Colorado A-list

Exceptional Admins, founded by Hilani Ellis, is a boutique executive search firm solely focused on placing administrative professionals with executives, innovators, and entrepreneurs for the purpose of strengthening and more efficiently accelerating business operations forward. As a former executive assistant herself, she knows first-hand that it is a selfless role and that every administrative professional has a unique set of skills and distinctive character, just as executives do. Hilani takes the time to thoroughly analyze the needs of each executive to then handpick the best professional for the role. Although Hilani’s primary focus is on the extraordinary quality of each placement, her business has more than doubled since its inception in 2017-and all from referrals! Listen as she describes her dynamic approach to fulfilling the indispensable role of administrative professionals in this episode of Industry Alchemist.

In this episode, Mary Grothe describes how she began her career at Paychex, a national payroll company. Her wildly successful sales process stunned corporate headquarters and they wanted to learn more from her! After a few years with Paychex, she “caught the entrepreneurial bug” and founded her very own sales company, Butterfly Creative. In 3 years at Butterfly Creative, the company raised revenue for every one of its clients. However, Mary describes to us some of the hurdles along the way that were important learning experiences for her. As a more seasoned entrepreneur in 2017, she relaunched her company, calling it SalesBQ®. Listen as Mary shares how SalesBQ® has tripled its revenue year-over-year since the relaunch and has become a top-level consultant, coach, and trainer for the clients it serves! Her entire journey will surely wow and inspire you! For additional information please visit www.salesbq.com.

For Dave Hieb, being an entrepreneur was as natural to him as breathing air. After graduating from CU, he founded an Internet services company which was merged with 5 other companies and went public in 4 years’ time. He then became involved with one of the earliest tech incubators in Colorado, running the angel investor group. After this, Dave spent 11 successful years as an investment banker, helping companies with his knowledge of raising capital and M&A transactions. As one last entrepreneurial effort, Dave decided he would like to build one more company. Listen to Dave describe exactly what happened to spur the concept for his new business. And in 3 short years, the revenue from his new company has blown away even his own seasoned projections. Clove & Twine. It’s not a promotional product company that pumps out swag with client logos on them for the cheapest possible price and for the sole purpose of saturating a large group of people with brand visibility. It’s remarkable and branded gifts th

Attorney Eric Voogt and his paralegals know all too well what a pain it is to make sure key parties in a legal case receive important legal documents such as subpoenas, summons, eviction notices, or restraining orders. These documents must be served by a specific deadline and by a third party not involved in the legal matter. Sometimes it’s difficult to make contact with the person to be served (known as a respondent), especially if they are trying to actively evade the serve. Typically a process server is hired to locate respondents and serve the documents. Occasionally, servers claim to have served the documents, when in fact, they have not. So, it is often a paralegal’s job to manage this entire process and obtain the proof that it has occurred; which can tie up their time with endless phone calls and sleuthing of their own. Eric and his team have come up with a better way to hire process servers and track the delivery of legal documents in real-time using technology. Listen as two of PROOF’s co-founders (

As Owner and Director of Monfort Companies, Kenny and his real estate team initially focused on developing commercial real estate in rural communities within the Rocky Mountain region. Recently he has expanded their focus to burgeoning a thriving stadium district in the neighborhood around Coors Field, in Denver. Kenny gives us some insight into the plans underway for development in the LoDo area to encompass appeal to all ages in our Denver community. As a fifth-generation Colorado business owner, Kenny’s family has long been a part of Colorado’s history. Originally in the agricultural industry, Kenny’s family was a pioneer in developing cattle feedlots and meatpacking plants in Greeley, Colorado. The family also owns the Colorado Rockies baseball franchise; since 1992. The Rockies played home games at the Mile-High Stadium until Coors Field was completed in 1995. Now coming full circle, Kenny and his real estate team are working to build onto the family’s original investments to further develop vibrant co

Amy Baglan is driven by a deep desire to help people find more meaningful connections in their daily lives. Listen to her describe the remarkable and winding path she traveled to start MeetMindful, a community for like-minded people who value mindfulness and wellness to meet and create meaningful romantic, platonic or networking relationships. Fast forward to now, another concept was birthed from Amy and the team at MeetMindful. Currently in public beta, Fabriq is a personal relationships manager designed to help people stay in touch and build stronger relationships with the people who matter most. Both companies embody the perfect combination of ethereal connections and today’s technology of digital apps. Don’t miss this inspiring episode. For additional information about MeetMindful, visit www.meetmindful.com.

Stacy Taubman is driven by one thing: helping people achieve. She is especially passionate about empowering teen girls, women and minorities. For more than a decade, she worked in secondary education as a math teacher, but a tragedy involving a student became a tipping point for Stacy to take her natural aptitude for leadership in a drastically different direction. In 2017, she founded RISE Collaborative - a community and workspace for all women to grow and achieve. RISE isn't just for start-ups or entrepreneurs, but also women who work in corporate environments, small businesses, and nonprofits. Additionally, it's a place where teen girls can do homework, receive mentoring and surround themselves with inspiring female role models. With weekly events designed for members to learn and inspire professional development, RISE Collaborative has quickly grown in both Denver and St. Louis. In this interview, find out more about Stacy’s journey and the enterprise she has built. For additional information about RISE

Imagine a place where people and companies can gather to transform the HEALTH in our nation and even the world. That is the vision behind Mike Biselli’s Catalyst. It’s not just a coworking facility for healthcare companies to set up shop. Yes, it houses healthcare startups, large companies, tech companies, and even a clinic all under one roof, but it also offers so much more to support the people within the industry. There are networking events, lectures, mentoring opportunities, amenities, and common areas that facilitate interaction with others who are all working towards the common goal of advancing the healthcare industry. In this episode, Mike tells us what his driving forces were for creating Catalyst. For additional information about Mike Biselli or Catalyst, visit mikebiselli.com and catalysthealthtech.com.

