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volume six: issue two
winter 2010
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Winter 2010
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t he g is t
faces
from passion to profit
black prez: a local rapper’s beat
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hot button
get it (clothes) on with pow apparel thanks a latté! inside the eclectic culture of the alley cat how csu can help your entrepreneurial venture
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odell brewing co. quiz
enter for a chance to win a seasonal growler from odell brewing co.
new brewery, funkwerks, serving saison beer to open in fort collins behind the scenes of some of the lsc’s student organizations
health
why eat wheat free?
environment
the local resurrection of needlecraft
on the cover
wynne odell - the business behind the beer - stands amongst her entrepreneurial bounty. passion becomes profit and fulfills an apparel dream, a rapper’s destiny and helps define a local coffee shop.
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cover design by vincent nigro original photo by nick lyon
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letters to the editor
as the magazine produced by csu students for the csu and fort collins community, we would like to extend an invitation to our readers to submit letters to the editor ranging from 50 to 150 words with your feedback on the magazine. this is your magazine, and we would like to know what you think of the content, design and anything else. all letters to the editor must be typed in a word document and attached to an e-mail, which should be sent to [email protected].
mission statement
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hot button
creative co-op provides outlet for artists unfashionably late: one reporter’s struggle with chronic tardiness a company’s “otter” the box idea to help the community how to turn a property project into profit 1% for the planet: dedicated donations to environmental causes
college avenue is a magazine produced and operated by csu students. our mission is to serve the csu and fort collins community with innovative and engaging coverage of relevant issues. our staff is dedicated to providing balanced and accurate reporting as well as visually stimulating design and photography to a diverse audience. above all, we strive to maintain integrity through professionalism and this standard of excellence.
oppor tunity for employment
college avenue is accepting applications for reporters, photographers, designers and copy editors. pick up an appliation at the front desk of student media in the basement of the lsc. college avenue is a magazine produced and operated by csu students intended as a public forum. this publication is not an official publication of colorado state university, but is published by an independent corporation (the rocky mountain student media corporation) using the name ‘college avenue’ pursuant to a license granted by csu. college avenue is published by the rocky mountain student media corporation. college avenue is a complimentary publication for the csu and fort collins community. The first copy is free and additional copies are $1 each, payable to the rocky mountain student media business office. advertising inquiries, corrections and letters to the editor should be submitted to the editor in chief at [email protected]. edu. the contents of this publication are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without prior per mission of the rocky mountain student media corporation. College Avenue CSU Lory Student Center Box 13 Fort Collins, CO 80523 (970) 491.1687 [email protected]
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check out the non-fiction creative writings of lucas dean fišer
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2010
letter from the editor
An entrepreneur is an organizer, a manager and a risk-taker. The question is, why take on that risk? I will say – the adventure. A unique idea, withdrawn from your creative mind, will finally come to life. And you, possibly, will reap the benefits, be they monetary, social or emotional. The best is the combination of all three. For myself and my staff, College Avenue Magazine is our entrepreneurial adventure. My staff has put a considerable amount of time into idea brewing, interviewing, photographing, designing and ultimately creating a masterpiece that is solely of our doing. Going from a small dream six years ago and a magazine called 1870 to a magazine that encompasses campus and community life has been an adventure. And the students who choose to staff this endeavor are the ones who keep it afloat. It is all because of their ideas, creativity and dedication that the magazine even exists. College Avenue is their business, and it definitely is not because of the monetary profit that everyone sticks around. For some it takes them one day to realize they want to be a writer, for others their entire life. But each person on staff at least had the gumption to try his or her hand at something new and unknown. That’s how real businesses are begun, and that is how they survive: the dedication of those behind the scenes and those who want more than anything for this venture to succeed. Don’t underestimate those who are running the show, and strive to get involved, become one of them. You’ll never know what you may find yourself doing. Inside this magazine you’ll find some fantastic examples of budding entrepreneurs, tips to become one yourself and a few fun additions. Check out these stories to feed your curiosity:
staff list
editor in chief
kelly bleck
managing and photography editor
chelsea dunfee aliese willard vincent nigro tenae allison kelly sterner
features editor design editor web content editor copy editor assistant photography editor
kate wilson
reporters
laura esposito kate frasure natasha leadem allison lecain molly mccart emily mccormick jaime pritchard kayla roofe logan triesch kate wilson
Alley Cat
How did a 24/7 coffeeshop get its start, and its incredible atmosphere?
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photographers
garrett mynatt
designers
How to be fashionably late Funkwerks Brewery
Aliese Willard, College Avenue features editor, explains her tendency to lose track of time Fort Collins welcomes an organic brewery specializing in Saison beer Enjoy! Kelly D. Bleck
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rachel anthony lindsay bergquist bethany chambers joseph gudenas kayla roofe logan triesch
adviser
jenny fischer
marketing director
megan lujan
Rap Race
REWIND
t’s noon on the plaza at Colorado State University. One student walks quickly across campus muttering quiet gibberish into his cell phone, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the crowd and even friends who pass by. Anyone watching this occur will think that this particular student is a little strange. But no one knows that he’s whispering beats for his latest rap song into his phone. Joshua Madry, a graduate student studying high school counseling at CSU, is known to many as Black Prez – a down-toearth rap artist who has made the act of creating music his life.
f ac e s
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The commander in chief of rap on his way to stardom
by laura esposito “So I gave a speech and apparently I did really good because everybody started clapping, and this kid was like, ‘Hey man you should be like the next president’. And this other kid was like, ‘Yeah, like black president,’” Madry said. A few years later when Madry continued on to Smokey Hill High School in Aurora, Colo., he started rapping on a regular basis and was in need of a name. After trying to use his initials, Madry decided to use the nickname that his classmates gave him but shortened it to Black Prez, not to be confused with the rapper Dead Prez. During Madry’s senior year of high school in 2006, his close friend Josh Knutson began to set up shows for him and kick off his official career as a rapper. “Ever since day one Josh has just always been there and I didn’t even ask him to. He was just like, ‘Man, you know I just sent your music out to these people and these people, and they want you to do this and this,’ and I really appreciate it,” Madry said. “That’s how it was in high school and as I got older and more serious about it I asked him to be my manager because it makes my life a whole lot easier.” According to Knutson, if it hadn’t been for Madry he wouldn’t even be involved in the music industry. “Josh is not only my artist; he’s one of my best friends. We have been through the ups and downs of the music industry, which has created a strong business bond. I will continue managing Josh, and I will do what’s best for Prezidential Records/Island Def Jam,” Knutson said. “My favorite thing about working with Josh has to be his knack for finding hit songs. Every time he has success, I
“I’ve always just loved music in general. I guess everyone likes music but I’ve always felt like I’ve liked it more than everyone else, even from a young age. Not even really liking it more, just trying to create my own thing,” Madry said. After a school performance in fifth grade, Madry knew that he was destined for a life full of rhythms. “I had the leading scene and I remember I was just so excited and so nervous. My part was in the middle of the show so I was freaking out before I had to go on and then I went out and killed it. My mom was like ‘AAHHH!’” Madry said. “I think I just loved that feeling so much and a lot of what I do reminds me of that and I think that’s why I love performing so much.” It wasn’t until middle school that his classmates from his speech and debate class accidentally pushed him into stardom. 6
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PAUSE
John Luke Brandjord, a junior at the University of Wyoming, is one of Madry’s friends and fans and has helped to promote Black Prez’s name throughout Wyoming. “I met him through Travis Brown, his DJ, when I used to live in Estes Park, Colo. In January of my senior year, [Travis] opened an 18 and up club at the Drunken Monkey, so I drove down after a racquet ball tournament and Josh was performing that night,” Brandjord said. “So, I met [Josh] and then he was doing more shows with [Travis] so I just started hanging out with them and coming down for shows.” Brandjord said that he will make 50 to 60 demo CD’s and hand them out around the UW campus. He has also received T-shirts from Madry that he wears to promote his music. “I would be wearing one and people would see it and want one. He signed a couple [of t-shirts] for some people up in Laramie and they were pretty excited about it,” Brandjord said. “But it’s mostly word of mouth and Facebook. If I see he’s doing a show I’ll just take it and repost it.” For Brandjord however, it’s all about who Madry is as a person and not as a performer that made them friends to begin with. “When they came up to do that show in Laramie we had about two hours to kill before it started so I took him over to a friend’s apartment and they started freestyling about this girl’s toaster and blender,” Brandjord said, “You don’t get that from a lot of other people. I can’t just show up with a bunch of musicians that can sit there and free style about your blender.” Madry even created a song for Brandjord that helped him win over the heart of his current girlfriend.
photo courtesy of joshua madry
think I get more excited than he does.” After making one demo CD in high school, Madry gained attention for his music very quickly and began to build a fan base. “I’ve always been an attention seeker,” Madry said. “If I don’t mix a couple songs in a couple days people will be like, ‘where you at,’ and I know I need to get that attention back up so that people can hear it.” Two years ago Madry was able to pick up a DJ for his shows, Travis Brown, also known as DJ T-Bone Scarpone. “A couple years ago me and a friend of mine were putting on a hip hop night downtown and I knew this guy, Thomas the Franchise, who I’d done one show with,” Brown said. “He was the only local rapper that I knew of that was any good. He asked if he could bring his friend Black Prez. I had never heard of him but I was like sure, great.” Brown claims that Black Prez made quite an impression on him because of his ability to draw a crowd and have that crowd follow him out the door as soon as he leaves. By chance, Madry was in need of a DJ and Brown entered into his life at just the right moment. After doing a mini Colorado tour with artist Dead Prez to Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver, the two have been working with each other ever since. “I did a show without him and someone in the crowd was like, ‘Ya, that was good but uh, you need a DJ’,” Madry said, “So I told them I had one but he just couldn’t make it and there was just something missing. I don’t know if I got used to it or what but it was different.”
photo courtesy of brandon iwamoto
design by rachel wilde
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“I have a girlfriend that lives about three hours away from me so I was up visiting her. She was in the shower getting all ready and I called him and asked him if he could record a song about making it official because we weren’t dating at the time,” Brandjord said. “So he got on his computer and turned on his mic and recorded it. I want to say the line is, ‘make it official like a ref with a whistle’ or something like that and he had it to me in about ten minutes. I hit play and didn’t say anything and just had her listen to it. She kind of looked at me funny so I played it again and she just smiled and said yes.” For Madry, making songs for friends like that is easy, but making longer songs often come at a price – one that forces him to sacrifice his sleep. “I feel like I do my best work when I’m dead tired or I’m about to go to sleep. So a lot of nights I’ll be up until 6 a.m. and I have to be at work at 8 a.m. I get tired a lot so I sleep in class and that’s a struggle,” Madry said. “It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of 24/7, networking, meeting people, talking to agents, talking to record labels, talking with my manager and all that kind of stuff all the time, plus school and work.” If that wasn’t enough, Madry also spends some of his free time coaching football over at Poudre High School in Fort Collins. “Thankfully I just got a new phone so I can send e-mails, but sometimes I’ll be texting on the sidelines, but it’s for business stuff,” Madry said. “I feel bad but it’s like I have to get this stuff done like right now.” Madry also has to deal with his toughest critics – YouTube viewers. For a somewhat shy guy, those comments can be hard to deal with. “When I post stuff to YouTube and people write on there, ‘you suck’ and ‘your music is whack’ or ‘get out of here,’ that kind of hurts my feelings,” Madry said. “But at the end of the day it’s something that makes you want to do more and makes you want to do it better. I think it took a lot of people doubting me and still doubting me to make me keep working harder and putting even more effort into it.”
photo courtesy of joshua madry
FF>>
LABELHip Hop labels ME The ABC’s of
• Aftermath Entertainment: signed on 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem • Atlantic Records: signed on B.o.B, Carolina Liar • Beluga Heights: signed on Sean Kingston, Jason Derulo, Iyaz, Auburn • Cash Money Records: signed on Kevin Rudolf, Lil’ Wayne, Jay Sean, Nicki Minaj • Columbia Records: signed on Beyonce, AC/DC, MGMT, John Legend
sacrificing a career in the music industry. “I can always see myself doing music no matter where I’m at, if I’m a counselor or strictly a musician, or if I’m just a bum on the corner just rappin’ it out like that notorious bum dude,” Madry said. “I’ll always be singing or rapping or whatever. The music industry is pretty cut throat and serious and it’s tough, but it’s something I’m willing to do and it’s something I enjoy doing.” The most important thing for Madry is that he remembers who he is even as he embarks on the long road ahead of him. He doesn’t want Josh Madry to disappear into Black Prez. “Sometimes I feel like Josh Madry and Black Prez are two different people and I play these two roles. I even say in one of my songs, ‘Ya it’s Black Prez but Josh for introductions,’” Madry said. “I want people to know me like I’m Josh, but I also do this music thing and you can call me Black Prez.”
Madry is determined to get his master’s degree, even though the call to join the music industry gets stronger every day. “School is my back up plan. I just graduated and I had a chance to just do music all the time, but I wanted to get a master’s degree because I know that in the future, like 10 or 20 years from now, when I’m done and I’m old and can’t rap anymore, I’ll want to do something else,” Madry said. After having a high school counselor influence him to become a counselor himself, Madry decided to pursue his career in hopes of giving back to students in the same way; even if that means 8
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RAP UP Q&A
the hardest thing about starting a music career in school is....
For as long as Madry can remember, he’s been spoofing songs and creating new music. He simply cannot see a life without music. “I actually have recordings of myself from when I’m like, three, singing to Snoop Dog and just changing the lyrics a little bit to put my name in it like ‘Josh Dog’. Just singin’ and rappin’ along to the music,” Madry said. Madry had a difficult time describing how he feels during his shows or even an experience to relate it to because they are so intense and emotional. “I like performing in front of that many people even more than making the music. I don’t even know how to explain it,” Madry said. “The best is when you can get the whole crowd to build your energy and then you build their energy and then everybody is just on the same energy level, we’re all going crazy, we’re all sweating, I can’t breathe anymore and I’m begging for water at the end of the night. I can’t breathe and I can’t even talk. And that’s the best.”
photo by chelsea dunfee
because of my rap career, people wrongly assume...
not many people know...
stage fright is something that...
if i could perform with anyone else it would be...
the best advice i ever got was...
i perform best when...
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what makes
by emily mccormick
horny?
YOU
POWApparel masterminds grab at what they love: snow and clothing
photos by garrett mynatt
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hat gets you going? “This girl was walking around the plaza with a huge poster board The high you feel on your last step to and was yelling, ‘What Makes You Horny?’” Hvambsal said. “My friend the top of a 14er? Waking up to 12 inches and I were like, ‘Huh, that’s kind of weird. Let’s go write some stuff.’” of fresh powder? How about the rush before Marketing and advertising are huge aspects of building a plummeting down a mountain pass at 45 successful customer base. Perfecting these dimensions can take miles per hour on your bicycle? years for some companies to grasp. POWApparel knew how to grab For Josephine Hover, Colorado State University alumna, CSU’s attention from day one. professional veterinary medicine student and owner and creator of “They had everything going on,” Hvambsal said. “I probably POWApparel, all of the above “makes her horny.” would have never gone over to that booth without seeing the “POWApparel features shirts and tank tops for men and ‘What Makes You Horny?’ sign. I walk through campus everyday, women and are all about expressing what you love, what get’s your and there are always a bunch of people handing out flyers. I do heart pumping, what get’s your blood flowing, and what get’s you everything I can to try and avoid them at all costs, but when you horny,” Hover said. see a sign like that, you’ve got to stop and write something.” The combination of Hover’s love for snowboarding and the Though it was the poster board that initially caught Hvambsal’s perfect powder day sparked the idea of POWApparel last spring. attention, the design and quality of the merchandise are what kept “I love to snowboard. I had the perfect, fluffy powder day,” Hover him coming back for more. said. “The sun was out; it was “I walked over to the just beautiful, awesome and booth and met [Barstow], orgasmic. And I thought: who was really cool. I liked one ‘Powder makes me horny. I shirt that featured a drawing need to put that on a shirt!’” of a piece of paper with the Hover presented the idea word ‘GNAR’ going through ~josephine hover, owner and creator of powapparel of a new edgy clothing line the shredder on it,” Hvambsal that expressed her passions not only for snowboarding, but for all kinds said. “But I didn’t have any money, so I came back the next day. They of intense sports to fellow CSU alumus and boyfriend Eric Barstow. ended up selling the T-shirt I was going to buy to [Barstow’s] roommate.” “When [Hover] came home and was telling me about all this, When Hvambsal returned to buy his shirt, Barstow pulled I initially thought of Johnny Cupcakes who came and spoke at the some strings. student center a couple of years ago,” Barstow said. “I thought the “[Barstow] just took the shirt I wanted from his roommate to ideas she was telling me were totally catchy, edgy and just fit.” give it to me,” Hvambsal said. “He called me a couple days later Inspired by T-shirt entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes, the and was like, ‘Hey, I’m headed to campus, do you want to meet up partnership strives to create a cool niche that targets hardcore so I can give you your shirt?’” skiers, snowboarders, hikers, bikers and so on. Apparently POWApparel had good customer service down “I wanted to create shirts that aren’t obvious, that make you from day one, as well. look twice and ask the person wearing it what the hell it means,” With a tag line that reads, “What Makes You Horny?” customers Hover said. “Shirts that if you shared the same passion and drive can expect shirts and tank tops that POWApparel claims will make would make sense right away. Kind of like a bunch of little inside your grandmother blush, but you get it because you’re hardcore. jokes that only snowboarders or cyclists would get.” For their first line of shirts they focused on powder sports and Hover and Barstow realized that they were determined to narrowed it down to five designs for men and women including: express what they loved, their passions, on shirts for the world to “Powder Makes Me Horny,” “Powder Slut,” “Goofy & Proud,” see. They scraped together what little money they had and officially “The Tighter The Better” and “Shred The GNAR.” registered POWApparel as a business in August 2010. While they focused on getting the powder line ready for Their first goal was to have shirts ready to sell by the 2010 Plaza the 2010/2011 ski season, POWApparel isn’t just limited to Bazaar, a CSU event that hosted over 25 vendors on the plaza from winter sports. Hover is also an avid cycler and along with fellow Aug. 23 to Aug. 27. professional veterinarian medical students. She has conquered Hover and Barstow got their planners out. various mountain passes on her bicycle this summer including: “We mapped out what we needed to do each week in order to Cameron, Vail, Loveland and Independence Pass. have shirts ready for the Plaza Bazaar,” Barstow said. “Then we broke “To truly conquer a pass I believe you have to ride it up and it down into really small tasks, like have 20 designs by this day, narrow down from both directions, hence the creation of the ‘I Go Both it down to five by this day and perfect them by this day. Then, need to Ways’ and ‘I Love My Granny’ shirts for cyclers,” said Hover. order them by this day to have them for our first event!” POWApparel has lots of shirt ideas in the works for all of the A task that may have seemed daunting to some was reduced to sports that get them going. “I Get High” and “I Like To Go Down” a few basic strategies for Hover and Barstow. for hikers, “Wakeboarding Gets Me Wet,” and “26.2 Miles Makes “We did some super planning,” Barstow jokes. Me Horny” for runners, just to name a few. The team made their first sale to freshman human development It is apparent in their overwhelming sales numbers that large and family studies major Ty Hvambsal at CSU. companies, like Burton and Dakine, have controlled the skiing
powder makes me horny. i need to put that on a shirt.
design by kelly bleck
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and snowboarding fashion market with their “uniquely similar” designs. Hvambsal thinks it is refreshing to see a local, grassroots fashion label like POWApparel dive into something new. “I grew up in Steamboat Springs snowboarding. A lot of the brands are all the same. ey have the weird design that says their name. POWApparel was different, and I liked it,” Hvambsal said. “It was simple but still nice, and they had comfortable and quality fabric.” In fact, the shirt is so nice it motivates an 18-year-old college student to do his laundry regularly. “I schedule when I do my laundry around when my POWApparel shirt is dirty. I wear it like every other day,” Hvambsal said. Aside from the sayings on their shirts and tank tops, Hover and Barstow really wanted to sell a product, that no matter what it says, customers will still want to wear because they are comfortable. ey found their match with Next Level Apparel, a supplier of fashion blanks in the U.S. market. “It’s not your basic, crappy t-shirt,” Barstow said. “ e biggest feedback we get from people is that our shirts are super comfortable and soft.” Despite the fact that POWApparel is still a very new and small business, Hover and Barstow have big future plans. Five years from now, but hopefully sooner, Barstow and Hover hope to expand their clothing line. “I’d like to spread even bigger and have all types of equipment like biking jerseys, scarves, beanies, jackets, gloves and pants. e sky is the limit. It would be cool to have a store, but right now we’re selling exclusively online, by word of mouth and out of the trunk of my car on the mountain,” Hover jokes. ough expansion plans may be a few years away, Hover and Barstow are building strong stepping-stones in the right direction. In fact, the pair is already receiving orders in for more shirts due to the popularity of some of their designs. “ e first day I wore my shirt, I had a lot of people stop me and ask, ‘What’s that design,’ or ‘What’s going on with your shirt?’” Hvambsal said. “Everyone thought my shirt was awesome, and I texted [Barstow] to figure out how they could get some shirts because they all wanted one.” e sky may be the limit for expansion, but finding the time to balance their very busy lives can sometimes be a challenge. “In addition to POWApparel, I’m an introduction leader for an international training and development company,” Barstow said. “I’m also an independent representative for a network marketing company and own my own painting company.” And Hover is equally as busy as a third year veterinary student at CSU and running another business as an independent consultant with Slumber Parties. With more successful projects than most can handle, Hover assures that the partnership takes time, no matter what, to relax for at least an hour each day. And both Hover and Barstow modestly credit the help and influence for their website, designs and slogans to their friends. “A lot of our shirt requests came from our friends because they are all really supportive of us, and everyone we’ve shared the idea with thinks it’s awesome,” Barstow said. “Sharing our ideas with the people we know and seeing their responses has been the biggest influence.” As successful entrepreneurs, students, artists and business owners, Hover and Barstow have advice that holds merit in the path to success. “Work on personal development. ere are tons of opportunities to really put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone,” Barstow said. “If you can go through college and do a lot of projects that give you the confidence and skills for the real world, just take that risk.” As Hover agrees, she also stresses the importance of not putting off whatever it is you want to do. “Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you do them, just do it!”
josephine hover and eric barstow, owners of powapparel, model their t-shirt designs.
