Pura Vida

By Malia Durbano

After four years in private practice, Naturopathic Doctor, Nicola St. Mary, decided it was time to pursue her dream of building a cooperative natural healthcare practice. With the vision in mind, she began assembling practitioners to join her and the search for a building.

Dr. Nicola contacted Joe Keck to “totally understand the resources that were available.” After talking with Joe and his assistant, Lynn Asano, Dr. Nicola was referred to the advisors who specialized in the areas of expertise she needed.

Terryl Peterson helped develop the strategic plan to form the cooperative and Advisor, Joe Bishop consulted with her regarding the ramifications of buying vs. renting a building. He also helped her structure the coop.

Bart Mitchell coached her on Quick Books after she took the class by Bethany McManus offered through the SBDC. Advisor and CPA Sidney Zink assisted with the Financial Planning. “They all understand women in business. I took advantage of all of it – the general advice, the support, classes, time with individual advisors and the Women’s Conference. I believe it is why I am successful,” she shared.

Dr. Nicola, “Knew if I came across something I couldn’t navigate I had a team there to help me figure it out.” The assistance she received in the financial aspects of the business built her confidence. She now understands the true value in Strategic Planning, Financial Projections and gains a realistic perspective on how the business is doing based on her Profit and Loss statement.

In the business model established, the practitioners in the Coop that includes Acupuncture, Cranio Sacral Therapy, an Herbalist, Reiki, Holistic Therapy and Intuitive Massage pull their resources and contribute to the marketing, administrative services and rent.

Another aspect of Dr. Nicola’s vision was achieved through the extended SBDC network. She was connected with the Northwest SBDC center and attended the Worksite Wellness Conference in August. She met with representatives of Health Links Colorado and will bring them down here to do free wellness assessments at worksites. The PuraVida team will then continue to make the assessments and treatments available in Durango.

Smitty’s Liquors

When Barb Higgins, her son Shiloh and his business partner Doug Jorgensen wanted to buy Smitty’s Liquors in Cortez, the first thing she did was call Joe Keck, who she had known for years. She knew the owners of Smitty’s and they were ready to retire. Her son and his partner had run a successful skateboard and clothing store in Las Vegas, but wanted to come back to Colorado. Higgins and her husband decided to

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The Wine Merchant

By Malia Durbano Eric Allen and Lesley Ponce needed some expert advice as situations in their business changed. They were moving from their location next door to Nature’s Oasis to their current location, next to the VFW at 1514 Main Avenue in Durango. Ponce who had been employed by The Wine Merchant for 10 years, would become a partner after the move. Allen explains, “I had some questions about how to structure a lease. I

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The Repair Doctor

Fabian Rajo is good at fixing electronics. From transistor radios to computers, he knows his stuff. Last year, while working for a local computer company, he got an idea: he wanted to open a small electronics repair business in Cortez. He realized that many people need their gadgets repaired . . . from cell phones to tablets to apple watches to game consoles . . . and he knew that he had the skills to do it. But, he didn’t have

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Chimayo

Michael Lutfy and his wife, Biergitte, did research for years before they purchased, renovated and opened the Chimayo Restaurant on Main Avenue in Durango. Michael started working in his Uncle’s restaurant when he was 12 years old. He worked his way through college as a chef, and then worked as an Executive Chef for a large restaurant in downtown Los Angeles for many years. Desiring to change careers and become a writer, and then an

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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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MUNIRevs: Creating a Nexus

In 2011, Erin Neer had finally found a solution. Erin, who is a CPA, was working as a finance director for a municipality in Colorado. During her tenure, she began to see that many municipalities, cities, counties, and states throughout the country were struggling to streamline their tax collection and licensing processes for businesses within their communities. Most jurisdictions were using antiquated methods that involved manual calculations, paper coupons, extensive mail processing, and frequent runs

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