Raising money and helping people with big challenges 1484_ 12/30/13 - CereScan has become a center of excellence for looking at functional brain injury, how people's brains are performing or not, and working with companies that potentially have solutions or remedies for some of those problems", said John Kelley, Chairman of the Board and CEO. John and Rick Fort, president and COO of CereScan are very excited about this. It has opened a lot of doors around the country, to some of the most innovative therapies. At the same time, creating opportunities for CereScan's expansion outside of Colorado. Of course, CereScan is on the assessment side, not a therapy company and that allows them to work as an independent, objective resource for those therapy companies as they do research. CereScan has established their first clinic in Naples, Florida, enabling a Nuclear Medicine facility to be able to do brain imaging. John pointed out that at its core, CereScan is a measurement company, so their partnering, being part of a team, they're really trying to solve some of the most complex brain disorders that people are experiencing today. That's a real opportunity for us to move, to collaborate, perhaps even locate where those therapeutic companies are. John explains, "There is a very well known non-profit in California, the Tug McGraw Foundation. Their plank is to help use donated monies to address certain brain problems. CereScan is one of the few entities that they have teamed up with. For our listeners, people like us that do charitable things in the community, something that is really helpful, that we've been able to, across the country, is to have people donate money to the Tug McGraw Foundation and Visible Brain Injury Project..." Listen for much more... RELATED LINKS: CereScan || Tug McGraw Foundation || TiE Rockies John Kelley || Innovation Pavilion || Software || KEYWORDS: John Kelley, Rick Fort, CereScan, Tug McGraw Foundation, Traumatic Brain
Injury, TBI, ADHD, ADD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Veterans, bytes= 8970974 LISTEN TO: John Kelley & Rick Fort, Cerescan
Attack a problem in a completely unique and multi sensory way
1468_ 11/25/13 -
He is a self described IT nerd and is visually impaired. He says, being a blind technical professional, he has learned how to use certain tips, tricks and technologies to overcome the visual obstacles. Michael Hess is the founder of Blind Institute of Technology (BIT) He started BIT with one mission in mind, and that is to bridge the gap between the Visually Impaired Community and the corporate environment. . He's come to appreciate the proverbial blinders he's had to wear, have really helped to make it so much easier to focus on the content than his sighted peers - especially when you're requirements gathering. To highlight, Gartner has the statistics that quantify this - 80% of all IT and Network projects are either not on time, on budget or delivered at all. There is this breakdown that takes place. But in Mike's case, his projects have always met those requirements and he's realized his 'blinders' really are an asset. Based on this, Mike has developed a Team Building program and what he is doing is taking teams in technology organizations and putting them under blindfolds and having them produce tasks. His firm has developed different exercises for each sightless principle. Communication doesn't have to be complex but it has to be clear. Sometimes we need to attack a problem in a completely unique and multi sensory way. And the lost art of collaboration ...listen for more...
RELATED LINKS:
The Blind Institute of Technology ||
Events & Speaking Engagements ||
Podcasting Directory ||
CIMCO ||
In the News ||
KEYWORDS: Michael Hess, Blind Institute of Technology, BIT, Visually Impaired, Project Management Institute Mile Hi, CIMCO, Community Reach, bytes=7301645
LISTEN TO: Michael Hess, Founder, Blind Institute. of Technology
Check this out, on a Tuesday afternoon Colorado Technology Association (CTA) and the Rocky Mountain Tech Meetup attracts 400 people to Convercent's brand new headquarters in Denver's Golden Triangle. Bringing together local leaders, tech entrepreneurs, artists, thinkers and developers. We heard from Denver's Mayor, Michael B. Hancock, Convercent CEO Patrick Quinlan, Colorado's Secretary of Technology and CIO, Kristin D. Russell and a panel of highly visible industry experts - Joe Zell, Grotech Ventures; David Kallery, Inspirato; and Pete Khanna, TrackVia. Chris Onan from Galvanize [an innovation ecosystem] was there too! Technology innovation and trends are shaping Denver and the local tech industry. Check out the w3w3® Event Photo Album!
Maker or Hacker spaces are springing up 1445_ 9/30/13 - The Maker Movement is sweeping the United States and the world. Maker or Hacker spaces are springing up for innovators and entrepreneurs across Colorado – several in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Longmont and more. Schools are setting up Maker spaces and Maker Faires are springing up to celebrate making. Come and learn about what this movement is about and how it affects everything from schools to businesses. (See examples on our home page)… Larry interviewed Elizabeth Weiland, Executive Director of Making Progress, L3c producer for Colorado's first Maker Faire, the NoCo Mini Maker Faire, to be held October 5th. Larry asked, "What can we expect from the NoCo Maker Faire? Elizabeth replied, "Oh so many things. We’ve filled over 100,000 sq feet with all kinds of Maker creations. From a statewide youth robotics scrimmage to an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Exhibition, a 29 second film festival to a Nerdy Derby, an atomic clock made out of pinball machines to a sound puddle. Advances in 3D printing, arduino electronics and other technologies have removed the “valley of death” between creativity to production. Kids, artists and innovators can bring their designs to life. Maker Faires bring together all the elements of creativity, design, prototyping and production to make those AHA, I can DO THIS moments that make innovation possible." Listen for more and check out the links... RELATED LINKS: NoCo Mini Maker Faire || Makers || In the News || Entrepreneurs || KEYWORDS: Elizabeth Weiland, NoCo Mini Maker Faire, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, Rocky Mountain Center for Innovation, Grants Specialist, State of Colorado OEDIT, > bytes=5374856 LISTEN TO: Elizabeth Weiland, Executive Director of Making Progress
We leverage the organization to support your business growth 1447_ 9/30/13 - Larry's talking with long-time friends Ray Hutchins and Vic Ahmed, president and chairman of TiE Rockies, a chapter of TiE Global. That's one of 64 chapters in 18 countries with over 13,000 members, and its primary mission is to support the entrepreneur, and that's what they do. Ray says they do this through mentoring, networking, education, making introductions for people, helping them find money, helping them to gain access to other organizations in the area and creating job growth right here in Colorado. In the beginning Larry attended the first TiE Rockies meeting, back then they were held monthly, a lot has changed. A very exciting thing for Vic, he recently joined the TiE Board of Trustees, and they are looking at launching some new programs like an education program with Stanford and other universities, a special program around TiE doctors and also looking at a TiE incubator. The organization has grown so large and complex and they are helping so many people accomplish their business objectives and dreams, that it takes the efforts of both Ray as President and Vic as Chairman working together more like co-presidents. They've worked together for some years - both are volunteers and the organization has one paid staff member, their executive director. Vic tells us they have a stellar board with Balan Nair - CTO, Liberty Global; Sureel Choksi is currently Managing Partner of BC Consulting, John Kelley previously CEO, McData which he sold for $1 Billion; Dr. Arlen Meyers is a professor of otolaryngology, dentistry, and engineering at the University of Colorado Denver; Carol Kline served as Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Teletech; Sam Kumar, founder and Owner of Microtech-Tel... TiE has an interesting two level membership, Charter Members and General Members. The Charter Membership... RELATED LINKS: TiE Rockies Network || Innovation Pavilion || Denver Web Directory || Blog || Entrepreneurs || KEYWORDS: Vic Ahmed, Ray Hutchins, TiE Rockies, Denver, Innovation Pavilion, Balan Nair,
Sureel Choksi, John Kelley, Dr. Arlen Meyers, Carol Kline, Sam Kumar, Entrepreneurs, > bytes=6395510 LISTEN TO: Vic Ahmed, Chairman & Ray Hutchins, President, TiE Rockies
Advantages to forming your own captive insurance company
1431_ 9/3/13 -
We're talking with Howard Potter Managing Director at ST Consulting, LLC, , a firm he set up in 1996 when he quit the practice of law and also the practice of CPA, and he began consulting, primarily in the area of financial and tax consulting. For the last 13 years Howard's been involved in micro captive insurance companies. The underlying concept is that all businesses have uninsured risks and these uninsured risks are frequently risks that you cannot buy coverage for in the conventional market. Examples might be product recalls, product liability, business interruption, loss of key supplier, loss of key vendor. Howard tells us they set up a captive insurance company for a surgical center up in the mountains. "One of the risks we covered was, loss of income because of reduction of Medicare reimbursements." Howard's challenge is to examine companies, identify these risks so he can actually come up with a premium. The company continues with traditional insurance, but now he pays additional premiums to himself / his insurance company. Last year their company, on a nationwide basis, did 102 of these transactions. The preceding year they did about 60, so this has really caught on. Larry asked if there were limits on the types of companies that could use this kind of insurance. The answer... Listen for the details... Howard is founder of the Cross Networking Event coming up on 9/26/13. The whole event is geared toward networking - no speakers, just great food and the people you are looking to connect with.