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The Purrr-fect Coffee Shop
S
by laura esposito
An eclectic environment is home to the masses
prawled out on a handmade wooden bench that is brilliantly polished to show off every last grain, Mark Williams, owner of Alley Cat coffee shop, speaks in low tones to a long time friend. The downstairs outdoor patio is currently deserted and the clear strings of lights that dangle from the rooftop await their turn to glow as the sun retreats. Williams is dressed in a blue button down shirt open to the second hole, a pair of black dress pants and brown sandals. His hair is a mass of dusty brown curls and his glasses are perched on the bridge of his nose. He speaks meaningfully and fully engaged until he bids his friend a warm goodbye. For Williams, the Alley Cat is not only his work, but his life, and each detail that he has added to this incognito coffee house reflects his laid back personality, constant need for change and desire for a new type of gathering. “I started it because I love community and wanted a place to hang out late at night and play chess, or sit and read, or just be out without smoke, alcohol, TV, or loud obnoxious music,” Williams said in an e-mail interview. “A place to play a game, meet someone and have a conversation.”
photo by sam noblett
design by rachel wilde
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on previous page: barista cassandra (sandy) shell gestures toward the extensive menu behind the counter at alley cat. shell has worked at the cat for six and a half years. right: alley cat owner mark williams poses in front of the counter at his coffee shop, which he started seven years ago.
photos by sam noblett
Williams started the coffee shop seven years ago. It has developed on its own to offer an environment that caters to people from every niche of the human spectrum, with the bonus of being the only café open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. “When we first opened, we were only open until 2 a.m. for the first five months,” Williams said. “Then one night I went to lock up and the door just broke. Like the whole lock broke. So I just said to hell with it lets stay open 24/7.” To the untrained eye, the Alley Cat may seem hectic and bustling with people and Williams may have a care free spirit, but he keeps a meticulous eye on the working of his shop. Williams analyzes seating arrangements and staff personalities to make sure the Cat runs like a well-oiled café machine. “I’m constantly paying attention to the number of people that are in one area and the seating arrangements,” Williams said. “The big curvy bar that we [used to have] actually worked better in a hookah bar in Greeley so I replaced that space with booths. A place that originally only held two to three people max can now hold 12.” Places such as Habitat for Humanity in Loveland, Colo. and the occasional garage sale have provided the majority of the eclectic furnishings. “I like to change things up because I think things can get stale after a while,” Williams said. “I just picked up a rocking chair for super cheap. I didn’t think the Cat needed a rocking chair but then I sat in it as was like, ‘Ya, the Cat needs a rocking chair’.” Every piece of furniture is unique and changes at a frequent pace, overhung by low, mini glass chandeliers offering more intimate lighting. There is a mish-mash of card tables, wooden booths, folding chairs and a giant green velvet sofa. All is overseen by the mass of painted on, drawn on or collaged ceiling tiles. “I used to say that we had the largest art collection in Fort 14
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Collins,” Williams said. “All of the tiles are from a unique artist. No one has done more than one tile unless of course they did a series like some of the ones we have by the windows.” This miscellaneous collection of color and objects meet the coffee-drinker, musician, artist or visiting personality after climbing the outside stairs. The melody of the latest music track the barista staff has decided to play that day whirls around the rooms, of which each wall is painted a different color and contain shelves of games, books and paintings. “My baristas have free reign. They get to dress how they want, play the music that they want,” Williams said. “They can even have theme days if they want to. I think a couple of weeks ago they had a cowboy theme day.” Although Williams gives baristas this unique freedom, he begins by choosing their shifts carefully. “I pick the people who like to listen more to work the mornings and they’re usually really chill. The afternoon shift is all about production. So the people I pick to work may be a little rough but they can get stuff done,” Williams said. “The fourth shift is all about the ‘look at me’ attitude.” Luke Trumble, a barista, said that the Alley Cat is unique for many reasons, but the people who work there and who come in are the biggest reason why it is so different from other coffee houses. “[The Alley Cat] evolves and changes with the different people that come in, not just one or two. Crazier things happen that wouldn’t happen in a more straightforward business where there is someone at the top telling everyone what to do,” Trumble said. The shop allows their baristas to bring their specific talents to the table and make the drinks that they know best. If one barista knows how to make kombucha they are allowed to try and make it at the Cat. “It’s giving that power to some one that they wouldn’t normally be given because they don’t want to take that risk,” Trumble said. “But here we say just do it. So we have home made kombucha, chai, vegan chai, ginger tea and a new bakery. If you give people the ability to do it, they will make it for you.” These specialties and unique personalities add to the atmosphere. For barista Cassandra Shell, the Alley Cat is a “diamond in the rough.” Working there for six and a half years, on and off, Shell has seen it evolve and has recognized the wide array of customers and employees that call the Cat home. As each hour passes at the Cat, the people who frequent the upstairs café shift. The afternoon crowd brings students and study groups and the night crowd is when things get a little crazy. The crowd in front of the giant map of the world on the far back wall continually shifts. “Two a.m. is when all of the freaks and subcultures come out. They’re the people who only come out at night and stay until 6 a.m. and then go back and hibernate the day away,” Williams said. “You know what I mean? The stay at home moms aren’t going to come out at 2 a.m.” The Cat has expanded and grown into a personality all its own
due to these shifting, interacting groups. “I think the Alley Cat was an idea that [Williams] had and then it just exploded and he went on with it because he creates these projects and then just runs with it,” Shell said. “He just sets the foundation for it and then puts what he needs inside of it and then it just kind of flourishes from there.” The Cat is now a family. Regulars, such as Mail Man Mike, make the alley coffee shop what it is. Mail Man Mike has been frequenting the Cat for seven years, tightening and fixing the strings of the two house guitars before Williams even knows they’re broken. The house guitars are there for patrons, adding some acoustic beats to the atmosphere. “Sometimes the guitars get stolen but they always come back, almost always anyway,” Williams said. “This one time one got taken and I spread the word that it had gone missing and asked people if they knew where it was. I ended up finding the house where it was so I rang the doorbell and said, ‘Hey, you borrowed my guitar, mind if I borrow it back?’” The long time friend Williams was meeting with while sprawled on the bench is one of the relationships that has been garnered by the shop. “This one kid came here homeless and I’ve just watched him grow up since he was 19, now he’s 25 and one of my closest friends. You just can’t beat the relationships that you find here,” Williams said. Williams has managed to blend together his business mind with a tranquil soul to bring the community a coffee shop they can interact with, and in, and also where they can enter a relatable atmosphere at any time of the day. “I think people can really express themselves here and be who they want to be,” Williams said. “We get to view people in their natural habitats, and they’re just people, and people are interesting. They get to come here and not play a role. I think that these walls are a little safer than that for you to be what you want.”
csu alumnus bryan stover works at a table in the alley cat oct. 13.
photos by sam noblett
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by logan triesch
Creative Co-ops
he cool November breeze gently swirls one’s hair walking though the festive Trimble Court Alley. e planters overflow with colorful vines as the orange leaves of fall sweep the path in a festive dance. Turning in toward the big open glass window, all one’s thoughts lead to home, family and warmth by the hearth. e door clicks quietly as it glides open, and a feeling of warmth overcomes one’s heart as he or she gazes at the feast of artwork entering the Trimble Court Artisans Co-op. e co-op is filled with diverse artwork that varies from pottery to jewelry, and paintings to wooden carvings. A co-operative business, commonly known as a co-op, is defined by the International Co-operative Alliance, as an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly- diane findley, president owned and democraticallycontrolled enterprise. Colorado State University alumna and president of the Trimble Court Artisans Co-op, Diane Findley has found that being involved in the co-op has proven to be a positive experience for the members that have come to work, own and love their art, as well as the co-op. “We all contribute in different ways and people love Trimble Court for different reasons. It is a real kinship and a family kind of feeling,” Findley, a potter, said. “People really invest in Trimble Court, because they get so much out of it, so much out of their relations with other members.” Trimble Court Artisans Co-op was started in 1971, amidst the campus riots and political unrest that plagued CSU, which had 16
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trimble court artisans co-op has painted it’s way since 1971
pressed on since the early 1960s. One group of CSU student artists wanted to rise up against the violence and give back to the community of Fort Collins. is group of artists went to Martha Trimble, a CSU social studies professor at the time, in hopes of finding a place to start their co-op. Trimble was so moved by this group of humble students that she rented her space on Trimble Court Alley to this group of artists for $1 a year. Trimble’s generosity is what drove the co-op to success and is something that Findley still believes the co-op thrives off of. “I believe in the spirit of Martha Trimble; I believe she is watching us,” Findley said. “I really do not know why we are so lucky, it is just that Martha is taking care of us, in the after life.” Trimble Court is known for its wide variation in unique style of of trimble court artisan co-op artwork. Findley described the various styles of artwork that have travelled through the shop since she became a member after she graduated with a bachelor in Fine Arts in 1976. “We used to sell barbie doll clothes, there you go, where on earth could you find barbie doll clothes? It has always been high quality and hand-crafted, even if it was barbie doll dresses,” Findley said. Potter Neil Celani finds the environment is helpful with improving members’ art and getting it out to the world. “Since I have been in Trimble Court I have been able to push my work a lot further,” Celani, 26, said. “It has really just been great with all the people I have been working with there.”
“it is a real kinship and a family kind of feeling. people really invest in trimble court because they get so much out of their relations with other members.”
Manager and jewelry artist Jill Benedict explained how Trimble Court Artisan Co-op is set apart from other galleries in town. e co-op now hosts 52 members and their artwork, whom can be found working in the co-op throughout the month. “It is really nice to have a co-op because we have 52 members here in the store,” Benedict said. “We all take turns working in the store, so we have 52 people to help out when something needs done, or we have a new idea about the store, or we want to go in a different direction. We have 52 people we can ask to help us.” A co-op is a popular way of being involved in a business. According to the International Co-operative Alliance, one in four people in the United States have part ownership in a co-op. Garrett Carr, CSU alumus, is the fundraising coordinator of Hammertime Tool Co-op and has found that having the business as a co-op has created a diverse atmosphere in decision making. “A beautiful part of the co-op is that you have so many different individuals,” Carr, 24, said. “We have such a variety of personalities that obviously, people are going to have their differences between each other and to create these meetings, we can come together and talk about it in a way that we can make decisions together.” A major aspect of co-ops is that their business is geared towards keeping everything local. Benedict illuminated how Fort Collins residents come to their shop for that locality. “[People who] live in Fort Collins love to support local artists so they know to come to our store,” Benedict said. “I think people are trying to support local and we are as local as you can get.” A way that Fort Collins residents can get involved in buying local artwork is the Art Walk, which is held on the first Friday
of every month in Old Town. e Art Walk is often filled with live music, artists painting on the street, special art shows for students, as well as magicians and other personalities that come to entertain. Trimble Court has a special reception during the Art Walk in which a member of the co-op is featured in the front area. “Every month is always revolving and changing and it is up to the artists to sign up,” Benedict said. “We really encourage our new members to do it. It is really up to the artist of how to display it, so they can pick a theme and the pieces for it.” Artists found in the co-op were specially selected by a committee of eight members that consider different aspects of the artwork, submitted through an online application process in which one must include samples of their artwork in one of the four months that they jury: January, April, July or October. “We are always looking for that new, fabulous artist. Even though you go in our store, it is just jam packed and you can not imagine where you would put another thing,” Findley said. e Trimble Court Artisan Co-op is a place where people have been able to find various types of artwork from local artists for 39 years and will continue to be a starting point for those new artists that are getting out in the world. “I would just like Trimble Court to stay strong and provide that spring board that new artists have to belong and be able to sell their work, that is why we were established,” Findley said. “You would not think you could get 50 plus people to all link arms and march in the same direction but, knock on wood, with any luck at all, we will just keep going.”
above: hidden away in old town, trimble court artisans co-op is accessible through an alley-way just off of laporte and college. left: on display at the trimble court artisan co-op, jan igaki’s clay trolls make a great addition to the artwork in the co-op.
photos by natasha leadem
above: while working at trimble court, joan kinney reorganizes her pottery display.
design by logan triesch
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e legtou Bustioneesnstrpepreneurs V ne f groviOen d s rin
by kate frasure
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Col als ament fund
magine. You are in an elevator and you have just 90 seconds business idea and see if it is really an opportunity, she says. to pitch an idea that you have spent all of your free hours “Students might have 10 ideas but usually will find out seven of on. An idea you fully believe in and hope to become a those are not really opportunities,” she says. reality. Just 90 seconds to persuade an investor to believe in From De Tienne’s class, students move onward into the new your new venture. venture creation course which takes them through the process of This is reality for young entrepreneurs. They have just an building a complete business plan. Through the whole process elevator ride or a walk from a building to a car to pitch an idea. It’s students are able to work on their original idea they came up with in a 50/50 chance but these entrepreneurs have to start somewhere to De Tienne’s course. According to De Tienne, many CSU students make their idea a reality. even start their business while they are still in school. The Colorado State University College of Business helps De Tienne says research shows self employed individuals have higher students get the fundamentals they levels of personal satisfaction than those need to start a business. Students who are employed by a larger company. A work through three different study done in 2000 by the University of “Those who go into courses to earn an entrepreneurship Arizona looked at 15 years of entrepreneur certificate when they graduate. Each business for themselves education and found that students who course helps students turn their idea earn an entrepreneur education actually work a lot but have into a business plan in addition to increase their average earned income by teaching practical skills needed to about 20 percent compared to regular more flexibility. You start up a business. can choose to work half business school graduates. business for “The courses allow students to “Those who go into days and it doesn’t start generating ideas and identifying themselves work a lot but have flexibility,” areas in the market place where they De Tienne says. “You can choose to work matter what twelve can start a business,” professor Dawn half days and it doesn’t matter what 12 hours of the day De Tienne says. hours of the day you work.” De Tienne teaches the Even with the current recession and you work.” introductory course, fundamentals of unemployment rate, De Tienne says -Dawn De Tienne entrepreneurship. In this course, she entrepreneurs get greater enjoyment out of has students look beyond the U.S. their jobs because they have higher levels of to see how entrepreneurship occurs challenge and pride in their work. around the globe. Students find that many poor countries create Exchange student Sofia Saeed plans on starting her own public more opportunity for new ventures, or businesses, because people relations business within the Karachi University Business School in create them out of necessity rather than just for profit. The class Pakistan when she returns home in a year. Saeed’s business venture also looks at the different types of entrepreneurship such as social is very personal. Many women in Karachi are now pursuing college and for-profit. De Tienne says she strives to have students look at and making it in but they are not able to gain the training they more than just creating their own business. need to make it in their careers so they just become housewives Students in De Tienne’s class also must give a 90 second according to Saeed. elevator pitch to the class. The exercise forces them to evaluate their “They don’t really see their career in business and they don’t
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really know what they have to do,” she says. Saeed, 21, wants to change this by becoming a consultant to help students at the Karachi University get the experience they need. “I just want them to get exposure and plan something and think about their careers.” After just one month at CSU, Saeed feels that the college of business has already helped her business idea seem practical. “I have to start my business now,” she says. According to De Tienne, the courses are designed to help foster those that feel entrepreneurship is a career choice. Not only does CSU offer courses in entrepreneurship, it also provides access to professors who conduct research in the entrepreneur field and have been entrepreneurs themselves. De Tienne started an excavation business in northern Colorado in 1983. In 1999 she sold the company and made all sorts of mistakes, she said. Now, she researches entrepreneurial exit, or how to effectively sell off your business, and passes along her experience as well as her research to her students. “Having faculty that have experience helps for examples and credibility with the students,” she says. “This doesn’t happen at a lot of colleges.” The CSU business school is currently the highest ranked public university program in the state of Colorado according to De Tienne. Due to the relatively low cost of the College of Business compared to the University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of Denver, De Tienne says the value of the money is really high. “You are getting what the ranking suggests is the best public school and you are getting it for a relatively small amount of money.” CSU also offers students a networking opportunity through the entrepreneur club on campus. Club president Amy Darte says the club is versatile in the way it allows members to get what they want out of the experience by bringing in speakers, offering advice and providing networking opportunities. “It is a really fun group to be involved with,” Darte says. “It gets people with the entrepreneurial mindset to team up.” The club is open to all majors since many majors like engineering can evolve into entrepreneurial businesses. The club allows members to pitch their ideas and get feedback. Darte says it is also great to have people come in and tell their start-up stories. With all the opportunities CSU offers, it is not hard for students to make their ideas a reality and with well-established professors that offer a wealth of experience, research students like Saeed are able to return to their hometowns and make a difference. According to De Tienne it is not just the courses and professors that give the College of Business its high ranking, but the students within the college. “We have really good students in the College of Business with the highest GPA and ACT scores,” De Tienne says. “We are pretty proud of our students.”
What Can You Do to Improve Your Odds?
Dawn De Tienne offers up some quick tips for those interested in starting their own business. Her biggest advice is to get an education and spend some time in the industry you want to start your business in.
1. Start with enough capital. 2. Get educated. De Tienne says you don’t have to get an education from a college like CSU. “There are lots of different ways to get an entrepreneur education,” she says. “You want to learn what has made other people successful.” 3. Get experience in the industry you want to start your business in. 4. Understand the need to differentiate your business. De Tienne says that every business needs to differentiate itself in some way. It could offer different services, better quality, lower cost, etc. It just needs to be different. 5. Partner with individuals that have unique or different resources. 6. Use non-traditional marketing techniques like Facebook and blogs. 7. Develop and access networks. 8. Use available resources. De Tienne suggests the databases offered on campus, as well as libraries and professors. She also suggests checking out the Colorado Business Resource Guide.
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by aliese willard
Never Late is Better
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hey say the early bird gets the worm. I say, “Gross. He can have it.” Call me what you will: tardy, late or behind. I am that person. The one who sprints/rides/drives like Dominic Toretto in “The Fast and the Furious,” cursing the minutes on her watch. The one who tiptoes into a back row seat because lecture has already started. The one who sends, “Oops sry Im going 2 B late” texts to people she’s meeting. My friends snicker or roll their eyes on the rare occasions when I do arrive on schedule. “Wow. No way. You’re on time?!” they ask. I may as well have climbed Mount Everest blindfolded or become a linebacker for the Broncos. And though I am exaggerating a little – I am usually right on time or a few minutes after – I know it’s a problem when other people notice. One of my teammates on the cross country team even went as far as to plan a five to 10 minute buffer period when she drove me to practice, just to accommodate my tardiness. And I’m not alone. According to a San Francisco State University study conducted by Diana DeLonzor, a nationally recognized time management expert, around 20 percent of the U.S. population is chronically late, a number that can mean serious consequences for work productivity. On average, U.S. businesses lose about $3 million per year due to late employees, and DeLonzor also noted that if an employee shows up late by 10 minutes each day for a year, it can amounts to one week’s paid vacation. Though the study was conducted in 1997, the numbers are more relevant than ever. In recent years, habitual lateness in the workplace has increased. In a 2005 article for HR magazine, DeLonzor cited a survey she conducted of human resource managers, in which 73 percent reported tardiness to be getting worse. Their main reasons were low employee morale and increased family and work responsibilities, which I can identify with. I am a very busy person. Between school, Division I athletics and editing for the magazine, every now and then a lapse in punctuality is inevitable. But such is life. Plenty of other people manage to fit in jobs, exercise, education and social obligations in their daily lives and still make it on time. My issue is not just a demanding schedule: for me, lateness is a learned habit. It may be somewhat of a time-honored tradition in my family. I have fond memories of driving to school with my dad and three brothers, brown-bag lunch in hand, always a minute or two after the bell rang. But on the especially late days we would craft elaborate excuses. One time, we were detained by aliens that looked like baked potatoes and held us up with laser guns.
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photo illustration by chelsea dunfee
Another time it was Betty the Yeti. Then I would scurry into my elementary school, cheeks pink from the cold and embarrassment from the two dozen pairs of eyes that witnessed my walk of shame to my desk. One teacher in particular seemed to enjoy my family’s fictional adventures. He would raise an eyebrow as I walked in, and politely ask, “Was it aliens?” I’ve even been late in dreams. During one nightmare in particular I walked in late and sans clothing to church. The holy water
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boiled in that one. Luckily, I woke up, but I’ll never forget that horrifying combination of tardiness and nudity in a house of worship. One of my favorite excuses for showing up late is that the world is run by morning people (and with 8 a.m. classes and the general morning-ness that afflicts our society, I still believe this is the case), but in truth my lateness is not a result of the evil morning dictators. I’m late no matter what time of the day it is. I rationalize that my lateness is acceptable because I have so many other fine qualities. For the most part I’m a good student, I go to class, obey traffic laws and brush my teeth. Because I follow all the rules, my mind gives me a subconscious “get out of jail free card.” I’m good in everything else, so we can let the punctuality go a little. I also hate waiting, and see no reason why I should have to be early. Why be 15 minutes early and wait for the action, when I could instead be right on time and do more of the things I want to do? In theory, it should work. But something always gets in the way, hence the excuses. Seriously, I am aware of the fact that this could hurt me, even though it is never my intention to be rude or disrespectful. Though one of my friends thinks my lateness is an “endearing quality,” I doubt future employers will think the same. And it’s
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downright hypocritical that I dislike waiting, but subject other people to do just that when I’m late. In order to change my ways, I have devised some solutions. First, I am admitting that I have a problem, since part of breaking a habit is acknowledging that you have one. Solution #1 was to set my watch ahead by a few minutes. It doesn’t really work. Solution #2 is that I could move to Peru, where being late is a national tradition (adherents to hora Peruana, or “Peruvian time,” are often an hour late to appointments). But since I’m terrible at speaking spanish, I woll most likely adopt solution #3, which is to follow DeLonzor’s tips for being on time, or even read a copy of her book “Never Be Late Again.” I have always thought that I was above self-help books, but it’s about time that I be on time.
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aliese willard is the features editor for college avenue magazine. she showed up late to the photo shoot, but always takes a good picture. she tried ordering a used copy of delonzor’s self-help book, “never be late again” online but they would not accept her gift card. figures.
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compiled by eli kolodny
Think You Know Odells?
take this quiz. win some beer.
Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q:
photo by kate wilson
Name the two different types of hops we use on a regular basis. Name all three points, during the production process, when we add hops to our beer. What brew house vessel do we use to infuse whole flower hops into our beer? What liquid flows in a jacket around our fermentation vessels and allows us to control the temperature inside? What compound do we use to filter our beer? We age our Bourbon Barrel Stout in first-use barrels from what distillery?
E-mail your answers to [email protected] We’ll announce one winner per week for five weeks on our website and Facebook page so make sure to keep checking! Winners will be randomly picked from a pool of those who correctlyanswered all, or most, of the questions. E-mail format: Subject - Odells quiz. Include in the body of the e-mail: name, age, answers (1-6) and best contact information.