Joshua Hunt was ready to speak his truth, but not everyone was ready to accept it. Listen as Joshua tells us what led him to leave his successful career with a national residential real estate firm and start his own. Additionally, TRELORA broke the mold of a traditional firm because Joshua’s vision was to make the home buying process more affordable. He structured TRELORA to utilize technology, task specialization, and flat commission fees. However, his revolutionary business model was not initially accepted by everyone in the real estate community. Despite violent backlash by some, TRELORA has been a great success! Don’t miss Joshua’s dramatic pilgrimage in this episode! For additional information about TRELORA visit www.trelora.com.

I.T. and cybersecurity service provider, Greystone Technology, was co-founded by Peter Melby and Jesse Armstrong over 18 years ago! Today, they have 3 Colorado locations and more than 85 employees. Listen as Peter describes how they have learned to cultivate a thriving culture within the company. In fact, Peter is so passionate about organizational culture that he leads discussions with other companies about how to improve the retention and autonomy of their employees. For more information about Greystone Technology AND company culture, visit both, www.greystonetech.com and www.bossorbabysitter.com.

Michael Doyle, CEO of Brand Iron, didn’t always know marketing was his calling; he thought he was supposed to be a teacher. Upon college graduation, Michael made a dramatic pivot away from the education field and let his natural aptitude for marketing and entrepreneurship pave the way for his future! Listen to Michael walk us through his successes and challenges as a branding expert, speaker and author of a new book, “7 Secrets of a Brand Champion.” For additional information about Brand Iron, please visit www.brandiron.net.

Meet Emily Schromm, a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner, Fitness Trainer, and fierce entrepreneur. What started as a battle with her health, turned into a discovery of new hope and a passion for sharing what she has learned about fitness and nutrition. She is the Founder and CEO of Unleashed Fitness, Platform Strength, Evolved Motion, Element Tea, AND The Body Awareness Project. She also has her own podcast you can check out, called MeatHead Hippie. Emily will inspire you to take your health by the horns, follow your passions, and she bestows some of the secret ingredients for running a successful business! For additional information about Emily Schromm and her work, visit: www.emilyschromm.com, www.evolvedmotion.com, www.platformstrength.com, www.herbalelement.com, www.thebodyawarenessproject.com, &(podcast) www.meatheadhippie.com

Ryan Harris is a former NFL Super Bowl 50 Champion with the Denver Broncos! Since retiring from the NFL he has been very busy with multiple endeavors, including authoring a book called Mindset for Mastery: an NFL Champion’s Guide To Reaching Your Greatness, he is a radio show host for Altitude Sports 950 AM, and an international speaker for youth and adults. Ryan gives us a first-hand account of what goes on in one's mind before a super bowl game and how it relates to striving for any other goal in life. He shares many of the psychological barriers he crossed and breakthroughs he made that has contributed to his successful career. Take a listen and follow him on Twitter @salaams_from_68 and Instagram @ryanharris_68! You can also learn more about Ryan on his website at www.ryanharris68.com.

Here is a fascinating technology that has been around for several years, but might have been a little ahead of its time, until now. We are referring to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology! Listen to our interview with Joshua Finkleman, who is a pioneer for the industry in Colorado. He helps us unravel some of the complexities of cryptocurrency and blockchain that most of us know of, but few of us really understand. Josh is passionate about what he does and works with regulatory agencies to ensure that the radical new asset class becomes more widely accepted.

PAIRIN, co-founded by Michael Simpson, is a technology company that uses behavioral science to personalize career exploration, professional development, and online curriculum. The team at PAIRIN provides systems to workforce and educational institutions to help individuals design a livelihood that they can thrive in and maximize their potential for success. They also shift the traditional hiring paradigm for employers to competency and potential, rather than simply past education and experience. Listen to Michael describe his journey in life that led up to the creation of PAIRIN (and his delicious side gig-The Chocolate Bordello).

Listen to Andy Seth, an entrepreneur who has founded 9 companies including a wealth management firm, a nonprofit organization and a digital marketing company built to provide apprenticeship opportunities for young people. He is authoring a new book called Juice that’ll be available later this year. Hear Andy describe how his childhood has influenced him in his quest to answer the ultimate question - How do I do well AND do good? A vibrant personality, Andy will educate, entertain, and inspire you - all in equal parts!

Listen to Juan Padro, a Restaurateur for several restaurants in Colorado including Morin, Highland Tap & Burger, Tap & Burger Sloan's Lake, Señor Bear, Bar Dough, and Ash'Kara. Juan offers up some of the special ingredients he uses for a successful business undertaking.