RELATED LINKS:
S T Consulting LLC ||
Howard Potter ||
ACG Denver Channel ||
Cross Networking Event ||
KEYWORDS: Howard Potter, S T Consulting, Captive Insurance Companies, Association of
Corporate Growth, Denver, ACG, FEI, Financial Executives International, Artex Risk Solutions, Arthur J Gallagher & Co,, bytes=4714060
LISTEN TO: Howard Potter, JD, MBA, CPA, S T Consulting
1416_ 8/5/13 -
Bart Taylor a familiar face in Denver, spent ten years at ColoradoBIZ Magazine, we've seen him as editor and MC many times over the years. w3w3.com has learned that Mr. Taylor launched a new digital business publication. We're talking with Bart to get the details. Bart left ColoradoBIZ on April 19th to launch Company Week, the Voice of Rocky Mountain Manufacturing. Basically the community of makers and manufacturing that, in Bart's estimation, are building a new manufacturing economy here in the western region. Long term, Company Week will have a regional platform - but Bart, his network and their interests are Colorado centric. Bart said, "When you look at manufacturing in Colorado, it's a very diverse industry sector. It's industrial manufacturing, it's brewers, growers, it's coders, it's bike makers, satellite makers. I think when you start peeling the covers back on manufacturing, as I will do through the companies and the people that are driving this sector, one sees that it's very different from what it's iconic brand in the United States in the last 50 years. It's not defined by major companies. It's a sector defined by small, agile tech savvy companies and manufacturing operations. I'm going to help actually, redefine the brand of manufacturing in Colorado." As you listen to Bart, you will see that he has amassed a great interest and intelligence that has driven him to this group of companies over the last several years. Manufacturing is still only... There's more listen...
RELATED LINKS:
CompanyWeek Home ||
In the News ||
Blog ||
Podcasting Directory ||
KEYWORDS: Bart Taylor, Company Week, Manufacturing, Voice of Rocky Mountain
Manufacturing, ColoradoBIZ, Colorado Centric, Brewers, Growers, Coders, Bike Makers, Satellite Makers, bytes=4760035
LISTEN TO: Bart Taylor, Company Week
1409_ 7/22/13 -
It is surprising to some just how many businesses are looking at global expansion. That can be a jolting, shocking and expensive experience with huge penalties if not done properly. We talked with Todd Roebken, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle here in Denver. Their company roots go back to the 1800s in England and now is close to a $4 Billion dollar company, with 45,000 employees across the world. Todd and his group focus on helping companies find homes for their businesses, whether that's office or industrial manufacturing. Todd said, "We come in and through our process, leverage the marketplace and help companies get the best value out of that real estate with the most flexibility. And, we work with companies from early stage all the way through to large Fortune 100 companies here in Colorado. We do stuff for companies all over the world, whether it's a sales office in China or a manufacturing plant in China or something in India or south Colorado. We have resources, we have owned offices in all those markets and we come in and act as a single point of contact with the CFO, real estate director, CEO, whoever is overseeing that function and act as their real estate department." For Colorado companies looking at global expansion ...Listen for more details...
RELATED LINKS:
View Todd's LinkedIn Profile ||
Jones Lang LaSalle ||
ACG Denver ||
M&A Channel ||
KEYWORDS: Todd Roebken, Jones Lang LaSalle, ACG Denver, Global Expansion, Commercial Real Estate, Association for Corporate Growth, M&A, Entrepreneurs, RMCGC > bytes=3044313
LISTEN TO: Todd Roebken, Top Dog, Jones Lang LaSalle
Many business owners would like to retire 1393_ 6/10/13 - Fifty percent of all businesses in the United States are owned by baby boomers' today and eleven thousand are turning 65 per day! And, they're looking for ways out. They've spent their entire lives building the business up, now they're trying to find ways to retire. Les Simpson has important answers. There are many business owners out there that would like to retire but they don't know how, or if they can. According to the SBA 50% of all businesses are owned by Baby boomers. 8 Trillion ready to be transferred to the next generation. But of the 1.2 Million businesses for sale a year only 210,000 will sell. There are three main roadblocks for this. Baby boomers fear running out of money lasting for the future. Where will they re-invest the money for security. And how they will make it after paying the taxes. Structured Sales solves these problems. Larry asked Les to explain how this would work. Les answered, "When a person sells a business or commercial real estate, we reduce or bypass all the new taxes and guarantee a person retirement income. An example of that; If a person sells a business and there's a $3 million profit, all they know they can do with that at this point, is pay all the up front taxes. Thanks to the tax increases this January, it went up to $840,000 on that $3 million. The biggest challenge is educating people." If you're thinking about selling 10 years out, Les recommends getting professional advice now. There are a lot of things in a company that need to straighten out legally in order to be a good candidate for a sale. The SBA says 1.2 million businesses per year, go on sale, but only 20% of those sell. Sometimes it's because they don't want to pay those taxes, or they can't find the right financing, but a lot of it is when they do the due diligence on the company there are problems...Listen for more... Les also chairs the General Member Committee for TiE Rockies. RELATED LINKS: Deferred Tax Benefits, Inc. || Innovation Pavilion || TiE Rockies || Blog || In the News || KEYWORDS: Les Simpson, Deferred, Tax Benefits, Charter Member, TiE Rockies, Colorado,
Baby Boomers, Retire, SBA, > bytes=5351030 LISTEN TO: Les Simpson, Deferred Tax Benefits Charter Member TiE Rockies
Autism incidence increasing, you can make a difference
1375_ 4/8/13 -
A few weeks ago Kevin Custer spoke to us about his work with the Colorado Autism Society and their new CEO, James Buckles. This is a topic we need to be much more aware of. When we refer to autism, we refer to it as Autism Spectrum Disorder, because there is a wide range of developmental disabilities that cause impairment in the areas of social interaction and communication and behavior. So for that reason we may have somebody that is very high functioning and capable of doing really incredible things and maybe socially awkward - but you may have someone on the spectrum that is non-verbal and can't really communicate. So you have those two variations and everything between. It really is very challenging to understand autism.
The autism rates have gone up. The CDC says it basically comes down to two things. We have a better educated, better informed population of medical providers, doctors, people who know and can recognize it. The other is there is just more autism - the incidence rate has increased. Autism is one of the few disorders that is not race specific, it has nothing to do with geography. The only unique element of autism is that it is four times more likely to occur in boys than girls. The incidence rates are the same in the U.S. as they are in all countries, developed and undeveloped.
Kevin said, "For businesses wanting to get involved and support, the website, AutismColorado.org is the place to start. The biggest thing we see is to train your employees to understand what's going on. If you have more than seven employees, one of them has a family member with autism. If that is the case, you're going to want to understand how you can better support that employee. With our Autism 101 program, we'll come into your business and explain about it. Then contacting James to figure out how we can help your business give support back to the community as far as being an autism friendly business."
The ASC has a 'Walk' coming up June 9th, and James said, "We'd love companies to think about getting involved in the Walk Program. What we find is once their employees get involved, they'll come forward and be excited about this opportunity, create a team around supporting the disorder of autism. It's just a valuable way for a company to give back and at the same time will see benefits from being involved." Listen for more information....
RELATED LINKS:
Autism Society of Colorado ||
Walk ||
ASC Programs ||
Donate ||
Arc Capital Development ||
KEYWORDS: Walk for Autism, Kevin Custer, James Buckles, Autism Society of Colorado, autism spectrum disorder, autism friendly business. sensory friendly films, CDC, Beau Jo's, autism friendly environment, bytes=7426615 LISTEN TO: Kevin Custer & James Buckles, CEO, Autism Society of Colorado
Enlightened Empowerment, a term Fitzgerald got from a favorite client
1370_ 4/1/13 -
Laurie Fitzgerald, PhD and senior practitioner for The Consultancy, Inc. has been providing guidance for business leaders in their efforts to navigate the hyper competitive and increasingly turbulent market place. Larry asked, "Although you have a long list of American organizations, I've noticed that it's been almost a decade since you've worked with U.S. clients. Where have you been and what have you been up to in the interim?"
Well, Fitzgerald's been out of the country. A number of years ago she published some articles on the Transformation of Dynamical Complex Systems, [that's organizations]. That captured the attention of business executives in Australia, India, South Africa and also in Europe. When Laurie was invited to join them in implementing and facilitating a change process within their organizations, she leaped at the opportunity.
Laurie's background is in the social sciences. In particular sociology and psychology. That's her life's work, getting into the minds of people and the minds of organizations, and organizations do have minds. And helping them to change the way they think and the way that they see the world.
Enlightened Empowerment? A term Fitzgerald got from one of her favorite clients, the Marel Company. they are a combined Dutch and Icelandic firm that is the world's largest producer of poultry, meat and fish processing equipment, their machines are located all over the world. In 1999, Laurie met Theo Hoen, CEO of that company. He had been working for a long time trying to bring about profound change in the company by the old outside-in approach. When we talked about inside-out transformation, he jumped on the bandwagon. He said," this is the way we're going to have to do it. What I want to do is to enlighten empowerment." Which means he wanted everyone in the company to be empowered to make decisions, to take action within the company. In order to do that he knew they needed to be enlightened. Their minds needed to be evolved to a higher level so they could see the organization as a whole. And that would be everyone, secretaries as well as managers and executives.
Larry said, "You deal with organizations worldwide, and I hope you'll be doing more in the U.S. What do you think are the biggest business challenges today?" The biggest business challenge in Laurie's mind is the fact that organizations are built on the hierarchical model. In that model, as you rise through the hierarchy you are vested with power. The problem comes when a person who is not enlightened, who does not look at things as whole but only looks from their own perspective, is given power. And as Lord Acton, a famous British historian said, "Power corrupts!". That is true and in order to avoid that problem...