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HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP
by laura esposito, kate frasure, kate wilson
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new brewery leads the way, continues healthy trends in beer
photo by kate wilson
his tawny orange beer pours with a rocky white head. Aromas of passion fruit, tangerine, and black pepper hit the nose. Flavor is a cascade of orange, lemon verbena, ginger and pepper. And in a second it is gone, finishing with a dry and lingering bitterness that awaits another sip. So says the description of what to expect on the Funkwerks Brewery website when you first encounter their Saison Belgian Style Ale. Funkwerks Brewery, set to open in December of 2010 at 1900 E. Lincoln, joins the Fort Collins, Colo. community alongside other big names in microbrewing such as New Belgium, Odell’s and Fort Collins Brewery. Owners of the new company, Gordon Schuck and Brad Lincoln, believe that those same breweries have laid the ground work for the creation and future success of their Saison beer. “You have New Belgium kind of paving the way, when you talk to people they actually know what a Saison is,” Lincoln said. “This has been really great for us; this is probably the only town in the country I can think of that we could do a Saison focused brewery.” Lincoln, originally an accountant in Portland, Wash., always had an interest in home brewing but didn’t consider going into the industry of beer until after auditing a maltster and distributor. “I discovered that the best part of the craft brewing industry is
on the brewing side,” Lincoln said. “The breweries and the brewers themselves kind of have the most fun with it.” Schuck won a gold medal at the National Home Brew competition for his Saison style beer. After Shuck and Lincoln met one another, they decided to focus their energy on being a Saison brewery rather than incorporating other styles of beer. Saison beer, originated by farmers in Europe, is making a comeback for its strong, dry flavors that are unfiltered with a fruity, spicy kick. Uniquely, the beer includes organic hops and malts, with yeast as the only inorganic element. Yeast is often very difficult to work with, but the French Saison strain is easier to handle and ferments all of the sugars down to nothing. By providing consumers with an unfiltered, 75 percent organic beer, the health benefits significantly increase. “If you drink unfiltered beer, it keeps a lot of health properties. Really what they are filtering out is all the tannins and antioxidants and all those healthy things that we know are healthy in every other food,” said Ali Hamm, Colorado State University alumna who graduated with a master’s in horticulture and a master of brewery certificate. “Especially if you have unfiltered beer, it keeps those molecules so it also keeps yeast in the beer, and yeast has all of these B vitamins.” design by joey gudenas
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photos by kate wilson
According to Lincoln, organic beer is not only his brewing preference but also a sign of quality for him. He and Schuck are committed to putting the best product on the market for the community. “It has become a lot easier to do organic because you have a lot more of the malt varieties out there than there were 10 to 15 years ago,” Lincoln said. Organic hops not only pack an antioxidant punch when you drink them, but growing organic crops is also beneficial for the land and farmers because it keeps diseases and pests under control in the long run. It is a perennial crop, much like an orchard, where plants can live much longer if started organically. “By starting off organic in the right location you don’t have any really serious diseases and pests, but if you start off conventionally you have to spray and then pests become resistant to sprays,” Hamm said. “Then you almost have no choice but to keep spraying.” Hamm said that generally, when inorganic hops are sprayed with chemicals, they don’t carry over into the beer. However, a harmless sulfur taste may transfer into the brew. Funkwerks has made the decision to include a list of their ingredients to the public not only so people can use their recipes and make them on a smaller scale, but also so no one is left in the dark about what is going into their alcoholic beverages. “I think that people have the right to know what’s in their food,” 24
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Schuck said. “If they use genetically modified organisms they should say so on the label. With organics you cannot use any GMOs. I think it’s just a whole paradigm switch from the way farming is that we want to support. That’s why we choose organic.” Another aspect of beer not often brought to light is the fact that health benefits such as anti-cancer properties and high antioxidant levels often found in wine are also found in beer. According to Hamm, hops have a high level of veratrol, the same antioxidants found in wine that comes from the skin of grapes. “All those claims about wine you can equally claim about beer,” Hamm said. “It’s just that the brewing industry hasn’t done an efficient job marketing that like the wine industry has.” Schuck and Lincoln believe that the local health awareness and beer cultures make Fort Collins the best place to introduce their Saison brew. They have plans of marketing their brew outside of Fort Collins to places such as Portland, Oreg., San Francisco, Calif. and New York within the next few years. The pair believes that places like these will appreciate organic quality beer. “We don’t envision ourselves being a huge brewery. Our goal is to make beer as simply as possible. We don’t do filtering; we don’t do any of the other extraneous stuff that other breweries do,” Schuck said. “The ingredients and the yeast make the beer in its own time and its own way.”
WALK ME THROUGH
THE BREW Odells 9-step brewing process.
barley and 1 Malted they can bewheat are run through the mill so lightly crushed. Mash Tun the grains in hot 2 The30 minutessoaks sugary watertheirwater for until they release sugars into the water. This is called wort, and is transferred into a brew kettle to be heated again for 90 minutes.Their whole flower and pellet hops may also be added during this process.
Odell’s 9 step brewing process.
strained 3 aThe wort iscalled thethrough hop flowers in technique hopback. cooled, the wort continues on 4 After beingbarrel fermentors.and produces to two 50 Yeast is introduced to soak up the sugar
alcohol and CO2.The beer sits for a week at 67 degrees Fahrenheit and then another two weeks at 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
like Barrel and 5 Someofbeersextra Odellsof5hops thePale Aletea IPA get an dose by adding bags whole hop flowers to fermentor. This is known as dry hopping. beer then 6 Theremoveisthe leftrun through a screen filter to over yeast. 7 CO2 is added to” the beer for carbonation in the “bright tank. beer is transferred into sterilized, stain8 The steel kegs at the rate of one keg per less minute. bottled on site at approximately 9 It is thenfilledper minute, which makes about 120 bottles 33,000 bottles per day.
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by emily mccormick
Thinking “Otter” the Box
how one international company fosters hard work with impactful giving
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ith a unique name like OtterBox, people can expect something different. The idea of a hard working atmosphere that fosters a creative lifestyle and allows employees to make an impact while still having fun may be what sets OtterBox apart from its competitors. This is the inspiration that OtterBox CEO and founder Curt Richardson wanted to embrace when starting his business venture in Fort Collins in 1998. OtterBox is a privately owned company that is a leading international innovator of protective solutions for technological devices. With a name that is recognizable to thousands of customers worldwide, the work hard play hard atmosphere isn’t the only thing that makes OtterBox unique. As OtterBox’s success grew in an economic state where many personal and public entities struggled, Richardson and his wife saw this as another opportunity to expand their company even further, but in a way that gave back to the community. “OtterBox has never really had a structure behind our giving. So we felt like it was time to put some bones in our cause,” said Tricia Lemmer, Colorado State University alumna and development director for OtterCares. OtterCares, the charitable arm of OtterBox, has been in the planning process for approximately one year and will officially launch this month with a two-fold purpose: to give back to organizations in the community that have supported OtterBox and to give their employees an outlet to be active in the community. “Curt and Nancy Richardson really felt that because the company is doing so well, we should really give back,” Lemmer said. “Nancy always says, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’” OtterCares is a private foundation that is a separate entity from OtterBox, but is still very tied to the company. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and tax-exempt organization recognized by the IRS. “The goal of OtterCares is to get our employees engaged in the community and direct our charitable giving in a more structured
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manner,” Lemmer said. “Curt and Nancy have always been very giving and have a strong history of giving back to the company.” In the past, OtterBox has impacted the community in smaller ways by giving a little bit here and there, but the company realized they could make an even bigger impact by tying all of their efforts together and focusing them. The mission of the foundation is centered on youth development and education. OtterCares hopes to be seen as a goto organization for support of charitable organizations that serve the youth community. OtterCares believes that if they impact a child early on in their life, they can impact that child for years down the road, possibly inspiring them to pay it forward and make an impact on someone else. “Nancy and Curt really believe that your circumstances do not define you, and if we can help the youth get beyond their circumstances, they can really, truly be successful,” Lemmer said. “The youth is where the biggest change can happen.” The OtterBox Entrepreneurial Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship rewarded to two college-bound Fort Collins students, is a great example of how OtterCares supports the idea of “paying it forward.” The scholarship supports the value of entrepreneurial drive and encourages future business generations. Whether it is scholarships, product donations or sponsorships, OtterBox maintains a friendly relationship with different charitable actions. “We just did a big sponsorship with the Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County, which holds an annual event called ‘A Day for Kids,’” Lemmer said. “We have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but we don’t have a day that really emphasizes the idea that kids have healthy relationships with their adult role models and spend quality time together.” OtterCares worked hard to exceed the demands as presenting sponsor for “A Day for Kids” by providing funding support. As a result of their efforts, all of the participants got to play hard – for free.
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“It was like a carnival,” Lemmer said. “We had games and local vendors, and bounce castles.” Though OtterCares strives to keep the majority of their focus on their youth mission, the organization recently challenged their employees with a “Get it, Grow it, Give it Challenge.” This new employee challenge was an opportunity to give back to the community in unison with the OtterCares foundation launch this month. “We have given every employee a $200 grant certificate to give to the charity of their choice, and we have also challenged them to grow it in some way by either raising additional funds, or donating some time,” Lemmer said. “Just in some way grow that donation and make it greater than what we offered. This allows our donations to be outside of the youth focus, because we have allowed our employees to choose any organization that they want as long as it is a nonprofit.”
much a part of everyone’s focuses. Every Otter employee is very dedicated, but it is fun because I think we all do work so hard.” In order to keep the innovative and active culture of the company alive, OtterBox employees are constantly challenged to value the community that they relate much of their success to. “We are constantly striving to build a positive image of our company, not only in the community, but now nationally and internationally,” Vater said. “We are supported by a lot of grass roots, word of mouth, and our strong desire to succeed.” Aside from the pride Lemmer takes in OtterBox’s evolutionary products that take technological casing to a whole different level, she is thrilled to be a part of a company that really cares. “To me, OtterBox and OtterCares represent working for a company that really cares about the community around them and it is important to them that their employees value the company as well. Not a lot of companies can say that.”
Known as an innovator of protective solutions for the leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors, OtterBox carries three lines of device-specific cases: Defender Series, Commuter series, and Impact Series. Here is a break down of what each series is about, as seen on their website:
Lemmer explained the unique opportunity that Curt and Nancy create in making sure their employees are bought into the vision and direction of the company, creating an atmosphere which values what each employee has to say. “Curt is a person who has not only seen directly what is in front of him and what that next step is, but he is also able to look two or three steps down the road and say, ‘Look, this is where I want to be in the future, and this is what we need to do to get there,’” Jordan Vater, OtterBox’s public relations support specialist, said. Always knowing where the company is headed makes OtterBox, a now international company with an official office in Cork, Ireland, feel like home to roughly 240 employees in Fort Collins. Lemmer believes that an employee’s unique position at Otterbox creates a stress free environment, where people have the personal incentive to succeed. Amy Inglis, Otter Relations consultant, agrees. “Everyone here is very driven, focused and works very hard. It is a very fun place to be,” Inglis said. “The work hard part is very
photo by chelsea dunfee
•Defender Series: RUGGED: Multi-layer case completely encloses a device and withstands any environment. •Commuter Series: STYLISH: Sleek and tough case prevents potential damage from a demanding lifestyle. •Impact Series: DURABLE: Simple silicone skin absorbs impact and deflects bumps and dings.
design by
vincent nigro
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by allison lecain
Fix & Flip
alking into a house with stained carpet, himself. However, on some of the more difficult work he no working appliances and paint chips subcontracted professionals. as far as the eye can see doesn’t usually In order to ensure that a profit will be made, there are make people think, “this is the house several things to be sure of. Hardy said it is important that for me.” But the house picked to fix and flip is fix and flippers have a game plan undervalued for the neighborhood for this house – a strategy that will that it is in. ese homes are usually make them a huge profit. the product of foreclosure, short sale A fix and flip is a house opportunities and, when people need someone buys that is undervalued to sell their house quickly, they often and in need of repairs. e person price it below market value. fixes it up and sells the house for e house that Soukop picked much more than they paid for it, was in a good neighborhood but was sometimes making a decent profit. ~ erik hardy, broker associate/partner of the more run down than the other houses group inc. real estate Patrick Soukup, senior accounting major, did his first fix and flip two summers ago with a friend. “ e house was very dated and clearly had bathrooms and A STEP-BY-STEP HOW-TO a kitchen straight from the 70’s,” Soukup said. “We replaced FIX AND FLIP GUIDE the floor in the kitchen and most of the two bathrooms.” When Soukup did his fix and flip, he got lucky that according to Erik Hardy the house had just gotten a new roof, so his main points of focus were the bathrooms and kitchen. Erik Hardy, broker associate/partner of e Group Step One: Do your homework on the Inc. Real Estate agrees with Soukop that bathrooms and market in that neighborhood kitchen are the big ticket items that will raise the property value the fastest. Also, homes with structural issues usually Step Two: Identify the property you will not be picked to fix and flip because it is just too want to purchase much to take on. “Kitchens and bathrooms are always the biggest return Step Three: Identify the repairs and on your investments,” Hardy said. “ ose are the places improvements you want to make on the that people look at first and that’s where you can really make an impact.” property Hardy said that buyers will also be looking at the roof, the furnace and the water heater as their main concerns. Step Four: Build your budget e outside appearance of a house can significantly impact how fast it sells, so Soukop focused heavily on landscaping. Step Five: Hire subcontractors and “ e outside had some overgrown foliage that was easy get work done to fix with some simple landscaping,” Soukup said. In addition, Soukup did a lot of painting in the house
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from trash to treasure
“a job well done on a fix and flip should profit 10 to 15 percent of the original cost.”
Step Six: Market and sell the property
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quickly if you don’t stay on top of your price point,” Hardy said. “You should know going into it exactly how much you can spend to still have a profit at the end, and then be very aggressive on sticking to the budget.” A job well done on a fix and flip should profit 10 to 15 percent of the original cost according to Hardy. It is important to have a 30 to 90 day turn around, from the day the fixer buys the house to the day it is sold. is is important because you will not have to continue paying all the taxes and fees that come with owning a home, in addition to interest if you get a loan. “ e longer it sits on the market, the more interest is accruing for the property that you are going to ultimately have to pay off, which diminishes your profit,” Soukup said. “So you want to get that turn around really quick.” e risks that Soukup said are important to consider are going over budget because of structural problems found later on. at is why it is key to get the property inspected by a professional before starting off. Sriram Villupuram, assistant professor of finance and real estate at CSU, said that miscalculating the cost to fix the property or the future value of the property are common risks of fix and flips. “Sometimes it could simply be because of the underestimation of the problems involved,” Villupuram said. “Every house that you are trying to fix is different and every market and neighborhood where you get this photo by sam noblett opportunity is different.” To avoid such risks, Hardy emphasizes that you on the block, which is a key component to picking the right know what you are doing every step of the way. house to fix and flip. “If you don’t really know the market, you need to work ey purchased the house for $125,000. ey spent $20,000 on all the changes they put into the home and with someone who does, like a realtor,” Hardy said. “Look at fortunately, Soukop’s friend’s dad was able to lend them the homes that have sold in that neighborhood in the past two to three months to know if you will make a profit.” money to finance the project. ough help will be needed, it is possible for anyone to “ at brought us up to about $150,000 expense wise,” e key is doing research and following Soukup said. “We sold the property for $176,000, so we fix and flip a house. through with the plans that are set up. made about $21,000 in three months.” “If a couple of students have the right financing and However glamorous it might be to make tens of thousands of dollars in a few months, three months total for Soukop, the right plan, they could fix and flip two to three houses a summer,” Soukup said. there are risks involved in the fix and flip business. Soukup said that he enjoyed the experience of fixing and Hardy said it is important to have your game plan laid out flipping a house and was excited to turn out such a large profit. before jumping into the project. “ e combination of work, pressure and excitement made “You should have a really good handle on your budget, and stay on top of that because you can get into trouble very it an extremely memorable experience.”
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ust before beginning an eight hour shift, all RamRide drivers and navigators are given three things: car keys, consent forms and a puke bag. While signing up to transport intoxicated students may not seem like an ideal way to spend your Friday night, RamRide is run and operated entirely by student volunteers who don’t seem to mind. “It’s an adventure,” Daniel Boxer, freshman volunteer driver, said. “If you go downtown to Old Town there are a lot of people that just want rides. They will try to get into the car even if they didn’t call.” While RamRide is one of the more widely known resources on campus, it is only one of several provided by CSU student offices. Mainly located in the Lory Student Center, student offices are meant to provide resources for all needs and opportunities for students to get involved with the university. The offices are largely student run, and while each has a particular focus, the underlying theme is giving back to the CSU community.
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photo by natasha leadem
student offices provide valuable campus resources
by natasha leadem
Keep the wheels rolling
RamRide is a program run from the ASCSU office and while many students are aware of the program itself they do not fully understand the role it plays in the community. RamRide was started by ASCSU students during the 2003 to 2004 school year and modeled around Texas A&M’s CARPOOL program. It was meant to provide CSU students with non-judgemental safe rides home and since its beginning RamRide has provided rides for over 100,000 students. “Any CSU student is capable of utilizing RamRide no matter what the circumstances,” co-advisor Kim Grubbs said. “We give a lot of rides to people who have been studying at the library or even students that have just gotten off of their job.” The program relies on weekly student volunteers to take calls, drive the cars and act as navigators for the drivers. While volunteers for RamRide only sign up for one night, the student employees responsible for training these volunteers make a much larger commitment to the program. For Regina Martel, sophomore political science major, her job as director of RamRide entails incredible dedication. This includes a mandatory eight hours a week in the office as well as her obligation to volunteer for at least one eight hour shift out of every weekend, but for Martel time was not an issue. “An eight hour shift can seem really intense, but whenever I’ve worked it time flies because your having fun. There are so many good stories that come out of the night,” Martel said. “It’s really relaxed and laid back. We just kind of hang out and laugh about the funny one liners that come over dispatch.”
Taking part starts in the slice office
Hidden away behind the Campus Information Center in the LSC, some students have never heard of the SLiCE office before, though it is one of the largest student offices on campus. An acronym for Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement the SLiCE office brings various leadership and community involved programs together underneath one name. The whole basis of the SLiCE office is to give back to the CSU community, and surrounding communities through these three approaches. Dropped off in Denver and left to fend for himself for 24 hours, Cody Goings, a senior political science major took volunteering to the next level when he agreed to become homeless for a day. He played the role of a disabled homeless veteran during an alternative break immersion
Utilizing your resources:
Student Diversity Programs and Service Offices
Asian/Pacific American Cultural Center Location: 212 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-6154 Black/African American Cultural Center Location: 204 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-5781 Native American Cultural Center Location: 218 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-1332 Women’s Programs and Studies Location: 112 Student Services, (970) 491-6384 El Centro Location: 211E Lory Student Center, (970) 491-5722
Resources for Disabled Students Location: 100 General Services, (970) 491-6385 Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Resource Center Location: 174 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-4342
Student Government
ASCSU- Associated Students of Colorado State University Location: 109 Lory Student Center (970) 491-5931 www.ascsu.colostate.edu SLiCE- Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement Location: 113 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-1682
program, in which students experience the community they will be working with for an entire week. “The entire time I was homeless nobody even smiled at me,” Goings said. “It made me realize that I need to make sure that I am valuing and respecting people, regardless of the situation they’re in.” Since his experience, Goings was in charge of coordinating Project Homeless Connect, a program that provides resources for the homeless community, as well as coordinator of a leadership exchange program to Merida, Mexico. “SLiCE has supported me in becoming an active and informed community member,” Goings said. “It will give you an opportunity to be involved in something you are passionate about, whatever it is.” With so many contributions to the Fort Collins community, the SLiCE office became the first university office to be selected for the Spirit of Fort Collins Award, honored on Oct. 21 for its dedication to persons with disabilities. SLiCE endorses a Special Needs Swim as well as T.G.I.F, a program where student volunteers work with disabled teenagers in the Fort Collins area.
students ben schraeder, lauren karpiel, sam bowersox-daly, keith colton, chuck gill, nikki cristello, travis schuitt, amy pezzani and charlene olms, as well as members from the larimer county food bank participate in the slice food drive cans around the oval.
photo courtesy of stephanie ashley
Focusing on culture
Coming to a university with a population of 26,500 students can be quite the culture shock for some and a struggle to find their place among such diversity. Each of the seven cultural offices focuses on providing resources, and a safe haven, for students with various cultural backgrounds. “It’s like my second home away from home,” Oswaldo Cantor, a junior construction management major, said about El Centro. In order to promote cultural awareness each office sponsors events and groups specific to their target culture. Nicole Kenote, a junior biomedical science major, participated in an outreach trip to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, a trip sponsored by the Native American Cultural Center. Students involved got the chance to demo scientific experiments for elementary students on the reservation whose schools didn’t have enough money to support interactive sciences. “The kids were really excited because they didn’t get to do that very often,” Kenote said. “I felt like I was part of something, like I was promoting the next generation’s interest in science.’ While the offices stress cultural awareness of certain groups, they are all inclusive, providing resources to students of all ethnicities and backgrounds. The Native American Cultural Center, specifically, provides not only a place for students to go, but also tutoring and mentoring. “Our hope with the tutoring program is to help students get the grades that they are seeking and help them get off of academic probation,” said Ty Smith, director of the Native American Cultural Center. The cultural offices of CSU allow for students to find their place as well as get help with a vast range of struggles that they may face.
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by molly marie mccart
1% for the Planet
profits go a long way for the environment
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ne percent. One dollar out of every 100 dollars. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot – but this simple concept is shaping the world’s environment, and doing a lot of good right here in Fort Collins. This global movement has its roots with outdoor gear retailer Patagonia, and the company’s founding dedication to the environment. Yvon Chouinard started making his own clothing suitable for the climbing conditions of the Tetons. According to Rick Vitacca, assistant manager of The Mountain Shop in Old Town Fort Collins, the outdoor lover began selling clothing, and soon, Chouinard found himself the founder of Patagonia. These roots set the foundation for a company firm in its environmental awareness. According to Vitacca, a “giving back” policy is simply part of Patagonia’s philosophy. In 1985, Patagonia began donating 1 percent of all of their sales revenue to environmental preservation and restoration. It was a basic idea. Such a small concept, and yet such a huge difference. Currently their donations total $38 million. Something is working. Blue Ribbon Flies, a fly fishing gear retailer based in Montana had been doing a similar operation. They were donating 2 percent of their own revenue. Through their mutual love for the environment, Craig Matthews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, and Choudinard teamed up their efforts in 2002, and expanded their own ideas to include other companies. The company they created is now called
1% for the Planet - a nonprofit organization of businesses, big and small, who donate 1 percent of their total revenue to environmental causes. It has been effective on an international, as well as a local level – assisting in movements ranging from sea turtle conservation, to bike safety awareness, to educational travel. Since its start, 1% for the Planet has generated a total of $50 million to “Keep Earth in Business,” all collected from companies’ 1 percent revenues. Businesses part of 1% range from outdoor gear retailers to music artists. Ever listen to Jack Johnson? He’s a member of 1% by buying his CD’s, the public supports environmental help. It’s reaching global heights, currently 1,469 companies donate to 2,268 environmental causes, a number that grows daily. This movement is alive and booming in Fort Collins in both members who donate and nonprofits, who receive the money. Your True Nature is one of these donors, a 1% member for three years. Your True Nature is a Fort Collins based company focused on giving the gift of nature. They organize tree planting programs as well as sell eco-friendly gifts. Their philosophy aligns with that of 1%. As Julie Williams-Cipritani, webmaster for the company said, Your True Nature is all about environmental issues, “That’s the whole point.” Your True Nature recycles and replants, replacing 100 percent of what it uses. They recycle as much as possible and for every piece of paper and every tree used they plant a new tree. Through 1%, they have donated $20,000 to 25 environmental organizations in Colorado. New Belgium Brewing, famous for its Fat Tire beers and the Tour de Fat, has been a 1% member since November 2007. It is perhaps the largest donor in Fort Collins. Like Patagonia, New Belgium has always been environmentally conscious. The brewery has been run on wind powered electricity since 1999. Prior to joining 1%, the company donated $1 per barrel sold. According to Katie Wallace, sustainability specialist for New
Belgium, 1% offered the connection with nonprofit organizations, out of and a recognizable structure to their work. They use the 1% logo the landfill stream. The on their packaging, as well as on their website. The design of 1% allows companies to choose the programs to organization which they donate - providing that they meet 1% for the Planet’s of 1% allowed for qualifications by showing that they are “focused on issues of New Belgium and the sustainability” according to 1%. There is an application process co-op to connect and involved in which a nonprofit must prove their eco-friendly goals communicate. On a local level, the and programs, always aimed towards giving back. They must be approved then they are added to 1% eligible stream, a list which organization has donated to Poudre wilderness volunteers, bird observatories can be found on their website. New Belgium goes an extra step to screen these approved and to programs for global education. The 1% for the Planet symbol is being nonprofits, narrowing their selection to four categories: water seen more and more throughout the country, stewardship, environmental advocacy, environmental education even the world. It has become a symbol of the and sensible transportation. New Belgium is all about the environmentally aware and the eco friendly. The bicycle as Wallace says. company is ever expanding to assist in more One of the nonprofit programs New Belgium and more nonprofits as they have donated to 12 has donated to is the Bicycle Cooperative of organizations in the Fort Collins area. Fort Collins, a local organization dedicated One percent is not a complicated organization, to community riding, bike safety, and but it is making a huge impact. Any company recycling used or old bicycle parts. can join – 1% is designed to offer structure to It’s about giving bicycles a second donating, as well as provide a familiar logo chance, “or sometimes a third Want to know more? Check to attach to products produced with or fourth chance”, says Doug out OnePercentForThePlanet.org the environment in mind. After Cutter, local volunteer and all, as 1% boldly points out, we spokesperson. He says only have one earth. the co-op’s focus is keeping old bikes
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h e alth Wheat Withdrawls
going gluten free in a gluten filled world
by kelly bleck
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he aroma of freshly sautéed garlic, onions, bell Due to this autoimmune reaction to gluten, the peppers and sundried tomatoes ignites your senses body tries to compensate for lost nutrients, which manifests in like the warm smaell of fresh baked cookies as you many different ways. For Serchia it was headaches, stomachaches swing open the door. Your mouth waters as your and lethargy, though it can also manifest on the skin with an stomach anticipates the italian restaurant’s new itchy rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis. Other more severe dinner concoction of pasta, mushrooms and wheat garlic bread. symptoms include diabetes, liver and thyroid diseases, iron e last time you ate such a wheat-heavy meal, you felt sick deficiency anemia and GI cancers. immediately afterward. But you chow down anyway. To eliminate the symptoms, one has to exclude all wheat, rye And, as if on cue, you feel a wave and barley products or any forms of them of nausea. from their diets. It’s about eating as close is is often the case for those with to the ground as possible, eating whole celiac disease, a.k.a. gluten intolerance, foods and removing most processed which can significantly alter daily life and goods. especially diet. ose with celiac disease “It is healthier in a sense just because can no longer wander into any restaurant you are eating whole foods,” Serchia said. and enjoy the same wheat-heavy meal. ~alyssa serchia, founder of gluten “But I lived on corn tortillas and mashed ey have to watch what they eat closely, potatoes when I first free meet up and eat up shop completely differently and ultimately found out. I was a poor have a lifestyle makeover to accomodate the intolerancy. college kid.” Common symptoms of celiac disease include abdominal Peter Petropulos, doctor of chiropractics at cramping, chronic diarrhea, anemia, unexplained weight loss or gain, the Life Center in Denver, has helped change their bone or joint pain, fatigue, migraine headaches and even depression. lifestyles to suit different ailments for 30 years. “My freshman year of college I was sick all year,” said Alyssa “[Gluten intolerance] is often a physical Serchia, 24, founder of Gluten Free Meet up and Eat up. “Since manifestation of inappropriate functional celiac attacks the immune system, I got everything [sickness] you medicine, medicine that treats the systems that could get that year.” cause the disease instead of the triggers that After reading an article describing her symptoms – low inevitably [hurt] the system,” Petropulos said. energy, headaches and nausea – Serchia asked her doctor if “It’s lifestyle augmentation [to be gluten free].” celiac disease could be her ailment. One blood test later she was e Celiac Disease Foundation recommends diagnosed with the disease. replacing pasta, bread, chips and crackers with According to the Celiac Disease Foundation’s website, one gluten free foods like buckwheat, rice variants, in every 133 Americans is affected by celiac disease, which is whole fruits and vegetables and meat. hereditary. For celiac sufferers, certain foods such as wheat, rye “I have to avoid certain natural flavorings and barley damage the villi, which are hair-like projections in the and spices. Gluten is a great binder which small intestine, and prevent them from absorbing nutrients. allows us to use it a lot,” said JoJo Ogg, a
“it’s not a depravation [in the end], you’re doing it for your health.”
