solution promotes customer self-service, reduces caseworker workloads, and promotes cost effective case management.

The PEAK Initiative was also recently nominated for the 2011 Information Week Innovation Award.

To learn more about the PEAK program visit http://www.colorado.gov/PEAK/ or contact Rhonda Paxson CBMS Deputy Director, Colorado Office of Information Technology (OIT) Colorado Benefits Management System via mail 639 E. 18th Ave. Ste. 200 Denver, CO 80202, email [email protected], or by phone at 303-764-7586.

Innovation, Intention, and Implementation in Developing Countries

By: Maria E. Luna Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Government

The World Bank

While most banks have retracted lending amounts, the World Bank has increased theirs, by committing themselves to, stabilizing, preserving, and enhancing foundations to build long-term economic growth. With the underlying mission of developing the world and the experience of the past five years, the Bank has stated that, “about 85 percent of the world’s economies have made it easier for local entrepreneurs to operate, through 1,511 improvements to business regulation.” And, each completed project brings developing countries closer to prosperity. The Bank supports economic conditions, project by project, which provide tools to develop and implement sound debt management strategies. In fact, their mission is to, “eradicate poverty with passion and professionalism bringing lasting results and providing people with resources, knowledge to help themselves and the environment through public and private partnerships," World Bank.

Collaborative partnerships were formed to help accomplish the Millennium Development Goals and to supplement innovative entrepreneurs as a solution to the lack of funding and development in their respective countries. The eight Millennium Development Goals which are due for completion by 2015 include: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achievement of universal primary education, promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction in child mortality, improvement in maternal health, combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and building of a global partnership for development.

Drawing from the innovations in the software industry, the Bank began to look at application (apps) development tools as an effective way to increase global collaboration and productivity, as well as reduce costs. As such, these apps are becoming an economical measurement and tracking tool in the development of impoverished countries. In April 2011, StatPlanet was awarded first place in a World Bank-sponsored competition for its development of a time-lapse application that registers 3000+ “usable, measurable” indicators — dimensions of economic, social, and human development — of success toward the Millennium Goals.

According to World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick, “One of the reasons we threw open the doors to our data was that we recognized we don’t have a monopoly on innovation. These apps clearly demonstrate how the software development community can harness technology to analyze and tackle some of the world's long-standing problems. It’s fantastic to see the creative approaches each of the finalists took, and it’s also great to see that the submissions came from six continents.” In fact, the World Bank reviewed 107 entries from 36 countries, on six continents during the competition. Prizes totaling $55,000 were awarded to several winners selected by Kannan Pashupathy of Google, Ory Okolloh co-founder of Ushahidi, and Craig Newmark of Craigslist.

The Development Timelines, created by Patrick_and_Stuart, was also a winner. Their cutting-edge app tracks the context of global development data in relation to historical events and changes in public policy. The app also accounts for the understanding of war, education reforms, economic booms and busts, and elements that foster or hinder the progress of the Millennium Development Goals.

Yourtopia - Development beyond GDP, by European-based gxu, was also a winner. Their application summarizes human development data against specific criteria. Its functionality, as described by gxu allows users to, “choose how important different dimensions of development are to you. The application then calculates how countries do overall, according to your priorities. Your personal measure of social progress makes tracking developments easy by combining large data sets into a single index. With your anonymised quiz data, you participate in constructing the world's first multiple-dimension index of human development that overcomes the problem of arbitrary indicator-weighting and proxy choices through open public voting.”

Joined by 12 others honorees, the winning software applications provide definition to the Bank’s already extraordinary databases. By reviewing the data processed by the “winning apps,” global innovators can develop solutions that are both profitable to society and those financially invested.

Partnership opportunities can be established at infoDev (www.infoDev.org) by interested individuals or companies wishing to participate in innovation programs with the World Bank. Effective implementation of Bank grants, through partnerships with infoDev and other agencies, develop the proper relationship between governments, businesses, and public/private-sector organizations. The infoDev Secretariat is housed in the Global Information Communication Technology Department (GICT) of the World Bank Group and is one of the organization’s key donors and founders. Agencies are able to access infoDev as a non-biased assembly for dialogue and announcements. They also serve as a coordinator of joint action among bilateral and multilateral donors to support global sharing of information on ICT for development (ICT4D), and the reduction of duplication efforts and investments. infoDev offers toolkits and handbooks, develops workshops, training seminars, and briefs to support policymakers, donors, and those charged with turning knowledge into action.

The infoDev organization is motivated by innovation, connection and transformation, which encompasses both entrepreneurship and growth by helping, “developing countries and their international partners maximize the contribution and impact of the private sector through direct support for ICT-enabled innovation, new businesses and partnership models and toolkits, and networking among entrepreneurs, private sector investors and the donor community," World Bank. The iDISC network consists of more than 300 incubators around the world, giving unique insights into the challenges facing ICT innovators and entrepreneurs and enabling access for all. infoDev explains that their services are integral in, “help(ing) developing countries and their international partners make smart choices and develop effective partnerships for enabling access to information infrastructure, applications and services in ways that are sustainable and maximize private investment and leverage public resources where necessary. This includes sponsoring research, toolkits and capacity building on regulation issues, expanding access to broadband, and promoting municipal networks.” Finally, the transformation element focuses on mainstreaming ICT as tools of development and poverty reduction. infoDev describes its transformation efforts as, “A rigorous program of field-based experimentation, research, and analysis. infoDev helps developing countries and their international partners make smart choices about when and how to deploy ICT as tools for development goals in health, education, livelihoods, public sector reform and other areas.”

Your innovation, your contribution to society, and something you are passionate about can come to fruition through partnerships with the World Bank and infoDev. To find more information about government grants visit www.infodev.org. And to find out more about the World Bank visit www.worldbank.org.

Maria Luna is a staff writer and copy editor at ICOSA. She has a B.A. in Communication and a B.F.A. in Multimedia from the University of Colorado at Denver. She is currently seeking her M.A. at the University of Denver in Liberal Studies, Arts and Culture. She is a committee member of the AIGA Colorado Sustainability team.

Mommy Has Lots To Do

By: Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Collaboration Close-Up

Mommy Has Lots To Do

Mommy Has Lots To Do is a whimsical children’s book written for toddlers and preschool children, but long before it was penned and illustrated into a childhood favorite, “Mommy has lots to do” was an overused phrase in one suburban Denver household.   Best-selling author and host of a local Denver business-talk radio show, Angel Tuccy wrote the first draft of Mommy Has Lots To Do while her youngest of three children was an infant and she felt that her days were filled with non-stop chores and endless demands from her beautiful, yet busy family.    After being filed away for 13 years, the book was still in need of an illustrator. Tuccy’s daughter, Alycia Tuccy, now 17 years old, raised her hand for the job. “I was the most logical illustrator for this project,” said Alycia, “because I can remember exactly what our household was like when my mom wrote the first draft. I was the only one who could accurately recall what the emotion was around our house — and I love to draw.”

