Youth on Record(YOR), a Denver nonprofit focused on music education for at-risk youth, is a perfect example of using innovative thinking to fuel community growth.
Through the collaboration of the local music community and the philanthropic/public sector, Youth on Record provides intensive, for-credit music classes and fosters mentorships to empower youth to graduate and develop the skills needed to work or pursue a post-secondary education. Today it serves over 700 young people in five Denver Public Schools, two local residential treatment centers and at their Youth Media Studio, opened in partnership with the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) in La Alma/Lincoln Park in 2014.
The Colorado Innovation Network (COIN) summit featured a slew of successful, wise, encouraging leaders from all over Colorado and the country, including none other than John Hickenlooper, the Governor of Colorado.
Serving since 2011, this visionary Democrat wants nothing more than to see the people in his state innovate, succeed and excel. We had the chance to sit down with him at the Capitol and talk about the state of Colorado, its authenticity, clean ethics and how he plans on attracting and keeping America’s entrepreneurs.
You
are cordially invited to Innovators Peak’s top pick for September’s innovation
event of the month. It all goes down at The Commons on Champa on Saturday,
Sept. 12, so grab your friends and put your thinking caps on because this
panel and cocktail hour is sure to have you doing a lot of it.
The
nonprofit sector is just beginning to experience a seismic shift, in Denver
especially, toward innovation and entrepreneurship.
Find
out more specifically what types of issues the panel will be taking on in the
incredible conversation we had with the panel’s moderator, Elizabeth Suarez, last week HERE.
The
Commons has assembled an all-star panel of women leaders in the Denver area to
get it done:
-Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, VP of
Government and External Relations for Kaiser Permanente
-Tiffany Payne, Director – Community
Investment for Comcast West Division
-Tamra Ryan, CEO of the Women’s Bean
Project
-Sonya Ulibarri, President and CEO of
Girls Inc. of Metro Denver
Come
for the awesome panel but stick around for the cocktails, hors
d’oeuvres, and incredible
networking opportunities.
The
best part is that it’s FREE. You can RSVP HERE and it’s not just plus one so be sure to
bring your friends, coworkers, moms, and dads!
It’s going to be a great time.
Every day, these organizations work with children, families, schools, and local leaders to build our communities and better our lives—but this sector is now just beginning to experience a seismic shift, in Denver especially, toward innovation and entrepreneurship.
On Sept. 12 at the Commons on Champa, we’ll be discussing and exploring solutions for non-profit organizations in this time of change as well as why we need to build sustainable non-profits that will continue strengthen our communities in the coming years. This panel, Harnessing Innovation for Social Good: Women Leaders Bringing Entrepreneurial Change to Non-Profit Organizations, will take a look at the issues at hand exclusively through the perspective of Denver’s women leaders.
Elizabeth Suarez, director of Denver’s HERS Institute, has a wealth of experience in facilitating, coaching, and training individuals in the executive management ranks on how to improve their leadership capabilities and skills in order to reach their personal and professional goals. She will also be the moderator of this panel.
Given her experience with clients in the nonprofit arena, her involvement in the community of women, and her leadership in Denver, the event’s organizers feel that she is uniquely positioned as someone who possesses the capability of asking the necessary questions to get most out of this opportunity.
One of the many intimidating things about moving to a new place is finding the people you depend on get you through the week. The hairstylist you trust with your split ends; the bartender that makes you feel at home in a new neighborhood; the mechanic who assures you that, no, the scary whirring sound coming your engine belt does not mean your car is about to explode.
Myself being a Denverite for a solid 13 months now, the sense of relief that came over me when I met Dave Mika, owner of Automotive Revival, could only mean one thing: I found my car dude. At that time, I was unaware that he is a successful graduate of Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute’s boot camp, a class that teaches participants how to start, maintain and continually grow a small business.
While the summer sun has been pouring down in Denver, you may have noticed the painted hopscotch course dotting the streets over the last couple of weeks. Seven sites across the city of Denver, in various neighborhoods, were chosen by artist Agustina Woodgate as part of a public art installation in conjunction with the Biennial of the Americas. The hopscotch course served as a visible chain linking neighborhoods across the city and invited Denver residents to set aside their normal routine and hop to their destination. It’s summer after all, let’s play!
The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. With a federal imprisonment rate that’s jumped 15 percent in 10 years, our criminal justice system has proven to be costly and ineffectual.
Illinois is inspiring change on a federal level with their prison-diversion program and paving the way for a bill that could potentially reduce crime and taxpayer costs. This program connects low-level and drug offenders with community-based treatment and works to reform offenders, rather than punish them. On a federal level, this practice could revolutionize the justice system, as well as public safety.
Entrepreneurs and Community Partners Mingle And Collaborate To Celebrate The Grand Opening Of The Commons
Last week’s opening of the Commons at Champa brought together entrepreneurs and members of Denver’s business community to celebrate the historic project made possible by dozens of public and private partners. The first of it’s kind in the nation, the Commons on Champa seeks to be a entrepreneurial resource center in the middle of Denver’s bustling downtown. Opening day festivities included panel discussions, tours of the new space, town-hall style conversations with leading business providers and a startup celebration featuring food and drink from a variety of Denver restaurateurs.