RELATED LINKS:
Lessons from Jurassic Park ||
Economy Builders ||
Mastering Change ||
Blog ||
KEYWORDS: Enlightened Empowerment, Laurie Fitzgerald, The Consultancy, Guidance for Business Leaders, Global, Turbulent Market Place, Inside-Out Transformation, bytes=6744088
LISTEN TO: Laurie Fitzgerald, PhD, Senior Practitioner, The Consultancy, Inc.
Ed von Bleichert, it's time to get rid of the pests
1365_ 3/11/13 -
We are back with Edward von Bleichert, Manager Environmental Operations, for the Department of Facilities Management at the University of Colorado Boulder, a demanding responsibility where Ed almost plays different roles to accomplish these varied and important services, from capturing Brown Bears and Mountain Lions that wander onto campus, to solving the huge issues of providing solutions and recycling options. Today we're going to talk about Integrated Pest Management [IPM]. First an overview of what that means. IPM similar to Zero Waste [ZW] has many definitions but for our purposes, it is essentially a focus on safe and effective long-term control and prevention of pests. Whatever you want to determine as a pest. The point is, pesticides are a part of that tool kit we use, but they're not the first tool that we reach for. Any time we use pesticides, we're very careful, specifically speaking to indoor structures, not to impact indoor air quality, not to expose people to pesticides. Which essentially means the majority of our pesticide applications are in the form of a gel base or granulers or some type of pheromone. We do not do aerosol sprays, liquid sprays, crack and crevice treatments, perimeter treatments, we don't fog or the bombs. The point is you really need to know a lot about your pests. The biology, the physiology, its behaviors and patterns. And if you can answer a few questions about what is attracting that pest in the first place, you can likely eliminate that attraction. It could be a leaky pipe, it could be poor sanitation, a broken screen, a missing door sweep. A lot of it is relying on the other shops and trades we have here at Facilities to do the structural work needed to seal up the building and roof. That's a really a big part of it. Ed answered a number of interesting questions such as, "What are some of the pests you deal with here at CU? You don't use pesticides etc. What is the alternative that you use? What could an average person or a business learn that would have to do with pests? ...Listen for more helpful ideas...
RELATED LINKS:
CU wins EPA Challenge ||
Ralphie’s Green Stampede ||
Single Stream in Housing ||
PodCasting Directory ||
KEYWORDS: Ed von Bleichert, CU, Environmental Operations, Integrated Pest Management,
IPM, Department of Facilities Management, University of Colorado Boulder, Pesticides, bytes=6589861
LISTEN TO: Ed Von Bleichert, Manager, Environmental Operations, CU
Ed von Bleichert Zero Waste & Ralphie's Green Stampede
1359_ 3/4/13 -
"Here at CU we have one of the oldest college and university recycling programs in the country, going back to 1976." We're talking with Edward von Bleichert, Manager Environmental Operations, Department of Facilities Management, University of Colorado Boulder. Ed tells us, "Our program has some rich history as a recycling program. The term Zero Waste [ZW] is a relatively new term and tries to redefine the approach we're taking." To explain, recycling is somewhat reactive. You take the waste you're given and you try to find an outlet for it. Zero waste is really more proactive where you're looking at the inputs, throughputs, outputs, and trying to minimize waste at all of those stages. As it relates to us here on campus, it's still mostly a waste focus in terms of municipal solid waste, what would be going to the landfill as trash. But we're still being proactive in that we're going upstream, into that waste stream, and we're redesigning the waste from the beginning to make sure it's recyclable, compostable or reusable. Our biggest foray into Zero Waste started with Ralphie's Green Stampede which was the Athletic Department's initiative. It includes other initiatives in sustainability like energy and water conservation. But probably the area that's gotten the most attention is the waste elimination and the Zero Waste effort. As part of that, we literally sort through all the waste of every single home football game [the waste of 53,000 people]. Mostly to identify what is in that waste stream, and be able to design it out or find a market for it, whichever the case may be, to ultimately keep it out of a landfill. The simple definition of Zero Waste, and there are many, but for our purposes we're talking about achieving a minimum of a 90% landfill diversion rate. The campus is currently about 41% conversion rate for municipal solid waste. That doesn't include... Listen for more...
RELATED LINKS:
CU wins EPA Challenge ||
Ralphie’s Green Stampede ||
Single Stream in Housing ||
PodCasting Directory ||
KEYWORDS: Ed von Bleichert, CU, Environmental Operations, Department of Facilities
Management, University of Colorado Boulder, Zero Waste, Ralphie's Green Stampede, bytes=4874556
LISTEN TO: Ed Von Bleichert, Manager, Environmental Operations, CU
Speaking of Kendall Colman & Molly Hughes 1347_ 2/11/13 - We are here with Molly Hughes and Kendall Colman, discussing one of Larry's favorite subjects, entrepreneurism and the current challenges and opportunities. Colman & Company was founded and started 13 years ago by Kendall. She said, "It was really a result of a passion of hers at a very early age, based on the idea that people really do have potential that lies in them like a seed. With the right skills and talent and encouragement really can be developed." That was her personal experience as a competitive athlete; she found the coaches in her life made the biggest difference of all. Of course we all recognize Molly Hughes from Channel 4 News. After leaving CBS about a year ago, Molly joined forces with Kendall and is handling the speech and media preparedness aspect of Kendall's executive coaching firm. Molly says the Kendall found she was working with a lot of executives who then were doing great on the leadership front but there was still some work that needed to be done on public speaking. That is how their work fits together, Molly works with their clients on speech development and really anything related to communication, whether it is through the lens of a camera, one-on-one or to a large group of people. Larry asked what are the biggest challenges for companies today. Kendall believes most of us have some terrific ideas. "It doesn't take much to notice in our society, areas that can be improved. Gaining support and getting those first few people... It's always those first few people, for an entrepreneur, that make the biggest difference, who jump on board with the idea and say, I see it too. The challenge is putting an organizational structure in place so that the idea can be successful, before the home equity loan runs out." Then Larry sought out the great opportunities. Molly said, "What we're finding in the work we do is the Internet is huge, no matter what your business is. One of the best ways businesses can engage with their clients or consumers is through the use of video. It is one of the ways that all of our sensors are all at play. More and more people are turning to video as a way to really get their product or service out there. There is just explosive growth in this field right now." RELATED LINKS: Colman & Company || Colman & Company Events || Economy Builders || Podcast Directory || KEYWORDS: Kendall Colman, Molly Hughes, Colman & Company, Speaking, Coaching, Organizational Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, Culture, Channel 4 News, CBS > bytes=7774357 LISTEN TO: Kendall Colman & Molly Hughes, Colman & Company
You either win or lose with sound bites
1477_ 12/9/13 - You'll recognize Neal Browne he has served as an anchor on the evening Channel 9 News here in Denver for a number of years. In today's incarnation Neal delivers expert presentation and media coaching, and this is what brings us together. Neal produced a short video for Larry's program, 'Disruptive Strategies for Building Your Business' - Video Promo at TiE Rockies this coming Friday, 12/13/13. Over the course of years Neal found that there were many people who had great things to say, but they had no idea how to say them. So they were specialists in their area but when it came to communicating... blank slate, they had no clue. Neal thought it was unfortunate, and the unfairness of it all was that people had good causes they wanted to talk about and they didn't know how to communicate in the way that it made sense to their audience or to the media. And so they lost by default! That was a turning point for Neal ...listen for more...
RELATED LINKS:
Neal Browne & Associates ||
Disruptive Strategies for Building Your Business - Video Promo ||
Touchpoint Video ||
Expert Media ||
TiE ||
Podcasting Directory ||
Business for Breakfast ||
KEYWORDS: Neal Browne, Touchpoint Video, Expert Media Coach, TiE Rockies, Business for Breakfast, Disruptive Strategies for Building Your Business, Sound Bites, Communicate, Express Themselves, > bytes=3652025
LISTEN TO: Neal Browne, Expert Presentation & Media Coach
Communication Technology Pros - Ascent Awards 2013 1462_ 11/11/13 -
The Annual Ascent Awards celebrate Colorado entrepreneurial technology companies, recognizing excellence in a variety of categories. The event was presented by CTP and TiE® Rockies and the Innovation Pavilion where the event was held. "Larry and Pat are ever-present and constant supporters of Colorado tech companies," says Debora Langer, CTP president. "The board wanted a way to express how much Larry and Pat have meant to us over the past 15 years—and the Tech Icon Award was born in an immediate and unanimous decision. We are thrilled to be making the inaugural award to Larry and Pat, who are Colorado’s true tech icons.
The Nelson’s have supported technology companies and companies in diverse industries since co-founding w3w3®Media Network in 1999. The w3w3 all-business radio show website consists of blogs, podcasts, articles, recorded and archived audio and video interviews, business photos and a business calendar of events. Additionally, Larry conducts in-house seminars and offers keynote addresses on various business topics, including 'Mastering Change in the Midst of Chaos,' also the title of his latest book.
