Dr. Rosenna Bakari is a published author, speaker, consultant and UCCS visiting assistant professor dedicated to helping others find and develop resilience. She is a respected community leader who credits much of her success to the El Pomar Emerging Leaders Development Program, a pathway to leadership and civic engagement. New to the Pikes Peak region in August 2017, Bakari was challenged to establish a network and find community that would support her career change. She

Jeffry Radspinner opened Venture Surplus on January 1, 2015. It is an online Army surplus store that provides government issue uniforms and mil-spec gear for soldiers, veterans, hobbyists, and preppers. Venture Surplus is customer centric, a major differentiator from competitors. Venture Surplus offers a satisfaction guarantee and free returns on all products. Furthermore, while most surplus stores sell general military surplus, Venture Surplus specializes specifically in army surplus and carries one of the largest sections

Resilience In Small Business: SBDC Helps Creative & Veteran Entrepreneur Vernon Jewell by Dean J. Miller Vernon Jewell’s path to business success as a creative in Colorado Springs is as much a story of grit and self-motivation, as it is a powerful story of resilience in reaching for the American dream. The youngest of two brothers and four sisters, Vernon gained interest in the arts in his youth by drawing his own comic book heroes

Jesse Russow became an entrepreneur before he could even drive. He grew up on a small farm and through daily hard work; he developed a mindset that he could do anything. When Jesse was 13 years old, he started doing landscaping in his hometown of Joplin, MO. When Jesse was 15, he was heavily involved in sports at school. No matter how busy he was, he was also driven by the entrepreneurial spirit; he started

Porscha and Steve Shideler were amazed at the quality of products they could find used at garage sales and on Craigslist… for the fraction of the price than buying them new in department stores. They knew the community could use a store that could be shopped for a large variety of gently used kid’s items, in one location. Porscha who was in management and pregnant with their first child, before deciding to open a store,

“The service delivered by our tap room staff is the cornerstone of what we built our brand on. We probably have the most well-known beer tenders in town; the staff deserves all the credit for the success of our brand,” said Red Leg Brewing Company owner Todd Baldwin. And it’s a brand with great success: in December, Red Leg celebrated ground breaking of a new brewing facility, tap room and outdoor venue. The event included