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Colorado State University alumna who has celiac disease. “It’s a big frustration. But supposedly you can call companies to ask about their products and they are supposed to know, but some don’t.” Ogg, who received her degree in health and exercise science, was first introduced to celiac disease when her sister was diagnosed. en Ogg noticed that she exhibited many of the same symptoms herself. “I had symptoms that included blisters under the skin on my fingertips and the sides of my fingers,” Ogg said. “It’s an autoimmune disease so sometimes you’re born with it and sometimes it’s triggered. When you ingest gluten your body marks it as a poison, affecting your immune system, and parts of me would get inflamed. It’s not an allergic reaction technically, just an inflammatory response.” She switched to a gluten free diet and instantly felt better. But the effect of switching may go beyond a change in diet – traveling and eating at restaurants takes on a whole new meaning. Serchia began the Gluten Free Meet up and Eat up, a group for younger people diagnosed with celiac disease. e Celiac Sprue Association hosts gatherings, but Serchia said she really wanted to start something for people ages 16 to 30. “We go to a restaurant we know offers gluten free food and we all order the gluten free meal,” Serchia said. “It’s camaraderie.” e Meet up and Eat up also gives the members a chance to talk with others about places to go, good gluten free products and exchanges of recipes or gifts. “We miss out on some of the best things. So we do Christmas cookie exchanges, meet at bakeries and try new goodies,” Serchia said. “We even toured Budweiser and they special ordered their gluten free beer after I’d warned them we were coming.” ere are options for those with celiac disease. Call manufacturers and ask – they are supposed to know ingredients according to Ogg. Some grocery stores have specific gluten free sections, or like King Soopers have a gluten free emblem marking safe foods. As Serchia emphasizes, “It’s not a deprivation [in the end], you’re doing it for your health.”
what to avoid
wheat
rye
barley
replace with...
buckwheat rice variants
fruits vegetables
meat
&
far left: photo courtesy of the agricultural research center center: photo by allison lecain
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e nvi ronment
by jaime pritchard
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one are the days when sewing, knitting and weaving were only associated with housewives and grandmothers. Within the last year, the Fort Collins community has welcomed two new fiber arts businesses to the Old Town area: Mama Said Sew, a chic, contemporary sewing shop that opened its doors in April 2010 and Your Daily Fiber, a bountiful and sustainable yarn store that opened in November 2009. rough environmentally friendly practices and community interaction, local entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and Colorado State University students alike are putting their own spin on needlecraft and tailoring their creative visions to fit the 21st century. “Our parents sewed because society required them to but we were not required to learn. at allowed us to come around to it later,” Suzan Hazel, a Mama Said Sew employee, said. Fiber art is making a comeback through resources such as do-it-yourself books, which have given people the tools to create their own style, and T.V. shows such as Project Runway which have made fashion design and fabric manipulation ‘in’ again. Caitlin Henry, senior apparel and merchandizing major and the president of Fashion Group International CSU chapter, wants to “incorporate sustainability into the creation of fashionable products.” Henry is predominately interested in the merchandizing aspect of the fashion industry but feels strongly about promoting sustainability. “ ere’s this conception that eco-friendly clothing is drab clothing. I want to change that,” Henry said. Angela Gray, owner of Mama Said Sew, creates unique apparel and helps the planet by repurposing. In other words, she transforms old clothing and fabric into new and innovative
homespun heroines
tailoring fiber arts to fit the 21st century
angela gray, owner of mama said sew, fashions new masterpieces in her shop in old town.
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creations. Gray thinks the availability of mass produced clothing clothing that is mostly unconventional.” has inspired people to demonstrate their own sense of individuality Sipes studied both art education and fibers at CSU, and after through making their own garments. discovering that teaching middle school Gray first took interest in fashion art wasn’t for her, she began knitting design in eighth grade but didn’t constantly. She has participated in initially pursue a career in the field. many fiber art competitions over She graduated from Armstrong the years and won Reserve Grand Atlantic State University with a Champion in the Taos Wool Festival ~elaine sipes, co-owner of your daily fiber bachelor’s degree in literature and for a hooded cape she knitted. continued to sew on the side. Fortunately, CSU students In 2007, Gray moved to Fort don’t even have to leave campus Collins with her husband and landed a job at Clothes Pony & to showcase their fashion and fiber innovations. Fashion Group Dandelion Toys. After working there for several months, she began International Inc. is the largest fashion design organization on working on a business plan with the Small Business Development campus with about 200 members, and holds an annual runway Center in Fort Collins. She solidified her store plan in March 2009 show every December. and officially opened Mama Said Sew just over a year later. “It’s the only chance we get to show off how great CSU students are [at Her store sells fashion and vintage fabric in addition to design],” Henry, FGI president, said. “We have a really solid program.” traditional quilting cottons, and offers basic courses for beginners, FGI is comprised of mostly apparel design and merchandizing repurposing classes for the eco-conscious and specific garment students but does not limit its membership to only those majors. classes for the practical ‘sew-ista.’ is year, the theme of the show is “Behind the Seams” and will be Gray enjoys sewing children’s clothing the most because, “you held on Dec. 2. can break all the rules when it comes to color and pattern.” She In addition to the annual show, FGI also holds a recycled fashion makes clothes for her own children. show in the spring. Any CSU student can enter the competition e green movement has significantly influenced Gray’s business but must use only recycled materials to construct their garment. and the resurgence of inexpensive and practical hobbies as a whole. “We want to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to “I think it has a lot to do with sustainability and the consumption shine,” Henry said. of our environment,” said Whitney Crutchfield, a graduate fibers With the plethora of classes, workshops and guidebooks out student. “Younger generations, like ours, have had stuff handed to there, anyone can learn how to knit, sew, weave, crochet, felt or us … making things and participating in fiber activities makes us embroider their own work of art. By offering group classes, Gray is feel like we are contributing.” “trying to create a community that celebrates creativity.” Crutchfield describes her aesthetic as “the promotion [of ] As Sipes put it, “If more people spun, we wouldn’t need visual, emotional and intellectual pleasure,” on her website Prozac.” WhitneyCrutchfield.com. She dabbles in thread work, woven work and printed yardage, and will begin selling some of her customdesigned fabric at Mama Said Sew Dec. 3. She seeks to create accessible works that people enjoy and want to spend time with. Her aims reflect why people are so attracted to creating fiber art today: because it’s accessible and enjoyable. Elaine Sipes, co-owner of Your Daily Fiber in Fort Collins, knows a bit about sustainable needlecraft considering she hand-spins and dyes alpaca, llama and yak wool collected from her own backyard. Sipes and her husband, Darrell Sipes, raise the large animals for their wool and sell the hand-spun thread in their store. Sipes enjoys working with earth tones the most and dyes all of her own yarn accordingly. However, Sipes also sells hand-made yarn spun by craftsmen all over the Midwestern United States. Your Daily Fiber sells many forms of fibrous materials made from sheep wool, rabbit fur, dog hair, hemp, bamboo and more in a multitude of colors. Sipes enjoys working with wool the most because “it is the photos by jaime pritchard angela gray, owner of mama said sew, works at her comfort food of yarn” and describes her work as “one-of-a-kind sewing machine.
“if more people spun, we wouldn’t need prozac.”
design by bethany chambers
winter
2010
37
fast f or w ard
by aliese willard
You.com
photo by jaime pritchard
here’s a cowboy proverb from the American Old West that states, “if you’re riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.” After his graduation from Colorado State University in 2009, it appeared that Nick Scheidies had lost sight of the herd. After his commencement ceremony, Scheidies laid on his couch and stared at the ceiling, like the Lone Ranger in the midst of the Sonoran Desert. The English creative writing major loved what he did, but had no idea what to do with his life. “It wasn’t exactly a burgeoning job market,” Scheidies said of his creative writing path. “A lot of college kids just don’t know what they’re going to do after they graduate, and that’s the position I was in. I had no idea.” Luckily, Scheidies found a vocational future in his roommate Nick Tart, a 2010 business marketing graduate. Tart had started a website called Juniorbiz.com as a project for a business class, but wanted to continue his venture. One year, one book and one website later, Tart fulfilled his dream of owning a business and Scheidies found a niche for his writing abilities, all in the expanding world of online entrepreneurship. 38
winter
2010
T
how your talents can mean money on the internet
JuniorBiz, an online company that teaches young entrepreneurs how to start and manage their own businesses, has grown into an accredited resource for middle school to college-age entrepreneurs. In conjunction with their website, the two Nicks co-authored a book, “What it Takes to Make More Money than Your Parents,” that was released in July 2010. And according to both, there has never been a better time to create a business on the Internet. “It’s like the Wild West right now; the Internet is just getting on its feet,” Scheidies said. “It’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. There’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” Though they’re not outlaws, the Nick duo could be compared to a modern Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: they see the possibilities in the new frontier of the Internet, and are taking full advantage. Tart and Scheidies add new material about business resources every week to their blog, and both are capitalizing on their writing, artistic and entrepreneurial talents to make a living. And their story is not uncommon. Due to the devastating recession, people from college age to retirement age are creating online businesses as a means for extra cash. The timing is right: in spite of the difficult economic
conditions, Internet traffic has increased. According to the 2010 Paypal Online Retail Report, one-fifth, or 10.2 million British Internet users, shop online once a week, and 19.5 million shop online at least once a month, up from 4.5 million in 2009. Though the Paypal study only covers Internet users in Britain, it gives a glimpse of what can only be a rapidly expanding market in the United States. With the availability of programs like Wordpress, almost anyone can create their own online business or website. And they are. Paul DiSalvo, an adjunct professor who teaches CIS 410 Web Application Development, believes that it is easier nowadays for people to make money online, even if they do not have previous website experience. “Ten years ago the tools for people to bypass the specialized knowledge [of the internet] didn’t really exist,” DiSalvo said. “[Now] you can build a dynamic database that accepts credit cards and everything without knowing anything at all about computers. Simply because you’re filling in fields in a form, and software generates it.” DiSalvo is a computer expert, as displayed by the M.S. in computer information systems that he completed this month. When he isn’t teaching about HTML coding and databases, he works freelance creating graphics for print and web, and aiding clients with CSS development and back end programming. He believes the Internet will be the future for most businesses. “I think there are some businesses which are inherently tied to brick and mortar, like restaurants,” DiSalvo said. And people talk about [brick and mortar establishments] as being irreplaceable, but [they’re] getting replaced. There’s no doubt about it that many businesses that were doing fine 10 years ago are not right now. Most businesses are going to be online.” But that doesn’t mean everyone has to study CIS technology. DiSalvo’s own unusual career path illustrates the variety of the people who create web-based businesses. His undergraduate degree is in English. He worked as a chef but stopped because he became a vegetarian. Disalvo’s next profession was in publishing; when print media started to become digitized in the 1990’s, he became fascinated with the Internet and graphics programs like Photoshop. He discovered he had a hidden talent in CIS and put it to use. There is another Old Western proverb that says, “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.” With the sluggish state of the economy, people are looking in their back pockets and utilizing what gifts they have, like DiSalvo, to earn a living through the Internet. Dylan Reed, a junior studio art major, has been exploring the vast terrain of the web since childhood, and operates several different websites that offer his abilities and services to other people. He utilizes his crafting talents to sell stuffed animal creations that
he calls “Awesome Guys” on a website he has through the online craft market Etsy.com. His next website is an informational blog for clowns and entertainers written from Reed’s experiences as a professional clown. Reed also has a personal website and blog at DylanReed.com, where he offers his talents of writing, design and general handiwork. He is also launching a new website with his wife, Sarah, that will showcase their projects, from baking to sewing. “I try to do everything possible to do what I enjoy and not what I don’t enjoy,” Reed, 29, said. “If I’m able to turn something I do, whether it’s entertainment or crafting stuff, into something where I could make money to survive, that would be awesome.” And though Reed’s online business ventures have not completely covered the bills, he isn’t worried. Managing websites is a timeconsuming endeavor, especially for a student, but he says that once he has more time to invest in his websites, there is potential for success. “People don’t realize that an online business takes the same if not more work than if you have a brick and mortar store,” Reed said. “There are many easy ways to make money online, but you have to be willing to put the time in, [and] it’s a ridiculous amount of time. If you start your own business, you will put in 80 to 100 hours per week. Well, online businesses are the same.” Tart and Scheidies are a perfect example of the results that can come from steadfast devotion to online business. The two have devoted their post-graduate lives to furthering JuniorBiz, and are excited with the increasing recognition their business receives. The two were invited as breakout speakers to the National Collegiate
“it’s like the wild west right now; the internet is just
getting on its feet. it’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. there’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” ~ nick scheidies,
founder of juniorbiz.com
Entrepreneur’s Organization Conference in Chicago Nov. 4 through Nov. 6. They have also been featured in local media, and sales of the book as well as hits on the website have climbed. Their advice? Get on the Internet. College is the prime place in life to experiment with business. “Now is the time to start a business, when you’re a student,” Scheidies said. “You probably don’t have a family to support, as many responsibilities as a college kid. If you try something you love and it doesn’t work out, the worst case scenario is that it fails and then you learn from it. Companies are going to respond to that if it’s on your resume, especially if it was online, because that’s what everyone is looking for.” design by kira slaght
winter
2010
39
l ast c all
Angel Kwiatkowski
photo courtesy of Skippy Smith, Time/Place Photography
I
took the first job that was offered to me straight out of college because it was the only option I knew about. I lasted for four years and completely changed direction for another four before taking my “dream job.” My dream job lasted 86 days and ended with the CEO saying, “perhaps you should start your OWN business.”
It was the best thing that has happened to my career.
Cohere Coworking Community is my business and it’s a hotbed of success for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote workers. I started it last March in the worst economic times and it’s already in the black, a short seven months after opening. Cohere is a membership based collaborative workspace for independent workers in Old Town Fort Collins, Colo. Today, Cohere provides flexible, open format office space to 30 professionals including freelance workers and graphic designers The members are well equipped with high-speed wireless, endless coffee and a conference room to hold meetings. However, these tangible services are far less important than you’d think. No one joins Cohere to get Wi-Fi, coffee and a chair; they could get that at any coffee shop in town. The best graphic designers, web developers, copy writers and marketing specialists join Cohere to have continuous access to each others’ brains. In a typical day, the graphic designer will create a logo for another member and get a press release as payment. The web
developers will solve code problems on the ample white boards and the remote workers will commiserate about their conference call way of life. They all help each other, every day. One member joined Cohere a week after she was laid off from a local media company. Four months later, she has her own online content strategy company and is fighting work off with a stick. She attributes her rapid and successful acceleration into small business ownership to the mentorship and support that her membership at Cohere has provided to her. My point for telling you all of these things is not to convince you that everyone should immediately quit their jobs and open a small business – they shouldn’t. Nor is it to convince you that working for a regular, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. company job is some sort of sell-out – it’s not. We need wellestablished companies to teach us about managing people, how to be good bosses, how to expand in a sustainable fashion, and how to give back to the community. The most important reason I’m telling you this is to make you aware that working for the man isn’t your only option. Bide your time, get mentored, work for a bad (or a great) boss, learn what mistakes you never want to repeat – and then know that when you’re ready there will be a community of entrepreneurs out there waiting to help you build the career you’ve always wanted.
Angel Kwiatkowski is the curator of the Cohere Coworking Community and got her bachelor’s in psychology and master of education in education & human resource studies from Colorado State University. She worked in retail, government and at a start-up company prior to starting her own business.
40
winter
2010
design by lindsay bergquist
creations. Gray thinks the availability of mass produced clothing clothing that is mostly unconventional.” has inspired people to demonstrate their own sense of individuality Sipes studied both art education and fibers at CSU, and after through making their own garments. discovering that teaching middle school Gray first took interest in fashion art wasn’t for her, she began knitting design in eighth grade but didn’t constantly. She has participated in initially pursue a career in the field. many fiber art competitions over She graduated from Armstrong the years and won Reserve Grand Atlantic State University with a Champion in the Taos Wool Festival ~elaine sipes, co-owner of your daily fiber bachelor’s degree in literature and for a hooded cape she knitted. continued to sew on the side. Fortunately, CSU students In 2007, Gray moved to Fort don’t even have to leave campus Collins with her husband and landed a job at Clothes Pony & to showcase their fashion and fiber innovations. Fashion Group Dandelion Toys. After working there for several months, she began International Inc. is the largest fashion design organization on working on a business plan with the Small Business Development campus with about 200 members, and holds an annual runway Center in Fort Collins. She solidified her store plan in March 2009 show every December. and officially opened Mama Said Sew just over a year later. “It’s the only chance we get to show off how great CSU students are [at Her store sells fashion and vintage fabric in addition to design],” Henry, FGI president, said. “We have a really solid program.” traditional quilting cottons, and offers basic courses for beginners, FGI is comprised of mostly apparel design and merchandizing repurposing classes for the eco-conscious and specific garment students but does not limit its membership to only those majors. classes for the practical ‘sew-ista.’ is year, the theme of the show is “Behind the Seams” and will be Gray enjoys sewing children’s clothing the most because, “you held on Dec. 2. can break all the rules when it comes to color and pattern.” She In addition to the annual show, FGI also holds a recycled fashion makes clothes for her own children. show in the spring. Any CSU student can enter the competition e green movement has significantly influenced Gray’s business but must use only recycled materials to construct their garment. and the resurgence of inexpensive and practical hobbies as a whole. “We want to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to “I think it has a lot to do with sustainability and the consumption shine,” Henry said. of our environment,” said Whitney Crutchfield, a graduate fibers With the plethora of classes, workshops and guidebooks out student. “Younger generations, like ours, have had stuff handed to there, anyone can learn how to knit, sew, weave, crochet, felt or us … making things and participating in fiber activities makes us embroider their own work of art. By offering group classes, Gray is feel like we are contributing.” “trying to create a community that celebrates creativity.” Crutchfield describes her aesthetic as “the promotion [of ] As Sipes put it, “If more people spun, we wouldn’t need visual, emotional and intellectual pleasure,” on her website Prozac.” WhitneyCrutchfield.com. She dabbles in thread work, woven work and printed yardage, and will begin selling some of her customdesigned fabric at Mama Said Sew Dec. 3. She seeks to create accessible works that people enjoy and want to spend time with. Her aims reflect why people are so attracted to creating fiber art today: because it’s accessible and enjoyable. Elaine Sipes, co-owner of Your Daily Fiber in Fort Collins, knows a bit about sustainable needlecraft considering she hand-spins and dyes alpaca, llama and yak wool collected from her own backyard. Sipes and her husband, Darrell Sipes, raise the large animals for their wool and sell the hand-spun thread in their store. Sipes enjoys working with earth tones the most and dyes all of her own yarn accordingly. However, Sipes also sells hand-made yarn spun by craftsmen all over the Midwestern United States. Your Daily Fiber sells many forms of fibrous materials made from sheep wool, rabbit fur, dog hair, hemp, bamboo and more in a multitude of colors. Sipes enjoys working with wool the most because “it is the photos by jaime pritchard angela gray, owner of mama said sew, works at her comfort food of yarn” and describes her work as “one-of-a-kind sewing machine.
