Business

Alum Shaun Goodwin Creates Sauce Leopard

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Alum Shaun Goodwin Creates Sauce Leopard Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/25/2022 - 00:00

Kiara Gelbman

After losing work in the music industry during the pandemic, Shaun Goodwin (Mktg’13) opened Sauce Leopard, a Denver-based hot sauce business. Sauce Leopard was featured on season 18 of the YouTube talk show, Hot Ones, which features celebrities as they eat saucy chicken wings and answer questions. Sauce Leopard sauces are available in select stores across the U.S. and available online.

What was your favorite part of your �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder experience?

I met a lot of people with similar interests to me. If it weren't for them, I don't think I would have had a career in music. We spent most of our time jamming Neil Young songs in the living room of our house. I also really loved being right next to the mountains. I was able to go fishing or snowboarding often and it was the perfect way to take a break from school.

What sparked the idea of creating Sauce Leopard? Why hot sauce?

I've always been super passionate about cooking and sauce making became a hobby right after college when I moved to Denver. When the pandemic hit, I lost other work in the music and service industries. I had started a concert promotion company in 2015 and spent several years booking music festivals, but I was looking for a new creative way to monetize my crafts once concerts looked unlikely for a while. My mission became to create a condiment company that looks and tastes different from almost anything else in the market. I think we've done a pretty good job of doing so!

Tell us about some of the products you’ve created.

One of our flagship sauces is the Colfax Killer. Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east to west through Denver, and at 50 miles, is known as the longest commercial street in America. I started the business at my previous house on East Colfax, and some of the peppers that went into the first official batches were grown in our garden there. The sauce is an ode to the rich history of this street, and its role in my life during my 20s. The Colfax Killer is an upper-medium heat tropical habanero sauce and has already won several international awards for its flavor.

The sauce featured on Hot Ones is The Seventh Reaper, a red chimichurri Carolina reaper sauce. We created this sauce in collaboration with design agency Seven Designs for their seventh anniversary. Their founder, Connor Lock, designed the label on it.

Where can we find Sauce Leopard?

Sauce Leopard is available in nearly 100 retail locations in several states. For those in Boulder, grab some at Lucky's Market in North Boulder or Peppercorn on the Pearl Street Mall. Denver folks can grab them at most Natural Grocers locations. Visit sauceleopard.com to find a store near you.

What future goals do you have for the company?

We plan to be in most major super markets across the U.S. and a household name in the condiment industry. We also plan to be much more than a sauce company, staying involved with music, skateboarding and the preservation of endangered leopards, something I’m passionate about.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We ship our products anywhere, so be sure to visit our website if your fridge looks a little bland!

Photos courtesy Shaun Goodwin

Shaun Goodwin's Denver-based company, Sauce Leopard was featured on the Youtube talk show, Hot Ones.

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Photo of the Week: New Venture Challenge

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 15:27:08 +0000

Photo of the Week: New Venture Challenge Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/15/2021 - 09:27

Students and community members chat and enjoy refreshments in the Start Up Hub during the New Venture Challenge kickoff night at Williams Village in 2018.

Know any budding �鶹��Ѱ��entrepreneurs who need only a good push to get their business off the ground? Point them to the New Venture Challenge (NVC).

You can think of the program as CU’s entrepreneurial “flight simulator.” Participants from majors across the university, in various levels of study, are invited to pitch their ideas for a chance to gain mentorship and financial support. Ideas are judged on three criteria: promising idea and feasibility, momentum (how much has been accomplished to date) and quality of presentation.

The NVC website states, “NVC is designed to help �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder innovators, changemakers, ideators and entrepreneurs turn their ideas into a reality, even if they're not sure where to begin.”

The 2021 New Venture Challenge Championships took place on April 13. This year’s first place team was HUG solutions, who invented a device that helps deliver COVID-19 vaccinations to rural areas.

Learn more about the New Venture Challenge.

(Photo by Patrick Campbell/University of Colorado)

Know any budding �鶹��Ѱ��entrepreneurs who need only a good push to get their business off the ground? Point them to the New Venture Challenge (NVC).