When executive director Rob Smith co-founded Rocky Mountain Micro Finance Institute (RMMFI) over 7 years ago with a cadre of micro-lending enthusiasts, he had a lot of experience in the financial sector and some experience with failure under his belt.
Together, he and his team saw an opportunity to serve a community in Colorado in need of business resources, financing, and perhaps most importantly, skills. RMMFI has been serving that mission valiantly, launching over 101 businesses in the Denver metro area, and most recently celebrated their 12th boot camp graduation ceremony at Galvanize, launching nine businesses in industries ranging from video production, to catering and interior design.
What do you see as essential to developing a trendy, up and coming neighborhood?
The answer is millennials- at least that what principal of Zocalo Community DevelopmentDavid Zuckersays. That’s why he recently sat down with over 200 of them, along with local business leaders, at CollaborEAT, an urban dining event hosted by CityBuild to discuss with them how a vibrant downtown could eventually emerge from Arapahoe Square, the most underdeveloped area of downtown Denver. An area in need of a revamping.
![Entrepreneurs and Community Partners Mingle And Collaborate To Celebrate The Grand Opening Of The Commons Last week’s opening of the Commons at Champa brought together entrepreneurs and members of Denver’s business community to celebrate the historic project made possible by dozens of public and private partners. The first of it’s kind in the nation, the Commons on Champa seeks to be a entrepreneurial resource center in the middle of Denver’s bustling downtown. Opening day festivities included panel discussions, tours of the new space, town-hall style conversations with leading business providers and a startup celebration featuring food and drink from a variety of Denver restaurateurs.[[MORE]]While the various organizations and partners who came together to make the building a reality were breathing a final sigh of relief the space was finished, participants on the day echoed a common refrain, embracing the unknown and looking forward to serendipities that may emerge from bringing the entrepreneurial community together under one roof.Jay Zeschin, a co-founder of Ello and an organizer of Denver Startup Week, said he could already see the basecamp feeling of Denver Startup Week starting to take hold in the space at Champa. There’s an opportunity for serendipity and chance encounters to lead to bigger things, something people who have participated in Denver Startup Week have already discovered, but the intention is to keep this flame alive permanently at Champa. A movement is developing in Denver around entrepreneurship, and Commons on Champa is in the center of the action. Among the resources already calling the Commons on Champa home are the City of Denver’s Office of Economic Development and the Colorado Technology Association, both of which have offices on the second floor where they will be joined in the coming months by other non-profit businesses with a focus on entrepreneurship. The Office of Economic Development will highlight available programs offered by the city, which includes a loan program capable of financing up to $300,000 towards projects expenses in the Denver city limits. The office targets 12 industries in the state for growth, but ultimately the OED is working towards a goal of making Denver the entrepreneurial capital of the world. With their satellite office at the Commons, they are making progress towards reaching that goal and connecting entrepreneurs with opportunities they may not even know exist.The Colorado Technology Association represents Colorado’s advanced industries, using technology as a unifying thread. The association provides networking opportunities for it’s members, which include large companies, startups and even IT departments within companies that are not tech focused.The CTA, led by Erik Misitek, and a driving force behind the Commons, has 3 platforms – education of workforce, economic development, and public policy advocacy. With an ear to the ground, officials at the CTA hope to provide a voice for entrepreneurs in shaping public policy, and connections through their various networking opportunities. Outside the CTA’s offices, Jason, a tech support team member from Itonish, a partner on the Commons project, which provides IT solutions to companies, was sitting among the empty desks working on his laptop. “I have been working on the IT in this space for several months, but now it is coursing with the energy and excitement of the community. It’s exciting.” Meanwhile, downstairs entrepreneurs and resource partners gathered in the event spaces and halls to discuss the entrepreneurial scene in Denver. Victoria Smith operates Legends of the Hidden Potential, a marijuana trim company, and has been looking for a space to meet with potential investors. She stopped into the Commons to see what kinds of businesses resources might be available at Champa to support her growing business. It’s this kind of can do attitude, that was being discussed on panels in the next room. In an uncommon twist, millenials, of which Smith is one, were being lauded by older members of a panel for their adventurous spirit, “young people are bucking up and saying, ‘I’m going to go out and do this for myself.” And for these eager pioneers, Rob Smith, of Rocky Mountain Micro Finance Institute, led a panel on resources available to small businesses and the Commons will be featuring panels like this on a regular basis.In the entrepreneurial café, which features tables and free wifi from Xfinity, some of Denver’s most successful and upcoming restaurateurs were handing out samples of their delicious products, in addition to checking out the new space. “My office is my kitchen, so this will be a great space to use when I need to have important meetings,” voiced Patrick, owner of Elevation Ketchup, a gourmet food company that can be found at the Four Seasons restaurants and Root Down. At the next table, Jake Broadsky, owner of the popular Denver coffee company Novo, was being modest about his success, but was open to opportunities to mentor aspiring food businesses in Denver.On the way out, a bright blue mural adorns the doorway designed by the artist known as Alex the Amazing Artist. A Denver local, and student at CU Denver studying illustration, Alex was passing by the building and offered up his services. It’s this kind of entrepreneurship, collaboration and community the planners behind the space envisioned and how the space has come to be. A massive collaborative effort fueled by entrepreneurship and community, the space has been made for this unprecedented movement to take shape, and now it is up to us to dig in.By Emily Przekwas](../../a69a5d63a8f0bc9b1a507f1f5d6c62f1/tumblr_nonng4CRiK1tk0d1vo1_1280.jpg)