Congratulations to The Ascent 2013 Award WINNERS:
Most innovative – Audioair;
Hottest company – ReadyTalk;
Fastest growing – One World Labs;
Most employee growth – Zayo Group;
Best use of social media – Simple Signal;
Most innovative technology - FORTRUST;
Most charitable company – Global Communications Group;
Coolest new product – iTriage;
Best XaaS offering – Ajubeo;
Best reinvention of a company – Convercent;
Biggest impact on Colorado – Level 3;
Best startup – C 10;
Best working environment/coolest culture – Apoorva;
Most dogs in the office – Wayin;
Most bicycles in the office – LinkSmart;
Company with the best patio in town – SendGrid;
Best free food – Google;
Coolest new technology – PlayerLync;
Most ski-days – Vail Resorts;
Coolest Logo - Radish Systems;
w3w3® Media Network - 2013 CTP Tech Icon Award
RELATED LINKS:
Communications Technology Professionals ||
Ascent Awards ||
TiE Rockies ||
Innovation Pavilion ||
KEYWORDS: Ascent Awards, Tech Icon Award, Winners, Communication Technology Professionals, Debora Langer, Gary Gaessler, TiE Rockies, Innovation Pavilion, DTP
11-07-2013 Annual Ascent Awards 2013
Billions of dollars to help higher education 1444_ 9/30/13 - Larry and Pat were invited to an up-scale event at the Innovation Pavilion by Christopher Pelley, CEO and Private Wealth Advisor of CIMCO Cares. After the eye-opening meeting, they had a chance to interview the keynote speaker, Karan Khemka, Partner, The Parthenon Group, which is a management consultancy - but a big part of their work is in the education sector. Education institutions, whether it's Harvard University or a private school, in the end they function like companies. Larry asked about the U.S. comparison to other countries. Karan tells us, in the U.S. 4% of college/university students are international students, compared to the U.K. which is at 17% and Australia at 28%. This begs the question, why would the U.S. say that this is the correct or acceptable penetration of international students when the U.K. and Australia have maintained very high quality higher education systems with far higher levels of international student penetration. If the U.S. were to double the international student population to 8% that would be an additional 700,000 students, and not all of these would be full fee paying, but let's say half-a-million were full fee paying, and they were coming in at $25-$30,000 a student - that is an incredible amount of revenue - billions of dollars to help balance the books of higher education. To put money into research, funding and scholarships. So there is an incredible opportunity to do good while serving international demand for one of the most desirable products the U.S. has. Your higher education is really the crown jewel amongst the products you can sell to the rest of the world. Listen for much more... RELATED LINKS: the Parthenon Group || Karan || Innovation Pavilion || CIMCO Cares || Podcasting Directory || KEYWORDS: Karan Khemka, The Parthenon Group, Roisin Pelley, Transnational Education,
Boston, London, Mumbai, San Francisco, Shanghai, Southeast Asia, Middle East, China, India, Australia, UK, Western Europe, Latin America, Christopher Pelley, CIMCO Cares, > bytes=6735310 LISTEN TO: Karan Khemka, Partner, The Parthenon Grp.
... steps to take and things to knowPART 2 of 2 1446_ 9/30/13 - Larry is back with Bill Van Orsdel and discussing ePublishing. Bill and his company WaveCloud, talk to a lot of authors, and if you are thinking of writing a book, it's helpful if you have a sense for ... steps to take and things to know. (Check Out Part 1) Larry has published a few books and the last is available digitally - still we learned there are more changes and a lot to be aware of, to have a successful release. Bill explains, before you actually write the first word on your book, there are a couple of things you should do or know before you get there. The first thing is you need to understand who is your targeLt audience. Who are you writing this book for? Target; you need to understand, is my book for people who play tennis? Is my book for people who play tennis left handed? Is my book for people who play tennis left handed on grass? You've got to understand, before you start writing, who your target audience is. The second thing you have to know is the genre or the subject area that you're going to write? Are you writing a science fiction or a how to? The point is you need to understand where in the bookstore your book should appear when it's taken out of the box and put up on the shelf. The next thing Bill would ask you is, to go to the bookstore and go to that genre, that subject area and look at that shelf. And step three is know your competition. There's much more advice, listen now... RELATED LINKS: WaveCloud || Innovation Pavilion || Blog || Mastering Change || eBook Formats || KEYWORDS: Bill Van Orsdel, WaveCloud, Authors, Publishing World, eBook, ePub, Amazon,
Barnes & Nobel, Publishers, Kindel, iPhone/iPad, Android, Sony, Nook. MOBI, > bytes=7889745 Part 2 LISTEN TO: Bill Van Orsdel, CMO, WaveCloud
Publishing World Turned Upside-down
1440_ 9/23/13 -
Larry had a discussion with Bill Van Orsdel, Co-Founder & CMO of WaveCloud, tells us that they started WaveCloud with the idea that now there are only two parties left that are important in the publishing world. They are the people that write the books, the content generators and the people that read the books, the consumers. All the other people in the value chain [editors to publishers, book buyers, marketing and PR people] all of those people, they still have a role to play but maybe not in as organized way as they used to. There's been a big separation between authors and readers. That separation is this idea in the past, if you wanted to publish your own book, you had to find an agent that would take a chance on you. You had to find a publisher willing to risk their money to bring your book to market and then that publisher had to help you finish your book - produce it into a saleable product and then they had to convince book buyers at book stores to buy your book who would then stock your book for maybe 90 days. That's the old way. The new way, to write your book, get it formatted, get it into an electronic format in an electronic bookstore like Amazon or Barnes & Nobel and your book has much longer than 90 days to prove itself on the shelf. It can sit there virtually forever. So in this turmoil, it's completely turning the publishing world upside down and...
RELATED LINKS:
WaveCloud ||
Innovation Pavilion ||
Blog ||
Mastering Change ||
eBook Formats ||
KEYWORDS: Bill Van Orsdel, WaveCloud, Authors, Publishing World, eBook, ePub,
Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Publishers, Kindel, iPhone/iPad, Android, Sony, Nook. MOBI, bytes=4860345
LISTEN TO: Bill Van Orsdel, Co-Founder & CMO, WaveCloud
Colorado disaster… Rainfall records swamped
1439_ 9/16/13 - Thank you to all those volunteers, rescuers, the police, fire departments, National Guard, and thousands of other volunteers.
...continuing heavy rains expected through Tuesday 9/17! Many cities, counties and towns are still in initial rescue mode and have not specifically asked for help. While volunteer efforts are appreciated, at this point we would like to direct everyone to donate cash to the United Way, Red Cross and Salvation Army.
Four days of rainfall across Colorado’s Front Range produced massive flooding that’s marooned thousands of people, inundated many key roads, and damaged countless homes and businesses. The immense amount of water that fell arrived at upper levels via a plume of deep moisture that surged northward from the tropics. At lower levels, the pattern drove moist air from the Great Plains toward the foothills, where it was forced up slope. Together, these features blanketed the Front Range with the soggiest air mass ever recorded at Denver in September. Between Thursday 9/12 and Friday 9/13, a total of 9.08” was measured at the official Boulder site. From 6 PM Monday 9/9 through 6 PM Friday 9/13, the grand total was a whopping 21+” in SE Boulder. At the time of this writing, the atmosphere produced near-constant rain in large amounts for three-plus days across most of the semiarid High Plains and adjoining foothills of the Front Range.
Boulder has the greatest potential for flash flooding of any community in Colorado. If you live, work or play in Boulder, you are at risk. The flood that swept down Boulder Creek was a 1-in-100 year event, The terms "10 year", "50 year", "100 year" and "500 year" floods are used to describe the estimated probability of a flood, meaning this storm was a proverbial 100-year flood.
Before reaching the City of Boulder, the flash floods claimed highways and homes and towns all through the canyons including Jamestown, Estes Park, Lyons, Loveland, and so many others. Marching on it carried the destruction downstream through Longmont, Loveland, Erie,Evans and Weld county. Simultaneously Commerce City and Aurora were slammed - Castle Rock and Colorado Springs - in fact from the state's southern border straight up to the northern border and beyond.
Future forecasts... continuing heavy rains through Tuesday 9/17! Many cities, counties and towns are still in initial rescue mode and have not specifically asked for help. While volunteer efforts are appreciated, at this point we would like to direct everyone to donate cash to the United Way, Red Cross and Salvation Army. The National Guard is amazing and rescued at least 1,200 people on Saturday. More rain is expected, flood danger continues. Be sure to sign up for Emergency Alerts, more information and links below... RELATED LINKS: Emergency Alerts || More Flood Information – City of Boulder || United Way 'Foothills Flood Relief Fund' || Red Cross/Colorado Flood || The City of Longmont is seeking volunteers for various efforts. Call 303-651-8595 to add your name to the list. Volunteers will be contacted as needed.