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Sweet Gig

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Sweet Gig Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/18/2021 - 00:00

Helen Olsson

As a �鶹��Ѱ��undergrad, Jessica Dee Sawyer (ArtHist’03) studied the bold black lines of Piet Mondrian and Wassily Kandinsky’s striking use of color. When it came time to redesign the logo and packaging for Smarties, the beloved crunchy candy pellets that have remained unchanged since the 1950s, Jessica tapped into her background as an art history major.

Jessica, along with her sister, Liz Dee, and her cousin, Sarah Dee, is co-president of the Smarties Candy Company, with factories in Union, New Jersey, and Newmarket, Ontario. (In Canada, the candy is called “Rockets.”) They are the third generation to helm the iconic brand.

Jessica’s grandfather Edward Dee moved to the United States from England in 1949 and started the company, known then as Ce De Candy. Edward came from a family of candymakers, so Jessica is actually a fifth-generation candymaker.

Michael Dee, Jessica’s dad, and Jonathan Dee, her uncle, are known to the current leadership as “the dads.”

“I always wanted to work with my dad. And the dads always hoped we’d end up running the company,” Jessica said. “The dads had an unwritten rule that you had to work outside the company for at least a year.”

“Our dads ran the company for so many years. We wanted to put our own stamp on it.’”

Jessica spent that year working at the Denver Art Museum. But she was eager to join the family business, returning to New Jersey to work at the factory the next year. Liz and Sarah followed soon after in 2005. On-the-job training meant working machines, doing order entry and digging into research to understand the inner workings of the company.

“We did everything. Sarah was driving a forklift. We would dig through the accounting files to figure things out. We asked a lot of questions,” Jessica said.

Soon, each of them gravitated to the area they were most interested in, creating a division of labor. In 2017, they became co-presidents, with Jessica in charge of sales, HR, design and logistics; Sarah heading up production and operations; and Liz running food quality and safety and communications.

“I got more involved in packaging and design and hired an in-house artist,” said Jessica. “Color was the thing I was most interested in and how it plays into packaging for brand recognition.”

Since the company reins were handed over to the next generation, the dads have stepped back a bit, though they remain with the company as executive vice presidents and still serve on the board.

“They have offices on site,” said Jessica, “but for the most part work remotely.”

Before Jessica’s grandfather died last year at age 95, he would come into the factory every day.

“He’d give us a report from the floor,” she said. “He was our eyes and ears.”

While the brand has added products, like tropical and sour flavors and a popular megaroll, the flagship product’s recipe hasn’t changed since 1949, when the first pellets came out of the presses (the original machine was a repurposed World War II gunpowder pellet press). Billions of rolls are produced each year, and the factory runs 24 hours a day.

Still, the new presidents recognized the brand needed a makeover.

“We like retro, but it was feeling a little bit too retro,” Jessica said.

They studied the shape and twist of the plastic packaging — “We looked at so many twists!” — and added a tiny wink in the twist and in the “R” in the Smarties logo.

“It’s like a smile,” she said. “Our dads ran the company for so many years. We wanted to put our own stamp on it.”

Before the new generation took over, the company’s files were paper and stored in filing cabinets. The women overhauled the system by making files digital, creating an accounting system and hiring an IT person.

They also added 2,000 solar panels on the roof of the New Jersey factory, next to the giant silo where some 50,000 pounds of dextrose is blown in each day. The solar panels offset half the factory’s energy usage.

“We feel so lucky to do what we do every day and to work with family,” Jessica said. “The best part is knowing we bring joy to people.”

Since the 1990s, Smarties has also had a heart-shaped candy in its line, and when the Necco company ceased production of its popular Sweethearts candy, Smarties Love Hearts filled the space on the Valentine candy shelf. The new presidents updated the sayings stamped on the hearts with “YOLO,” “On Fleek” and “Text Me.”

In 2019, to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary, Smarties added a gummy-like candy called Squashies to its line. With flavors like raspberry and cream, Squashies are made in England by the Swizzels company, which is, incidentally, run by the son of Jessica’s grandfather’s cousin.

“My kids love them. I can’t keep them in the house,” she said.

Sawyer lives in New Jersey with her husband, Donald (Hist’05), who she met at CU. They have two kids, Madeleine, 7 (“like the cookie”), and Theodore, 4, who act as taste testers for new products.