“if more people spun, we wouldn’t need prozac.”
design by bethany chambers
winter
2010
41
fast f or w ard
by aliese willard
You.com
photo by jaime pritchard
here’s a cowboy proverb from the American Old West that states, “if you’re riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.” After his graduation from Colorado State University in 2009, it appeared that Nick Scheidies had lost sight of the herd. After his commencement ceremony, Scheidies laid on his couch and stared at the ceiling, like the Lone Ranger in the midst of the Sonoran Desert. The English creative writing major loved what he did, but had no idea what to do with his life. “It wasn’t exactly a burgeoning job market,” Scheidies said of his creative writing path. “A lot of college kids just don’t know what they’re going to do after they graduate, and that’s the position I was in. I had no idea.” Luckily, Scheidies found a vocational future in his roommate Nick Tart, a 2010 business marketing graduate. Tart had started a website called Juniorbiz.com as a project for a business class, but wanted to continue his venture. One year, one book and one website later, Tart fulfilled his dream of owning a business and Scheidies found a niche for his writing abilities, all in the expanding world of online entrepreneurship. 42
winter
2010
T
how your talents can mean money on the internet
JuniorBiz, an online company that teaches young entrepreneurs how to start and manage their own businesses, has grown into an accredited resource for middle school to college-age entrepreneurs. In conjunction with their website, the two Nicks co-authored a book, “What it Takes to Make More Money than Your Parents,” that was released in July 2010. And according to both, there has never been a better time to create a business on the Internet. “It’s like the Wild West right now; the Internet is just getting on its feet,” Scheidies said. “It’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. There’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” Though they’re not swindling anyone, the Nick duo could be compared to a modern Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: they see the possibilities in the new frontier of the Internet, and are taking full advantage. Tart and Scheidies add new material about business resources every week to their blog, and both are capitalizing on their writing, artistic and entrepreneurial talents to make a living. And their story is not uncommon. Due to the devastating recession, people from college age to retirement age are creating online businesses as a means for extra cash. The timing is right: in spite of the difficult economic
conditions, Internet traffic has increased. According to the 2010 Paypal Online Retail Report, one-fifth, or 10.2 million British Internet users, shop online once a week, and 19.5 million shop online at least once a month, up from 4.5 million in 2009. Though the Paypal study only covers Internet users in Britain, it gives a glimpse of what can only be a rapidly expanding market in the United States. With the availability of programs like Wordpress, almost anyone can create their own online business or website. And they are. Paul DiSalvo, an adjunct professor who teaches CIS 410 Web Application Development, believes that it is easier nowadays for people to make money online, even if they do not have previous website experience. “Ten years ago the tools for people to bypass the specialized knowledge [of the internet] didn’t really exist,” DiSalvo said. “[Now] you can build a dynamic database that accepts credit cards and everything without knowing anything at all about computers. Simply because you’re filling in fields in a form, and software generates it.” DiSalvo is a computer expert, as displayed by the M.S. in computer information systems that he completed this month. When he isn’t teaching about HTML coding and databases, he works freelance creating graphics for print and web, and aiding clients with CSS development and back end programming. He believes the Internet will be the future for most businesses. “I think there are some businesses which are inherently tied to brick and mortar, like restaurants,” DiSalvo said. And people talk about [brick and mortar establishments] as being irreplaceable, but [they’re] getting replaced. There’s no doubt about it that many businesses that were doing fine 10 years ago are not right now. Most businesses are going to be online.” But that doesn’t mean everyone has to study CIS technology. DiSalvo’s own unusual career path illustrates the variety of the people who create web-based businesses. His undergraduate degree is in English. He worked as a chef but stopped because he became a vegetarian. Disalvo’s next profession was in publishing; when print media started to become digitized in the 1990’s, he became fascinated with the Internet and graphics programs like Photoshop. He discovered he had a hidden talent in CIS and put it to use. There is another Old Western proverb that says, “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.” With the sluggish state of the economy, people are looking in their back pockets and utilizing what gifts they have, like DiSalvo, to earn a living through the Internet. Dylan Reed, a junior studio art major, has been exploring the vast terrain of the web since childhood, and operates several different websites that offer his abilities and services to other people. He utilizes his crafting talents to sell stuffed animal creations that
he calls “Awesome Guys” on a website he has through the online craft market Etsy.com. His next website is an informational blog for clowns and entertainers written from Reed’s experiences as a professional clown. Reed also has a personal website and blog at DylanReed.com, where he offers his talents of writing, design and general handiwork. He is also launching a new website with his wife, Sarah, that will showcase their projects, from baking to sewing. “I try to do everything possible to do what I enjoy and not what I don’t enjoy,” Reed, 29, said. “If I’m able to turn something I do, whether it’s entertainment or crafting stuff, into something where I could make money to survive, that would be awesome.” And though Reed’s online business ventures have not completely covered the bills, he isn’t worried. Managing websites is a timeconsuming endeavor, especially for a student, but he says that once he has more time to invest in his websites, there is potential for success. “People don’t realize that an online business takes the same if not more work than if you have a brick and mortar store,” Reed said. “There are many easy ways to make money online, but you have to be willing to put the time in, [and] it’s a ridiculous amount of time. If you start your own business, you will put in 80 to 100 hours per week. Well, online businesses are the same.” Tart and Scheidies are a perfect example of the results that can come from steadfast devotion to online business. The two have devoted their post-graduate lives to furthering JuniorBiz, and are excited with the increasing recognition their business receives. The two were invited as breakout speakers to the National Collegiate
“it’s like the wild west right now; the internet is just
getting on its feet. it’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. there’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” ~ nick scheidies,
founder of juniorbiz.com
Entrepreneur’s Organization Conference in Chicago Nov. 4 through Nov. 6. They have also been featured in local media, and sales of the book as well as hits on the website have climbed. Their advice? Get on the Internet. College is the prime place in life to experiment with business. “Now is the time to start a business, when you’re a student,” Scheidies said. “You probably don’t have a family to support, as many responsibilities as a college kid. If you try something you love and it doesn’t work out, the worst case scenario is that it fails and then you learn from it. Companies are going to respond to that if it’s on your resume, especially if it was online, because that’s what everyone is looking for.” design by kira slaght
winter
2010
43
l ast c all
Angel Kwiatkowski
photo courtesy of Skippy Smith, Time/Place Photography
I
took the first job that was offered to me straight out of college because it was the only option I knew about. I lasted for four years and completely changed direction for another four before taking my “dream job.” My dream job lasted 86 days and ended with the CEO saying, “perhaps you should start your OWN business.”
It was the best thing that has happened to my career.
Cohere Coworking Community is my business and it’s a hotbed of success for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote workers. I started it last March in the worst economic times and it’s already in the black, a short seven months after opening. Cohere is a membership based collaborative workspace for independent workers in Old Town Fort Collins, Colo. Today, Cohere provides flexible, open format office space to 30 professionals including freelance workers and graphic designers The members are well equipped with high-speed wireless, endless coffee and a conference room to hold meetings. However, these tangible services are far less important than you’d think. No one joins Cohere to get Wi-Fi, coffee and a chair; they could get that at any coffee shop in town. The best graphic designers, web developers, copy writers and marketing specialists join Cohere to have continuous access to each others’ brains. In a typical day, the graphic designer will create a logo for another member and get a press release as payment. The web
developers will solve code problems on the ample white boards and the remote workers will commiserate about their conference call way of life. They all help each other, every day. One member joined Cohere a week after she was laid off from a local media company. Four months later, she has her own online content strategy company and is fighting work off with a stick. She attributes her rapid and successful acceleration into small business ownership to the mentorship and support that her membership at Cohere has provided to her. My point for telling you all of these things is not to convince you that everyone should immediately quit their jobs and open a small business – they shouldn’t. Nor is it to convince you that working for a regular, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. company job is some sort of sell-out – it’s not. We need wellestablished companies to teach us about managing people, how to be good bosses, how to expand in a sustainable fashion, and how to give back to the community. The most important reason I’m telling you this is to make you aware that working for the man isn’t your only option. Bide your time, get mentored, work for a bad (or a great) boss, learn what mistakes you never want to repeat – and then know that when you’re ready there will be a community of entrepreneurs out there waiting to help you build the career you’ve always wanted.
Angel Kwiatkowski is the curator of the Cohere Coworking Community and got her bachelor’s in psychology and master of education in education & human resource studies from Colorado State University. She worked in retail, government and at a start-up company prior to starting her own business.
44
winter
2010
design by lindsay bergquist
collegeavenuemag.com
volume six: issue two
winter 2010
LIVE GLASSBLOWING
Custom made pieces
Water Pipes * Hand Blown Glass Smoking Accessories * Hemp Products Custom Pieces & Accessories
Select water pipes buy 1 get 1 for $4 20
Water Pipe BLOWOUT!
Free Pipe With purchase over $20 Buy 1 Pipe, Get 2nd for Half Price
Open 7 days a week • 11 am - 7 pm
(970) 221-4990
828 S. College Ave
In the Village Shops Across from CSU
Winter 2010
6
t he g is t
faces
from passion to profit
black prez: a local rapper’s beat
10 13 18 22 23 36 30 34 36
hot button
get it (clothes) on with pow apparel thanks a latté! inside the eclectic culture of the alley cat how csu can help your entrepreneurial venture
6 30
odell brewing co. quiz
enter for a chance to win a seasonal growler from odell brewing co.
new brewery, funkwerks, serving saison beer to open in fort collins behind the scenes of some of the lsc’s student organizations
health
why eat wheat free?
environment
the local resurrection of needlecraft
on the cover
wynne odell - the business behind the beer - stands amongst her entrepreneurial bounty. passion becomes profit and fulfills an apparel dream, a rapper’s destiny and helps define a local coffee shop.
23
34
cover design by vincent nigro original photo by nick lyon
winter
2010
1
t he g i st
44
letters to the editor
as the magazine produced by csu students for the csu and fort collins community, we would like to extend an invitation to our readers to submit letters to the editor ranging from 50 to 150 words with your feedback on the magazine. this is your magazine, and we would like to know what you think of the content, design and anything else. all letters to the editor must be typed in a word document and attached to an e-mail, which should be sent to [email protected].
mission statement
16 20 26 28 32 38 40
hot button
creative co-op provides outlet for artists unfashionably late: one reporter’s struggle with chronic tardiness a company’s “otter” the box idea to help the community how to turn a property project into profit 1% for the planet: dedicated donations to environmental causes
college avenue is a magazine produced and operated by csu students. our mission is to serve the csu and fort collins community with innovative and engaging coverage of relevant issues. our staff is dedicated to providing balanced and accurate reporting as well as visually stimulating design and photography to a diverse audience. above all, we strive to maintain integrity through professionalism and this standard of excellence.
oppor tunity for employment
college avenue is accepting applications for reporters, photographers, designers and copy editors. pick up an appliation at the front desk of student media in the basement of the lsc. college avenue is a magazine produced and operated by csu students intended as a public forum. this publication is not an official publication of colorado state university, but is published by an independent corporation (the rocky mountain student media corporation) using the name ‘college avenue’ pursuant to a license granted by csu. college avenue is published by the rocky mountain student media corporation. college avenue is a complimentary publication for the csu and fort collins community. The first copy is free and additional copies are $1 each, payable to the rocky mountain student media business office. advertising inquiries, corrections and letters to the editor should be submitted to the editor in chief at [email protected]. edu. the contents of this publication are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without prior per mission of the rocky mountain student media corporation. College Avenue CSU Lory Student Center Box 13 Fort Collins, CO 80523 (970) 491.1687 [email protected]
fast forward last call
online businesses boom without breaking the bank
cohere, llc a unique opportunity for a coworking community
collegeavenuemag.com
online exclusives
check out the non-fiction creative writings of lucas dean fišer
2
winter
2010
letter from the editor
An entrepreneur is an organizer, a manager and a risk-taker. The question is, why take on that risk? I will say – the adventure. A unique idea, withdrawn from your creative mind, will finally come to life. And you, possibly, will reap the benefits, be they monetary, social or emotional. The best is the combination of all three. For myself and my staff, College Avenue Magazine is our entrepreneurial adventure. My staff has put a considerable amount of time into idea brewing, interviewing, photographing, designing and ultimately creating a masterpiece that is solely of our doing. Going from a small dream six years ago and a magazine called 1870 to a magazine that encompasses campus and community life has been an adventure. And the students who choose to staff this endeavor are the ones who keep it afloat. It is all because of their ideas, creativity and dedication that the magazine even exists. College Avenue is their business, and it definitely is not because of the monetary profit that everyone sticks around. For some it takes them one day to realize they want to be a writer, for others their entire life. But each person on staff at least had the gumption to try his or her hand at something new and unknown. That’s how real businesses are begun, and that is how they survive: the dedication of those behind the scenes and those who want more than anything for this venture to succeed. Don’t underestimate those who are running the show, and strive to get involved, become one of them. You’ll never know what you may find yourself doing. Inside this magazine you’ll find some fantastic examples of budding entrepreneurs, tips to become one yourself and a few fun additions. Check out these stories to feed your curiosity:
staff list
editor in chief
kelly bleck
managing and photography editor
chelsea dunfee aliese willard vincent nigro tenae allison kelly sterner
features editor design editor web content editor copy editor assistant photography editor
kate wilson
reporters
laura esposito kate frasure natasha leadem allison lecain molly mccart emily mccormick jaime pritchard kayla roofe logan triesch kate wilson
Alley Cat
How did a 24/7 coffeeshop get its start, and its incredible atmosphere?
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photographers
garrett mynatt
designers
How to be fashionably late Funkwerks Brewery
Aliese Willard, College Avenue features editor, explains her tendency to lose track of time Fort Collins welcomes an organic brewery specializing in Saison beer Enjoy! Kelly D. Bleck
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rachel anthony lindsay bergquist bethany chambers joseph gudenas kayla roofe logan triesch
adviser
jenny fischer
marketing director
megan lujan
Rap Race
REWIND
t’s noon on the plaza at Colorado State University. One student walks quickly across campus muttering quiet gibberish into his cell phone, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the crowd and even friends who pass by. Anyone watching this occur will think that this particular student is a little strange. But no one knows that he’s whispering beats for his latest rap song into his phone. Joshua Madry, a graduate student studying high school counseling at CSU, is known to many as Black Prez – a down-toearth rap artist who has made the act of creating music his life.
f ac e s
I
The commander in chief of rap on his way to stardom
by laura esposito “So I gave a speech and apparently I did really good because everybody started clapping, and this kid was like, ‘Hey man you should be like the next president’. And this other kid was like, ‘Yeah, like black president,’” Madry said. A few years later when Madry continued on to Smokey Hill High School in Aurora, Colo., he started rapping on a regular basis and was in need of a name. After trying to use his initials, Madry decided to use the nickname that his classmates gave him but shortened it to Black Prez, not to be confused with the rapper Dead Prez. During Madry’s senior year of high school in 2006, his close friend Josh Knutson began to set up shows for him and kick off his official career as a rapper. “Ever since day one Josh has just always been there and I didn’t even ask him to. He was just like, ‘Man, you know I just sent your music out to these people and these people, and they want you to do this and this,’ and I really appreciate it,” Madry said. “That’s how it was in high school and as I got older and more serious about it I asked him to be my manager because it makes my life a whole lot easier.” According to Knutson, if it hadn’t been for Madry he wouldn’t even be involved in the music industry. “Josh is not only my artist; he’s one of my best friends. We have been through the ups and downs of the music industry, which has created a strong business bond. I will continue managing Josh, and I will do what’s best for Prezidential Records/Island Def Jam,” Knutson said. “My favorite thing about working with Josh has to be his knack for finding hit songs. Every time he has success, I
“I’ve always just loved music in general. I guess everyone likes music but I’ve always felt like I’ve liked it more than everyone else, even from a young age. Not even really liking it more, just trying to create my own thing,” Madry said. After a school performance in fifth grade, Madry knew that he was destined for a life full of rhythms. “I had the leading scene and I remember I was just so excited and so nervous. My part was in the middle of the show so I was freaking out before I had to go on and then I went out and killed it. My mom was like ‘AAHHH!’” Madry said. “I think I just loved that feeling so much and a lot of what I do reminds me of that and I think that’s why I love performing so much.” It wasn’t until middle school that his classmates from his speech and debate class accidentally pushed him into stardom. 6
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PAUSE
John Luke Brandjord, a junior at the University of Wyoming, is one of Madry’s friends and fans and has helped to promote Black Prez’s name throughout Wyoming. “I met him through Travis Brown, his DJ, when I used to live in Estes Park, Colo. In January of my senior year, [Travis] opened an 18 and up club at the Drunken Monkey, so I drove down after a racquet ball tournament and Josh was performing that night,” Brandjord said. “So, I met [Josh] and then he was doing more shows with [Travis] so I just started hanging out with them and coming down for shows.” Brandjord said that he will make 50 to 60 demo CD’s and hand them out around the UW campus. He has also received T-shirts from Madry that he wears to promote his music. “I would be wearing one and people would see it and want one. He signed a couple [of t-shirts] for some people up in Laramie and they were pretty excited about it,” Brandjord said. “But it’s mostly word of mouth and Facebook. If I see he’s doing a show I’ll just take it and repost it.” For Brandjord however, it’s all about who Madry is as a person and not as a performer that made them friends to begin with. “When they came up to do that show in Laramie we had about two hours to kill before it started so I took him over to a friend’s apartment and they started freestyling about this girl’s toaster and blender,” Brandjord said, “You don’t get that from a lot of other people. I can’t just show up with a bunch of musicians that can sit there and free style about your blender.” Madry even created a song for Brandjord that helped him win over the heart of his current girlfriend.
photo courtesy of joshua madry
think I get more excited than he does.” After making one demo CD in high school, Madry gained attention for his music very quickly and began to build a fan base. “I’ve always been an attention seeker,” Madry said. “If I don’t mix a couple songs in a couple days people will be like, ‘where you at,’ and I know I need to get that attention back up so that people can hear it.” Two years ago Madry was able to pick up a DJ for his shows, Travis Brown, also known as DJ T-Bone Scarpone. “A couple years ago me and a friend of mine were putting on a hip hop night downtown and I knew this guy, Thomas the Franchise, who I’d done one show with,” Brown said. “He was the only local rapper that I knew of that was any good. He asked if he could bring his friend Black Prez. I had never heard of him but I was like sure, great.” Brown claims that Black Prez made quite an impression on him because of his ability to draw a crowd and have that crowd follow him out the door as soon as he leaves. By chance, Madry was in need of a DJ and Brown entered into his life at just the right moment. After doing a mini Colorado tour with artist Dead Prez to Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver, the two have been working with each other ever since. “I did a show without him and someone in the crowd was like, ‘Ya, that was good but uh, you need a DJ’,” Madry said, “So I told them I had one but he just couldn’t make it and there was just something missing. I don’t know if I got used to it or what but it was different.”
photo courtesy of brandon iwamoto
design by rachel wilde
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“I have a girlfriend that lives about three hours away from me so I was up visiting her. She was in the shower getting all ready and I called him and asked him if he could record a song about making it official because we weren’t dating at the time,” Brandjord said. “So he got on his computer and turned on his mic and recorded it. I want to say the line is, ‘make it official like a ref with a whistle’ or something like that and he had it to me in about ten minutes. I hit play and didn’t say anything and just had her listen to it. She kind of looked at me funny so I played it again and she just smiled and said yes.” For Madry, making songs for friends like that is easy, but making longer songs often come at a price – one that forces him to sacrifice his sleep. “I feel like I do my best work when I’m dead tired or I’m about to go to sleep. So a lot of nights I’ll be up until 6 a.m. and I have to be at work at 8 a.m. I get tired a lot so I sleep in class and that’s a struggle,” Madry said. “It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of 24/7, networking, meeting people, talking to agents, talking to record labels, talking with my manager and all that kind of stuff all the time, plus school and work.” If that wasn’t enough, Madry also spends some of his free time coaching football over at Poudre High School in Fort Collins. “Thankfully I just got a new phone so I can send e-mails, but sometimes I’ll be texting on the sidelines, but it’s for business stuff,” Madry said. “I feel bad but it’s like I have to get this stuff done like right now.” Madry also has to deal with his toughest critics – YouTube viewers. For a somewhat shy guy, those comments can be hard to deal with. “When I post stuff to YouTube and people write on there, ‘you suck’ and ‘your music is whack’ or ‘get out of here,’ that kind of hurts my feelings,” Madry said. “But at the end of the day it’s something that makes you want to do more and makes you want to do it better. I think it took a lot of people doubting me and still doubting me to make me keep working harder and putting even more effort into it.”
photo courtesy of joshua madry
FF>>
LABELHip Hop labels ME The ABC’s of
• Aftermath Entertainment: signed on 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem • Atlantic Records: signed on B.o.B, Carolina Liar • Beluga Heights: signed on Sean Kingston, Jason Derulo, Iyaz, Auburn • Cash Money Records: signed on Kevin Rudolf, Lil’ Wayne, Jay Sean, Nicki Minaj • Columbia Records: signed on Beyonce, AC/DC, MGMT, John Legend
sacrificing a career in the music industry. “I can always see myself doing music no matter where I’m at, if I’m a counselor or strictly a musician, or if I’m just a bum on the corner just rappin’ it out like that notorious bum dude,” Madry said. “I’ll always be singing or rapping or whatever. The music industry is pretty cut throat and serious and it’s tough, but it’s something I’m willing to do and it’s something I enjoy doing.” The most important thing for Madry is that he remembers who he is even as he embarks on the long road ahead of him. He doesn’t want Josh Madry to disappear into Black Prez. “Sometimes I feel like Josh Madry and Black Prez are two different people and I play these two roles. I even say in one of my songs, ‘Ya it’s Black Prez but Josh for introductions,’” Madry said. “I want people to know me like I’m Josh, but I also do this music thing and you can call me Black Prez.”
Madry is determined to get his master’s degree, even though the call to join the music industry gets stronger every day. “School is my back up plan. I just graduated and I had a chance to just do music all the time, but I wanted to get a master’s degree because I know that in the future, like 10 or 20 years from now, when I’m done and I’m old and can’t rap anymore, I’ll want to do something else,” Madry said. After having a high school counselor influence him to become a counselor himself, Madry decided to pursue his career in hopes of giving back to students in the same way; even if that means 8
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RAP UP Q&A
the hardest thing about starting a music career in school is....
For as long as Madry can remember, he’s been spoofing songs and creating new music. He simply cannot see a life without music. “I actually have recordings of myself from when I’m like, three, singing to Snoop Dog and just changing the lyrics a little bit to put my name in it like ‘Josh Dog’. Just singin’ and rappin’ along to the music,” Madry said. Madry had a difficult time describing how he feels during his shows or even an experience to relate it to because they are so intense and emotional. “I like performing in front of that many people even more than making the music. I don’t even know how to explain it,” Madry said. “The best is when you can get the whole crowd to build your energy and then you build their energy and then everybody is just on the same energy level, we’re all going crazy, we’re all sweating, I can’t breathe anymore and I’m begging for water at the end of the night. I can’t breathe and I can’t even talk. And that’s the best.”
photo by chelsea dunfee
because of my rap career, people wrongly assume...
not many people know...
stage fright is something that...
if i could perform with anyone else it would be...
the best advice i ever got was...
i perform best when...
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what makes
by emily mccormick
horny?