![Entrepreneurs and Community Partners Mingle And Collaborate To Celebrate The Grand Opening Of The Commons Last week’s opening of the Commons at Champa brought together entrepreneurs and members of Denver’s business community to celebrate the historic project made possible by dozens of public and private partners. The first of it’s kind in the nation, the Commons on Champa seeks to be a entrepreneurial resource center in the middle of Denver’s bustling downtown. Opening day festivities included panel discussions, tours of the new space, town-hall style conversations with leading business providers and a startup celebration featuring food and drink from a variety of Denver restaurateurs.[[MORE]]While the various organizations and partners who came together to make the building a reality were breathing a final sigh of relief the space was finished, participants on the day echoed a common refrain, embracing the unknown and looking forward to serendipities that may emerge from bringing the entrepreneurial community together under one roof.Jay Zeschin, a co-founder of Ello and an organizer of Denver Startup Week, said he could already see the basecamp feeling of Denver Startup Week starting to take hold in the space at Champa. There’s an opportunity for serendipity and chance encounters to lead to bigger things, something people who have participated in Denver Startup Week have already discovered, but the intention is to keep this flame alive permanently at Champa. A movement is developing in Denver around entrepreneurship, and Commons on Champa is in the center of the action. Among the resources already calling the Commons on Champa home are the City of Denver’s Office of Economic Development and the Colorado Technology Association, both of which have offices on the second floor where they will be joined in the coming months by other non-profit businesses with a focus on entrepreneurship. The Office of Economic Development will highlight available programs offered by the city, which includes a loan program capable of financing up to $300,000 towards projects expenses in the Denver city limits. The office targets 12 industries in the state for growth, but ultimately the OED is working towards a goal of making Denver the entrepreneurial capital of the world. With their satellite office at the Commons, they are making progress towards reaching that goal and connecting entrepreneurs with opportunities they may not even know exist.The Colorado Technology Association represents Colorado’s advanced industries, using technology as a unifying thread. The association provides networking opportunities for it’s members, which include large companies, startups and even IT departments within companies that are not tech focused.The CTA, led by Erik Misitek, and a driving force behind the Commons, has 3 platforms – education of workforce, economic development, and public policy advocacy. With an ear to the ground, officials at the CTA hope to provide a voice for entrepreneurs in shaping public policy, and connections through their various networking opportunities. Outside the CTA’s offices, Jason, a tech support team member from Itonish, a partner on the Commons project, which provides IT solutions to companies, was sitting among the empty desks working on his laptop. “I have been working on the IT in this space for several months, but now it is coursing with the energy and excitement of the community. It’s exciting.” Meanwhile, downstairs entrepreneurs and resource partners gathered in the event spaces and halls to discuss the entrepreneurial scene in Denver. Victoria Smith operates Legends of the Hidden Potential, a marijuana trim company, and has been looking for a space to meet with potential investors. She stopped into the Commons to see what kinds of businesses resources might be available at Champa to support her growing business. It’s this kind of can do attitude, that was being discussed on panels in the next room. In an uncommon twist, millenials, of which Smith is one, were being lauded by older members of a panel for their adventurous spirit, “young people are bucking up and saying, ‘I’m going to go out and do this for myself.” And for these eager pioneers, Rob Smith, of Rocky Mountain Micro Finance Institute, led a panel on resources available to small businesses and the Commons will be featuring panels like this on a regular basis.In the entrepreneurial café, which features tables and free wifi from Xfinity, some of Denver’s most successful and upcoming restaurateurs were handing out samples of their delicious products, in addition to checking out the new space. “My office is my kitchen, so this will be a great space to use when I need to have important meetings,” voiced Patrick, owner of Elevation Ketchup, a gourmet food company that can be found at the Four Seasons restaurants and Root Down. At the next table, Jake Broadsky, owner of the popular Denver coffee company Novo, was being modest about his success, but was open to opportunities to mentor aspiring food businesses in Denver.On the way out, a bright blue mural adorns the doorway designed by the artist known as Alex the Amazing Artist. A Denver local, and student at CU Denver studying illustration, Alex was passing by the building and offered up his services. It’s this kind of entrepreneurship, collaboration and community the planners behind the space envisioned and how the space has come to be. A massive collaborative effort fueled by entrepreneurship and community, the space has been made for this unprecedented movement to take shape, and now it is up to us to dig in.By Emily Przekwas](../../a69a5d63a8f0bc9b1a507f1f5d6c62f1/tumblr_nonng4CRiK1tk0d1vo1_500.jpg)