“Kids are honest,” Jessica said. “They say whatever they want.”

Jessica hopes the company will continue to remain a family business for many years to come.

“We feel so lucky to do what we do every day and to work with family,” Jessica said. “The best part is knowing we bring joy to people.”

Photos by Nick Cabrera

�鶹��Ѱ��grad Jessica Dee Sawyer (ArtHist’03) is a fifth-generation candymaker with an eye for innovation.

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Simple Wealth

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 19:16:11 +0000

Simple Wealth Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/16/2021 - 12:16

By Holly Morphew (IntlAf'02)

(Modern Wisdom Press, 208 pages; 2021)

Buy the Book

If you've put off facing your personal finances because you're afraid of what you might discover, worry no more! A beautiful life of confidence, ease, and empowerment when it comes to money is waiting for you, right here, right now.

Within these pages, pioneer financial coach and Accredited Financial Counselor® Holly Morphew shares her proven system for eliminating debt, building savings, creating wealth, and reaching financial independence-allowing you to live your best and most joyful life, both today and in the future. Whether you are getting a head start or starting late, whether you want to make millions or just live simply with more freedom, this book shows you how to use money as a tool to live life on your own terms.

Accredited Financial Counselor® Holly Morphew shares her proven system for eliminating debt, building savings, creating wealth, and reaching financial independence-allowing you to live your best and most joyful life, both today and in the future.

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The COVID Economy

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:00:00 +0000

The COVID Economy Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 22:00

Christie Sounart

Senior economist Richard Wobbekind (PhDEcon’84), associate dean for business and government relations, has worked for the Leeds School of Business since 1985. Here he discusses our nation’s economy in a pandemic world.

How do you best describe your job?

I think of myself first and foremost as an educator. I describe the work we do in the research division as a way to provide information for businesses and government that assists in their decision-making processes. My teaching role follows the same theme, providing a framework for decision-making and describing the best sources of information dependent on the industry sector a student might pursue.

When did the economic reality of COVID-19 first hit you?

It became clear to me in late February that supply chain disruptions were likely to occur due to the severe impact on the Chinese economy. The severity of the impact on the U.S. economy didn’t really strike me until the middle of March when the closures (including live �鶹��Ѱ��classes) began.

Have things unfolded as you expected since March?

Early on I was expecting a more V-shaped recovery. By the middle of April, it became obvious that there was so much uncertainty with the virus that a longer and slower path to recovery was likely. Since that point in time we have seen some parts of the economy with a V-shaped recovery but other parts on a much slower path. The resurgence of cases wasn’t a surprise for us since we have been following the medical side closely. One can argue whether we should have kept the economy closed longer, but the economic devastation was so vast that we anticipated states would reopen. Unfortunately that led to rollbacks in a number of states.

What is the most concerning aspect of this pandemic for you?

The disproportionate impact on the people in our economy who can least afford it. We knew before this happened that there were income inequality issues, but the nation had a 3.5% unemployment rate so most people needing a job could find one. The issue was whether that job paid a living wage. Now people once concerned about earning a living wage have the highest unemployment rates. The jobs lost have disproportionately impacted women and minorities, who have higher concentrations of employment in the most impacted industrial sectors.

Are there positive outcomes you foresee arising from this time?

We will know the actual answer to this sometime in the future, but I believe so. Some of the most impacted individuals will develop new skill sets which will hopefully raise their wages. We will use communications technology in more productive ways (increasing economic efficiency). The U.S. will invest more in medical research.

What are a couple of things people can expect from the U.S. economy moving forward?

Unfortunately, until a vaccine is found, the economy will continue to cycle with the number of new cases and the rate of increase or decrease. The fiscal stimulus has helped stave off what would have been a significant drop in consumption, but consumer and business confidence remain the keys. Until we get this under control, uncertainty, and therefore diminished levels of consumption and investment, will rule the day.

That said, vaccines are not 100% effective so we will have to show that those infected can be treated successfully. Those changes will enable more travel, less distancing and basically return us to economic efficiency levels seen before the virus or potentially even higher.

How many years of recovery could it take for the economy to rebuild?