Private Equity Invests over $25 billion in Colorado Companies
1411_ 7/29/13 - Only companies in Texas and California received more money from private-equity investments than Colorado did last year, according to a recent report by the Private Equity Growth Capital Council. The Washington, D.C.-based group said 67 Colorado companies received $26.8 billion last year. The report, which gives a state-by-state breakdown of where private-equity investment companies put their money, said those firms invested $347 billion in 2,083 U.S. companies. For more information about the report, click here. RELATED LINKS: Full Report - Denver Business Journal || ACG Denver || M&A Channel || PDF Download of the Report ||
KEYWORDS: ACG Denver, Denver Business Journal, Private Equity Growth, information technology, financial services, energy and business services. 6th Congressional District, Rep. Mike Coffman, Association for Corporate Growth, Keynote speaker, John Mackey, Conscious Capitalism, M&A, Entrepreneurs, RMCGC, DBJ Article/ACG Denver Reprint
1410_ 7/22/13 - About 60% of recycled technology / equipment ends up overseas in Ghana, Africa, India or China. What is appalling when you look at some of these photos... you can actually see the company's asset tags still on the equipment. IT Liquidators help companies recycle ethically but we first focus on the re marketing, helping them get value out of the excess equipment. Garry Seaber, CEO and Founder, said, "We call this, ITS Management 2.0. This model is to, buy, use, de-install, and then secure your data. Once your data is secure, you want to look at either selling or reuse of the equipment through donation." IT Liquidators is a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher, so they can reload the operating system and make that equipment reusable. There are three important steps: 1: To focus on removing the data on hard drives through data destruction. Garry's firm uses Department of Defense technology to wipe these drives. It's HIPPA compliant, and certified by the NSA - so there's no chance of any data being able to be recovered. 2: Focus on selling or reuse of a company's older technology. IT Liquidators buy re-marketable equipment from their clients, putting much needed cash back into IT budgets vs. paying a recycler to take it away. 3: Otherwise 50% of equipment does end up overseas affecting air, toxins killing people, long term, a lot is getting into the water supply. This third option...Listen for more options... RELATED LINKS: IT Liquidators || TiE Rockies || Blog || Software Channel || KEYWORDS: Garry Seaber, ITliquidators, Recycled Technology, Equipment, IT Security,
HIPPA Compliant, Microsoft Registered Refurbisher, TiE Rockies, Entrepreneurs, > bytes=7341769 LISTEN TO: Garry Seaber, CEO/Founder, IT Liquidators
Now in 2013 they have just achieved a Billion Dollar threshold 1392_ 6/10/13 - Zayo was launched earlier, but their first dollar of revenue was in July of 2007. Now in 2013 they have just achieved, on an annualized basis a Billion Dollar threshold. Larry asked Dan Caruso, Founder and CEO, what all that expansion and the changes look like. "The last year has been a period of enormous change for Zayo. When we started the company, it was based on the premise that fiber in the ground would be a very valuable and scarce resource over time, because of the need we all have for increased bandwidth - kind of an essential resource to supply bandwidth. So we built the whole business plan around this bandwidth infrastructure concept. And, it was predicated on acquiring companies that had built fiber years in the past Pull them together into a national [and now international] platform, and use that platform to sell and produce bandwidth for very large consumers of bandwidth. So over the last year that all really came together thru a series of acquisitions. The two largest of those were 360 Networks, which was completed at the beginning of last year, and Above Net, which was completed in July 2012 time frame. Those two plus the other acquisitions resulted in our company more than tripling in size in the last 18 months. Dan said, "Today's focus, more than anything else is putting that fiber to work in businesses that need bandwidth as part of their core business proposition. That includes the wireless carriers. With all of us using our wireless devices more frequently and far more applications, the wireless carriers have to keep pace. To do that they need more fiber. The big Internet companies - the amount of data they need to store and move around is growing and growing, and growing. So they need more robust fiber solutions. There are other institutions as well, such as healthcare. Think of all the things you go to the doctor for and how much of that involves sharing and transferring of information. Their needs are growing at a dramatic pace. Media companies, financial institutions, all kinds of vertical ventures need more and more bandwidth. Zayo deals directly with customers in each of those verticals"...listen for more as Dan discusses the challenges and opportunities... RELATED LINKS: Zayo || Dan Caruso's Bear on Business || In the News || Podcasting Directory || KEYWORDS: Dan Caruso, Zayo, Bandwidth, Business Plans, Bear on Business, Fiber, 360
Networks, Abve Net, Media Companies, Financial Institutions, Vertical Ventures, > bytes=7414912 LISTEN TO: Dan Caruso, CEO/Founder, Zayo, Inc.
Expanding into foreign countries, the challenges and opportunities
1384_ 5/28/13 -
Balan Nair is the Executive Vice President and CTO for Liberty Global a leading international cable operator. Their revenues, over $10 Billion with over 21,000 employees, and active in 13 countries. LGI operates mostly in Europe with operations in South America as well (Chile and Puerto Rico). As a matter of fact a 14th will be added very soon with their acquisition of Virgin Media in the United Kingdom. Balan says they are very bullish on Europe and very bullish on the paid TV business. It's counter intuitive for the macro economic situation in Europe is somewhat challenging - our business has grown right through it. Balan said, "Our customers don't buy luxury goods from us, they buy basic necessities, voice, video and data. Even in the worst of times you really don't want to disconnect that and especially your broadband pipe. And we price them in Europe where it's really affordable and consistent with the competitive landscape there." Larry asked, "If you were talking with a business person thinking of expanding overseas, what advice would you give them?" Balan replied, "There are a number of things I would look at depending on the country you want to get into, and they are all different. Among the local regulations, you ought to look at the labor environment in both hiring as well as firing and what that does to your costs. You'll definitely have exposure to currency fluctuations, so you want to look at that track record. And fourth, definitely the political situation because the political climate drives the other three so you ought to have a good sense of that. Then, you decide if your product is relevant in that environment, that country. Can you price it in the right way and still be competitive." They went on discussing the greatest opportunities and the biggest challenges in doing business in foreign countries and TiE Rockies in Colorado ...listen for more...
RELATED LINKS:
Liberty Global ||
LGI Officers ||
TiE Rockies Colorado ||
Podcasting Directory ||
KEYWORDS: Nair, Liberty Global, Cable Industry, TiE Rockies, Europe, South America, Chile, Puerto Rico, Virgin Media, United Kingdom, Voice, Video, Data > bytes=6800930
LISTEN TO: Balan Nair, Executive Vice President & CTO, Liberty Global
2005 History - Building Business in Colorado...
1378_ 8/29/2005- HISTORY and perspective from 2005! We will transport you back to 2005 - eight years ago to listen to interviews and see tons of photos from 2005 business events. Just click on the Listen/Subject link and we can take you back. You will see the 100s of photos that are not found on other websites. Let us know what you think email radio@w3w3.com.
LISTEN TO: Phil Weiser, Merc Mercure, Chris Johnson, Stan Feld...
Keywords: Stan Feld, M.D., Healthcare system, Merc Mercure, photonics, Chris Johnson, VoIP, Phil Weiser, political environment changes, Silicon Flatirons Center, University of Colorado, Law School
JumpStart 2013 Denver's economic development strategy continues
1376_ 4.12.13 -
There are more than 25,000 Denver businesses and enterprises, approximately 420 of which have more than 100 employees. However, the 420 firms with more than 100 employees represent nearly 50 percent of the total jobs in Denver. Compared to the U.S. economy, Denver has a significantly higher concentration of persons employed in the energy, healthcare, information technology, finance and professional/business services fields. These firms generally produce high-value products and services. Employees of these firms tend to receive higher wages and are required to hold advanced educational training. Top concerns of Denver’s employers include a strong educated workforce, safe and energetic business areas, and reasonable operating costs as compared to other parts of the state and country. In 2013, OED will continue to focus on retaining three groups of businesses: (1) the largest private and nonprofit employers; (2) high-growth sector companies; and (3) firms with soon-to-be expiring leases. A continuous outreach campaign to owners and C-level executives will demonstrate the city’s commitment to the business community while identifying issues and highlighting the benefits of operating a company in Denver. We are setting focus on the best strategies to advance economic prosperity for the city, its neighborhoods, residents and businesses. The 2013 JumpStart strategy provides a clear signal to the community as to how we are working to build a stronger Denver, with jobs and housing opportunities for all. And, JumpStart 2013 is a road map for our staff — it drives the work plans and priorities for all OED staff divisions. Because economic development is a continuous, multi-year task, this year’s strategic plan also includes a separate longer-term plan that sets forth our strategic direction for the next three years. You’ll see that our 2013 initiatives relate directly to this broader three-year plan. Similarly, our future annual plans will also support the long-term strategy. JumpStart 2013 clearly builds upon our successes from last year. We again have seven main sections, or what I refer to as “pillars” of economic development. Each of our pillars for 2013 includes a series of bold, forward-thinking strategic initiatives to help us accomplish our important mission. The OED will continue to engage in partnerships with business industry groups, including better support for renewable and traditional energy companies located in downtown Denver. This heightened focus will result in more business leaders choosing to live, work, play and stay in Denver.