Alycia's drawings are the key to the overall spirit of the book. She has completely captured what it was like for her when she was four years old, even depicting her Daddy with a full head of hair and the large glasses that were popular for the time.   The book offers children a loving glimpse into why Mommy stays so busy.  Every day, all day long, Mommy has lots to do. No matter how well she organizes, or how far in advance she plans, there is always more for Mommy to do. Far beyond being an entrepreneur, Tuccy discovered that being a mom was the most rewarding and the most demanding job in the world. 

“It takes more than a village to raise a child,” said Tuccy. “And most days, our village is run by one very busy and very tired person: Mommy. Even with all the help of other family members and the collaboration of childcare providers, grandparents, neighbors and other siblings, there is no shortage of all that Mommy has to do.”

Mommy Has Lots To Do was the first book that Tuccy has written, fulfilling a passion that she would someday become an author. But, she put that dream on the back burner while she pursued an entrepreneurial career and raised her family. Today, she has authored six books, three of which have become bestsellers.

Even though she works full-time writing, speaking, consulting and hosting the popular Experience Pros Radio Show on AM 560 KLZ, Angel still considers herself to be a full-time mom.  As often as possible, she makes it a point to be home before all three of her teenaged children return from school and she attends all of their band concerts and extra-curricular activities.

When her peers and clients inevitably remark with wonder at how she accomplishes so much given the same 24 hours that they have, Angel’s reply is always the same…“Mommy has lots to do.” Mommy Has Lots To Do may be purchased through Amazon.com.

Conscious Capitalism Conference

By: Birdie Reznicek Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Collaboration Close-Up

Unleashing the Power of Passion and Purpose

When you are trailblazing your own path, it is scary, and inspiration can be incredibly valuable. – Blake Jones, President & CEO of Namaste Solar

There is a rare but growing breed of business students who look past the well-trod roads to accounting firms and investment banks, seeking instead a path that creatively merges their business skills with service to the world beyond themselves. It’s not easy to be a business student on a non-traditional career path; you still bear the burden of student loans, but without the easy roadmaps of on-campus recruiting or corporate ladders.

In early March 2011, the Second Annual Conscious Capitalism Conference brought together these talented business students with innovative entrepreneurs and executives who shared from their own experiences on the “road less traveled.” This year's conference, developed and hosted by the Center for Education on Social Responsibility (CESR) at the Leeds School of Business, was a collaboration between the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado State University, and ICOSA.

According to Dr. Donna Sockell, Director of CESR, the goal of the conference was to inspire and challenge business students from across the region to think about applying their business skills and choosing their careers precisely because they directly advance the social good. “The speakers we bring in have built amazing businesses that demonstrate they care about things that are much greater than themselves.”

This year's conference, aptly titled Unleashing the Power of Passion and Purpose, opened with Don Shaffer, the President and CEO of RSF Social Finance - a unique hybrid of a bank and a foundation that focuses on social impact investing. Don challenged students to bring their personal values into the world of finance. “Students here are obviously very switched on to entrepreneurship and social business, and really are striving to figure out how they can bring value into business. It’s been a real treat for me to see the kind of light bulbs going on for students.”

Heidi Ganahl reinforced the importance of building a business around one’s passion as she shared her personal journey to becoming the Founder and President of Camp Bow Wow. Ganahl emphasized the great economic, social and personal rewards that can be enjoyed by following a dream of providing a better life for others. Blake Jones, the President and CEO of Namaste Solar observed the power of inspiration. “A conference such as this broadens the horizons of what is possible. I wish I had been exposed to some of the ideas presented at this conference when I was a student. When you are trailblazing your own path, it is scary, and inspiration can be incredibly valuable. A conference such as this can provide that very important inspiration to have the courage to do what you want to do.” Students saw that it takes courage not just to be a social entrepreneur, but to be an “intrapreneur” as well. Luella Chavez-D’Angelo, president of the Western Union Foundation, engaged students in a lively discussion about creating social change from within an organization. The Conscious Capitalism Conference was a prime opportunity for students and faculty gathered from over five universities to engage each other in a real-world problem solving exercise. Scott Hitt, COO of The Paradigm Project, presented key questions his organization wrestles with in the process of developing markets and delivery systems for carbon-offset-producing products in developing countries. Student groups put their heads together and presented their own thoughts and possible solutions. As Luella Chavez D’Angelo noted, “This is an exciting thing to see in a diverse population – a contagious shared value of social responsibility.”

The Center for Education on Social Responsibility will host the third annual Conscious Capitalism Conference on the CU Boulder campus on March 7, 2012.

Birdie Reznicek is the managing director of CESR. CESR’s mission is to develop socially conscious, values-driven business leaders of tomorrow at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder. For more information about CESR, go to http://leeds.colorado.edu/cesr.

Business Launch Boot Camp

By: Brendan Landry Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Community

A Curriculum to Grow Your Own Job

Here is a staggering fact — as of the print date of this article a minimum wage job was paying roughly $7.36 per hour in the State of Colorado, meaning that a minimum wage worker was only grossing a weekly wage of about $240. That doesn’t seem all too bad until you put it in the context of self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency — what does that mean?

Simply put, self-sufficiency is defined by the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute as an individual’s ability to meet basic needs — food, shelter, and clothing — without public or private support. And when you consider the fact that the required annual wage for a family of three living in Denver, Colorado to be considered self-sufficient is over $45,000, you start to see just how paltry that $240 a week actually is. In fact, that’s a weekly cash gap of over $500 for anyone keeping tabs. So what does job growth mean to the one in five families in Colorado currently living within this constant cash gap? Short answer: Maybe another $240 a week—which still leaves a cash gap of about $260.

Even the most successful job-creation strategies across the country often do not provide extensive opportunities for these low-wage workers to grow personally and professionally, to earn more, and build assets and wealth, and move off of public assistance over the long term. Instead, the problem is addressed with short term, ‘band-aid’ solutions that require these individuals to take on yet another low-paying job, further sacrificing their quality of life, and spending more time away from the family; all without the promise of advancement or the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s face it, even the best minimum-wage earning lunch lady in the United States—the best of the best—is not going to be promoted to even a teacher’s salary based on her outstanding performance. So where is the opportunity for upward mobility? How can someone earn a living that more fully provides for the family and allows them to live outside the realm of low-wage employment?

To answer these questions, many people have turned to business ownership as a third option. They are “growing a job” and creating another source of income for themselves and their families. Called microenterprises, these very small businesses are generally operated by five or fewer employees (but most often just the proprietor), and require less than $35,000 in startup capital. “Microenterprise can be a great path for someone with limited economic opportunity,” says Rob Smith, executive director of the Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute (RMMFI). “It’s all about using a skill and a willingness to work hard to create a new and grow-able income stream that wasn’t there before.”

