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JILL VAN ORDEN heads up Arts Reach Center here in Fort Collins. It’s a fascinating concept, giving kids an outlet for creativity and inspiration.
This city has a fairly active arts scene, but most of that is targeted at adults. Sure, most venues also have special kids’ shows. But Arts Reach Center is different.
It’s targeted entirely at kids, and at their direct involvement in the performing arts. Jill described it to me as giving children a rich learning experience, joyful expression and friendships, and development of their artistic abilities.
Janska’s outerwear
JANSKA PRODUCES STYLISH WOMEN’S WEAR and is based here in Colorado. Jan Erickson started this venture 2003 based on an experience she had with a friend who was incapacitated at the time.
Jan’s friend was a talented, respected woman. But when dressed in a hospital gown, her self-esteem took a hard hit. More importantly, others in the facility treated her as more of a nameless patient than a vibrant individual.
Jan had the idea to develop a line of wear which was accessible to those with limited mobility, while also being incredibly comforting and stylish.
Janska was born.
OUR COMMUNITIES ARE DIVIDED by languages and cultures. ShareLingo is a new company that’s taking this challenge head on.
There are a lot of language education programs and tools out there. You can purchase programs for your PC, connect with online resources, and take classes at school.
ShareLingo has a different approach: To focus on co-learning, forming community and personal friendships.
MY FATHER DIED in 1994 after a six month battle with cancer. It wasn’t an easy time, but the help given us by Hospice was a godsend. It made all the difference in the world, and saved our relationships.
I had the opportunity this week to speak with Deanna Cochran, founder of Quality of Life Care in Austin, Texas. Her specialty is as an End of Life Doula, a field I’d never heard of before.
A-MAIZE’N KETTLE CORN is a family-owned company that started up just this February by Ed and Jan Frumes.
After extensive backgrounds in the financial services industry, they decided to make a change and do something that was smaller, more fun, and would help the community.
They’ve ended up with a great family run business which sells a popular product, and is easily integrated into fundraising and charitable benefits.
BRENDA AND RICHARD LUCIO own the 
Blue Agave Grill in Fort Collins, the fourth restaurant they’ve started in northern Colorado.
I was introduced to Brenda and the company a few weeks ago, and was particularly struck by the relationship she has with employees. So I sat down with her this week to discover the secrets behind this.
As you may know, the restaurant industry is infamous for its levels of turnover. Companies often pay below minimum wage, attracting youngsters who have little loyalty and given minimal training.
After all, why bother with extensive training when the employee’s going to leave in just a few months?
BILL TRACK 50 
is a great little company focused on helping people to be better integrated with what’s going on in our government.
It’s a straightforward idea: There’s loads of public information about what’s going on in legislative action, and people need to have a simple way to track it, pull information together, and use it for their own decision making.
Wait a sec: All this information is publicly available, right? Why would anybody pay to get it?
That’s a darned good question.
SilverEdge 
WAS A TRADITIONAL payments services company in Colorado. From that history as Payment Solutions, they’ve reinvented themselves under a new name as a payment technology provider for small- and medium-sized businesses.
I saw that they were growing swiftly – they made the Inc. 500 in 2012, the Mercury 100 in 2011 and were awarded the Mercury Fastest Growing Company in 2012. But I hadn’t paid much attention.
This is an impressive business. Fast growing, focused, and solid in their convictions.
A few weeks ago I met Ken Salazar, president and CEO, and was impressed with the values foundation they have for the company. So I was glad I had a chance to meet with him and dig into the topic.
KELLER WILLIAMS 
REALTY is the largest real estate franchise company in North America, with over 100,000 associates in 700 offices and twelve countries. They have grown rapidly since being started in 1983.
But that’s not the real story.
This company is really, seriously, passionately, designed around the agents who provide such great service for their clients.
ANNETTE 
AND PATRICK ARCHAMBEAU have a neat little window-washing business here in northern Colorado. They’re focused, professional, and dedicated to building their loyal client base.
But they’re also quite clear that this company isn’t the purpose of their lives. That honor falls to the dear horses they serve.
Back in the mid 1990s they formed a non-profit, now Archway Foal and Rescue Training. This is their deep passion, helping foals needing medical and social assistance. They typically work with an animal for 3 to 4 years, sometimes saving them from slaughter.
The Values-Based Business 