This is of course the great unknown. My best estimate is three to three and a half years. If you assume a vaccine sometime in the first half of 2021, the full recovery will likely take until the second half of 2023. This timeline is based on the level of economic disruption COVID-19 caused and the extent of the recession. We should actually be on a reasonable growth path the second half of 2021, but when you consider how many displaced workers need to be retrained and how many failed businesses need to be replaced, you begin to see why it will take several years.

Are there areas of business that are performing better than others right now?

A few areas, that are likely obvious, are the replacement activities such as e-commerce for conventional retail and commercial groceries for restaurants. In addition, those companies that provide or support internet technologies are thriving. Biological research is booming. Beyond those more obvious areas, however, there are others in high tech and defense that are doing quite well.

How has Boulder fared compared to similar cities during this time?

Based on the limited data that we can see at the city and county level, Boulder appears to be holding up nicely. A little lower unemployment rate, a decent retail sales bounceback, a lower concentration in leisure and hospitality employment and strong high tech and biotech sectors are a few of the reasons.

Any last thoughts?

It would be a catastrophe to suffer through this episode and not have huge positive improvements as the outcome. If we don’t have improved medical care, educational capabilities, technological efficiency and labor force skills, shame on all of us.

Condensed and edited.

Photo courtesy Richard Wobbenkind ; right: iStock/andresr

Senior economist Richard Wobbekind, associate dean for business and government relations, has worked for the Leeds School of Business since 1985. Here he discusses our nation’s economy in a pandemic world.

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Buffs With a Brand

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Buffs With a Brand Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 10:00

Andrew Daigle

Men’s basketball’s Evan Battey (Jour’22) envisions a career in sports broadcasting when his playing career is over — and the gregarious “Mayor of Boulder” would be a natural on camera.

Yet, how can he and other athletes capitalize on their fame while they are still students? A first-of-its-kind �鶹��Ѱ��program will help.

In April, the NCAA decided to advance legislation. If approved, it will allow student-athletes to profit on name, image, and likeness (NIL) starting with the 2021-22 academic year, �鶹��Ѱ��Athletics launched Buffs with a Brand to educate students on personal branding, entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy.

The program will help Buff student-athletes like Battey navigate compensation from third-party endorsements, social media opportunities, personal appearances and businesses they start.

Lauren Unrein, assistant director of leadership and career development, coordinates the voluntary program, which is open to all current student-athletes in CU’s 17 intercollegiate sport programs.

“Prior to the NIL decision, so many students would talk to us about wanting to start their own companies,” Unrein said. “We wanted to give them the opportunity to learn how to be entrepreneurs.”

Beginning this fall, participants will meet remotely once a month. Erick Mueller, faculty director of entrepreneurial initiatives at the Leeds School of Business, will lead the hour-long sessions. Entrepreneurial mentors will work directly with students who will also participate in a branding program designed by Jeremy Darlow, best-selling author of Brands Win Championships.

“It’s doing and acting versus just talking about it,” Mueller said.

Students may craft a hypothetical business or one they intend to capitalize on eventually, such as a sports camp or apparel company. However, Buffs with a Brand will focus more on long-term success than immediate capitalization.

“It’s unlocking and unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit already within them,” Mueller said, “[and] giving them the confidence to say, ‘I can do this.’”

Photos courtesy �鶹��Ѱ��Athletics

Coinciding with the latest NCAA sanctions, a new �鶹��Ѱ��Athletics program teaches student-athletes personal branding, entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy.

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Tom Garfinkel Is Made for Miami

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Tom Garfinkel Is Made for Miami Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/01/2019 - 00:00

Mike Unger

Tom Garfinkel, a big success in the business of the NFL, proves a Buffalo can become a Dolphin.

efore his freshman year at CU,Tom Garfinkel (Comm’91) considered trying to make the football team as a walk-on. Then he got to campus and promptly bumped into Oakland Salavea (Soc’93) at Farrand Hall.

“He was 6’6”, 250, faster than me and a lot, lot stronger,” Garfinkel, an ex-high school quarterback in California, said of the former Buffs standout. “I realized I wasn’t going to be a quarterback. I would have been a small tight end or a slow wide receiver, so I decided I wouldn’t play football.”

But decades later, football — the business of it — plays a major role in his life. As vice chairman, president and CEO of the Miami Dolphins, Garfinkel has led an off-the-field resurrection of one of the NFL’s most storied franchises.