RMMFI is a Denver, Colorado based nonprofit organization that specializes in providing learning, lending, and coaching to help low-income entrepreneurs launch businesses. The group has recently unveiled its Business Launch Boot Camp to help low-income entrepreneurs create self-sufficiency through business ownership. The focus of the program is not just business planning, but actual launch; and Smith is careful to reiterate what it means for these businesses to be launched in the community. “At the end of the day, launch means that our clients have a new way to generate income. Is the business covering all the household bills right out of the gate? No. But it’s a start.” Smith refers to what RMMFI calls the parallel path to income generation, a philosophy that is encouraged among their clients, and involves combining income from a job, from public assistance, and other sources while the business continues to grow. RMMFI believes that with the experience the clients are provided through the Business Launch Boot Camp, they will have the ability, in the long term, to move away from less sustainable income streams, like public assistance programs, and essentially grow their own job through the business.

The Business Launch Boot Camp is a 12-week intensive program that provides a mix of learning, lending, mentorship, and coaching with the aim of having the business launched at the end of the program. “We are all about the launch,” says Smith. “There is a clear need for increased income in the population that we serve and our goal is to get these businesses to sustainable revenue-generation as quickly as possible.”

RMMFI is currently in the midst of the pilot run of the Business Launch Boot Camp and is working with eight entrepreneurs toward the launch of business concepts that range from a residential cleaning service to a gardener, and from photography to an eco-friendly terrarium builder. The group will undergo eight intensive weeks of learning and business planning before transitioning into the four-week launch phase, and throughout the process, each boot camper is provided with regular access to a one-on-one mentor, a business coach, and a roster of volunteer business experts to help with specific areas of the business plan. The overall goal is to surround clients with as much “real world” exposure as possible, and have that outside expert support be a supplement to the learning they receive through core programs. In addition to the learning opportunities and expert guidance, each boot camper is preapproved for some level of microloan as part of being invited to take part in the program. “The preapproval essentially starts out as a $0 loan,” says Smith, “but through the process, if they do the work and demonstrate the learning and the capital needs of the business, the clients can be eligible for a loan of up to $2,500.”

RMMFI’s overall philosophy is that poor planning equals poor results, so each program component is designed to help the client put together a viable plan that takes into account both the skill sets of the individual and the feasibility of the business concept. The process results in a business owner who can clearly and concisely tell the story of what their business does and demonstrate numbers that back it up. But what really sets RMMFI’s program apart from more traditional business planning agencies is the focus on the business launch and moving the boot campers beyond the planning phase and into implementation. “This is where we think the coaching and mentorship aspects are so crucial,” says Smith. “It can be a daunting task to move from an idea to actually having a business out on the street, and we designed the Boot Camp process to help push the entrepreneurs through that fear factor.”

Just three weeks into the Business Launch Boot Camp, Pam Tanino, the mind behind PVA4U.com, a virtual personal assistant service, has a good idea of where she wants to be on graduation day. “I hope to have a solid foundation for my business in the form of a thorough business plan,” she says, “…and client contracts with commitments that represent a 300% increase in monthly revenue.” Tanino is a prime example of the type of entrepreneur that RMMFI targets. She has a need for increased household income, and has decided that business ownership is a viable option for her. Furthermore, she possesses a marketable skill — something that she is good at — and she has committed to the Boot Camp process to help her build a business around that skill.

RMMFI’s first group of boot campers will graduate on July 30th and each client has set their sights on an end goal, and most of these goals link back to that concept of job growth. The work they will have done planning for the business will lead to clearly defined revenue paths and a solid foundation on which to grow the business. “Initially, it’s another line in the water,” says Smith, referring to business’s immediate focus on generating revenue, “and because of the experience they’ve had, because of the work they’ve done, the clients have a good understanding of how to maintain it and grow their revenues to a point where it provides the income they need to take care of their families.”

Microenterprise, in and of itself, is a long term solution for the ongoing issue of growing viable jobs for people at all levels of our economy that has been tried and tested for years and years to varying degrees of success. But it is these creative takes on that model, like RMMFI’s Business Launch Boot Camp, that have the potential to cause a new ripple effect in the job market — to hand over some ownership to the people in need of more personal income.

It is about moving beyond the short term “band-aid” solutions; it is about increasing household income, and decreasing reliance on public assistance, and ultimately growing more jobs; but first and foremost, it is about launching the business.

Brendan is co-founder and Director of Programs for the Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute (RMMFI), a Denver-based nonprofit that offers learning, lending, and coaching to grow community entrepreneurs who build businesses to advance along the pathway to self-sufficiency and self-worth. To learn more about RMMFI, please visit www.rmmfi.org.

Developing World Design Solutions That Address Economic Challenges

By: Rebecca Saltman Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Community

Innovations That Transform Lives

Of the world’s nearly seven billion people, 90 percent have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted. In fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, shelter and other basic needs. Yet, the vast majority of designers have traditionally developed products aimed at the wealthiest 10 percent of the planet’s population. Recently, a growing movement has sought to correct this imbalance and demonstrate that low cost design solutions cannot only provide basic needs for the world’s poor, but can empower them to develop their lands, create new businesses, and cultivate long term livelihoods.

So What is Design for the Other 90%?

Designers, engineers, architects, and social entrepreneurs are creating low-cost solutions to everyday problems, ranging from load-carrying bicycles to solar-powered hearing aids. Many of these projects employ open market principles for income generation as a way out of poverty for the populations employing the solutions. The Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s exhibit Design for the Other 90% features more than 30 of these projects and will be coming to Denver in July, 2011.

Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations are finding unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor and marginalized, and the Design for the Other 90% exhibit explores a growing movement among designers to create low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.”

This summer-long exhibition will feature events focused on how smart, thoughtful design can meet global challenges. The curators hope to underscore how many of the solutions not only address important issues across disparate locales and societies, but can also be applied right here in our own backyard — providing both economic development and jobs.

RedLine, iDE, Green Spaces and the Do Tank are the stewards of this vital discussion in Colorado — a discussion that recognizes that although many of the challenges facing the developing world may seem remote, success or failure in overcoming these challenges will have an important local and global impact.

The Partners

RedLine is a diverse urban laboratory where art, education, and community converge. Its vision is to foster forms of social practice in the arts that inspire inquiry and catalyze change. With its dynamic physical space, talented resident artists, and proximity to some of Denver’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods, RedLine continues to evolve into a center for contemporary art where creative expression is celebrated and integrated into the fabric of the community.

A center for contemporary art, RedLine is dedicated to serving the community through art, education and the facilitation of critical discussion of local and global issues. Redline believes that art and design foster forms of social practice that bridge challenges in the developing world with solutions from the community.