RELATED LINKS:
Denver OED ||
JumpStart 2013 Denver ||
Greenprint Denver ||
Entrepreneurs ||
KEYWORDS: Paul Washington, Denver, Office of Economic Development, Jump Start 2012, Business Retention, Small Business Advocacy, Business Recruitment, Sustainable Neighborhood Development, Business Lending, Workforce Development, Key Strategic Projects, bytes=6260927
LISTEN TO: Paul Washington, Executive Director, OED, City & County Denver
Kourtney Nelson - Alandi Ayurveda, solutions to healthcare crisis 1366_ 3/18/13 - We've been discussing some of the issues with our healthcare system, one of which is the shortage of doctors, and ballooning healthcare costs. We are talking with Kourtney Nelson, Dean of Alandi Ayurveda, a school in Boulder. In a brief overview Kourtney tells us, Ayurveda, "is a holistic medicine developed in India 5000 years ago. It's a full medical practice. Ayurveda looks at the root cause of disease and imbalance in the body instead of just treating conditions. That's a different mind-set. Western medicine doesn't look at a disease until it's in a pathological state. Holistic medicine looks at it as you're coming out of balance, several stages before it comes into a pathological range. So we're looking for optimal wellness - vs. being below a pathological marker. We'll interpret blood tests differently and catch things at an earlier stage and help to work on them - or help to reverse or minimize the damage of a chronic condition. Alandi Ayurveda is the first school in the U.S. that offers a four year advanced level training. Once the national standards have been established for practice level and the national exams for practitioners ar established, the graduates of our program will qualify to be Ayurvedic Doctors - so they'll be the first Ayurvedic Doctors in the U.S. that have been trained here. It is really exciting, to be able to build our school and to increase the number of well trained Ayurvedic physicians out there. That way we can also expand our offering such as clinic in the community and some of the modalities. Currently we do have a clinic at our school and we offer a sliding scale. So we're able to see lots of different people from all ends of the economic spectrum - which is one way we can give back to the community. We'd like to expand that and give more and also be able to provide other classes to the community like cooking classes, simple kitchen herbs and other things people can use to take care of their health. Kourtney believes that western / allopathic medicine and alternative medicine, such as Ayurveda work well together and believes this will be the future of medicine for our country. It's a matter of having a bigger tool box and knowing when you need the hammer or the chisel - they both operate very differently. Having more access and more well trained Ayurvedic physicians, and other modalities, providing more preventative care options, will help decrease the shortage of doctors we're seeing now and also decrease the national cost of healthcare. The Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula is raising money to expand the school, looking for a new location and to establish a larger presence in the community. RELATED LINKS: Alandi Ayurveda || Donate || Course Descriptions || PodCast Directory || KEYWORDS: Kourtney Nelson, Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Medicine, Doctors, Physicians, Practitioners, Holistic Medicine, India, Allopathic Medicine, Boulder, Doctors, Physicians, Practitioners, Healthcare, Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula, bytes=11796984 LISTEN TO: Kourtney Nelson, Dean, Alandi Ayurveda
Dr. Christine Riordan, Dean, Daniels College of Business, Leadership 1348_ 2/11/13 - Most recently Christine was elected to the International Society for Accrediting Business Schools (AACFC) and that was an international election. Since Dean Riordan assumed the leadership role, Daniels has been ranked among the top business schools in the world by Business Week, U.S. News & World Report, The Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes and the Financial Times. Dr. Riordan, Dean of the Daniels College of Business is also Professor of Management and we're talking about leadership. "Leadership requires mental toughness" Larry asked her to tell us a little about this. Talk about some of the elements and why they exist. Chris went onto explain, "There's a great parallel between business today and sports. A lot of what we do with sports is we train our athletes to have a mental toughness, an attitude and ability to adapt. When we think about what business has been through in the last five years, the same concept applies to business leaders today. Thinking about being an executive in today's business environment is very tough. There's a lot of change that's rapid. There are massive amounts of information. There's a need to think differently. So 'mental toughness' is a concept that business leaders should apply every single day and to their own personal lives as well as their organization. It includes things like flexibility. Are you flexible enough to adapt your plays within your company? To change business as you need to change business? Are you responsive to the demands of the game of business? Do you have the courage to make some pretty tough decisions? Do you have the resilience to get back into the game when things don't go your way? Are you a good sportsman trapping the game of business? So when we talk about mental toughness, it's really taking some of the concepts that they use in sports and applying them in business." They went on to discuss How can leaders avoid making decisions based on overconfidence?...and other leadership issues...listen for more... RELATED LINKS: Daniels College Business || Christine.Riordan || || Social Entrepreneurship || Mastering Change || KEYWORDS: Christine Riordan, Daniels College Business, DU, Leadership, Mental Toughness,
Change, Hiring, Executives, Decision Making, Overconfidence, bytes=7665688 LISTEN TO: Christine Riordan, Dean, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver
Social Networking: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter We launched w3w3.com Talk Radio over 10 years ago and we have had a w3w3.com Blog and Podcast Directory for years. But we are new to Social Networking. Whether you are a Newbie or an experienced pro, join us on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. 7/13/09
534_ Change Is Not an Event, It Is an Ongoing Process
(the Same is true with Chaos) Mastering change is one of Pat and Larry Nelson's favorite topics. There's a good reason. They have lived in and owned businesses in five foreign countries stretching from Norway to Australia. They are truly serial entrepreneurs as they have started more than a dozen companies. Some were extremely successful and others learning experiences. One thing that was true in every situation were the rushing changes. At times they were victims and others they were victors. Larry has conducted seminars for numerous companies both large and small, public and private sectors, in dozen countries, on the subject of 'Mastering Change in the Midst of Chaos'. In this recorded discussion Larry and Pat discuss the 'Six Truths About Change'. The topic includes; Resistance, Involvement, Making Losers, Vision, Benefits, and Follow up. Like the Nelsons say, "Master Change Before It Masters You." Listen now... Related Links: Beyond the Trends || 3-Filters || Mastering Change || Free Newsletter || Keywords: Mastering Change, Chaos, Pat and Larry Nelson, Involvement,
Making Losers, Vision, Benefits, Follow up > Bytes: 8472349 LISTEN to Pat & Larry Nelson, Inst. for Change Research
Disruptive Strategies for Building Your Business 8/20/12 -
Three Key Segments for thinking, planning and executing. 1. The Process: Applying the principles of A-to-Z Planning. Audit - assess, evaluate and strategize. Navigating through the sea of change with a successful and proven process. 2. The People Factor: Unraveling the people puzzle and tapping into your team's mental DNA. People are the cause of all problems and people are the source of all solutions.
3. The Trends: Understanding your sector's history, trends and ground swell. Insight into the past and future is important. The ground swells we are facing today have the greatest impact.
Larry has lived in and owned businesses in five foreign countries. He started a dozen companies…some were extremely successful while others were learning experiences.
His business ventures ranged from: retail stores to high-tech; from warehouses to direct mail; from manufacturing to human resource consulting and training.
Larry has been a consultant to both public and private-sector organizations including:
AT&T, Ball Aerospace, Children’s Hospital, Dean Foods, First National Bank, GE, IBM, IRS, Johnson Controls, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, Microsoft, Mobil Oil Japan, 3M, NCAR, Sanyo Australia, Toyota, Toledo Edison, US Forest Service, US Dept. of Transportation, United Way, University of Denver, University of Wisconsin, University of Colorado, and many more. For more information contact Larry (larry@w3w3.com) Related Links: Training Trends || 3-Filters™ Technology || Your Ultimate Win || Mastering Change ||
Wendy Bohling, Boulder/Denver Moxie;
Chris Coughlin, Revenue North ;
Michael Fields, MSF Enterprises;
John Filwalk, Director, IDIA Lab, Ball State Univ.;
Louise Gunderson, Gamma 2 Robotics;
Ray Hutchins, TiE Rockies Charter Member;
Paul Jerde, Executive Director, Deming Center;
John Kelley, CereScan;
Kelly Manning, SBDC Network WildFire Relief;
Larry Nelson, Difficult People;
Larry Nelson, Disruptive Strategies for Business;
Larry Nelson, Check eMail Subject Line;
Leonard Nimoy, Space Foundation Award, American Actor, Poet, Photographer;
Melodie Reagan, Moxie Exchange Movement;
Tragedy in Aurora, Editorial Larry & Pat Nelson;
Phil Weiser & Brad Bernthal, Startup Colorado - Denver
Michele Gebhart, Have Them Look at Business Process 1361_ 3/4/13 - We're speaking with Michele Gebhart the immediate past executive director of the ACG Denver [Association for Corporate Growth]. Now Michele has been the executive director since 2003 when the membership was 68 people. Today membership tops 500+ and growing. Michele has a very interesting background in high tech. She tells us, "Technically I've been in operations my entire career. Most recently leading the Association for Corporate Growth and before that with Fortune 500 technology companies and a global IT consulting firm." Her strengths in systems implementation, process management and program development have helped organizations through periods of significant growth and made a significant impact on increasing their customer satisfaction. She's often been referred to as the glue in the organization because of her ability to organize and move projects from objectives to accomplishments while coordinating large teams and demonstrating specialism's in all of her interactions. She's worked with the techies, the end user/customer, sales teams, executive teams and her expertise is bringing all those together. They don't always speak the same language, Michele is the person that brings all the stakeholders together through communication. Larry asked, "With all of your experience, what do you feel is the biggest challenge businesses face today?"
