Dream Focused – Business Minded

February 2022

Hope Hartman

Consultant Pages / By

Hope Hartman

Larimer SBDC Executive Director

 

Hope has a diverse background that includes software, startups, technology transfer and commercialization, education, and non-profits. She has worked for family owned and operated businesses as well as high-tech, high growth venture-backed companies. Most recently she served as a coach for the “Startup to Scale Up” learning community at Ingomu, a Colorado startup and was the Executive Director of Girls in the Spotlight Foundation, a Fort Collins non-profit. She started her first company when she was 18 and experienced her first acquisition in 2016 to a Japanese venture capital firm. Although Hope has worn many hats over the years, she is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses learn, grow, and succeed.

Hope’s appointment demonstrates our continued commitment to fostering local economic development by being the leading small business resource in our community. She is excited to join an experienced team and looks forward to the many opportunities to collaborate and connect.

Jade Shebelski

Consultant Pages / By
Jade Shebelski

 

Social Media Specialist

Jade Shebelski is a seasoned social media manager specializing in coaching and strategizing Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn for product and service-based businesses.

She started her business Maven and Muse Media after other businesses saw her success in niche marketing, telling stories, and selling her vintage products directly off social media. Established business’ witnessed her growth and reached out to create contents that would transition into sales. Jade finds stories and tells them through motivational means, converting followers and hearts to conversations and bookings.

Consulting Expertise Includes:
  • Social Media Marketing Strategy
  • Implementation, and Content Creation specifically Instagram/Facebook and Pinterest
  • Facebook Group Management
  • LinkedIn content creation and strategy
CLICK HERE

If you’ve never met with a Larimer SBDC consultant. 

SCHEDULE A ZOOM APPOINTMENT WITH JADE

This appointment is with an SBDC Specialist who offers a limited number of hours (3, 1 hour sessions) to each SBDC client s/he sees. Please provide a 24-hour notice of cancellation if you are unable to make this appointment. Although we understand that emergencies arise, cancellations made within 24 hours of the appointment will count as 1 hour of the consultant’s time. As well, our normal cancellation policy applies: cancellations made less than 24 hours of the appointment may result in a requirement to attend a class before you can reschedule an appointment.

Sally Ebeling

Consultants No Longer with the SBDC / By

 

 

Sally grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science. She’s pursued various positions from veterinary medicine and environmental regulatory to non-profit work. These positions have taken her across the U.S. from Hawaii to Colorado, West Virginia, Virginia, and most recently back to Wisconsin. She joins the Larimer SBDC having spent 2+ years as the Program & Business Development Manager for a Downtown Business Improvement District. She will be completing an MBA program in early 2022.

Sally Ebeling

Program Manager

Colorado Camper Van

Success Stories / By

When Derek Weber customized his first camper van in his garage in 2009, he didn’t anticipate his neighbors begging him to build one for them. “I wanted to spend my time camping, not building more vans”, Derek jokes. But he recognized the opportunity, put some photos on the internet, and customer interest exploded.

Today, Colorado Camper Van (CCV) does over $4 million in annual sales and employs over 40 people at its Loveland plant. CCV’s main offerings are installing “pop-top” higher ceilings, and a huge range of custom, high quality, interior designs. CCV performs this work on a wide variety of vans. See: www.coloradocampervan.com

In 2019, CCV was experiencing some tough growth pains, and Derek reached out to the Loveland Business Development Center and the SBDC.

SBDC financial consultant Bob Coffey dug deeply into the numbers at CCV. Derek says “he helped us get our books straightened out, and fixed a past tax situation that led to refunds for us. He helped with job costing and appropriate pricing. His work was integral to helping us get a much-needed loan”.

Manufacturing consultant Jon Jaggers helped CCV convert to a lean manufacturing operation. “He gave us direction on manufacturing. He helped improve our flow through optimal placement of workstations, tools, and components. He got our processes down to where the company was making money”, says Derek.

Recent accomplishments for Derek include becoming a part-owner of the CCV building, which stabilized CCV’s operating base in Loveland. Derek and his purchasing manager Elizabeth (also his business partner and wife) worked hard on purchasing components in bulk from manufacturers, which lowered costs and improved availability. Derek feels fortunate that he’s been able to find and retain employees – “we work 10 hour shifts four days a week, with three days off, and our team really likes that schedule”.

Future plans include broadening conversions to Jeeps and Ford Broncos, a pop-top trailer offering, and a possible van resale service. “I’m excited about where CCV is going”, Derek says with a smile.

Derek, Elizabeth, and their two children live in Drake, and enjoy camping!

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Front Range Community College

4616 South Shields St
Blanca Peak 151
Fort Collins, CO 80526

Ph: 970-204-8600

info@larimersbdc.org

Colorado-SBDC

Small Business Navigator hotline: 303-860-5881
Email: SBDC@state.co.us
Website: https://sbdc.colorado.gov/

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The Colorado Small Business Development Center Network is a partnership between the State of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Small Business Administration (SBA), Colorado’s institutions of higher education, local economic development organizations and local chambers of commerce. Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U. S. Small Business Administration.

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