RedLine pushes the boundaries of art to create new ways of living in and viewing the world. For example, RedLine resident artist Viviane Le Courtois is building a shelter made from repurposed junk mail that will be on display during the exhibition. Her Junk Mail Shelter embodies all that we have at our disposal to create or destroy the world. iDE is a nonprofit social enterprise unleashing the power of innovation and market forces for poor farm families in the developing world, helping them access the tools and knowledge they need to increase their income. For over 28 years, iDE has developed its market-based approach by designing affordable tools, improving market access, increasing agricultural production, and creating sustainable local businesses. To date, iDE staff throughout the world has helped more than 19 million people lift themselves out of poverty.

With projects that include creating local manufacturing for simple foot-powered pumps in Zambia, promoting affordable drip irrigation systems in Honduras, and marketing a simple ceramic filter that dramatically reduces illness in Cambodia, iDE works on the principle that lasting change is not created through traditional aid giveaways, but instead by listening and encouraging participation in order to develop new market-based economies.

Green Spaces is a hub for social entrepreneurs with locations in Denver and New York City.  Green Spaces provides work space for entrepreneurs to launch their businesses together and hosts events to raise awareness about social issues.

Concurrent with the Design for the Other 90% exhibit, on August 27, Green Spaces will present the Green Route Festival. Located in the RiNo/Ballpark district, the festival will feature an outdoor street fair with local food, a farmer’s market, live music, artwork, and a sustainability park.

An example of a local company utilizing innovation design is Circle Fresh Farms. “Growing produce in the community, for the community,” Circle Fresh uses drip irrigation technology to grow four times the produce on 1/10 the water consumption of conventional farming. Circle Fresh grows produce in the Growhaus in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood — a so-called “food desert” and one of the poorest areas of Denver. As such, Circle Fresh is creating new jobs in Colorado while empowering local farmers.

While iDE’s projects are based in developing countries, its guiding principles of customer-centered design and market creation can be used to address domestic challenges. The urban farming company, Produce Denver, is now using iDE drip systems in various restaurant rooftop gardens, greenhouses, and front yards given over to vegetable crops. As part of the exhibit, Produce Denver will maintain a fully functional demonstration garden using iDE drip irrigation systems.

The Green Route will feature Denver businesses that are dedicated to sustainability in their products and practices.  Through an online database, community members are connected to these businesses, and with The Green Route Pass, they are rewarded with discounts and incentives.  The Pass is completely free.  For more information on Green Spaces or the Green Route Festival visit: http://www.greenroute.com/festival.aspx.

The DO Tank

The DO Tank, a three-day forum in September, 2011, will bring together leaders from across the region to create a solutions-based plan on seven critical topic areas including: Economic Development, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Education, Energy, Trade, and Security. The event follows the inaugural Biennial of the Americas 2010 and will occur during the Biennial’s off years.

The purpose of The DO Tank is to provide a neutral venue where motivated and collaborative leaders can meet to not only exchange ideas, but work on action plans and assignments that will literally make the world a better place. The format of the event will include an opening reception for all participants, followed by seven concurrent two-day roundtables on each focus area. At the end of the two days, all participants will reconvene to share their collaborative solutions. Each roundtable will include approximately 30 key leaders from business, government, nonprofits, and academia who will focus alignment of vision, strategy and resources in a collaborative manner to make long-term sustainable differences.

The belief of the DO Tank organizers is that many solutions to the world’s critical issues already exist, so this effort will provide a forum where economies of scale can be discussed, providing the missing link of actually implementing solution strategies in a more universal way. The end result of The DO Tank will take the best solutions to key issues and standardize, replicate, and scale them so that they apply uniformly to multiple sectors and geographies.

“The Do Tank is proud to partner with RedLine, iDE, Green Spaces, as well as its other partners this summer,” says Gayle Dendinger. “This is a great opportunity for the community to come together to address pressing social needs from a business point of view.”

Community Engagement

Design for the Other 90% will demonstrate how smart, thoughtful design can change lives, both here and abroad. This global-to-local focus is why RedLine, Denver’s own urban laboratory, iDE, the Denver-based international social enterprise, and the DO Tank chose to collaborate on this exhibition.

“Art changes the way we see the world, how we interact with the world and each other.” says Laura Merage founder of RedLine. “Every day the distinctions between the fine arts and the applied arts are increasingly blurred. Design for the Other 90% creates a new arrangement of ideas and conditions where anything is possible — even the end of poverty.”

“Design for the Other 90% will be a powerful demonstration that simple machines and simple ideas can translate into powerful global impact,” said Al Doerksen CEO of iDE. “iDE is proud to be based in Colorado because we have come to recognize that this state is full of people who have the energy, the passion, the commitment, and the insight required for this exciting mission.”

This exhibition will challenge visitors to view the innovative design solutions showcased in Design for the Other 90% through an artistic lens.  Special events, lectures, performances, youth-guided gallery tours, art-making activities, demonstrations and community collaborations will underscore the interconnectedness between people, places and cultures of the world and will explore the creative potential and resilience of the human spirit. For more information, visit the exhibit’s website at www.design90denver.com.

Rebecca Saltman is a social entrepreneur and the President and Founder of an independent collaboration-building firm designed to bridge business, governments, nonprofits and academia. Contact Rebecca at [email protected].

EHXIBITION VERTICALS

SHELTER:

A basic human need, shelter protects us from the physical elements while simultaneously engendering a sense of community.

HEALTH:

Disease and disabilities are preventing billions of people from leading productive lives.

WATER:

Water is another essential human need, and supplying it in sufficient quality as well as quantity for drinking, domestic use, and farming is necessary to human survival.

EDUCATION:

Often the unheralded linchpin of societal growth, education empowers people and provides opportunities for social and economic development.

ENERGY:

Power and its dependable distribution are needed for cooking, heating, lighting, communication, safety, and income generation.

TRANSPORTATION:

Reliable modes of and access to transportation moves people and goods to clinics, schools, markets, and ultimately, financial opportunities.

World Trade Center Denver

By: Karen Gerwitz Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Community

Connecting Its Global Network LIVE!

When envisioning a conference on international trade that is set in the center of the United States, images of shipping companies and trade show halls come to mind. However, World Trade Day 2011 was more about building relationships via cable networks, face-to-face dialogue, and visiting international delegations.

In 1935, President Delano Roosevelt declared the third week in May "World Trade Week,” and organizations have been celebrating it in their unique ways ever since. Denver has featured World Trade Day since the early 1970s, and the conference has been hosted by the World Trade Center Denver since its inception in 1987, with themes varying from “Global Business: Your Passport to Profits,” to “Trade in Turbulent Times: Great Challenge Brings Great Opportunity.” This year’s theme was “Focus on Europe – Direct Access to European Markets.” While World Trade Day in Denver has always been about educating companies in Colorado and surrounding states on how to export and succeed in international business, this year’s World Trade Day was all about making direct connections and collaborating within the global World Trade Center network.