She replied, "The biggest challenge I keep coming across is the customer experience. And I hear that not only from external customers but internal customers. I think businesses have gotten very specialized in their hiring. They're looking for specific skill sets, but then they're missing that person that brings them all together. Ultimately the customer experience is what is going to drive the success of your business. If your internal customers aren't happy and your external customers aren't happy - you're not going to last very long. Businesses need to focus more on improving that customer experience. You know, finding the people who can help them find the holes in the business and fix those gaps." Listen for more great advice... RELATED LINKS: Michele Gebhart LinkedIn || ACG Denver || Dell Computer || ACG Denver Channel || KEYWORDS: Michele Gebhart, Customer Experience, Business Process, Communications, IT,
Customers, Sales Teams, Executives, Dell Computer, ACG Denver, Association for Corporate Growth, bytes=5403692 LISTEN TO: Michele Gebhart
Give people the value that they really need
1398_ 6/17/13 -
He's a Florida boy, treasures his winter holiday photos. Can't stop thinking about December ...We're talking with Les Haber, general manager of Radio Colorado Network. With a long and varied history, we asked Les what his focus was today. "We're really working to build this business network on this radio station. It's business and health, primarily because we have an aging population. So, we're focusing on health, people are living longer, Social Security - Medicare aren't quite where they need to be. People need to think about being in a better position to retire to supplement that so they can survive and maybe have a great retirement instead of one where they just struggle to survive." Les believes the biggest challenge facing business is really two fold. "It's 1.) maintaining and 2.) growing market share. You can't do that if you sit by idly with your hands in your pockets. Basically today, the biggest part of the problem is people are spending less money than they have in the past because there's less disposable income. What's the most important part - having you give people the value that they really need in the products and services you supply to help them and make it economical, affordable and efficient to get there." Flipping the coin, we asked Les about the biggest opportunities. Les replied, "The greatest opportunities are looking at segments of the business community that are maybe under served and finding a place there. But the most important thing we have to think about, especially with small businesses and businesses trying to grow, is return on investment. Are they investing enough in their own future to make ROI very profitable? If you're going in to business today, do not go in to business undercapitalized, that's number one! Number two, make sure what you're doing has a huge need that you can really fulfill and do a great job on. Third, the backend of..." There's more...
RELATED LINKS:
KRCN 1060 AM ||
CIMCO Private Wealth ||
w3w3 Blog ||
In the News ||
KEYWORDS: Les Haber, GM Radio CO Network 1060AM, KRCN, Business, Health, Social Security,
Medicare, CIMCO Private Wealth, > bytes=5351030
LISTEN TO: Les Haber, GM Radio CO Network 1060AM
Autism affects one in 88 people today 1385_ 5/28/13 - Introducing Kim Tenune, Director of Outreach and Policy Program, Autism Society of Colorado along with James Buckles, CEO...and we are talking about how Autism effects the workplace. It is important to understand that Autism is a spectrum disorder that effects the brain development of social and communication skills. Obviously Autism manifests itself in deficits in the social, communication, maybe restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. It is truly a spectrum disorder, it effects everyone differently. What we are seeing in the business community is an increase in prevalence. The CDC's most recent numbers indicate nationally, one in 88 people are affected by autism - in 1990 it was one in 2500. As that number increases, what we're seeing is not just children being affected by autism, but adults being affected by autism. And obviously when we're dealing with adults we're dealing with workplace issues. Adults who have gone undiagnosed their entire lives, suddenly unemployed, seeking answers and finding out they do have autism - going through that diagnosis process. Kim said in the workplace there are issues around communication. "We've had some great stories come back from employers saying these individuals I have with autism are wonderful, they're productive. They may not be as social with their coworkers but they do their job and they do it well. Kim said, "Our mission is to improve the lives of all those affected by autism. That includes the individual with autism, their parents, teachers, potential employers, and their coworkers, the business community. We want to be a resource, a bridge to connect people, much like your radio show does. There is still definitely stigma around autism. The beauty of the walk is bringing people together, and for employers it's going to create a place where their employees can really be themselves. It's going to create a healthy workplace. Walk With Autism - Share the Journey kicks off on Sunday morning, June 9th. Register at 8:00AM - the Walk starts at 9:30AM and you'll be home by noon." Listen for more... RELATED LINKS: Autism Society of Colorado || Walk Page || ASC Programs || Donate || Blog || KEYWORDS: Walk for Autism, Kim Tenune, James Buckles, Autism Society of
Colorado, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Friendly Business. Sensory Friendly Films, CDC, Beau Jo's, Autism Friendly
Environment Started in Colorado, bytes=8461900 LISTEN TO: Kim Tenune & James Buckles - Walk With Autism - Share the Journey
Go with something that you are really passionate about 1389_ 6/3/13 - Larry sat down with Keith Larson, President, SKiL Business Advisors to discuss some business issues. Their purpose is to help small to medium companies be successful. They help in many areas like finance, sales and marketing, human resources, funding, operations and specialize in startups. Keith is also a charter member of TiE Rockies. It is an organization set up to foster entrepreneurs. He has had a good career as the president of sales & marketing of a $2 billion company and the CFO of two $800 million companies. SKiL Business Advisors & TiE Rockies are organization where he can work on new exciting projects and also give back to entrepreneurs. Larry asked, "What are the biggest business challenges today?" Keith answered, "The biggest challenges are around resources and sense of urgency. Small businesses are usually short on resources such as cash and expertise. They seem to have a very high sense of urgency to hit a home run immediately. My experience is that they need help and they need it fast but they also need to follow good business practices and communicate. The biggest challenge is to slow down the process and do things right from the beginning." We asked what opportunities do you see? "I have been pleasantly surprised at the quality and quantity of great ideas in the Denver area. I am working on 8 startups now and most of them are in the Denver area. The startups are in energy, healthcare, nutraceutical, technology, international business, healthy products. The need for better healthcare, better energy, and improved technology are limitless. This is an exciting time. I find more and more people wanting to work for themselves or small companies and make a real impact. Keith's advice for entrepreneurs today was, "Go with something that you are really passionate bout. Never stop. Get good advisers through organizations like TiE. Be totally honest about your situation. If you don’t have funds.. .Listen for more... RELATED LINKS: Innovation Pavilion || w3w3 Blog || In the News || KEYWORDS: Keith Larson, SKiL Business Advisors, Charter Member, TiE Rockies, Colorado,
Energy, Healthcare, Nutraceutical, Technology, International Business, Healthy Products, > bytes=4960238 LISTEN TO: Keith Larson, President, SKiL Business Advisors,
Charter Member TiE Rockies
Charles Patti, Ph.D., Daniels College of Business, Customer Experience 1350_ 2/11/13 - It hasn't been the norm to find universities teaching customer experience courses. At the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, it is a big deal. We're talking with Charles Patti, Ph.D. and Senior Associate Dean and he tells us "Customer experience is a relatively new idea in the world of business and it is certainly even newer in the university setting. We started, about four years ago, developing a program, at the graduate level, in customer experience, primarily behind the impetus of the Cox family (Cox Cable) in Atlanta, Georgia. But, it has become very important to companies as they begin to see that their businesses depend not just on delivering service, but a total experience for their customers, which ends up translating to an emotional connection between the customer and the brand. Customer service also became very important about 15-20 years ago. But, in our mind, customer experience embraces many more attributes of doing business with a company than just the service component." Asked if and how companies measure customer experience, Dean Patti says, "We've been encouraging companies to do that. Many engage in customer satisfaction surveys. But at least 75% of what they measure in customer satisfaction, is only about the functionality - how well the product performs. Customer experience embraces many other aspects than just the functionality. We've been encouraging companies and working with companies to measure the other important dimensions like how they communicate. If it's a retail place, what the look and feel of the organization, and the culture and quality of the employees. When you look at all four dimensions you begin to measure the entire customer experience." Chuck's advice, "First would be for new employees to understand the difference between customer service and customer experience. To have them completely understand the four dimensions of customer experience and get them committed to measuring the financial return on the investment in a customer experience initiative that a company might take. The ability to measure what is the financial return, off of any kind of investment, is key." Listen for more... RELATED LINKS: Daniels College of Business || Charles Patti || Social Entrepreneurship || Blog || KEYWORDS: Charles Patti, Ph.D., Daniels College of Business, Customer Experience,
Customer Service, Cox Cable, Four Dimensions of Functionality, > bytes=5506510 LISTEN TO: Charles Patti, Sr. Associate Dean, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver
Please join CTP, TiE Rockies & The Innovation Pavilion in recognizing Larry and Pat Nelson as our 2013 CTP Tech Icon Award recipients! Sherry Law, Evergreen Communications - 1452_ 10/17/2013
If you attend business events in Colorado, you’ve undoubtedly seen Larry and Pat Nelson, Larry with camera in hand. As founders of w3w3® Media Network, they have attended more than 1,000 events, taken more than 40,000 photos, and interviewed 2,000-plus tech leaders since 1998. Communications Technology Professionals (CTP) is turning the lens on Larry and Pat on November 7th to present them with the Tech Icon Award as part of the Annual Ascent Awards. It is the very first award of its kind.
The Annual Ascent Awards celebrate Colorado entrepreneurial technology companies, recognizing excellence in a variety of categories. The event is presented by CTP and TiE® Rockies and held each year at the Innovation Pavilion. CTP holds two other keynote events each year, The Future of Technology (FOT), and the Technology Executive of the Year.