For the past four years, every Dolphins home game has sold out. In February, Hard Rock Stadium, whose $550 million renovation he led, will host Super Bowl LIV. Eleven months later, the College Football Playoff national championship game comes to town. The venue is also home to world-class soccer matches, the Miami Open tennis tournament and, well, hard-rockin’ concerts, thanks in large part to the work of a man whose first job after college was checking IDs outside of a Chicago bar.

Garfinkel grew up in Walnut Creek,Calif., but yearned to get away for college. When he first approached Boulder on U.S. 36 and gazed at the Flatirons on a beautiful 65-degree day, he told his mom that he was destined to be a Buffalo. During his undergraduate years he did play football — for Kappa Sigma fraternity instead of for Bill McCartney. He switched his major from art to communications, and after graduation, moved to Chicago with a group of friends.

Garfinkel (right) with former Dolphin great Larry Csonka.

He was bouncing and bartending when his dad encouraged him to share his ideas for improving the pub with its owner.

“Two years later I was running three bars,” Garfinkel said. “I was hiring people, firing people, negotiating beer deals, doing marketing campaigns. I learned a lot.”

He eventually took a marketing job with Miller Brewing, then went to work for Texaco in motor sports sponsorship. He was working for the energy giant when he met his wife, Allison, at the Miami Grand Prix in 1998. A photo of the winner’s circle from that race hangs in his office today.

After earning an MBA from the University of Michigan, Garfinkel became executive vice president of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR, IndyCar and Grand-Am racing teams, then COO of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following a stint as president of the San Diego Padres, he was named president and CEO of the Dolphins in September 2013.

“He is the right person because he is a leader with vision and integrity who can take this organization to the next level,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said then. He was right. Prior to Garfinkel’s arrival, the team had unsuccessfully attempted to secure public money to renovate what was then called Sun Life Stadium. Garfinkel wrote a memo to Ross arguing that financing the project privately was the right way to proceed.

“I handed it to him and thought, ‘I hope this isn’t my Jerry Maguire moment,’” Garfinkel said, chuckling.

"I hope this isn’t my Jerry Maguire moment..."

By all accounts, the approach has been a success. He’s presided over the sale of more than $600 million in suite contracts and sponsorships, the highest grossing soccer event in U.S. history (the July 2017 Real Madrid-Barcelona match) and the relocation of the Miami Open tennis tournament to Hard Rock Stadium. The 2019 debut event set record attendance numbers and increased total revenue by nearly 25 percent.

But numbers tell only part of the story. Garfinkel completely changed how the team approached ticket sales and the game-day experience.

“Instead of selling over the phone, we set up appointments and got people down there face to face,” he says. “We implemented dynamic and variable pricing. We looked at the fan experience across every aspect. We added almost 30 percent more men’s bathrooms, almost 70 percent more women’s bathrooms, we looked at the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the ease to get in and out of the stadium, the food quality and price and value.”

As a result, the franchise has increased its revenue despite its underwhelming performance on the field. That’s why Ross added vice chairman to Garfinkel’s job title last year. The next big project on his to-do list is overseeing construction of the team’s $120 million practice facility.

"It’s still a ton of fun,” said Garfinkel, who watches the first 58 minutes of Dolphins home games from a suite adjacent to Ross’ and heads to the field for the last two. “Sports, and especially football, invokes the human spirit to inspire and motivate and educate us about ourselves, both the good and the bad. There are stories of courage and persistence and work ethic and redemption and forgiveness and love and overcoming impossible odds.”

Garfinkel, his wife and their three sons still make it back to Colorado for Buffs games from time to time. Tailgating, watching Ralphie run onto the field —he loves the pageantry of it all.

“Time passes quickly, and the nice thing about Boulder is those mountains never change,” he says. “We can go back and it’s almost like time stands still. When I come over 36 and see the Flatirons, it still inspires me the same way it did when I was 18.”

In the Fall 2019 print edition, this story appears under the title "Made for Miami" Comment? Email editor@colorado.edu.

Photo courtesy of Tom Garfinkel; Art by Nigel Buchanan

Tom Garfinkel, a big success in the business of the NFL, proves a Buffalo can become a Dolphin.