Using the latest in videoconferencing technology, participants convened near the University of Denver at The Cable Center to connect live, engage in business-to-business dialogue, and collaborate with companies associated with the World Trade Centers in Twente, the Netherlands; Milton-Keynes, the United Kingdom; Marseille, France; and Stuttgart, Germany. The purpose of these dialogues was to connect with select regions of Europe in hopes of building a long-standing business relationship and of fostering new opportunities for both sides. Participants learned of the regions’ needs and how Colorado companies could fill those needs, all the while showcasing Colorado’s strengths and highlighting its needs as well.

Tapping the vast World Trade Center network of 320 World Trade Centers in nearly 100 countries may take some time, but starting with four markets at this year’s World Trade Day demonstrated the power of collaboration and showcased this network’s capabilities of facilitating new business for companies both in Colorado and abroad.

While the World Trade Center network provided the necessary connections abroad for this conference, it took several local organizations to help pull off a multi-country, real-time dialogue. The World Trade Center Denver relied on the support of the French American Chamber of Commerce, the German American Chamber of Commerce, the BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce, and the British Consul General to serve as moderators for the various dialogues.

The moderators played a vital role to keep the dialogue flowing, but were also observing the select areas for follow-up, so that an industry-specific videoconference or trade mission sometime in the near future could occur. Several areas were identified as potential partnerships, especially in the fields of solar technology, biotechnology, green building, and university research partnerships.

And, as business people know, technology brings business closer to home, no matter where the buyer is located. Most companies that start out exporting do so because they received an international order from their website. This was the case with TogetherBe, a 3-person, Colorado-based company that manufactures baby carriers and exports them all over Europe.

Very soon, all companies associated with World Trade Centers around the globe will be able to connect on WTCA Live! – a social media network designed for the World Trade Centers Association. The World Trade Center Denver is pleased to play a role in helping to make this a reality. With technology, collaboration today is easy, and there are no longer reasons for excuses that international business is not viable. Whether it is education, contacts or information one needs to succeed internationally, the World Trade Center serves as a resource to entrepeneurs to trade to prosperously.

Karen Gerwitz is the Executive Director of the World Trade Center Denver, which facilitates international trade by educating, serving and connecting businesses in the Rocky Mountain Region to the global World Trade Centers Association network. For more information, go to www.wtcdenver.org or www.wtca.org.

Green Spaces Colorado

By: Ben Bryan Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Community

Fostering Collaboration Among Entrepreneurs

On a bitter cold and snowy January evening, 20 or so people are earnestly taking notes – most on laptops and some in spiral notebooks. The topic is business and this could be one of many colleges or universities in and around Denver. But there is no professor, these are not students and this is not a classroom: these are entrepreneurs in a solar powered brick warehouse near Coors Field in downtown Denver.

Welcome to Green Spaces Colorado, a co-working space for social and green entrepreneurs. The event described is one of many such events sponsored by Green Spaces.

The speakers in this case are local venture capitalists, projecting their PowerPoint presentations on a blank wall where paintings from local artists usually hang. The audience, entrepreneurs all, sit on well-worn secondhand couches and miscellaneous chairs moved to the front of the 5,000 square foot converted industrial space and assembled into a casual semicircle. Most of the audience wear winter coats or heavy sweaters as the warehouse heaters are struggling to keep up with the arctic outside temperatures. Dogs are curled up at the feet of a number of people.

None of this interferes with the intensity either the speakers or audience members bring to this session. Questions are pointed, discussion is lively. The focus is how to raise money to get an entrepreneurial enterprise started: a fundamental and often misunderstand aspect of starting a business. The two most salient pieces of advice given that evening: it is hard work to raise money, and most often it is friends and family that must be relied on to get an entrepreneurial venture off the ground.

A close look around indicates that most of the audience are in their late twenties or early thirties, but a number are quite a bit older – entrepreneurs obviously on their second or third career. An equal number of men and women are in attendance. Despite the weather, or perhaps because of it, the energy in the room is infectious with lots of hope and optimism.

After the presentations are complete and the formal question and answer part of the program is over, everyone partakes of coffee and tea and casually breaks up into small groups. People are asking questions of each other: What is your business? How are you currently financed? Have you thought about this or that? This is a crucial aspect of the Green Spaces experience – fostering collaboration among entrepreneurs and creating an environment that allows for structured and unstructured opportunities for interaction.

Instead of a faculty, instead of a professor, there is Jennie Nevin, the founder and owner of Green Spaces Colorado. She is more impresario than professor or manager. She guides the workings of Green Spaces with an informal and personal style, which belies both the passion and confidence she brings to the business. Her confidant is Hobbes, a Jack Russell terrier and mascot of the organization. He rides in the basket at the front of Jennie’s bicycle, which is her preferred mode of transportation to and from work. Despite his size, Hobbes has 1,600 friends on Facebook and is the top dog on any given day when three or four additional dogs may be in residence at Green Spaces.

The Origins of Green Spaces Colorado

The concept for Green Spaces originated in New York City some six years ago. Nevin was living there and was self-employed after stints in the private banking group of both Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney. She began to look for ways to foster her interest in the “green” movement, so with friends she helped to start a discussion group called Green Leaders that met regularly in different locales and grew to over 100 people. The mission of Green Leaders was to foster collaboration on green business ideas from a wide variety of industries such as the media, architecture, and finance.

Nevin knew firsthand the frustrations of being on her own yet needing advice on practical business issues such as building a website or developing a logo. Like many people who are self-employed or transitioning from one career to another, she was growing tired of working alone in her apartment and then relying on coffee shops as meeting venues. Networking opportunities were mainly through large and generally stiff and awkward events.

With Marissa Feinberg, a friend who shared her passion for “green” issues and was also self-employed, Nevin began to focus on the idea of a work and meeting space for individuals such as themselves, but also a space that could be a regular venue for larger groups like Green Leaders. Getting positive feedback from their circle of contacts, they decided to reach out to a broader audience by the unorthodox method of a press release announcing their concept of a shared or co-work space for the self-employed. Hoping for a modicum of attention, their press release was picked up by all the major news outlets in New York City, and Nevin and Feinberg were soon bombarded with positive emails. People went so far as to offer deposits, when a space, much less a business plan did not yet exist.

What followed was an entrepreneurial story in and of itself: quickly organizing a business, finding and furnishing a space on a shoestring budget, defining management roles, raising money, budgeting, and most of all, long hours of hard work. They found a landlord willing to let them use an old warehouse space in Brooklyn free for the first three months, but they had to clean it up themselves; it was spookily full of old mannequins and dusty from years of neglect.

Soon after Green Spaces New York commenced operations, a potentially competitive and more up-scale co-work space opened within a mile forcing Nevin and Feinberg to brand themselves as a co-work space for green entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs – a focus coincident with their own passion and vision, and a niche that proved successful. They soon had the cash to begin paying rent, and cash flow grew to break even within six months. Next, they began to think of opening Green Spaces in other cities.