YOU
POWApparel masterminds grab at what they love: snow and clothing
photos by garrett mynatt
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W
hat gets you going? “This girl was walking around the plaza with a huge poster board The high you feel on your last step to and was yelling, ‘What Makes You Horny?’” Hvambsal said. “My friend the top of a 14er? Waking up to 12 inches and I were like, ‘Huh, that’s kind of weird. Let’s go write some stuff.’” of fresh powder? How about the rush before Marketing and advertising are huge aspects of building a plummeting down a mountain pass at 45 successful customer base. Perfecting these dimensions can take miles per hour on your bicycle? years for some companies to grasp. POWApparel knew how to grab For Josephine Hover, Colorado State University alumna, CSU’s attention from day one. professional veterinary medicine student and owner and creator of “They had everything going on,” Hvambsal said. “I probably POWApparel, all of the above “makes her horny.” would have never gone over to that booth without seeing the “POWApparel features shirts and tank tops for men and ‘What Makes You Horny?’ sign. I walk through campus everyday, women and are all about expressing what you love, what get’s your and there are always a bunch of people handing out flyers. I do heart pumping, what get’s your blood flowing, and what get’s you everything I can to try and avoid them at all costs, but when you horny,” Hover said. see a sign like that, you’ve got to stop and write something.” The combination of Hover’s love for snowboarding and the Though it was the poster board that initially caught Hvambsal’s perfect powder day sparked the idea of POWApparel last spring. attention, the design and quality of the merchandise are what kept “I love to snowboard. I had the perfect, fluffy powder day,” Hover him coming back for more. said. “The sun was out; it was “I walked over to the just beautiful, awesome and booth and met [Barstow], orgasmic. And I thought: who was really cool. I liked one ‘Powder makes me horny. I shirt that featured a drawing need to put that on a shirt!’” of a piece of paper with the Hover presented the idea word ‘GNAR’ going through ~josephine hover, owner and creator of powapparel of a new edgy clothing line the shredder on it,” Hvambsal that expressed her passions not only for snowboarding, but for all kinds said. “But I didn’t have any money, so I came back the next day. They of intense sports to fellow CSU alumus and boyfriend Eric Barstow. ended up selling the T-shirt I was going to buy to [Barstow’s] roommate.” “When [Hover] came home and was telling me about all this, When Hvambsal returned to buy his shirt, Barstow pulled I initially thought of Johnny Cupcakes who came and spoke at the some strings. student center a couple of years ago,” Barstow said. “I thought the “[Barstow] just took the shirt I wanted from his roommate to ideas she was telling me were totally catchy, edgy and just fit.” give it to me,” Hvambsal said. “He called me a couple days later Inspired by T-shirt entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes, the and was like, ‘Hey, I’m headed to campus, do you want to meet up partnership strives to create a cool niche that targets hardcore so I can give you your shirt?’” skiers, snowboarders, hikers, bikers and so on. Apparently POWApparel had good customer service down “I wanted to create shirts that aren’t obvious, that make you from day one, as well. look twice and ask the person wearing it what the hell it means,” With a tag line that reads, “What Makes You Horny?” customers Hover said. “Shirts that if you shared the same passion and drive can expect shirts and tank tops that POWApparel claims will make would make sense right away. Kind of like a bunch of little inside your grandmother blush, but you get it because you’re hardcore. jokes that only snowboarders or cyclists would get.” For their first line of shirts they focused on powder sports and Hover and Barstow realized that they were determined to narrowed it down to five designs for men and women including: express what they loved, their passions, on shirts for the world to “Powder Makes Me Horny,” “Powder Slut,” “Goofy & Proud,” see. They scraped together what little money they had and officially “The Tighter The Better” and “Shred The GNAR.” registered POWApparel as a business in August 2010. While they focused on getting the powder line ready for Their first goal was to have shirts ready to sell by the 2010 Plaza the 2010/2011 ski season, POWApparel isn’t just limited to Bazaar, a CSU event that hosted over 25 vendors on the plaza from winter sports. Hover is also an avid cycler and along with fellow Aug. 23 to Aug. 27. professional veterinarian medical students. She has conquered Hover and Barstow got their planners out. various mountain passes on her bicycle this summer including: “We mapped out what we needed to do each week in order to Cameron, Vail, Loveland and Independence Pass. have shirts ready for the Plaza Bazaar,” Barstow said. “Then we broke “To truly conquer a pass I believe you have to ride it up and it down into really small tasks, like have 20 designs by this day, narrow down from both directions, hence the creation of the ‘I Go Both it down to five by this day and perfect them by this day. Then, need to Ways’ and ‘I Love My Granny’ shirts for cyclers,” said Hover. order them by this day to have them for our first event!” POWApparel has lots of shirt ideas in the works for all of the A task that may have seemed daunting to some was reduced to sports that get them going. “I Get High” and “I Like To Go Down” a few basic strategies for Hover and Barstow. for hikers, “Wakeboarding Gets Me Wet,” and “26.2 Miles Makes “We did some super planning,” Barstow jokes. Me Horny” for runners, just to name a few. The team made their first sale to freshman human development It is apparent in their overwhelming sales numbers that large and family studies major Ty Hvambsal at CSU. companies, like Burton and Dakine, have controlled the skiing
powder makes me horny. i need to put that on a shirt.
design by kelly bleck
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and snowboarding fashion market with their “uniquely similar” designs. Hvambsal thinks it is refreshing to see a local, grassroots fashion label like POWApparel dive into something new. “I grew up in Steamboat Springs snowboarding. A lot of the brands are all the same. ey have the weird design that says their name. POWApparel was different, and I liked it,” Hvambsal said. “It was simple but still nice, and they had comfortable and quality fabric.” In fact, the shirt is so nice it motivates an 18-year-old college student to do his laundry regularly. “I schedule when I do my laundry around when my POWApparel shirt is dirty. I wear it like every other day,” Hvambsal said. Aside from the sayings on their shirts and tank tops, Hover and Barstow really wanted to sell a product, that no matter what it says, customers will still want to wear because they are comfortable. ey found their match with Next Level Apparel, a supplier of fashion blanks in the U.S. market. “It’s not your basic, crappy t-shirt,” Barstow said. “ e biggest feedback we get from people is that our shirts are super comfortable and soft.” Despite the fact that POWApparel is still a very new and small business, Hover and Barstow have big future plans. Five years from now, but hopefully sooner, Barstow and Hover hope to expand their clothing line. “I’d like to spread even bigger and have all types of equipment like biking jerseys, scarves, beanies, jackets, gloves and pants. e sky is the limit. It would be cool to have a store, but right now we’re selling exclusively online, by word of mouth and out of the trunk of my car on the mountain,” Hover jokes. ough expansion plans may be a few years away, Hover and Barstow are building strong stepping-stones in the right direction. In fact, the pair is already receiving orders in for more shirts due to the popularity of some of their designs. “ e first day I wore my shirt, I had a lot of people stop me and ask, ‘What’s that design,’ or ‘What’s going on with your shirt?’” Hvambsal said. “Everyone thought my shirt was awesome, and I texted [Barstow] to figure out how they could get some shirts because they all wanted one.” e sky may be the limit for expansion, but finding the time to balance their very busy lives can sometimes be a challenge. “In addition to POWApparel, I’m an introduction leader for an international training and development company,” Barstow said. “I’m also an independent representative for a network marketing company and own my own painting company.” And Hover is equally as busy as a third year veterinary student at CSU and running another business as an independent consultant with Slumber Parties. With more successful projects than most can handle, Hover assures that the partnership takes time, no matter what, to relax for at least an hour each day. And both Hover and Barstow modestly credit the help and influence for their website, designs and slogans to their friends. “A lot of our shirt requests came from our friends because they are all really supportive of us, and everyone we’ve shared the idea with thinks it’s awesome,” Barstow said. “Sharing our ideas with the people we know and seeing their responses has been the biggest influence.” As successful entrepreneurs, students, artists and business owners, Hover and Barstow have advice that holds merit in the path to success. “Work on personal development. ere are tons of opportunities to really put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone,” Barstow said. “If you can go through college and do a lot of projects that give you the confidence and skills for the real world, just take that risk.” As Hover agrees, she also stresses the importance of not putting off whatever it is you want to do. “Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you do them, just do it!”
josephine hover and eric barstow, owners of powapparel, model their t-shirt designs.
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h o t b utton
The Purrr-fect Coffee Shop
S
by laura esposito
An eclectic environment is home to the masses
prawled out on a handmade wooden bench that is brilliantly polished to show off every last grain, Mark Williams, owner of Alley Cat coffee shop, speaks in low tones to a long time friend. The downstairs outdoor patio is currently deserted and the clear strings of lights that dangle from the rooftop await their turn to glow as the sun retreats. Williams is dressed in a blue button down shirt open to the second hole, a pair of black dress pants and brown sandals. His hair is a mass of dusty brown curls and his glasses are perched on the bridge of his nose. He speaks meaningfully and fully engaged until he bids his friend a warm goodbye. For Williams, the Alley Cat is not only his work, but his life, and each detail that he has added to this incognito coffee house reflects his laid back personality, constant need for change and desire for a new type of gathering. “I started it because I love community and wanted a place to hang out late at night and play chess, or sit and read, or just be out without smoke, alcohol, TV, or loud obnoxious music,” Williams said in an e-mail interview. “A place to play a game, meet someone and have a conversation.”
photo by sam noblett
design by rachel wilde
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on previous page: barista cassandra (sandy) shell gestures toward the extensive menu behind the counter at alley cat. shell has worked at the cat for six and a half years. right: alley cat owner mark williams poses in front of the counter at his coffee shop, which he started seven years ago.
photos by sam noblett
Williams started the coffee shop seven years ago. It has developed on its own to offer an environment that caters to people from every niche of the human spectrum, with the bonus of being the only café open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. “When we first opened, we were only open until 2 a.m. for the first five months,” Williams said. “Then one night I went to lock up and the door just broke. Like the whole lock broke. So I just said to hell with it lets stay open 24/7.” To the untrained eye, the Alley Cat may seem hectic and bustling with people and Williams may have a care free spirit, but he keeps a meticulous eye on the working of his shop. Williams analyzes seating arrangements and staff personalities to make sure the Cat runs like a well-oiled café machine. “I’m constantly paying attention to the number of people that are in one area and the seating arrangements,” Williams said. “The big curvy bar that we [used to have] actually worked better in a hookah bar in Greeley so I replaced that space with booths. A place that originally only held two to three people max can now hold 12.” Places such as Habitat for Humanity in Loveland, Colo. and the occasional garage sale have provided the majority of the eclectic furnishings. “I like to change things up because I think things can get stale after a while,” Williams said. “I just picked up a rocking chair for super cheap. I didn’t think the Cat needed a rocking chair but then I sat in it as was like, ‘Ya, the Cat needs a rocking chair’.” Every piece of furniture is unique and changes at a frequent pace, overhung by low, mini glass chandeliers offering more intimate lighting. There is a mish-mash of card tables, wooden booths, folding chairs and a giant green velvet sofa. All is overseen by the mass of painted on, drawn on or collaged ceiling tiles. “I used to say that we had the largest art collection in Fort 14
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Collins,” Williams said. “All of the tiles are from a unique artist. No one has done more than one tile unless of course they did a series like some of the ones we have by the windows.” This miscellaneous collection of color and objects meet the coffee-drinker, musician, artist or visiting personality after climbing the outside stairs. The melody of the latest music track the barista staff has decided to play that day whirls around the rooms, of which each wall is painted a different color and contain shelves of games, books and paintings. “My baristas have free reign. They get to dress how they want, play the music that they want,” Williams said. “They can even have theme days if they want to. I think a couple of weeks ago they had a cowboy theme day.” Although Williams gives baristas this unique freedom, he begins by choosing their shifts carefully. “I pick the people who like to listen more to work the mornings and they’re usually really chill. The afternoon shift is all about production. So the people I pick to work may be a little rough but they can get stuff done,” Williams said. “The fourth shift is all about the ‘look at me’ attitude.” Luke Trumble, a barista, said that the Alley Cat is unique for many reasons, but the people who work there and who come in are the biggest reason why it is so different from other coffee houses. “[The Alley Cat] evolves and changes with the different people that come in, not just one or two. Crazier things happen that wouldn’t happen in a more straightforward business where there is someone at the top telling everyone what to do,” Trumble said. The shop allows their baristas to bring their specific talents to the table and make the drinks that they know best. If one barista knows how to make kombucha they are allowed to try and make it at the Cat. “It’s giving that power to some one that they wouldn’t normally be given because they don’t want to take that risk,” Trumble said. “But here we say just do it. So we have home made kombucha, chai, vegan chai, ginger tea and a new bakery. If you give people the ability to do it, they will make it for you.” These specialties and unique personalities add to the atmosphere. For barista Cassandra Shell, the Alley Cat is a “diamond in the rough.” Working there for six and a half years, on and off, Shell has seen it evolve and has recognized the wide array of customers and employees that call the Cat home. As each hour passes at the Cat, the people who frequent the upstairs café shift. The afternoon crowd brings students and study groups and the night crowd is when things get a little crazy. The crowd in front of the giant map of the world on the far back wall continually shifts. “Two a.m. is when all of the freaks and subcultures come out. They’re the people who only come out at night and stay until 6 a.m. and then go back and hibernate the day away,” Williams said. “You know what I mean? The stay at home moms aren’t going to come out at 2 a.m.” The Cat has expanded and grown into a personality all its own
due to these shifting, interacting groups. “I think the Alley Cat was an idea that [Williams] had and then it just exploded and he went on with it because he creates these projects and then just runs with it,” Shell said. “He just sets the foundation for it and then puts what he needs inside of it and then it just kind of flourishes from there.” The Cat is now a family. Regulars, such as Mail Man Mike, make the alley coffee shop what it is. Mail Man Mike has been frequenting the Cat for seven years, tightening and fixing the strings of the two house guitars before Williams even knows they’re broken. The house guitars are there for patrons, adding some acoustic beats to the atmosphere. “Sometimes the guitars get stolen but they always come back, almost always anyway,” Williams said. “This one time one got taken and I spread the word that it had gone missing and asked people if they knew where it was. I ended up finding the house where it was so I rang the doorbell and said, ‘Hey, you borrowed my guitar, mind if I borrow it back?’” The long time friend Williams was meeting with while sprawled on the bench is one of the relationships that has been garnered by the shop. “This one kid came here homeless and I’ve just watched him grow up since he was 19, now he’s 25 and one of my closest friends. You just can’t beat the relationships that you find here,” Williams said. Williams has managed to blend together his business mind with a tranquil soul to bring the community a coffee shop they can interact with, and in, and also where they can enter a relatable atmosphere at any time of the day. “I think people can really express themselves here and be who they want to be,” Williams said. “We get to view people in their natural habitats, and they’re just people, and people are interesting. They get to come here and not play a role. I think that these walls are a little safer than that for you to be what you want.”
csu alumnus bryan stover works at a table in the alley cat oct. 13.
photos by sam noblett
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by logan triesch
Creative Co-ops
he cool November breeze gently swirls one’s hair walking though the festive Trimble Court Alley. e planters overflow with colorful vines as the orange leaves of fall sweep the path in a festive dance. Turning in toward the big open glass window, all one’s thoughts lead to home, family and warmth by the hearth. e door clicks quietly as it glides open, and a feeling of warmth overcomes one’s heart as he or she gazes at the feast of artwork entering the Trimble Court Artisans Co-op. e co-op is filled with diverse artwork that varies from pottery to jewelry, and paintings to wooden carvings. A co-operative business, commonly known as a co-op, is defined by the International Co-operative Alliance, as an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly- diane findley, president owned and democraticallycontrolled enterprise. Colorado State University alumna and president of the Trimble Court Artisans Co-op, Diane Findley has found that being involved in the co-op has proven to be a positive experience for the members that have come to work, own and love their art, as well as the co-op. “We all contribute in different ways and people love Trimble Court for different reasons. It is a real kinship and a family kind of feeling,” Findley, a potter, said. “People really invest in Trimble Court, because they get so much out of it, so much out of their relations with other members.” Trimble Court Artisans Co-op was started in 1971, amidst the campus riots and political unrest that plagued CSU, which had 16
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trimble court artisans co-op has painted it’s way since 1971
pressed on since the early 1960s. One group of CSU student artists wanted to rise up against the violence and give back to the community of Fort Collins. is group of artists went to Martha Trimble, a CSU social studies professor at the time, in hopes of finding a place to start their co-op. Trimble was so moved by this group of humble students that she rented her space on Trimble Court Alley to this group of artists for $1 a year. Trimble’s generosity is what drove the co-op to success and is something that Findley still believes the co-op thrives off of. “I believe in the spirit of Martha Trimble; I believe she is watching us,” Findley said. “I really do not know why we are so lucky, it is just that Martha is taking care of us, in the after life.” Trimble Court is known for its wide variation in unique style of of trimble court artisan co-op artwork. Findley described the various styles of artwork that have travelled through the shop since she became a member after she graduated with a bachelor in Fine Arts in 1976. “We used to sell barbie doll clothes, there you go, where on earth could you find barbie doll clothes? It has always been high quality and hand-crafted, even if it was barbie doll dresses,” Findley said. Potter Neil Celani finds the environment is helpful with improving members’ art and getting it out to the world. “Since I have been in Trimble Court I have been able to push my work a lot further,” Celani, 26, said. “It has really just been great with all the people I have been working with there.”
“it is a real kinship and a family kind of feeling. people really invest in trimble court because they get so much out of their relations with other members.”
Manager and jewelry artist Jill Benedict explained how Trimble Court Artisan Co-op is set apart from other galleries in town. e co-op now hosts 52 members and their artwork, whom can be found working in the co-op throughout the month. “It is really nice to have a co-op because we have 52 members here in the store,” Benedict said. “We all take turns working in the store, so we have 52 people to help out when something needs done, or we have a new idea about the store, or we want to go in a different direction. We have 52 people we can ask to help us.” A co-op is a popular way of being involved in a business. According to the International Co-operative Alliance, one in four people in the United States have part ownership in a co-op. Garrett Carr, CSU alumus, is the fundraising coordinator of Hammertime Tool Co-op and has found that having the business as a co-op has created a diverse atmosphere in decision making. “A beautiful part of the co-op is that you have so many different individuals,” Carr, 24, said. “We have such a variety of personalities that obviously, people are going to have their differences between each other and to create these meetings, we can come together and talk about it in a way that we can make decisions together.” A major aspect of co-ops is that their business is geared towards keeping everything local. Benedict illuminated how Fort Collins residents come to their shop for that locality. “[People who] live in Fort Collins love to support local artists so they know to come to our store,” Benedict said. “I think people are trying to support local and we are as local as you can get.” A way that Fort Collins residents can get involved in buying local artwork is the Art Walk, which is held on the first Friday
of every month in Old Town. e Art Walk is often filled with live music, artists painting on the street, special art shows for students, as well as magicians and other personalities that come to entertain. Trimble Court has a special reception during the Art Walk in which a member of the co-op is featured in the front area. “Every month is always revolving and changing and it is up to the artists to sign up,” Benedict said. “We really encourage our new members to do it. It is really up to the artist of how to display it, so they can pick a theme and the pieces for it.” Artists found in the co-op were specially selected by a committee of eight members that consider different aspects of the artwork, submitted through an online application process in which one must include samples of their artwork in one of the four months that they jury: January, April, July or October. “We are always looking for that new, fabulous artist. Even though you go in our store, it is just jam packed and you can not imagine where you would put another thing,” Findley said. e Trimble Court Artisan Co-op is a place where people have been able to find various types of artwork from local artists for 39 years and will continue to be a starting point for those new artists that are getting out in the world. “I would just like Trimble Court to stay strong and provide that spring board that new artists have to belong and be able to sell their work, that is why we were established,” Findley said. “You would not think you could get 50 plus people to all link arms and march in the same direction but, knock on wood, with any luck at all, we will just keep going.”
above: hidden away in old town, trimble court artisans co-op is accessible through an alley-way just off of laporte and college. left: on display at the trimble court artisan co-op, jan igaki’s clay trolls make a great addition to the artwork in the co-op.
photos by natasha leadem
above: while working at trimble court, joan kinney reorganizes her pottery display.
design by logan triesch
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e legtou Bustioneesnstrpepreneurs V ne f groviOen d s rin
by kate frasure
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Col als ament fund
magine. You are in an elevator and you have just 90 seconds business idea and see if it is really an opportunity, she says. to pitch an idea that you have spent all of your free hours “Students might have 10 ideas but usually will find out seven of on. An idea you fully believe in and hope to become a those are not really opportunities,” she says. reality. Just 90 seconds to persuade an investor to believe in From De Tienne’s class, students move onward into the new your new venture. venture creation course which takes them through the process of This is reality for young entrepreneurs. They have just an building a complete business plan. Through the whole process elevator ride or a walk from a building to a car to pitch an idea. It’s students are able to work on their original idea they came up with in a 50/50 chance but these entrepreneurs have to start somewhere to De Tienne’s course. According to De Tienne, many CSU students make their idea a reality. even start their business while they are still in school. The Colorado State University College of Business helps De Tienne says research shows self employed individuals have higher students get the fundamentals they levels of personal satisfaction than those need to start a business. Students who are employed by a larger company. A work through three different study done in 2000 by the University of “Those who go into courses to earn an entrepreneurship Arizona looked at 15 years of entrepreneur certificate when they graduate. Each business for themselves education and found that students who course helps students turn their idea earn an entrepreneur education actually work a lot but have into a business plan in addition to increase their average earned income by teaching practical skills needed to about 20 percent compared to regular more flexibility. You start up a business. can choose to work half business school graduates. business for “The courses allow students to “Those who go into days and it doesn’t start generating ideas and identifying themselves work a lot but have flexibility,” areas in the market place where they De Tienne says. “You can choose to work matter what twelve can start a business,” professor Dawn half days and it doesn’t matter what 12 hours of the day De Tienne says. hours of the day you work.” De Tienne teaches the Even with the current recession and you work.” introductory course, fundamentals of unemployment rate, De Tienne says -Dawn De Tienne entrepreneurship. In this course, she entrepreneurs get greater enjoyment out of has students look beyond the U.S. their jobs because they have higher levels of to see how entrepreneurship occurs challenge and pride in their work. around the globe. Students find that many poor countries create Exchange student Sofia Saeed plans on starting her own public more opportunity for new ventures, or businesses, because people relations business within the Karachi University Business School in create them out of necessity rather than just for profit. The class Pakistan when she returns home in a year. Saeed’s business venture also looks at the different types of entrepreneurship such as social is very personal. Many women in Karachi are now pursuing college and for-profit. De Tienne says she strives to have students look at and making it in but they are not able to gain the training they more than just creating their own business. need to make it in their careers so they just become housewives Students in De Tienne’s class also must give a 90 second according to Saeed. elevator pitch to the class. The exercise forces them to evaluate their “They don’t really see their career in business and they don’t
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really know what they have to do,” she says. Saeed, 21, wants to change this by becoming a consultant to help students at the Karachi University get the experience they need. “I just want them to get exposure and plan something and think about their careers.” After just one month at CSU, Saeed feels that the college of business has already helped her business idea seem practical. “I have to start my business now,” she says. According to De Tienne, the courses are designed to help foster those that feel entrepreneurship is a career choice. Not only does CSU offer courses in entrepreneurship, it also provides access to professors who conduct research in the entrepreneur field and have been entrepreneurs themselves. De Tienne started an excavation business in northern Colorado in 1983. In 1999 she sold the company and made all sorts of mistakes, she said. Now, she researches entrepreneurial exit, or how to effectively sell off your business, and passes along her experience as well as her research to her students. “Having faculty that have experience helps for examples and credibility with the students,” she says. “This doesn’t happen at a lot of colleges.” The CSU business school is currently the highest ranked public university program in the state of Colorado according to De Tienne. Due to the relatively low cost of the College of Business compared to the University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of Denver, De Tienne says the value of the money is really high. “You are getting what the ranking suggests is the best public school and you are getting it for a relatively small amount of money.” CSU also offers students a networking opportunity through the entrepreneur club on campus. Club president Amy Darte says the club is versatile in the way it allows members to get what they want out of the experience by bringing in speakers, offering advice and providing networking opportunities. “It is a really fun group to be involved with,” Darte says. “It gets people with the entrepreneurial mindset to team up.” The club is open to all majors since many majors like engineering can evolve into entrepreneurial businesses. The club allows members to pitch their ideas and get feedback. Darte says it is also great to have people come in and tell their start-up stories. With all the opportunities CSU offers, it is not hard for students to make their ideas a reality and with well-established professors that offer a wealth of experience, research students like Saeed are able to return to their hometowns and make a difference. According to De Tienne it is not just the courses and professors that give the College of Business its high ranking, but the students within the college. “We have really good students in the College of Business with the highest GPA and ACT scores,” De Tienne says. “We are pretty proud of our students.”
What Can You Do to Improve Your Odds?
Dawn De Tienne offers up some quick tips for those interested in starting their own business. Her biggest advice is to get an education and spend some time in the industry you want to start your business in.