"Larry and Pat are ever-present and constant supporters of Colorado tech companies," says Debora Langer, CTP president. "The board wanted a way to express how much Larry and Pat have meant to us over the past 15 years—and the Tech Icon Award was born in an immediate and unanimous decision. We are thrilled to be making the inaugural award to Larry and Pat, who are Colorado’s true tech icons. We invite everyone who knows Larry and Pat to join us in celebrating them on November 7th."
The Nelson’s have supported technology companies and companies in diverse industries since co-founding w3w3®Media Network in 1998. The w3w3 all-business radio show website consists of blogs, podcasts, articles, recorded and archived audio and video interviews, business photos and a business calendar of events. Larry also conducts in-house seminars and offers keynote addresses on various business topics, including "Mastering Change in the Midst of Chaos," also the title of his latest book.
Larry and Pat have been entrepreneurs in other realms as well, having lived in and owned businesses in five foreign countries that ranged from retail stores to high tech; warehouses to direct mail; and manufacturing to consulting and training.
Register for the Annual Ascent Awards:
looking at functional brain injury, how people's brains are performing or not, and working with companies that potentially have solutions or remedies for some of those problems", said John Kelley, Chairman of the Board and CEO. John and Rick Fort, president and COO of CereScan are very excited about this. It has opened a lot of doors around the country, to some of the most innovative therapies. At the same time, creating opportunities for CereScan's expansion outside of Colorado. Of course, CereScan is on the assessment side, not a therapy company and that allows them to work as an independent, objective resource for those therapy companies as they do research. CereScan has established their first clinic in Naples, Florida, enabling a Nuclear Medicine facility to be able to do brain imaging. John pointed out that at its core, CereScan is a measurement company, so their partnering, being part of a team, they're really trying to solve some of the most complex brain disorders that people are experiencing today. That's a real opportunity for us to move, to collaborate, perhaps even locate where those therapeutic companies are. John explains, "There is a very well known non-profit in California, the Tug McGraw Foundation. Their plank is to help use donated monies to address certain brain problems. CereScan is one of the few entities that they have teamed up with. For our listeners, people like us that do charitable things in the community, something that is really helpful, that we've been able to, across the country, is to have people donate money to the Tug McGraw Foundation and Visible Brain Injury Project..." Listen for much more...
1478_ 12/9/13 - Gary Gaessler, VP Sales and Marketing for Cloud Elements said this month he had the pleasure of interviewing one of the most influential interviewers in the Colorado tech community, Larry Nelson. On November 7th, CTP and TiE Rockies celebrated entrepreneurial technology companies and their achievements at the Ascent Awards and Larry and Pat Nelson were honored as the 2013 CTP Tech Icon Award recipients! Larry and Pat co-founded w3w3© Media Network, launched in 1998. They have attended over 1,000 events, taken over 40,000 photos and have interviewed 2,000 plus tech leaders. Join us in thanking Larry and Pat for their tireless contributions promoting our Colorado tech community for the past 15 years! We were excited to ask Larry a few questions regarding his experiences and observations in the tech community. What are some common traits among people you have interviewed? Larry, you have built 12 of your own businesses. How has the way business is done changed in the last 15 years? What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs? Brad Feld wrote an entire book about startup communities and talks about his “Give before you get” philosophy. He has really started a whole movement among startups and the internet community. Can you expand on some of the things you have seen in the community? Read the interview text for more ...questions and replies...
chairman of TiE Rockies, a chapter of TiE Global. That's one of 64 chapters in 18 countries with over 13,000 members, and its primary mission is to support the entrepreneur, and that's what they do. Ray says they do this through mentoring, networking, education, making introductions for people, helping them find money, helping them to gain access to other organizations in the area and creating job growth right here in Colorado. In the beginning Larry attended the first TiE Rockies meeting, back then they were held monthly, a lot has changed. A very exciting thing for Vic, he recently joined the TiE Board of Trustees, and they are looking at launching some new programs like an education program with Stanford and other universities, a special program around TiE doctors and also looking at a TiE incubator. The organization has grown so large and complex and they are helping so many people accomplish their business objectives and dreams, that it takes the efforts of both Ray as President and Vic as Chairman working together more like co-presidents. They've worked together for some years - both are volunteers and the organization has one paid staff member, their executive director. Vic tells us they have a stellar board with Balan Nair - CTO, Liberty Global; Sureel Choksi is currently Managing Partner of BC Consulting, John Kelley previously CEO, McData which he sold for $1 Billion; Dr. Arlen Meyers is a professor of otolaryngology, dentistry, and engineering at the University of Colorado Denver; Carol Kline served as Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Teletech; Sam Kumar, founder and Owner of Microtech-Tel... TiE has an interesting two level membership, Charter Members and General Members. The Charter Membership...
1462_ 11/11/13 -
The Annual Ascent Awards celebrate Colorado entrepreneurial technology companies, recognizing excellence in a variety of categories. The event was presented by CTP and TiE® Rockies and the Innovation Pavilion where the event was held. "Larry and Pat are ever-present and constant supporters of Colorado tech companies," says Debora Langer, CTP president. "The board wanted a way to express how much Larry and Pat have meant to us over the past 15 years—and the Tech Icon Award was born in an immediate and unanimous decision. We are thrilled to be making the inaugural award to Larry and Pat, who are Colorado’s true tech icons.
The Nelson’s have supported technology companies and companies in diverse industries since co-founding w3w3®Media Network in 1999. The w3w3 all-business radio show website consists of blogs, podcasts, articles, recorded and archived audio and video interviews, business photos and a business calendar of events. Additionally, Larry conducts in-house seminars and offers keynote addresses on various business topics, including 'Mastering Change in the Midst of Chaos,' also the title of his latest book.
Congratulations to The Ascent 2013 Award WINNERS:
Most innovative – 
1385_ 5/28/13 - Introducing Kim Tenune, Director of Outreach and Policy Program, Autism Society of Colorado along with James Buckles, CEO...and we are talking about how Autism effects the workplace. It is important to understand that Autism is a spectrum disorder that effects the brain development of social and communication skills. Obviously Autism manifests itself in deficits in the social, communication, maybe restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. It is truly a spectrum disorder, it effects everyone differently. What we are seeing in the business community is an increase in prevalence. The CDC's most recent numbers indicate nationally, one in 88 people are affected by autism - in 1990 it was one in 2500. As that number increases, what we're seeing is not just children being affected by autism, but adults being affected by autism. And obviously when we're dealing with adults we're dealing with workplace issues. Adults who have gone undiagnosed their entire lives, suddenly unemployed, seeking answers and finding out they do have autism - going through that diagnosis process. Kim said in the workplace there are issues around communication. "We've had some great stories come back from employers saying these individuals I have with autism are wonderful, they're productive. They may not be as social with their coworkers but they do their job and they do it well. Kim said, "Our mission is to improve the lives of all those affected by autism. That includes the individual with autism, their parents, teachers, potential employers, and their coworkers, the business community. We want to be a resource, a bridge to connect people, much like your radio show does. There is still definitely stigma around autism. The beauty of the walk is bringing people together, and for employers it's going to create a place where their employees can really be themselves. It's going to create a healthy workplace. Walk With Autism - Share the Journey kicks off on Sunday morning, June 9th. Register at 8:00AM - the Walk starts at 9:30AM and you'll be home by noon." Listen for more...
If you attend business events in Colorado, you’ve undoubtedly seen Larry and Pat Nelson, Larry with camera in hand. As founders of w3w3® Media Network, they have attended more than 1,000 events, taken more than 40,000 photos, and interviewed 2,000-plus tech leaders since 1998. Communications Technology Professionals (CTP) is turning the lens on Larry and Pat on November 7th to present them with the Tech Icon Award as part of the Annual Ascent Awards. It is the very first award of its kind.
The Annual Ascent Awards celebrate Colorado entrepreneurial technology companies, recognizing excellence in a variety of categories. The event is presented by CTP and TiE® Rockies and held each year at the Innovation Pavilion. CTP holds two other keynote events each year, The Future of Technology (FOT), and the Technology Executive of the Year.
"Larry and Pat are ever-present and constant supporters of Colorado tech companies," says Debora Langer, CTP president. "The board wanted a way to express how much Larry and Pat have meant to us over the past 15 years—and the Tech Icon Award was born in an immediate and unanimous decision. We are thrilled to be making the inaugural award to Larry and Pat, who are Colorado’s true tech icons. We invite everyone who knows Larry and Pat to join us in celebrating them on November 7th."
The Nelson’s have supported technology companies and companies in diverse industries since co-founding w3w3®Media Network in 1998. The w3w3 all-business radio show website consists of blogs, podcasts, articles, recorded and archived audio and video interviews, business photos and a business calendar of events. Larry also conducts in-house seminars and offers keynote addresses on various business topics, including "Mastering Change in the Midst of Chaos," also the title of his latest book.
Larry and Pat have been entrepreneurs in other realms as well, having lived in and owned businesses in five foreign countries that ranged from retail stores to high tech; warehouses to direct mail; and manufacturing to consulting and training.
Register for the