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MATT SHOUP is the owner of 
M&E Painting, a fast-growing enterprise here in Northern Colorado. Many in Fort Collins are aware of Tim Farnsworth, Matt’s sign guy on the corner of Harmony & College.
But the story of Matt and M&E is much deeper.
Matt started this residential re-painting specialist company in 2005 with his last $100, after getting laid off from a job in mortgage banking. With a passion for customer service and to develop a company of character, he launched in and has been experiencing steady growth ever since. M&E is now a multi-million-dollar company.
I first spoke with Matt back in 2011, and it’s fascinating to see how he’s developing personally, and how this affects his business. It was great to catch up this week and learn more of his story.
THOM SCHULTZ 
runs a Loveland, Colorado based company named Group Publishing. It started 40 years ago as Group Magazine, and quickly expanded to deliver a wide variety of Christian resources for children, youth, and adults.
This is a for-profit company, privately held, delivering religious goods. Their primary customers are Christian churches, groups, and individuals. So I’m not surprised that they base the company on Christian values, and are completely open about it.
But the story doesn’t end there.
CHRIS HUTCHINSON heads up Trebuchet Group here in Fort Collins. They deliver extraordinarily powerful consulting for their clients, particularly around leadership development and organizational change.
I had the opportunity speak with Chris (CEO) and his wife Diana (COO) this week. I’ve been wanting to have this conversation for awhile, because I’ve been following the company for four years now and have been impressed with the distinct character that they’ve built.
DR. ART MISSIRLIAN, DDS, heads up a small dental practice here in Fort Collins. Full disclosure: he’s been my dentist since he launched the business in 1987.
I’ve appreciated his quality work and attention to customer service over the years. But that’s really just the kind of service one would expect. If I’d been disappointed, no doubt I would have gone to one of the many other professionals in town.
I realized a few years ago that he brings his Christianity forth as part of his personality. It’s not a huge part of his approach, but you’ll find in his bio on the website. You might find Christian music in the background in his waiting room, and the directory of local Christian businesses.
It’s not a huge part of his marketing approach, though. Read the rest of this entry »
WE HAVE ALL HEARD the traditional wisdom that keeping employees happy results in happy customers, which brings in more money, which makes you insanely rich.
But honestly, I don’t see too many companies which actually structure around this kind of philosophy. More often, building a great and loyal employee base is more like “do as much as we can afford.”
Courtesy Stenbakken Photography
I met Pete Gazlay a few years ago, when both he and I had just started our businesses. After working in the industry for a decade, he created Total Facility Care to service business janitorial needs in northern Colorado.
Yeah, I know – has this just got to be just the most boring industry ever? Let me tell you about why TFC is special.
DOUG, WYNNE and CORKIE ODELL started their brewery in 1989 in the outer reaches of Fort Collins. 
The Odell Brewing Company is now one of the top craft breweries in the area, distributing to ten states in the region.
There’s a distinct passion for producing high quality beers. But that’s just the beginning of the story.
I had the opportunity to speak with Karla Baise recently, the company’s community outreach coordinator. This isn’t just a simple PR position, it’s actually a critical part of the company’s business strategy.
Here’s a great example: When I met with Karla, she had a couple of ladies stop in with big bags of fresh herbs from The Gardens At Spring Creek. Read the rest of this entry »
TAMARA KLEINBERG heads up a fascinating company named the Shuuk – THE testing ground for the world’s coolest, newest ideas. 
Just so you aren’t confused, the Hebrew word shuuk describes a community marketplace, with all the vitality and energy that you’d expect.
Tamara is helping inventors and innovators by giving them a marketplace for their new products.
It’s kind of a proving ground, a test market, for all those new products which have no good way to get to a broad market. And that’s a valued assistance for someone who has a great idea, but struggles to develop a distribution channel and marketing strategy.
GALE SIMON heads up Global Wellness Solutions in Windsor, Colorado, and represents SoZo and a number of nutritional supplements. With a background in chemical research, he approaches product claims with a huge amount of skepticism.
It’s about the research.
Gale’s been promoting nutritional products for well over a decade, building up a very successful income with a previous supplement company.
SOMETIMES I just love this job.
I was speaking with Rich Bradfield recently, one of the founders of Nova Monda Cacao & Chocolate in Lafayette, Colorado. Of course I couldn’t fully appreciate what they do without trying some of their wonderful products, as dried cacao nibs, a couple of ganaches, a truffle, and then a chocolate bar.
The things I put myself through for my readers.
Nova Monda does indeed make some very special and exclusive products, but that’s just a tiny portion of the story of this company.
THE 
MOOT HOUSE is a Fort Collins landmark: serving the community since the 1970s, and a flagship of the Hot Corner Concepts group for 25 years. They’re known for their top-notch food and fantastic people. A superb date night out.
There’s more to the story, though.
We all know that restaurants are one of the toughest businesses to be in – hard-to-please customers and tight margins. Especially when you market yourself with high standards.
The Values-Based Business 