1. Start with enough capital. 2. Get educated. De Tienne says you don’t have to get an education from a college like CSU. “There are lots of different ways to get an entrepreneur education,” she says. “You want to learn what has made other people successful.” 3. Get experience in the industry you want to start your business in. 4. Understand the need to differentiate your business. De Tienne says that every business needs to differentiate itself in some way. It could offer different services, better quality, lower cost, etc. It just needs to be different. 5. Partner with individuals that have unique or different resources. 6. Use non-traditional marketing techniques like Facebook and blogs. 7. Develop and access networks. 8. Use available resources. De Tienne suggests the databases offered on campus, as well as libraries and professors. She also suggests checking out the Colorado Business Resource Guide.
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by aliese willard
Never Late is Better
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hey say the early bird gets the worm. I say, “Gross. He can have it.” Call me what you will: tardy, late or behind. I am that person. The one who sprints/rides/drives like Dominic Toretto in “The Fast and the Furious,” cursing the minutes on her watch. The one who tiptoes into a back row seat because lecture has already started. The one who sends, “Oops sry Im going 2 B late” texts to people she’s meeting. My friends snicker or roll their eyes on the rare occasions when I do arrive on schedule. “Wow. No way. You’re on time?!” they ask. I may as well have climbed Mount Everest blindfolded or become a linebacker for the Broncos. And though I am exaggerating a little – I am usually right on time or a few minutes after – I know it’s a problem when other people notice. One of my teammates on the cross country team even went as far as to plan a five to 10 minute buffer period when she drove me to practice, just to accommodate my tardiness. And I’m not alone. According to a San Francisco State University study conducted by Diana DeLonzor, a nationally recognized time management expert, around 20 percent of the U.S. population is chronically late, a number that can mean serious consequences for work productivity. On average, U.S. businesses lose about $3 million per year due to late employees, and DeLonzor also noted that if an employee shows up late by 10 minutes each day for a year, it can amounts to one week’s paid vacation. Though the study was conducted in 1997, the numbers are more relevant than ever. In recent years, habitual lateness in the workplace has increased. In a 2005 article for HR magazine, DeLonzor cited a survey she conducted of human resource managers, in which 73 percent reported tardiness to be getting worse. Their main reasons were low employee morale and increased family and work responsibilities, which I can identify with. I am a very busy person. Between school, Division I athletics and editing for the magazine, every now and then a lapse in punctuality is inevitable. But such is life. Plenty of other people manage to fit in jobs, exercise, education and social obligations in their daily lives and still make it on time. My issue is not just a demanding schedule: for me, lateness is a learned habit. It may be somewhat of a time-honored tradition in my family. I have fond memories of driving to school with my dad and three brothers, brown-bag lunch in hand, always a minute or two after the bell rang. But on the especially late days we would craft elaborate excuses. One time, we were detained by aliens that looked like baked potatoes and held us up with laser guns.
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photo illustration by chelsea dunfee
Another time it was Betty the Yeti. Then I would scurry into my elementary school, cheeks pink from the cold and embarrassment from the two dozen pairs of eyes that witnessed my walk of shame to my desk. One teacher in particular seemed to enjoy my family’s fictional adventures. He would raise an eyebrow as I walked in, and politely ask, “Was it aliens?” I’ve even been late in dreams. During one nightmare in particular I walked in late and sans clothing to church. The holy water
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boiled in that one. Luckily, I woke up, but I’ll never forget that horrifying combination of tardiness and nudity in a house of worship. One of my favorite excuses for showing up late is that the world is run by morning people (and with 8 a.m. classes and the general morning-ness that afflicts our society, I still believe this is the case), but in truth my lateness is not a result of the evil morning dictators. I’m late no matter what time of the day it is. I rationalize that my lateness is acceptable because I have so many other fine qualities. For the most part I’m a good student, I go to class, obey traffic laws and brush my teeth. Because I follow all the rules, my mind gives me a subconscious “get out of jail free card.” I’m good in everything else, so we can let the punctuality go a little. I also hate waiting, and see no reason why I should have to be early. Why be 15 minutes early and wait for the action, when I could instead be right on time and do more of the things I want to do? In theory, it should work. But something always gets in the way, hence the excuses. Seriously, I am aware of the fact that this could hurt me, even though it is never my intention to be rude or disrespectful. Though one of my friends thinks my lateness is an “endearing quality,” I doubt future employers will think the same. And it’s
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downright hypocritical that I dislike waiting, but subject other people to do just that when I’m late. In order to change my ways, I have devised some solutions. First, I am admitting that I have a problem, since part of breaking a habit is acknowledging that you have one. Solution #1 was to set my watch ahead by a few minutes. It doesn’t really work. Solution #2 is that I could move to Peru, where being late is a national tradition (adherents to hora Peruana, or “Peruvian time,” are often an hour late to appointments). But since I’m terrible at speaking spanish, I woll most likely adopt solution #3, which is to follow DeLonzor’s tips for being on time, or even read a copy of her book “Never Be Late Again.” I have always thought that I was above self-help books, but it’s about time that I be on time.
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aliese willard is the features editor for college avenue magazine. she showed up late to the photo shoot, but always takes a good picture. she tried ordering a used copy of delonzor’s self-help book, “never be late again” online but they would not accept her gift card. figures.
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compiled by eli kolodny
Think You Know Odells?
take this quiz. win some beer.
Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q:
photo by kate wilson
Name the two different types of hops we use on a regular basis. Name all three points, during the production process, when we add hops to our beer. What brew house vessel do we use to infuse whole flower hops into our beer? What liquid flows in a jacket around our fermentation vessels and allows us to control the temperature inside? What compound do we use to filter our beer? We age our Bourbon Barrel Stout in first-use barrels from what distillery?
E-mail your answers to [email protected] We’ll announce one winner per week for five weeks on our website and Facebook page so make sure to keep checking! Winners will be randomly picked from a pool of those who correctlyanswered all, or most, of the questions. E-mail format: Subject - Odells quiz. Include in the body of the e-mail: name, age, answers (1-6) and best contact information.
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HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP
by laura esposito, kate frasure, kate wilson
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new brewery leads the way, continues healthy trends in beer
photo by kate wilson
his tawny orange beer pours with a rocky white head. Aromas of passion fruit, tangerine, and black pepper hit the nose. Flavor is a cascade of orange, lemon verbena, ginger and pepper. And in a second it is gone, finishing with a dry and lingering bitterness that awaits another sip. So says the description of what to expect on the Funkwerks Brewery website when you first encounter their Saison Belgian Style Ale. Funkwerks Brewery, set to open in December of 2010 at 1900 E. Lincoln, joins the Fort Collins, Colo. community alongside other big names in microbrewing such as New Belgium, Odell’s and Fort Collins Brewery. Owners of the new company, Gordon Schuck and Brad Lincoln, believe that those same breweries have laid the ground work for the creation and future success of their Saison beer. “You have New Belgium kind of paving the way, when you talk to people they actually know what a Saison is,” Lincoln said. “This has been really great for us; this is probably the only town in the country I can think of that we could do a Saison focused brewery.” Lincoln, originally an accountant in Portland, Wash., always had an interest in home brewing but didn’t consider going into the industry of beer until after auditing a maltster and distributor. “I discovered that the best part of the craft brewing industry is
on the brewing side,” Lincoln said. “The breweries and the brewers themselves kind of have the most fun with it.” Schuck won a gold medal at the National Home Brew competition for his Saison style beer. After Shuck and Lincoln met one another, they decided to focus their energy on being a Saison brewery rather than incorporating other styles of beer. Saison beer, originated by farmers in Europe, is making a comeback for its strong, dry flavors that are unfiltered with a fruity, spicy kick. Uniquely, the beer includes organic hops and malts, with yeast as the only inorganic element. Yeast is often very difficult to work with, but the French Saison strain is easier to handle and ferments all of the sugars down to nothing. By providing consumers with an unfiltered, 75 percent organic beer, the health benefits significantly increase. “If you drink unfiltered beer, it keeps a lot of health properties. Really what they are filtering out is all the tannins and antioxidants and all those healthy things that we know are healthy in every other food,” said Ali Hamm, Colorado State University alumna who graduated with a master’s in horticulture and a master of brewery certificate. “Especially if you have unfiltered beer, it keeps those molecules so it also keeps yeast in the beer, and yeast has all of these B vitamins.” design by joey gudenas
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According to Lincoln, organic beer is not only his brewing preference but also a sign of quality for him. He and Schuck are committed to putting the best product on the market for the community. “It has become a lot easier to do organic because you have a lot more of the malt varieties out there than there were 10 to 15 years ago,” Lincoln said. Organic hops not only pack an antioxidant punch when you drink them, but growing organic crops is also beneficial for the land and farmers because it keeps diseases and pests under control in the long run. It is a perennial crop, much like an orchard, where plants can live much longer if started organically. “By starting off organic in the right location you don’t have any really serious diseases and pests, but if you start off conventionally you have to spray and then pests become resistant to sprays,” Hamm said. “Then you almost have no choice but to keep spraying.” Hamm said that generally, when inorganic hops are sprayed with chemicals, they don’t carry over into the beer. However, a harmless sulfur taste may transfer into the brew. Funkwerks has made the decision to include a list of their ingredients to the public not only so people can use their recipes and make them on a smaller scale, but also so no one is left in the dark about what is going into their alcoholic beverages. “I think that people have the right to know what’s in their food,” 24
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Schuck said. “If they use genetically modified organisms they should say so on the label. With organics you cannot use any GMOs. I think it’s just a whole paradigm switch from the way farming is that we want to support. That’s why we choose organic.” Another aspect of beer not often brought to light is the fact that health benefits such as anti-cancer properties and high antioxidant levels often found in wine are also found in beer. According to Hamm, hops have a high level of veratrol, the same antioxidants found in wine that comes from the skin of grapes. “All those claims about wine you can equally claim about beer,” Hamm said. “It’s just that the brewing industry hasn’t done an efficient job marketing that like the wine industry has.” Schuck and Lincoln believe that the local health awareness and beer cultures make Fort Collins the best place to introduce their Saison brew. They have plans of marketing their brew outside of Fort Collins to places such as Portland, Oreg., San Francisco, Calif. and New York within the next few years. The pair believes that places like these will appreciate organic quality beer. “We don’t envision ourselves being a huge brewery. Our goal is to make beer as simply as possible. We don’t do filtering; we don’t do any of the other extraneous stuff that other breweries do,” Schuck said. “The ingredients and the yeast make the beer in its own time and its own way.”
WALK ME THROUGH
THE BREW Odells 9-step brewing process.
barley and 1 Malted they can bewheat are run through the mill so lightly crushed. Mash Tun the grains in hot 2 The30 minutessoaks sugary watertheirwater for until they release sugars into the water. This is called wort, and is transferred into a brew kettle to be heated again for 90 minutes.Their whole flower and pellet hops may also be added during this process.
Odell’s 9 step brewing process.
strained 3 aThe wort iscalled thethrough hop flowers in technique hopback. cooled, the wort continues on 4 After beingbarrel fermentors.and produces to two 50 Yeast is introduced to soak up the sugar
alcohol and CO2.The beer sits for a week at 67 degrees Fahrenheit and then another two weeks at 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
like Barrel and 5 Someofbeersextra Odellsof5hops thePale Aletea IPA get an dose by adding bags whole hop flowers to fermentor. This is known as dry hopping. beer then 6 Theremoveisthe leftrun through a screen filter to over yeast. 7 CO2 is added to” the beer for carbonation in the “bright tank. beer is transferred into sterilized, stain8 The steel kegs at the rate of one keg per less minute. bottled on site at approximately 9 It is thenfilledper minute, which makes about 120 bottles 33,000 bottles per day.
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by emily mccormick
Thinking “Otter” the Box
how one international company fosters hard work with impactful giving
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ith a unique name like OtterBox, people can expect something different. The idea of a hard working atmosphere that fosters a creative lifestyle and allows employees to make an impact while still having fun may be what sets OtterBox apart from its competitors. This is the inspiration that OtterBox CEO and founder Curt Richardson wanted to embrace when starting his business venture in Fort Collins in 1998. OtterBox is a privately owned company that is a leading international innovator of protective solutions for technological devices. With a name that is recognizable to thousands of customers worldwide, the work hard play hard atmosphere isn’t the only thing that makes OtterBox unique. As OtterBox’s success grew in an economic state where many personal and public entities struggled, Richardson and his wife saw this as another opportunity to expand their company even further, but in a way that gave back to the community. “OtterBox has never really had a structure behind our giving. So we felt like it was time to put some bones in our cause,” said Tricia Lemmer, Colorado State University alumna and development director for OtterCares. OtterCares, the charitable arm of OtterBox, has been in the planning process for approximately one year and will officially launch this month with a two-fold purpose: to give back to organizations in the community that have supported OtterBox and to give their employees an outlet to be active in the community. “Curt and Nancy Richardson really felt that because the company is doing so well, we should really give back,” Lemmer said. “Nancy always says, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’” OtterCares is a private foundation that is a separate entity from OtterBox, but is still very tied to the company. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and tax-exempt organization recognized by the IRS. “The goal of OtterCares is to get our employees engaged in the community and direct our charitable giving in a more structured
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manner,” Lemmer said. “Curt and Nancy have always been very giving and have a strong history of giving back to the company.” In the past, OtterBox has impacted the community in smaller ways by giving a little bit here and there, but the company realized they could make an even bigger impact by tying all of their efforts together and focusing them. The mission of the foundation is centered on youth development and education. OtterCares hopes to be seen as a goto organization for support of charitable organizations that serve the youth community. OtterCares believes that if they impact a child early on in their life, they can impact that child for years down the road, possibly inspiring them to pay it forward and make an impact on someone else. “Nancy and Curt really believe that your circumstances do not define you, and if we can help the youth get beyond their circumstances, they can really, truly be successful,” Lemmer said. “The youth is where the biggest change can happen.” The OtterBox Entrepreneurial Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship rewarded to two college-bound Fort Collins students, is a great example of how OtterCares supports the idea of “paying it forward.” The scholarship supports the value of entrepreneurial drive and encourages future business generations. Whether it is scholarships, product donations or sponsorships, OtterBox maintains a friendly relationship with different charitable actions. “We just did a big sponsorship with the Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County, which holds an annual event called ‘A Day for Kids,’” Lemmer said. “We have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but we don’t have a day that really emphasizes the idea that kids have healthy relationships with their adult role models and spend quality time together.” OtterCares worked hard to exceed the demands as presenting sponsor for “A Day for Kids” by providing funding support. As a result of their efforts, all of the participants got to play hard – for free.
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“It was like a carnival,” Lemmer said. “We had games and local vendors, and bounce castles.” Though OtterCares strives to keep the majority of their focus on their youth mission, the organization recently challenged their employees with a “Get it, Grow it, Give it Challenge.” This new employee challenge was an opportunity to give back to the community in unison with the OtterCares foundation launch this month. “We have given every employee a $200 grant certificate to give to the charity of their choice, and we have also challenged them to grow it in some way by either raising additional funds, or donating some time,” Lemmer said. “Just in some way grow that donation and make it greater than what we offered. This allows our donations to be outside of the youth focus, because we have allowed our employees to choose any organization that they want as long as it is a nonprofit.”
much a part of everyone’s focuses. Every Otter employee is very dedicated, but it is fun because I think we all do work so hard.” In order to keep the innovative and active culture of the company alive, OtterBox employees are constantly challenged to value the community that they relate much of their success to. “We are constantly striving to build a positive image of our company, not only in the community, but now nationally and internationally,” Vater said. “We are supported by a lot of grass roots, word of mouth, and our strong desire to succeed.” Aside from the pride Lemmer takes in OtterBox’s evolutionary products that take technological casing to a whole different level, she is thrilled to be a part of a company that really cares. “To me, OtterBox and OtterCares represent working for a company that really cares about the community around them and it is important to them that their employees value the company as well. Not a lot of companies can say that.”
Known as an innovator of protective solutions for the leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors, OtterBox carries three lines of device-specific cases: Defender Series, Commuter series, and Impact Series. Here is a break down of what each series is about, as seen on their website:
Lemmer explained the unique opportunity that Curt and Nancy create in making sure their employees are bought into the vision and direction of the company, creating an atmosphere which values what each employee has to say. “Curt is a person who has not only seen directly what is in front of him and what that next step is, but he is also able to look two or three steps down the road and say, ‘Look, this is where I want to be in the future, and this is what we need to do to get there,’” Jordan Vater, OtterBox’s public relations support specialist, said. Always knowing where the company is headed makes OtterBox, a now international company with an official office in Cork, Ireland, feel like home to roughly 240 employees in Fort Collins. Lemmer believes that an employee’s unique position at Otterbox creates a stress free environment, where people have the personal incentive to succeed. Amy Inglis, Otter Relations consultant, agrees. “Everyone here is very driven, focused and works very hard. It is a very fun place to be,” Inglis said. “The work hard part is very
photo by chelsea dunfee
•Defender Series: RUGGED: Multi-layer case completely encloses a device and withstands any environment. •Commuter Series: STYLISH: Sleek and tough case prevents potential damage from a demanding lifestyle. •Impact Series: DURABLE: Simple silicone skin absorbs impact and deflects bumps and dings.
design by
vincent nigro
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by allison lecain
Fix & Flip
alking into a house with stained carpet, himself. However, on some of the more difficult work he no working appliances and paint chips subcontracted professionals. as far as the eye can see doesn’t usually In order to ensure that a profit will be made, there are make people think, “this is the house several things to be sure of. Hardy said it is important that for me.” But the house picked to fix and flip is fix and flippers have a game plan undervalued for the neighborhood for this house – a strategy that will that it is in. ese homes are usually make them a huge profit. the product of foreclosure, short sale A fix and flip is a house opportunities and, when people need someone buys that is undervalued to sell their house quickly, they often and in need of repairs. e person price it below market value. fixes it up and sells the house for e house that Soukop picked much more than they paid for it, was in a good neighborhood but was sometimes making a decent profit. ~ erik hardy, broker associate/partner of the more run down than the other houses group inc. real estate Patrick Soukup, senior accounting major, did his first fix and flip two summers ago with a friend. “ e house was very dated and clearly had bathrooms and A STEP-BY-STEP HOW-TO a kitchen straight from the 70’s,” Soukup said. “We replaced FIX AND FLIP GUIDE the floor in the kitchen and most of the two bathrooms.” When Soukup did his fix and flip, he got lucky that according to Erik Hardy the house had just gotten a new roof, so his main points of focus were the bathrooms and kitchen. Erik Hardy, broker associate/partner of e Group Step One: Do your homework on the Inc. Real Estate agrees with Soukop that bathrooms and market in that neighborhood kitchen are the big ticket items that will raise the property value the fastest. Also, homes with structural issues usually Step Two: Identify the property you will not be picked to fix and flip because it is just too want to purchase much to take on. “Kitchens and bathrooms are always the biggest return Step Three: Identify the repairs and on your investments,” Hardy said. “ ose are the places improvements you want to make on the that people look at first and that’s where you can really make an impact.” property Hardy said that buyers will also be looking at the roof, the furnace and the water heater as their main concerns. Step Four: Build your budget e outside appearance of a house can significantly impact how fast it sells, so Soukop focused heavily on landscaping. Step Five: Hire subcontractors and “ e outside had some overgrown foliage that was easy get work done to fix with some simple landscaping,” Soukup said. In addition, Soukup did a lot of painting in the house
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from trash to treasure
“a job well done on a fix and flip should profit 10 to 15 percent of the original cost.”
Step Six: Market and sell the property
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quickly if you don’t stay on top of your price point,” Hardy said. “You should know going into it exactly how much you can spend to still have a profit at the end, and then be very aggressive on sticking to the budget.” A job well done on a fix and flip should profit 10 to 15 percent of the original cost according to Hardy. It is important to have a 30 to 90 day turn around, from the day the fixer buys the house to the day it is sold. is is important because you will not have to continue paying all the taxes and fees that come with owning a home, in addition to interest if you get a loan. “ e longer it sits on the market, the more interest is accruing for the property that you are going to ultimately have to pay off, which diminishes your profit,” Soukup said. “So you want to get that turn around really quick.” e risks that Soukup said are important to consider are going over budget because of structural problems found later on. at is why it is key to get the property inspected by a professional before starting off. Sriram Villupuram, assistant professor of finance and real estate at CSU, said that miscalculating the cost to fix the property or the future value of the property are common risks of fix and flips. “Sometimes it could simply be because of the underestimation of the problems involved,” Villupuram said. “Every house that you are trying to fix is different and every market and neighborhood where you get this photo by sam noblett opportunity is different.” To avoid such risks, Hardy emphasizes that you on the block, which is a key component to picking the right know what you are doing every step of the way. house to fix and flip. “If you don’t really know the market, you need to work ey purchased the house for $125,000. ey spent $20,000 on all the changes they put into the home and with someone who does, like a realtor,” Hardy said. “Look at fortunately, Soukop’s friend’s dad was able to lend them the homes that have sold in that neighborhood in the past two to three months to know if you will make a profit.” money to finance the project. ough help will be needed, it is possible for anyone to “ at brought us up to about $150,000 expense wise,” e key is doing research and following Soukup said. “We sold the property for $176,000, so we fix and flip a house. through with the plans that are set up. made about $21,000 in three months.” “If a couple of students have the right financing and However glamorous it might be to make tens of thousands of dollars in a few months, three months total for Soukop, the right plan, they could fix and flip two to three houses a summer,” Soukup said. there are risks involved in the fix and flip business. Soukup said that he enjoyed the experience of fixing and Hardy said it is important to have your game plan laid out flipping a house and was excited to turn out such a large profit. before jumping into the project. “ e combination of work, pressure and excitement made “You should have a really good handle on your budget, and stay on top of that because you can get into trouble very it an extremely memorable experience.”
design by lindsay bergquist
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ust before beginning an eight hour shift, all RamRide drivers and navigators are given three things: car keys, consent forms and a puke bag. While signing up to transport intoxicated students may not seem like an ideal way to spend your Friday night, RamRide is run and operated entirely by student volunteers who don’t seem to mind. “It’s an adventure,” Daniel Boxer, freshman volunteer driver, said. “If you go downtown to Old Town there are a lot of people that just want rides. They will try to get into the car even if they didn’t call.” While RamRide is one of the more widely known resources on campus, it is only one of several provided by CSU student offices. Mainly located in the Lory Student Center, student offices are meant to provide resources for all needs and opportunities for students to get involved with the university. The offices are largely student run, and while each has a particular focus, the underlying theme is giving back to the CSU community.
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know
in the
photo by natasha leadem
student offices provide valuable campus resources
by natasha leadem
Keep the wheels rolling
RamRide is a program run from the ASCSU office and while many students are aware of the program itself they do not fully understand the role it plays in the community. RamRide was started by ASCSU students during the 2003 to 2004 school year and modeled around Texas A&M’s CARPOOL program. It was meant to provide CSU students with non-judgemental safe rides home and since its beginning RamRide has provided rides for over 100,000 students. “Any CSU student is capable of utilizing RamRide no matter what the circumstances,” co-advisor Kim Grubbs said. “We give a lot of rides to people who have been studying at the library or even students that have just gotten off of their job.” The program relies on weekly student volunteers to take calls, drive the cars and act as navigators for the drivers. While volunteers for RamRide only sign up for one night, the student employees responsible for training these volunteers make a much larger commitment to the program. For Regina Martel, sophomore political science major, her job as director of RamRide entails incredible dedication. This includes a mandatory eight hours a week in the office as well as her obligation to volunteer for at least one eight hour shift out of every weekend, but for Martel time was not an issue. “An eight hour shift can seem really intense, but whenever I’ve worked it time flies because your having fun. There are so many good stories that come out of the night,” Martel said. “It’s really relaxed and laid back. We just kind of hang out and laugh about the funny one liners that come over dispatch.”
