Sunnyside Farms

By Malia Durbano

When Holly Zink decided to open her fresh, local and organic meat and seafood business in 2002, she called Joe Keck to learn how to set up a corporation and to “make sure all my bases were covered.”

When she moved to her new location inside of Nature’s Oasis in 2007, she realized there were some issues and difficulties with profitability. In 2008, she and her husband, Jesse Villanueba, attended the NxLevel for Entrepreneurs training.

They got some marketing advice from Simon Walls and worked with advisor, Terry Tanahil, who looked at their pricing structure. “It became very obvious for the first time that we were vastly undercharging,” explained Zink. “She helped me understand mark-up and profit margins better.” Walls helped her understand pricing and value through lectures that she attended and advice gained through emails.

Zink continues to meet with Joe Keck and Joe Bishop periodically to go over her progress and numbers, set goals and to map out the future of the business.

“These classes are an amazing and valuable resource in the community. There are lots of talented people who are willing to be supportive. Jay Marqua helped us a lot with individual and collaborative branding when we moved to the new location inside Nature’s Oasis.”

“We have utilized lots of channels of help from the SBDC and we have grown personally as well as have had our business grow and prosper under their guidance. I highly recommend contacting the SBDC for assistance with any aspect of a new or existing business.”

Mancos Early Childhood Learning Center

By Malia Durbano Many people and organizations came together to bring the Mancos Early Childhood Learning Center to fruition. Ken Charles, with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, read about the proposed center in the Mancos Times. He contacted Brian Hanson, Superintendent of Schools for the Mancos School District and encouraged him to apply for a Community Development Block Grant to build the school. The grant comes from HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban

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BOMDIGGITY

David Mallin was eleven years old when he visited Big Thompson Canyon one summer with his family. “I had an epiphany there. I was to share the beauty I saw with the world.” Several months later, as David cut wood for kindling, the shape of a bird was revealed in the wood’s grain. He carved that image from the wood. He soon became an apprentice to Kansas City sculptor Adie Klugman, and his artistic passion

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Sit-Ins

By Malia Durbano Music composer, James Bowers came up with a great idea a few years ago and formulated it more – in of all places- Trimble Hot Springs! James and his wife Lily Weisbecker had attended a string quartet concert through Music in the Mountains, which they thoroughly enjoyed. The next night, while they were at Trimble, the cello player from the ensemble also happened to be there. They began discussing how to make

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Nifty Nanny

Vivienne Yeagy always envisions bigger. Vivienne was home schooled by her mother Susan, along with her four sisters. Her childhood dream has been to have her very own school, incorporating year round education and child care. This stemmed from her early education in a one room school house with a red door in the family’s yard. Susan worked hard while she incorporated multifaceted ways for the children to learn. Instead of rote memorization and writing until

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Straight Edge Home Inspections

Is it really possible to combine many different skills into one profitable business? It can be done. Just ask Jeff Sand. His business, Straight Edge Home Inspections, provides residential and commercial home inspections and ancillary services, along with real estate photography and videography. “Basically, my day consists of a combination of activities. In the morning, I can perform a home inspection, and in the afternoon, I can go to another property and conduct drone and

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Botanical Concepts

Botanical Concepts Garden Center (BCGC) is 1.3 miles east of north Main Avenue, at the intersection of County Roads 251 & 250. Janine Collins loves this location. She is the owner, and botanist, of BCGC. Janine views BCGC as a community where people come to immerse with nature. “I’m in a place where I am a part of the bigger picture.” Janine’s passion for botany began when she was an archeologist. She had more interest

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