Consultants (Team)

Bob Smith has 23 years of construction management experience with 10 years focused on subcontractor coordination and consulting. Owner of Eaton Cole Construction Services, Bob’s area of expertise is providing technical assistance to subcontractors on public and private construction projects. Bob has been a consultant at the Colorado Department of Transportation for more than nine years. He works in tandem with owners and prime contractors to exceed project goals and aid in the growth of local, small and disadvantaged businesses.

Bob has provided procurement assistance to prime contractors regarding minority contractor procurement; developed and conducted technical assistance training workshops specifically for subcontractors; analyzed design team proposals and negotiated contracts; assumed oversight of all contractor performed work and administration; supervised the bidding process and development of cost estimates to make contractor selections; prepared and authorized construction and design team contracts; developed project schedules, updated weekly and conducted weekly progress meetings; reviewed, prepared and approved pay applications; managed day-to-day project operations, including RFIs, change orders and submittals; requested value engineering changes / construction options to achieve significant cost savings; coordinated the planning and permitting process with multiple municipalities; overseen project start up and close out; performed cost estimating, cost controls, risk management, quality control, value engineering and constructability reviews; implemented “contractor capacity assessment” for subcontractors to evaluate increased contractor capacity and project success; prepared and analyzed RFQs and RFPs as an owner representative and project manager; managed employee hiring and evaluation procedures; directed bid package preparation, evaluation and awards; performed unit cost estimates during the early stages of engineering and design for systems planning and alternative analysis studies; developed and managed minority contractor procurement programs that are project-specific, meeting or exceeding goal requirements; and administered bonding and insurance compliance.

Sandy grew up in Colorado Springs and has watched the growth of the city through the decades. Her roots are in the west side where she lives in her childhood neighborhood with her husband and black lab.

She has a BA in English from UCCS and an MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science) from San Jose State University. She has worked as a buyer for Gardenburger, Inc., table and countertop manufacturers, and a small startup company that produces jewelry, badges, and novelty items. She is currently the Business Strategic Services librarian for Pikes Peak Library District where she enjoys teaching people how to use the resources the library has as well as connecting people with other community resources.

Sandy also serves as secretary on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Association of Libraries and has served as a member of the Old Colorado City Association Board.

Chelsey has over 10 years of professional experience, including 8 years of management consulting for Fortune 500 companies. As a professional with one of the top multinational business consulting firms, she has led multimillion dollar projects for some of America’s top brands, managing highly complex projects, with a success record of meeting or exceeding C-level executive’s expectations. Since returning to Colorado Springs, she spent 5 years in Real Estate and has become experienced in the local market and closing process. Growing up in Colorado Springs as a 4th generation Colorado native, she earned her degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She desires to share her ability to lead complex business endeavors and her client-centric approach to local businesses to help them reach their goals.

Hailing from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Zachary Barker is a certified economic developer who specializes in developing and delivering entrepreneur-led economic development strategies, acceleration training programs and sustainable support systems for community and economic development organizations. After spending near 20 years in entrepreneur growth consulting and community development, Zachary has established a sustainable and scalable methodology for building entrepreneurship ecosystems, driving growth through a clear, easy-to-execute growth blueprint model. Specifically focused on communities seeking economic diversification, Zachary’s goal is to deliver support models that allow communities to define metrics and measures that fit the local vision of success.

Zachary is recognized as an expert economic development professional by multiple organizations including the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), and Oklahoma University’s Economic Development Institute. He has successfully built and accelerated entrepreneur ecosystems in Nashville, Tennessee; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to his economic development expertise, Zachary is also recognized as an expert trainer in revenue growth and support consulting for entrepreneurs.

Zachary holds a master of science degree in economic development from Murray State University, as well as a bachelor of business administration degree from Middle Tennessee State University. He is happily married to his beautiful wife, Dr. Nancy Dubuisson Barker, and is daddy to two rescue dogs, Millie the Bean and Java Lava.

Daphne Shih Gebauer is the founder and managing attorney of Tava Employment Law. Daphne has been a complex civil litigator her entire career. She focuses her practice on litigating employment disputes and advising employers and employees on their rights and obligations under state and federal law. Having been an employee, employer, and business owner, Daphne understands the competing demands of business, regulation, and workplace rights. Daphne founded Tava Employment Law to work towards fair, safe, and equitable workplaces for all.

Prior to founding Tava Employment Law, Daphne was Counsel at Charlson Bredehoft Cohen & Brown, one of the Washington D.C. area’s most-recognized employment firms. While at Charlson Bredehoft, Daphne litigated many discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract claims on behalf of employees, and advised employers on internal policies, accommodation and leave issues, wage and hour matters, investigations, and employee discipline. She was also previously an attorney in Foley & Lardner LLP’s complex commercial litigation and white collar and corporate defense groups, where she worked in the areas of bid protests, distribution/franchise litigation, and health care compliance and fraud.

Daphne graduated from the New York University School of Law, where she was Marden Competition Editor for Moot Court, Professional Chair for the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, a volunteer with the New York Battered Women’s Project, and interned with the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Law & Justice Unit at ABC News in New York City. She obtained her B.A. (Honors) from the University of British Columbia.

Daphne is licensed to practice before the courts of Colorado, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She is a member of the National Employment Lawyers’ Association, Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyer Association (Colorado), Association of Workplace Investigators, Ben S. Wendelken Inn of Court, and the Colorado, Virginia, and D.C. Bar Associations. She is a consultant with the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center and the current President of the Babywearing Society of Colorado Springs (BabywearingCOS).
Daphne has four loud children and has been thrilled to call Colorado Springs home since 2013. When away from her desk, she can often be found skiing, camping, hiking, and trying to get plants to grow. She is a decent cook and a lousy gardener.