Nevin visited San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, Minneapolis and Denver in mid-2009. She quickly settled on Denver as the logical place for the second Green Spaces because she perceived a strong green community, but one without a lot of existing infrastructure. She believed that there was momentum and significant opportunity. Nevin was also attracted to the region’s entrepreneurial culture – not to mention its outdoor-oriented lifestyle. She began setting up Green Spaces Colorado in August 2009, and after personally guaranteeing the lease, she officially opened for business in October 2009.

Nevin came to Denver to start the first in a series of satellite Green Spaces across the country. But in a short period of time, she has put roots down in Colorado and recently relinquished her ownership interest in the original Green Spaces New York. Her focus now is to continue to build and expand Green Spaces Colorado and pursue related entrepreneurial efforts.

The Green Spaces Space

Green Spaces Colorado can be found on 26th Street, between Walnut Street and Larimer Street adjacent to downtown Denver. It is a one story brick building sub-divided into a contemporary furniture show room facing Walnut and Green Spaces itself. A non-descript metal door opens up to a spacious front room containing a reception desk and assorted couches for informal discussions. The floors are polished concrete, the walls bare brick and the columns wood. Exposed ductwork and conduit meander through the high ceiling and past numerous skylights.

Behind the front room is a large open space with desks irregularly placed around the perimeter – some of which are merely solid doors set on top of low metal filing cabinets. These can quickly be moved aside for the larger events held at Green Spaces – some of which attract 100 or more persons on a regular basis. These events can be fairs for handmade and locally produced products or a celebration of locally grown organic produce.

Recently, the landlord, Bill Cutler, invested over $100,000 for a solar array on the building’s roof, which now supplies a majority of the building’s electricity. The building can be accessed by light rail - the 26th and Welton station is just five blocks away.

The Green Spaces’ business model is based on memberships, with different levels allowing for different use rights and access to the space. In this way, it is truly co-working space as opposed to rental space or an “executive suites” arrangement. There are three tiers of membership starting at $50 per month and going up to only $350 per month.

Some eighteen months after opening, Green Spaces is over the 70 member threshold and is gaining new members at the rate of 5 to 10 a month. In fact, a previously used storage area is currently being renovated to create additional desk space.

On any given day, there are 20 to 30 people working throughout Green Spaces’ 5,000 square feet. There is a hum of activity. Most people are working on laptops at desks; the dress is casual. At one desk is a woman developing a web-based business to promote eco fashion; at another, a young man is running an existing business that uses small windmills to power wireless Internet networks.

There are few amenities: a conference room, couches for lounging, and a galley kitchen for preparing coffee and light meals. Parking is on the street. But the members aren’t here for the amenities; they are here to work and to share with fellow entrepreneurs: share space certainly, but more importantly to share ideas, share stories and share aspirations.

There is a sense of purpose at Green Spaces Colorado, but there is a “coolness” factor at work as well. It is intangible but immediately perceptible; perhaps it’s the dogs or the loft feel of the space. It is a cool that is authentic because the Green Spaces Colorado members and their passions are authentic.

For more information about Green Spaces Colorado, contact Jennie Nevin at 1368 26th Street, Denver, Colorado. Email them at [email protected], or call at 303.720.6850.

An Entrepreneur’s Mission to Strengthen A Community

By: Cate Anderson Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Community

The Story of Haroun Cowans

The Story of a Young Entrepreneur

Five Points, one of Denver’s historic neighborhoods, resides northeast of the central business district. Once known as “the Harlem of the West,” this community supported thriving small businesses, restaurants, and jazz clubs that hosted the likes of musicians Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie through the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. In the late 1950s, the area began a social and economic decline with the influx of drugs and the rise of gang violence. The consequence of this decline is still sharply felt today with graduation rates hovering below 50 percent, with one-third of neighborhood children living in poverty, with rates of violence markedly higher than surrounding metro-areas, and with many storefront and commercial spaces sitting abandoned and boarded up.

Enter Haroun Cowans.

Presently, Cowans is working to revive this iconic Denver neighborhood through his own business ventures and by supporting entrepreneurial education among young people.





A native of the Five Points neighborhood, Cowans’ roots run deep. He attended high school in the area, has launched several businesses that have employed over seventy-five people from these neighborhoods, and he still lives nearby. Cowans’ current project is the restoration of the iconic Rossonian Hotel that is in the heart of the business corridor. From the 1920’s to 1950’s, the Rossonian was a hot spot for all of the great jazz legends traveling between the coasts. Built in 1912, this architectural gem has been vacant for years. Cowans has teamed up with Civil Technology, a private equity firm specializing in real estate, transportation and redevelopment in urban areas. The vision is for the Rossonian to house a restaurant and jazz club on the street level with office space above. “I see this project as a catalyst for a larger redevelopment of Five Points,” he explains.

Cowans traces his entrepreneurial foundation back to his early years. “At eight years old, my favorite game to play was starting my own business and selling it to my cousins. I had the entrepreneurial spirit, but needed mentorship and support to cultivate it,” he notes. Growing up in an inner-city neighborhood, gang violence, low high school graduation rates, and poverty were the norm among his peers. In 1994 at 16-years-old, Cowans applied for a job with YouthBiz, a local nonprofit organization that equips youth with entrepreneurial, academic and life skills. He names this experience as the vehicle that set him on the innovative track.

YouthBiz traces its roots back to the 1992 “Summer of Violence.” It was formed by eight teenagers and a local business leader in response to the 1992 outbreak of gang activity. With a loan of $75, borrowed hangers, and jerry-rigged equipment, the young people started a screen-printing business run out of a boarded up storefront. Soon, they were inviting their friends to come work in the business. It was urban guerilla entrepreneurship that would evolve into an organization that has today worked with over 4,000 young people and invested over $1.2 million in youth wages.

After working in the screen-printing business for a couple years, Cowans soon took on a leadership role in organizing and operating the program. “This role was one of the most important things I did as a young adult. It gave me insight into entrepreneurship and responsibility at a young age. Not only did I have a job, but I was in charge of running a business.” This early exposure led Cowans to start his first business at age nineteen.

Supporting Young Entrepreneurs

“Having a first-hand experience as an adolescent enabled me to understand and see the value of these programs from a youth’s perspective. In my role as Board Chair for YouthBiz, I am now able to foster a vision for the future of this organization and the impact it can have on this community.” said Cowans.

To succeed in the shifting 21st century economy, young people will need skills and attitudes beyond those taught in traditional academic settings. Entrepreneurs have a unique ability to recognize opportunities, assess risk, and approach problems with creativity and innovation. These skills are desperately needed in socially and economically struggling neighborhoods and have the capacity to redefine the narrative for a community. “I think a lot of kids have an early aptitude for entrepreneurship, but if it is not nurtured and supported, it can be squashed by the social norms. We cannot afford to lose the ideas, ventures, and development that these youth can bring to our community,” Cowans elaborates. “Investing and equipping young people who will be the innovators and job creators of tomorrow is the key. I believe entrepreneurship has the ability to change the trajectory of a community.”