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Q&A with Kyle Redfield, CEO of KonaRed

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:38:37 +0000

Q&A with Kyle Redfield, CEO of KonaRed Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/18/2018 - 09:38

Christie Sounart

As CEO of Hawaiian coffee company KonaRed Corporation, Kyle Redfield (Econ’06) keeps one thing in mind: Sustainability. Annually, the Hawaiian Islands alone produce 40 million tons of coffee waste, and the Kona-based company is using the often-discarded coffee fruit — the fruit surrounding the coffee bean — in its products to cut down on waste. Here, the Winter Park, Colo., native talks his time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, super fruits and the future of coffee.

You’ve worked with two companies that focus on super fruits: POM Wonderful and KonaRed. What’s your draw to them?

Introducing something brand new to the food chain is really exciting. I love health and wellness — that’s the way I live my life, and that draws me to these types of products. A lot of what I did at POM was taking the excess pomegranate which amounted to truckloads of waste and turned that into one of the most profitable divisions within the company. When I joined KonaRed, I saw an opportunity for an entire industry that wasn’t taking care of their waste stream. Coffee fruit is the No. 1 untapped food source on the planet as coffee is the No. 2 traded commodity behind oil. That’s a lot of waste. Whenever you work in an industry that established, there’s going to be a lot of opportunities.

Why does KonaRed focus on the coffee fruit?

The discarded coffee fruit is a problem for many farmers. The bean (seed) is removed from the fruit (also called the coffee cherry), and then the leftover cherry skin is discarded, amounting to a lot of waste. When you discard the fruit, it starts rotting immediately, which then attracts critters and bad smells. It also damages the soil, which hurts the farmers because they can’t grow more fruit. We use the coffee fruit in every one of our products by making a concentrate juice out of it. We then add it to products like our cold brew coffee and supplements. It’s really our main ingredient.

Starbucks also just launched a new product with coffee fruit in it called cascara. We’re happy they and other people are using the fruit now, too, because it drastically reduces waste. Forty million tons of waste are gone just in Hawaii annually by using the fruit.

Since your coffee comes from Hawaii, do you visit the plantations often?

I go there once a quarter, and definitely during harvest season, which is July through December. Our farming infrastructure is there, and we are always working on continuous improvement to our supply chain. Plus, it is not a bad place to have to work.

Hawaii is the only place in the U.S. where coffee is grown.

What’s unique about Kona coffee in general?

Hawaii is the only place in the U.S. where coffee is grown. Since it’s the only U.S. manufactured and grown coffee, there are better regulations and better standards for it. Also, the climate for growing coffee there is incredible.

What advice can you give coffee drinkers to be more sustainable?

Use a reusable container to drink your coffee. If you’re going to go to a coffee shop, bring your own mug. If you are going to consume a ready-to-drink variety, like ours, always recycle the bottles.

What are some of your favorite memories of your time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder?

Boulder holds a special place in my heart. I grew up going to football games as my dad had season tickets. When I came to �鶹��Ѱ��after playing a year of junior college baseball, I played club baseball. While it wasn’t a D1 sport, the experience taught me so much about leadership. I also loved being at the Rec Center playing pick-up basketball, which is something I still enjoy doing today.

Was there a time at �鶹��Ѱ��that solidified your decision to pursue a business career?

In my junior and senior years, I took higher-level economics classes. The concepts were easy for me to learn, and they made sense to me. Those classes convinced me there was going to be something I could apply to my future.

As CEO, what does your day-to-day look like?

I little bit of everything. I don’t consider us a small start-up anymore. We have to keep everyone safe and keep the operation going, while focusing on sales and marketing. I always want to uphold our product quality, and continue down our path of creating sustainable, healthy products. Upholding our company culture is also something I focus on daily.

What drives your work?

Certainly, wanting to make a difference. As we work every day, we’re spending time away from our families and we’re using our time and resources. I want to make my friends and family proud. I also want to represent �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder well. I bleed black and gold.

What’s your favorite piece of career advice?

You have to hire the right team. One person can only do so much.

What do you look for when hiring?

Attitude first and foremost, then experience, then education.

How do you drink your coffee?

I drink KonaRed’s original coffee with a splash of milk. I don’t drink anything else at this point.

