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We’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs. Here are some of their

SUCCESS STORIES

Open Road Snacks

In January of 2007, Karen and Tim Bradley were looking for an opportunity to combine Tim’s expertise in consumer packaged goods, finance and operations with Karen’s background in graphic design, marketing and sales. That’s when they acquired Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company.

“We work really well together and we wanted to use both sides of our collective brain,” Karen said. “With our experience in brand management, we recognized that, while Rocky Mountain Popcorn was proven in the market, we could brand it as ours.”

The entrepreneurial duo researched trends and found that Americans craved healthy snack options. Indeed, there’s no corn syrup or anything partially hydrogenated in the company’s whole grain popcorn that comes in a variety of sizes and natural flavors that include white cheddar, caramel, jalapeño, red chili, butter and ‘naked.’

The Centennial-based company distributes nationally to grocery stores and convenience stores like King Soopers, City Market, Loaf ‘N Jug, Circle K and Conoco.

“To be successful, you have to think strategically and be persistent,” said Karen. “In part, that means knowing where to turn for guidance, to fill the gaps that fall outside your area of expertise.”

“The Denver Metro Small Business Development Center counseled me and provided me all the tools I needed to develop a business plan – something I’d never done before. About once a month for a year, she helped me get it right the first time,” said Karen.

The Bradleys’ unwavering focus and strategic thinking is paying off. Today, Rocky Mountain Popcorn is a brand of Open Road Snacks™, a respected company known for creating good-for-you, high-quality, naturally delicious snacks. From Rocky Mountain Popcorn® to Poplets® and Diego’s Chips™, Open Road Snacks™ strives to make the snack world a happier place.

Back2Basics

Brittany Winkfield is like a lot of entrepreneurs. She saw a gap in the marketplace and instead of waiting for someone else to fill it, she went after it herself. Led by a belief and desire that a Christian lifestyle magazine existed within the community, she used her creative skills, business network, and the SBDC to create Back2Basics Magazine. And she did it with the grace and style of a dedicated entrepreneur that understands how

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Ristole

“Moving to Denver set me on a trajectory that changed the course of my life.” For Ristole CEO Jackie Adams, a woman whose life has already taken many turns, that’s saying something. Starting her career in computer programming, she quickly found the hours behind a computer screen tedious. She then applied for and was accepted to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, where she taught high school math in Swahili. After returning to

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C-21 Project

Keaunna Figgers, Denver’s newest fashionista, is raising awareness of Down syndrome and doing so in style through her company The C-21 Project, which refers to the extra 21st chromosome that she was born with. Born with Down syndrome, Figgers faced obstacles from the start – she had open-heart surgery at just 3 months old and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at a very young age. Growing up with arthritis, Figgers would spend hours coloring in

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Coppertops Paperie

When considering starting her own business, Jessica Burke was given the advice, “do something you completely love, even in the tiny details.” The only thing she felt absolutely certain she loved – tiny details and all – was paper products. Jessica’s passion drove her to start CopperTops Paperie, a company that sells personalized paper products, in 2013. CopperTops is most widely known for their patent-pending bottle wrap, which emerged from a conversation with a customer

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Wong Way Veg

When Lisa Wong stepped foot into the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center in 2011, her dream of starting a food truck in Denver was just that – a dream. Wong envisioned herself running a business that would marry her love for vegetarian food with her passion for building community. Two years later, her dream became a reality. But Wong’s dream didn’t come to life without hard work. In the fall of 2012, she enrolled

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Paleo Meals To Go

A few years ago, Ty Soukup went on his first multi-day backpacking trip around the Maroon Bells 14ers in Colorado. But, his biggest challenge wasn’t the terrain – it was figuring out what to eat. He couldn’t find any backpacking meal options that would fit with his Paleo diet. “I thought to myself, why isn’t someone making a backpacker meal that appeals to folks on alternative diets?” Soukup recalled. “It was in that moment that

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