While the challenges facing the teens of northeast Denver are great, YouthBiz works to expand the possibilities for entrepreneurship, education, and employment. Among youth who participate in the programs, measurable results are experienced — GPAs go up, risky behavior goes down, and plans for the future are made. In fact, several studies have observed the beneficial effects of entrepreneurship education programs on youth. Immediate outcomes include strengthened job readiness, civic engagement, interpersonal skills and academic performance. Long-term outcomes include higher levels of advanced educational attainment, stronger health status, a reduction of criminal behavior, and a more positive, holistic psychological well-being. As youth connect with educational and entrepreneurial opportunities, they develop the skills and courage to rewrite the existing narrative for their lives, their schools, and their community.

“As we work to build skills and character in the youth we work with, we do so through the lens of building community,” Cowans continues. "Young people must explore the challenges facing their community, so they may be equipped with the context, tools, and character to create change." Cowans expands, “We need to develop young leaders and entrepreneurs who work to create mutually beneficial relationships between their businesses and the community. This community is my home, so when I am hiring or developing vision and strategy for my business, I am always thinking how it can align with the needs of my community.”

Today, YouthBiz has retired the screen-printing business to focus on programs that develop entrepreneurial, educational and community leadership skills and attitudes among middle and high school aged teens. While programs focus on developing diverse skills and character traits, the foundation rests on creating young, enterprising leaders who have great vision for their futures, commitment to their community, and the creativity and capacity to make it real.

As communities – locally, nationally, and globally – face great economic upheaval, it is now, more than ever, vital to develop a new narrative for job creation and innovation with entrepreneurship at the center. “Entrepreneurship gives you options for self-empowerment. It gives you the opportunity to take control of your career and do what’s best for yourself and your community,” explains Cowans on the impact of connecting with the values of entrepreneurship at a young age. He goes on, “Hope, bravery, sincerity and transformation lie at the center of urban entrepreneurship. It is imperative to instill the values of entrepreneurship in this and other communities struggling economically. It is powerful in developing a sense of ownership and creativity.”

Cate Anderson is the Director of Marketing & Corporate Relations at YouthBiz. To learn more visit www.youthbiz.org.

Acumen Contracting Group and C Different Foundation’s Matt Miller

By: Luke Wyckoff Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Business

Sustainable Transformation for Organizational

ICOSA: How would you describe your role as the CEO of Acumen Contracting Group (ACG)?

Miller: Currently we have about 100 employees and 400 subcontractors around the country. I manage the day-to-day operations and keep people motivated. I often make a lot of tough decisions that will keep Acumen one of the premier roofing and general contracting companies in the nation. The business comes first — so I work hard to hire people who are more educated and smarter than I am.

ICOSA: How do you define innovation and how has it become a part of your business?

Miller: We are innovators within our industry — we try to do things differently. I have modeled the business after the book The Purple Cow. I want our company to be the remarkable “purple cow” within the industry. Our industry is riddled with crooks and criminals and is notorious for taking people’s money and hiring illegal workers. We try to hire the best of the best. We run background checks on all of our employees. We pay all of our sales representatives as employees and give them health benefits and stock options — we don’t just 1099 them and pay them strictly on commission as a lot of other companies do. We are trying to be the first national/corporate roofing company, but the only way to get there is to hire employees rather than sub-contractors and share the future vision with them. They have to be on board. We want our employees to feel like they are part of something big and are helping contribute to the growth of Acumen. I like to think that we are the innovators of tomorrow for the roofing industry, like Howard Schultz from Starbucks.

ICOSA: Whom do you admire as being an innovator?

Miller: In 1997, I read The Warren Buffett Way. I admired him, his companies, and the way in which he conducted business. I think he has stood his ground and followed his beliefs. He is someone I admire for his business practices and as a person. I also appreciate Steve Jobs, who has revolutionized technology within multiple industries. He is brilliant and truly a remarkable innovator.

ICOSA: What are your goals within the company over the next two years to facilitate growth and job creation?

Miller: Twenty-four months from now ACG would like to double revenues and the number of employees we have working for us. We are in 12 cities now and I would love to double that and be in 24 cities within the next two years. Our goal is to continue expansion and open more offices across the country and get them all fully functioning and profitable.

ICOSA: What are you working on today that will help you meet that objective?

Miller: Social media! I am of the younger generation, and I really believe in the power of social media. We need a bigger chunk of the market share and using the Internet is a great way to do that. We need to increase our SEO because I want customers to be able to find us on the Internet. We are going to use social media to expand out brand awareness and really get our name out there. We are young and there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know who we are.

ICOSA: What are some of the things that American companies can do today to help with job creation, innovation, and growth?

Miller: I think everyone needs to stop being so greedy. When I was in Europe in October, I was watching the news there. France is bankrupt so they decided to raise the retirement age by two years. England is bankrupt so they have decided to decrease the wages of government employees and raise taxes. European citizens were all okay with this because they understood that everybody needed to pitch in and do their part to help bail the government out. The United States, on the other hand, just prints more money. Corporate America has gotten very greedy, and that mentality has spread to the general public. Our country has completely overextended itself to lead a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. I think everyone needs to step back and look at what’s really important. I believe that people need to have a stronger work ethic and not such a sense of entitlement. We are no longer the innovators of technology. We need to step-it-up and start contributing to make a difference. We need to find more leaders and innovators.

ICOSA: Describe your role as Chairman of the Board for the C Different Foundation.

Miller: The C Different Foundation was founded to inspire visually impaired people to lead active and healthy lives. The foundation works to inspire and educate the community about the visually impaired by telling their stories and sharing the circumstances of the athletes and their guides. We’re about to celebrate our 10th anniversary and I remain so passionate about this foundation. Being the largest financial contributor to the organization, I work to provide the mission and vision for the foundation. I also provide a voice for the approximately 300 people who are blind or visually impaired who are associated with the organization.

So many people fear going blind. Society often has a misunderstanding of the visually impaired. It’s my job to educate the public and share success stories. I am the organization’s biggest cheerleader.

Performance Excellence Incubator

By: Laura Dowling Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Business

Sustainable Transformation for Organizational

Colorado’s first fast-track program is launching to assist executives in the implementation of the proven Malcolm Baldrige Award methods that boost and maintain long-term company performance. This innovative program is designed for C-level leaders — chief executive officers, presidents, and general managers — in business, healthcare, education, and nonprofit organizations. This new program, called the Performance Excellence Incubator (PEI), is based on 20 years of data from organizations that have achieved long-term sustainable transformation and is designed to implement customized processes similar to those that have transformed Baldrige Performance Excellence Program award recipients into high-performing organizations.

The part-time program, which starts September 2011, is extremely affordable at just $1,000 per month. Only 12 executives will be accepted into the first class, which will last 12 months, and includes six workshops and ongoing virtual support to complete practical roadmaps designed for immediate use. The program is ideal for executives who:

• Are responsible for organizational success; they know the buck stops with them; • Have tried to improve internal processes, but changes aren’t sticking; • Know staying in place is not an option; • Want proven, sustainable transformation for his/her company without paying exorbitant consultant fees.