Are there any food trends happening right now that you’re into at the moment?

I’m lucky enough to be participating in the fastest-growing segment in the food and beverage industry, which is cold-brew coffee. But I’m also very intrigued by kombucha.

In the next couple of years, you’re really going to see cascara and coffee fruit become a huge development for coffee.

Condensed and edited.

Photos courtesy KonaRed

As CEO of cold-brew coffee company KonaRed, Kyle Redfield (Econ’06) keeps one thing in mind: Sustainability. Annually, the Kona, Hawaii-based company reduces 40 million tons of waste by using the often-discarded coffee fruit, the fruit surrounding the coffee bean, in its products.

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Talking About Revolutions

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 21:08:46 +0000

Talking About Revolutions Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/01/2018 - 14:08

Sarah Tuff Dunn

Sweet on chocolate? There’s a shop in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood you might want to check out — a bikeshop. Gregory Crichlow (Arch’95) has transformed a former drug den into a boutique bike shop that also sells artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate.

The story dates to 2009, when the Great Recession brought the American economy to its knees, dramatically slowing work for Crichlow, then employed as an architect.

“I had to make a decision to use a different skill set,” he said.

By 2011, the wheels were in motion to turn a 400-square-foot Downing Street space with no roof into a place where locals could come for bike repairs and frame fabrication, and also chocolate.

He’d often noticed the building while biking to his architecture job nearby. It became Chocolate Spokes, the subject of a recent short film of that name.

Opening the business wasn’t the first major gear shift for Crichlow, the rare cycleshop owner who wears a dress shirt and bow tie on the job.

After finishing high school in Aurora, where he played ice hockey, he’d lived with his grandmother in New York for a year. There an interest in architecture gathered momentum. Dually inspired by the city’s aesthetics and by Olympic speed skater Eric Heiden, a multi-gold-medalist who reinvented himself as a pro cyclist, Crichlow came back to Colorado to study architecture at �鶹��Ѱ��and joined the cycling team.

“My first ride was a real eye-opener,” he said. “I was dropped by the group and left somewhere near Lyons — I realized there was a lot more to the sport than just getting on a bike and going.”

He eventually left competitive cycling to focus on architecture and attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. But Crichlow has remained committed to life on two wheels: He doesn’t own a car and cycles everywhere, as do his two children, ages 13 and 9.

And, of course, he owns a bike shop that doubles as a neighborhood gathering place.

“My hope is that we’re creating a space where everyone feels welcome and respected as our immediate neighborhood context evolves,” he said.

The bow tie is a nod to Crichlow’s grandfather, who wore them also, and to his own attitude toward work.

“I listen to clients and make their wants and needs come to a tangible reality,” he said. “My appearance is a refection of how seriously I take this.”

Crichlow decided to sell chocolate bars alongside handlebars partly because of his own fondness for them, and because he believes fine chocolate reflects the studio’s attention to craftsmanship.

“People come in just to buy chocolate — nothing to do with bikes,” he said.

Now, that’s sweet.

Photo courtesy Gregory Crichlow

Gregory Crichlow has transformed a former drug den into a boutique bike shop that also sells artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate.

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Beyond the Champion: Institutionalizing Innovation Through People

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 22:58:24 +0000

Beyond the Champion: Institutionalizing Innovation Through People Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/07/2018 - 15:58

By Andrew Corbett (PhDBus’02)

(Stanford University Press, 320 pages; 2018)

Buy the Book

Large, mature companies often struggle when it comes to the uncertain process of breakthrough innovation. But innovation is an imperative in today's cutthroat business environment. To fulfill its potential, there has to be a better way—and there is. Beyond the Champion argues that innovation is a talent all its own that requires distinct skills and expertise, just like finance or marketing. Viewing innovation as a discipline in its own right, it is easy to see that breakthrough wins require an organizational design with clearly delineated roles, responsibilities, and career tracks for those who shoulder the responsibility for new products. Drawing on the results of a four-year study and two decades of related research, this book outlines three fundamental competencies necessary for innovation: discovery, incubation, and acceleration. Mapping these skills onto roles and opportunities for advancement, the authors deliver a pioneering blueprint for sustainable innovation.

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