Speakers

Susan Edmondson is President & CEO of Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, a membership organization ensuring that downtown serves as the economic, civic and cultural heart of the city. In that role, she helms four corporate entities — two nonprofits and two tax districts – and has led an economic resurgence of over $2 billion of new investment into the city center. She previously helmed a local foundation and has been a journalist in Colorado, Nevada and California. She serves on the board of the US Olympic & Paralympic Museum and is co-founder of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Amy Gillentine started her career in media in 1987, after graduating high school. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science and has lived in Colorado Springs since 2004. An award-winning writer, she’s been a reporter and editor in seven states, and has served in both positions at the Business Journal. In 2018, she became the publisher of the Business Journal and the Colorado Springs Military Newspaper Group, and in 2019, started overseeing the Colorado Springs Indy. Amy is also on the board of directors for the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado and Mount Carmel’s Veteran Services Center.

Gerry O’Brion has helped thousands of businesses become the #1 choice in crowded industries.

He is the Founder of What Big Brands Know(R) and the creator of The Power of BECAUSE framework which shows companies how to stand out in the sea of sameness.

Gerry teaches a powerful process to influence customers to buy from you vs. all their other options. His strategies work in any business regardless of whether they are B to B, B to C, have a large budget or small.

Gerry spent his career as an executive for brands like Procter & Gamble, Coors Light, Quiznos, and Red Robin. He has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin.

Learn More: Visit WhatBigBrandsKnow.com to learn more, see a demo video, press, testimonials and free articles from Gerry O’Brion!

Timothy graduated with his Masters and Bachelors in Business Administration with a Minor in Finance and an Emphasis in International Marketing from CSU-Pueblo. Passionate about his community and alma mater, Timothy currently serves on the CSU-Pueblo Alumni Board, The Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado’s Board of Directors, The Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado’s Executive Committee and The Sangre De Cristo Arts Center Board of Directors.

A novice at chess, snowboarding and golf Timothy loves good competition and any game that includes strategy. Is the proud Owner and CEO of A-Train Marketing. A-Train Marketing creates and manages every kind of marketing and advertising for businesses and large nonprofits. A-Train Marketing works with clients to shape a comprehensive marketing/advertising strategy then handles every part of implementation. A-Train’s dedication to serving their clients and maintaining a best-in-class team of professions, has allowed them to grow very quickly. As of this writing A-Train works with eighty clients in every state of the US. Timothy has been featured in over 50 written publications from media around the nation and has been both a contributor and a speaker twice for the Internationally renowned business consultation groups with over 10,000 business members.

Chris attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work in 1983. He worked for the Riverside County Departments of Human Services and Mental Health until 1993. He moved to Colorado Springs in 1993 beginning his career at the El Paso County Department of Human Services in January 1994 where he currently holds the position of Deputy Executive Director.

He was awarded the “Outstanding Social Worker” award in 2004 by the National Association of Social Workers, Colorado Chapter for his work with the community on behalf of “at risk” adults. In 2017 Chris was honored with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2018 he received the El Paso County Innovations Award for an innovation project that significantly improved customer services for county residents. Locally he has served on the board of directors for National Alliance on Mental Illness, Pikes Peak Elder Abuse Coalition, PPCOG Regional Advisory Council, Fountain Valley Senior Center, Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention Partnership, Pikes Peak Continuum of Care, Colorado Springs Leadership Institute, and served on many local and state level committees.

Chris enjoys cooking, travel, hiking, reading, and exercising on a regular basis.