“Many executives are frustrated that repeated attempts to transform culture and processes in their organizations haven’t worked,” said Ed Powers, PEI Marketing Committee chair and president/COO of Lifestyle Assets in Fort Collins. “PEI is the state’s first and only affordable program that provides C-level executives tangible methods to lead large-scale, sustainable transformation of their companies into high-performing organizations.” The PEI program is led by world-class business experts from Colorado’s Monfort Institute, a part of the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado and Colorado Performance Excellence who guide a peer group of C-level executives through accelerated coursework. The coursework is based on the same performance and competitive principles that have transformed Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award companies nationwide. The Monfort College of Business at UNC received the prestigious award in 2004, and their professors have closely studied other Baldrige Award recipients, including Boeing, The Ritz Carlton, and Caterpillar Financial. They fundamentally understand how organizations can maintain gains that will take them to the next high-performing level while remaining competitive.

Just like Baldrige recipients, executives in the PEI program likely will experience greater company profits, lowered expenses, improved customer service, and higher employee morale. But unlike Baldrige companies that typically experience changes over a 7-10 year period, PEI participants can expect to see results within 2-3 years. “CEOs truly interested in embarking on a quality journey shouldn’t do it alone,” said Tom Nordwick, CEO of Converse County Memorial Hospital in Casper, Wyoming, who is a Colorado Performance Excellence recipient.  “The Performance Excellence Incubator will equip CEOs with the right tools and contacts with peers and industry leaders to help them successfully launch and maintain their quest for quality.”

"No doubt, the concepts of the Performance Excellence Incubator will lead to high quality and continuous improvement," said John Sackett, CEO, Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville, Colorado, another CPEx participant. 

The PEI program includes one-day classroom workshops, online services and coursework, and interactive sessions with peers. Participants will study Baldrige methodologies that have transformed companies in recent years. Select successes include: • Sales at a food manufacturer increased 72 percent in five years; • Occupancy rate at a hospital jumped from 70 percent to 90 percent; • Revenues at an engineering/construction firm grew 93 percent in 2006, from $14 million to $27 million; • Profits doubled over the past five years at an industrial coating company; and • Customer satisfaction at a manufacturing plant grew to 95 percent.

For more information on PEI or to secure enrollment, contact Colorado Performance Excellence at 303-893-2739 or visit www.coloradoexcellence.org. Colorado Performance Excellence is a regional nonprofit that helps organizations succeed through the effective application of principles and practices embodied in the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.

The Transition from Small to Midsize Company

By: Dr. Shadi Farhangrazi Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Business

Developing An Enterprise Strategy to Create More Jobs

As the country focuses more on economic recovery and high unemployment rates, there are ever increasing conversations about innovation and entrepreneurship. One of the major questions is how to create more jobs and to ensure that small companies and start-ups grow larger. The transition by entrepreneurs from a small company to medium size is a path filled with obstacles and challenges — such as raising enough capital to invest in their business venture, organizing the different aspects of their business depending on whether they offer services or products, hiring the right people, bringing together the right management team, or creating a marketing strategy. All are integral to the success and growth of transitional companies.

ACCESS TO CAPITAL

A major factor impacting the success or failure of any early-stage company is its access to capital. As entrepreneurs start their businesses, oftentimes they rely on borrowing money or raising investment from family members, friends, and those who believe in the business. However, there is a time in the life of many emerging organizations, especially technology companies, when traditional funding methods have been exhausted, and the company falls into the proverbial funding “Valley of Death,” often failing to find additional financial resources and going out of business.

It is critical that innovative, early-stage companies create an advisory board and board of directors that can assist the company in creating a wider network of interested parties — especially funders and other investors. Starting this process early is important, as it gives the company time to raise the appropriate funds for marketing and advertising or for research and development. In fact, over the last few years, the venture capital industry has been increasingly reluctant to invest in early stage companies due to the demand for tighter exit windows or faster returns on investment. However, some angel investment groups remain actively involved in funding early stage companies. Unfortunately, many of these investment groups are focused locally in the states and/or regions where they reside.

Another way of accessing funding for research and development is for companies to apply for government grants or SBIRs. These grants are usually small and cannot replace large capital infusions, especially for some science and technology companies whose research is capital intensive and expensive to perform.

FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Another challenge facing technology and innovation companies is finding the right people to hire. This not only applies to hiring engineers, scientists, and people with a technical background, but also people who understand how innovation companies are managed. Finding the right team is imperative in transforming a company from a small start-up to a medium sized company. The management team must be selected by people who understand the fundamentals of an innovative company — keeping in mind that the entire team does not need to come from a technical or scientific background. But in the end, all members of management must understand how to create an environment and culture that nurtures innovation, and ultimately ensures the company’s success.

PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS AND GOVERNMENT

Supporting private sector innovation is a hot topic in many circles, especially the government. There are many pushing for an extensive national conversation on the subject. Federal and state governments continue to consider better tax incentives for small businesses as some states have already done; however the progress is slow. There is also a need to focus on grant funding for early stage companies beyond the current SBIRs, perhaps to train employees who are entering a new profession.

MENTORSHIP

Most entrepreneurs talk about the lack of availability and/or accessibility to knowledgeable mentors and advisers who can guide them through obstacles and barriers on their path to success. Mentors, in many cases, either have built successful companies in the past or have been entrepreneurs themselves. Often, senior family members, a board member, or other business advisors are needed to help an entrepreneurial company move to the next level. Mentors and advisors, in many cases, serve as a confidant for the entrepreneur; therefore, their personal and professional roles must be separated.

STRATEGY

Finally, if a small company is looking to grow, they must have a clear, concise, measurable strategy. It can be the fundamental factor of success or failure. A strategy plan is a dynamic document which needs to be written at the early stages of the life of a company and reviewed often by the management team. Ultimately, moving companies from the small to mid-size range requires many fundamental building blocks. All are interconnected pieces that support strategy, drive capital investment, support innovation and research, and ultimately create more jobs.

Dr. Shadi Farhangrazi is a neuroscientist, Biochemist, an HIV/AIDS expert, strategist, an entrepreneur, International speaker, a professor and an expert in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship. She is the President and Managing Director of Biotrends International, Founder of Biotrends Foundation, Founder and Co-Editor of Biotrends.org and three other life sciences and innovation companies.  Dr. Farhangrazi is also an adjunct professor at the University of Denver at Daniels College of Business, College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Women’s College. Dr. Farhangrazi was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up in Europe. Dr. Farhangrazi has spent considerable time in Africa and Asia in several countries working with schools, orphanages and several organizations focusing on women’s health, childhood diseases and women and entrepreneurship. She is currently working on a book about her experiences over the last five years.