Taking part starts in the slice office
Hidden away behind the Campus Information Center in the LSC, some students have never heard of the SLiCE office before, though it is one of the largest student offices on campus. An acronym for Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement the SLiCE office brings various leadership and community involved programs together underneath one name. The whole basis of the SLiCE office is to give back to the CSU community, and surrounding communities through these three approaches. Dropped off in Denver and left to fend for himself for 24 hours, Cody Goings, a senior political science major took volunteering to the next level when he agreed to become homeless for a day. He played the role of a disabled homeless veteran during an alternative break immersion
Utilizing your resources:
Student Diversity Programs and Service Offices
Asian/Pacific American Cultural Center Location: 212 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-6154 Black/African American Cultural Center Location: 204 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-5781 Native American Cultural Center Location: 218 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-1332 Women’s Programs and Studies Location: 112 Student Services, (970) 491-6384 El Centro Location: 211E Lory Student Center, (970) 491-5722
Resources for Disabled Students Location: 100 General Services, (970) 491-6385 Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Resource Center Location: 174 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-4342
Student Government
ASCSU- Associated Students of Colorado State University Location: 109 Lory Student Center (970) 491-5931 www.ascsu.colostate.edu SLiCE- Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement Location: 113 Lory Student Center, (970) 491-1682
program, in which students experience the community they will be working with for an entire week. “The entire time I was homeless nobody even smiled at me,” Goings said. “It made me realize that I need to make sure that I am valuing and respecting people, regardless of the situation they’re in.” Since his experience, Goings was in charge of coordinating Project Homeless Connect, a program that provides resources for the homeless community, as well as coordinator of a leadership exchange program to Merida, Mexico. “SLiCE has supported me in becoming an active and informed community member,” Goings said. “It will give you an opportunity to be involved in something you are passionate about, whatever it is.” With so many contributions to the Fort Collins community, the SLiCE office became the first university office to be selected for the Spirit of Fort Collins Award, honored on Oct. 21 for its dedication to persons with disabilities. SLiCE endorses a Special Needs Swim as well as T.G.I.F, a program where student volunteers work with disabled teenagers in the Fort Collins area.
students ben schraeder, lauren karpiel, sam bowersox-daly, keith colton, chuck gill, nikki cristello, travis schuitt, amy pezzani and charlene olms, as well as members from the larimer county food bank participate in the slice food drive cans around the oval.
photo courtesy of stephanie ashley
Focusing on culture
Coming to a university with a population of 26,500 students can be quite the culture shock for some and a struggle to find their place among such diversity. Each of the seven cultural offices focuses on providing resources, and a safe haven, for students with various cultural backgrounds. “It’s like my second home away from home,” Oswaldo Cantor, a junior construction management major, said about El Centro. In order to promote cultural awareness each office sponsors events and groups specific to their target culture. Nicole Kenote, a junior biomedical science major, participated in an outreach trip to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, a trip sponsored by the Native American Cultural Center. Students involved got the chance to demo scientific experiments for elementary students on the reservation whose schools didn’t have enough money to support interactive sciences. “The kids were really excited because they didn’t get to do that very often,” Kenote said. “I felt like I was part of something, like I was promoting the next generation’s interest in science.’ While the offices stress cultural awareness of certain groups, they are all inclusive, providing resources to students of all ethnicities and backgrounds. The Native American Cultural Center, specifically, provides not only a place for students to go, but also tutoring and mentoring. “Our hope with the tutoring program is to help students get the grades that they are seeking and help them get off of academic probation,” said Ty Smith, director of the Native American Cultural Center. The cultural offices of CSU allow for students to find their place as well as get help with a vast range of struggles that they may face.
design by bethany chambers
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by molly marie mccart
1% for the Planet
profits go a long way for the environment
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1%
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ne percent. One dollar out of every 100 dollars. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot – but this simple concept is shaping the world’s environment, and doing a lot of good right here in Fort Collins. This global movement has its roots with outdoor gear retailer Patagonia, and the company’s founding dedication to the environment. Yvon Chouinard started making his own clothing suitable for the climbing conditions of the Tetons. According to Rick Vitacca, assistant manager of The Mountain Shop in Old Town Fort Collins, the outdoor lover began selling clothing, and soon, Chouinard found himself the founder of Patagonia. These roots set the foundation for a company firm in its environmental awareness. According to Vitacca, a “giving back” policy is simply part of Patagonia’s philosophy. In 1985, Patagonia began donating 1 percent of all of their sales revenue to environmental preservation and restoration. It was a basic idea. Such a small concept, and yet such a huge difference. Currently their donations total $38 million. Something is working. Blue Ribbon Flies, a fly fishing gear retailer based in Montana had been doing a similar operation. They were donating 2 percent of their own revenue. Through their mutual love for the environment, Craig Matthews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, and Choudinard teamed up their efforts in 2002, and expanded their own ideas to include other companies. The company they created is now called
1% for the Planet - a nonprofit organization of businesses, big and small, who donate 1 percent of their total revenue to environmental causes. It has been effective on an international, as well as a local level – assisting in movements ranging from sea turtle conservation, to bike safety awareness, to educational travel. Since its start, 1% for the Planet has generated a total of $50 million to “Keep Earth in Business,” all collected from companies’ 1 percent revenues. Businesses part of 1% range from outdoor gear retailers to music artists. Ever listen to Jack Johnson? He’s a member of 1% by buying his CD’s, the public supports environmental help. It’s reaching global heights, currently 1,469 companies donate to 2,268 environmental causes, a number that grows daily. This movement is alive and booming in Fort Collins in both members who donate and nonprofits, who receive the money. Your True Nature is one of these donors, a 1% member for three years. Your True Nature is a Fort Collins based company focused on giving the gift of nature. They organize tree planting programs as well as sell eco-friendly gifts. Their philosophy aligns with that of 1%. As Julie Williams-Cipritani, webmaster for the company said, Your True Nature is all about environmental issues, “That’s the whole point.” Your True Nature recycles and replants, replacing 100 percent of what it uses. They recycle as much as possible and for every piece of paper and every tree used they plant a new tree. Through 1%, they have donated $20,000 to 25 environmental organizations in Colorado. New Belgium Brewing, famous for its Fat Tire beers and the Tour de Fat, has been a 1% member since November 2007. It is perhaps the largest donor in Fort Collins. Like Patagonia, New Belgium has always been environmentally conscious. The brewery has been run on wind powered electricity since 1999. Prior to joining 1%, the company donated $1 per barrel sold. According to Katie Wallace, sustainability specialist for New
Belgium, 1% offered the connection with nonprofit organizations, out of and a recognizable structure to their work. They use the 1% logo the landfill stream. The on their packaging, as well as on their website. The design of 1% allows companies to choose the programs to organization which they donate - providing that they meet 1% for the Planet’s of 1% allowed for qualifications by showing that they are “focused on issues of New Belgium and the sustainability” according to 1%. There is an application process co-op to connect and involved in which a nonprofit must prove their eco-friendly goals communicate. On a local level, the and programs, always aimed towards giving back. They must be approved then they are added to 1% eligible stream, a list which organization has donated to Poudre wilderness volunteers, bird observatories can be found on their website. New Belgium goes an extra step to screen these approved and to programs for global education. The 1% for the Planet symbol is being nonprofits, narrowing their selection to four categories: water seen more and more throughout the country, stewardship, environmental advocacy, environmental education even the world. It has become a symbol of the and sensible transportation. New Belgium is all about the environmentally aware and the eco friendly. The bicycle as Wallace says. company is ever expanding to assist in more One of the nonprofit programs New Belgium and more nonprofits as they have donated to 12 has donated to is the Bicycle Cooperative of organizations in the Fort Collins area. Fort Collins, a local organization dedicated One percent is not a complicated organization, to community riding, bike safety, and but it is making a huge impact. Any company recycling used or old bicycle parts. can join – 1% is designed to offer structure to It’s about giving bicycles a second donating, as well as provide a familiar logo chance, “or sometimes a third Want to know more? Check to attach to products produced with or fourth chance”, says Doug out OnePercentForThePlanet.org the environment in mind. After Cutter, local volunteer and all, as 1% boldly points out, we spokesperson. He says only have one earth. the co-op’s focus is keeping old bikes
design by vincent nigro
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h e alth Wheat Withdrawls
going gluten free in a gluten filled world
by kelly bleck
T
he aroma of freshly sautéed garlic, onions, bell Due to this autoimmune reaction to gluten, the peppers and sundried tomatoes ignites your senses body tries to compensate for lost nutrients, which manifests in like the warm smaell of fresh baked cookies as you many different ways. For Serchia it was headaches, stomachaches swing open the door. Your mouth waters as your and lethargy, though it can also manifest on the skin with an stomach anticipates the italian restaurant’s new itchy rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis. Other more severe dinner concoction of pasta, mushrooms and wheat garlic bread. symptoms include diabetes, liver and thyroid diseases, iron e last time you ate such a wheat-heavy meal, you felt sick deficiency anemia and GI cancers. immediately afterward. But you chow down anyway. To eliminate the symptoms, one has to exclude all wheat, rye And, as if on cue, you feel a wave and barley products or any forms of them of nausea. from their diets. It’s about eating as close is is often the case for those with to the ground as possible, eating whole celiac disease, a.k.a. gluten intolerance, foods and removing most processed which can significantly alter daily life and goods. especially diet. ose with celiac disease “It is healthier in a sense just because can no longer wander into any restaurant you are eating whole foods,” Serchia said. and enjoy the same wheat-heavy meal. ~alyssa serchia, founder of gluten “But I lived on corn tortillas and mashed ey have to watch what they eat closely, potatoes when I first free meet up and eat up shop completely differently and ultimately found out. I was a poor have a lifestyle makeover to accomodate the intolerancy. college kid.” Common symptoms of celiac disease include abdominal Peter Petropulos, doctor of chiropractics at cramping, chronic diarrhea, anemia, unexplained weight loss or gain, the Life Center in Denver, has helped change their bone or joint pain, fatigue, migraine headaches and even depression. lifestyles to suit different ailments for 30 years. “My freshman year of college I was sick all year,” said Alyssa “[Gluten intolerance] is often a physical Serchia, 24, founder of Gluten Free Meet up and Eat up. “Since manifestation of inappropriate functional celiac attacks the immune system, I got everything [sickness] you medicine, medicine that treats the systems that could get that year.” cause the disease instead of the triggers that After reading an article describing her symptoms – low inevitably [hurt] the system,” Petropulos said. energy, headaches and nausea – Serchia asked her doctor if “It’s lifestyle augmentation [to be gluten free].” celiac disease could be her ailment. One blood test later she was e Celiac Disease Foundation recommends diagnosed with the disease. replacing pasta, bread, chips and crackers with According to the Celiac Disease Foundation’s website, one gluten free foods like buckwheat, rice variants, in every 133 Americans is affected by celiac disease, which is whole fruits and vegetables and meat. hereditary. For celiac sufferers, certain foods such as wheat, rye “I have to avoid certain natural flavorings and barley damage the villi, which are hair-like projections in the and spices. Gluten is a great binder which small intestine, and prevent them from absorbing nutrients. allows us to use it a lot,” said JoJo Ogg, a
“it’s not a depravation [in the end], you’re doing it for your health.”
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Colorado State University alumna who has celiac disease. “It’s a big frustration. But supposedly you can call companies to ask about their products and they are supposed to know, but some don’t.” Ogg, who received her degree in health and exercise science, was first introduced to celiac disease when her sister was diagnosed. en Ogg noticed that she exhibited many of the same symptoms herself. “I had symptoms that included blisters under the skin on my fingertips and the sides of my fingers,” Ogg said. “It’s an autoimmune disease so sometimes you’re born with it and sometimes it’s triggered. When you ingest gluten your body marks it as a poison, affecting your immune system, and parts of me would get inflamed. It’s not an allergic reaction technically, just an inflammatory response.” She switched to a gluten free diet and instantly felt better. But the effect of switching may go beyond a change in diet – traveling and eating at restaurants takes on a whole new meaning. Serchia began the Gluten Free Meet up and Eat up, a group for younger people diagnosed with celiac disease. e Celiac Sprue Association hosts gatherings, but Serchia said she really wanted to start something for people ages 16 to 30. “We go to a restaurant we know offers gluten free food and we all order the gluten free meal,” Serchia said. “It’s camaraderie.” e Meet up and Eat up also gives the members a chance to talk with others about places to go, good gluten free products and exchanges of recipes or gifts. “We miss out on some of the best things. So we do Christmas cookie exchanges, meet at bakeries and try new goodies,” Serchia said. “We even toured Budweiser and they special ordered their gluten free beer after I’d warned them we were coming.” ere are options for those with celiac disease. Call manufacturers and ask – they are supposed to know ingredients according to Ogg. Some grocery stores have specific gluten free sections, or like King Soopers have a gluten free emblem marking safe foods. As Serchia emphasizes, “It’s not a deprivation [in the end], you’re doing it for your health.”
what to avoid
wheat
rye
barley
replace with...
buckwheat rice variants
fruits vegetables
meat
&
far left: photo courtesy of the agricultural research center center: photo by allison lecain
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e nvi ronment
by jaime pritchard
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one are the days when sewing, knitting and weaving were only associated with housewives and grandmothers. Within the last year, the Fort Collins community has welcomed two new fiber arts businesses to the Old Town area: Mama Said Sew, a chic, contemporary sewing shop that opened its doors in April 2010 and Your Daily Fiber, a bountiful and sustainable yarn store that opened in November 2009. rough environmentally friendly practices and community interaction, local entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and Colorado State University students alike are putting their own spin on needlecraft and tailoring their creative visions to fit the 21st century. “Our parents sewed because society required them to but we were not required to learn. at allowed us to come around to it later,” Suzan Hazel, a Mama Said Sew employee, said. Fiber art is making a comeback through resources such as do-it-yourself books, which have given people the tools to create their own style, and T.V. shows such as Project Runway which have made fashion design and fabric manipulation ‘in’ again. Caitlin Henry, senior apparel and merchandizing major and the president of Fashion Group International CSU chapter, wants to “incorporate sustainability into the creation of fashionable products.” Henry is predominately interested in the merchandizing aspect of the fashion industry but feels strongly about promoting sustainability. “ ere’s this conception that eco-friendly clothing is drab clothing. I want to change that,” Henry said. Angela Gray, owner of Mama Said Sew, creates unique apparel and helps the planet by repurposing. In other words, she transforms old clothing and fabric into new and innovative
homespun heroines
tailoring fiber arts to fit the 21st century
angela gray, owner of mama said sew, fashions new masterpieces in her shop in old town.
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creations. Gray thinks the availability of mass produced clothing clothing that is mostly unconventional.” has inspired people to demonstrate their own sense of individuality Sipes studied both art education and fibers at CSU, and after through making their own garments. discovering that teaching middle school Gray first took interest in fashion art wasn’t for her, she began knitting design in eighth grade but didn’t constantly. She has participated in initially pursue a career in the field. many fiber art competitions over She graduated from Armstrong the years and won Reserve Grand Atlantic State University with a Champion in the Taos Wool Festival ~elaine sipes, co-owner of your daily fiber bachelor’s degree in literature and for a hooded cape she knitted. continued to sew on the side. Fortunately, CSU students In 2007, Gray moved to Fort don’t even have to leave campus Collins with her husband and landed a job at Clothes Pony & to showcase their fashion and fiber innovations. Fashion Group Dandelion Toys. After working there for several months, she began International Inc. is the largest fashion design organization on working on a business plan with the Small Business Development campus with about 200 members, and holds an annual runway Center in Fort Collins. She solidified her store plan in March 2009 show every December. and officially opened Mama Said Sew just over a year later. “It’s the only chance we get to show off how great CSU students are [at Her store sells fashion and vintage fabric in addition to design],” Henry, FGI president, said. “We have a really solid program.” traditional quilting cottons, and offers basic courses for beginners, FGI is comprised of mostly apparel design and merchandizing repurposing classes for the eco-conscious and specific garment students but does not limit its membership to only those majors. classes for the practical ‘sew-ista.’ is year, the theme of the show is “Behind the Seams” and will be Gray enjoys sewing children’s clothing the most because, “you held on Dec. 2. can break all the rules when it comes to color and pattern.” She In addition to the annual show, FGI also holds a recycled fashion makes clothes for her own children. show in the spring. Any CSU student can enter the competition e green movement has significantly influenced Gray’s business but must use only recycled materials to construct their garment. and the resurgence of inexpensive and practical hobbies as a whole. “We want to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to “I think it has a lot to do with sustainability and the consumption shine,” Henry said. of our environment,” said Whitney Crutchfield, a graduate fibers With the plethora of classes, workshops and guidebooks out student. “Younger generations, like ours, have had stuff handed to there, anyone can learn how to knit, sew, weave, crochet, felt or us … making things and participating in fiber activities makes us embroider their own work of art. By offering group classes, Gray is feel like we are contributing.” “trying to create a community that celebrates creativity.” Crutchfield describes her aesthetic as “the promotion [of ] As Sipes put it, “If more people spun, we wouldn’t need visual, emotional and intellectual pleasure,” on her website Prozac.” WhitneyCrutchfield.com. She dabbles in thread work, woven work and printed yardage, and will begin selling some of her customdesigned fabric at Mama Said Sew Dec. 3. She seeks to create accessible works that people enjoy and want to spend time with. Her aims reflect why people are so attracted to creating fiber art today: because it’s accessible and enjoyable. Elaine Sipes, co-owner of Your Daily Fiber in Fort Collins, knows a bit about sustainable needlecraft considering she hand-spins and dyes alpaca, llama and yak wool collected from her own backyard. Sipes and her husband, Darrell Sipes, raise the large animals for their wool and sell the hand-spun thread in their store. Sipes enjoys working with earth tones the most and dyes all of her own yarn accordingly. However, Sipes also sells hand-made yarn spun by craftsmen all over the Midwestern United States. Your Daily Fiber sells many forms of fibrous materials made from sheep wool, rabbit fur, dog hair, hemp, bamboo and more in a multitude of colors. Sipes enjoys working with wool the most because “it is the photos by jaime pritchard angela gray, owner of mama said sew, works at her comfort food of yarn” and describes her work as “one-of-a-kind sewing machine.
“if more people spun, we wouldn’t need prozac.”
design by bethany chambers
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fast f or w ard
by aliese willard
You.com
photo by jaime pritchard
here’s a cowboy proverb from the American Old West that states, “if you’re riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.” After his graduation from Colorado State University in 2009, it appeared that Nick Scheidies had lost sight of the herd. After his commencement ceremony, Scheidies laid on his couch and stared at the ceiling, like the Lone Ranger in the midst of the Sonoran Desert. The English creative writing major loved what he did, but had no idea what to do with his life. “It wasn’t exactly a burgeoning job market,” Scheidies said of his creative writing path. “A lot of college kids just don’t know what they’re going to do after they graduate, and that’s the position I was in. I had no idea.” Luckily, Scheidies found a vocational future in his roommate Nick Tart, a 2010 business marketing graduate. Tart had started a website called Juniorbiz.com as a project for a business class, but wanted to continue his venture. One year, one book and one website later, Tart fulfilled his dream of owning a business and Scheidies found a niche for his writing abilities, all in the expanding world of online entrepreneurship. 38
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T
how your talents can mean money on the internet
JuniorBiz, an online company that teaches young entrepreneurs how to start and manage their own businesses, has grown into an accredited resource for middle school to college-age entrepreneurs. In conjunction with their website, the two Nicks co-authored a book, “What it Takes to Make More Money than Your Parents,” that was released in July 2010. And according to both, there has never been a better time to create a business on the Internet. “It’s like the Wild West right now; the Internet is just getting on its feet,” Scheidies said. “It’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. There’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” Though they’re not outlaws, the Nick duo could be compared to a modern Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: they see the possibilities in the new frontier of the Internet, and are taking full advantage. Tart and Scheidies add new material about business resources every week to their blog, and both are capitalizing on their writing, artistic and entrepreneurial talents to make a living. And their story is not uncommon. Due to the devastating recession, people from college age to retirement age are creating online businesses as a means for extra cash. The timing is right: in spite of the difficult economic
conditions, Internet traffic has increased. According to the 2010 Paypal Online Retail Report, one-fifth, or 10.2 million British Internet users, shop online once a week, and 19.5 million shop online at least once a month, up from 4.5 million in 2009. Though the Paypal study only covers Internet users in Britain, it gives a glimpse of what can only be a rapidly expanding market in the United States. With the availability of programs like Wordpress, almost anyone can create their own online business or website. And they are. Paul DiSalvo, an adjunct professor who teaches CIS 410 Web Application Development, believes that it is easier nowadays for people to make money online, even if they do not have previous website experience. “Ten years ago the tools for people to bypass the specialized knowledge [of the internet] didn’t really exist,” DiSalvo said. “[Now] you can build a dynamic database that accepts credit cards and everything without knowing anything at all about computers. Simply because you’re filling in fields in a form, and software generates it.” DiSalvo is a computer expert, as displayed by the M.S. in computer information systems that he completed this month. When he isn’t teaching about HTML coding and databases, he works freelance creating graphics for print and web, and aiding clients with CSS development and back end programming. He believes the Internet will be the future for most businesses. “I think there are some businesses which are inherently tied to brick and mortar, like restaurants,” DiSalvo said. And people talk about [brick and mortar establishments] as being irreplaceable, but [they’re] getting replaced. There’s no doubt about it that many businesses that were doing fine 10 years ago are not right now. Most businesses are going to be online.” But that doesn’t mean everyone has to study CIS technology. DiSalvo’s own unusual career path illustrates the variety of the people who create web-based businesses. His undergraduate degree is in English. He worked as a chef but stopped because he became a vegetarian. Disalvo’s next profession was in publishing; when print media started to become digitized in the 1990’s, he became fascinated with the Internet and graphics programs like Photoshop. He discovered he had a hidden talent in CIS and put it to use. There is another Old Western proverb that says, “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.” With the sluggish state of the economy, people are looking in their back pockets and utilizing what gifts they have, like DiSalvo, to earn a living through the Internet. Dylan Reed, a junior studio art major, has been exploring the vast terrain of the web since childhood, and operates several different websites that offer his abilities and services to other people. He utilizes his crafting talents to sell stuffed animal creations that
he calls “Awesome Guys” on a website he has through the online craft market Etsy.com. His next website is an informational blog for clowns and entertainers written from Reed’s experiences as a professional clown. Reed also has a personal website and blog at DylanReed.com, where he offers his talents of writing, design and general handiwork. He is also launching a new website with his wife, Sarah, that will showcase their projects, from baking to sewing. “I try to do everything possible to do what I enjoy and not what I don’t enjoy,” Reed, 29, said. “If I’m able to turn something I do, whether it’s entertainment or crafting stuff, into something where I could make money to survive, that would be awesome.” And though Reed’s online business ventures have not completely covered the bills, he isn’t worried. Managing websites is a timeconsuming endeavor, especially for a student, but he says that once he has more time to invest in his websites, there is potential for success. “People don’t realize that an online business takes the same if not more work than if you have a brick and mortar store,” Reed said. “There are many easy ways to make money online, but you have to be willing to put the time in, [and] it’s a ridiculous amount of time. If you start your own business, you will put in 80 to 100 hours per week. Well, online businesses are the same.” Tart and Scheidies are a perfect example of the results that can come from steadfast devotion to online business. The two have devoted their post-graduate lives to furthering JuniorBiz, and are excited with the increasing recognition their business receives. The two were invited as breakout speakers to the National Collegiate
“it’s like the wild west right now; the internet is just
getting on its feet. it’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. there’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” ~ nick scheidies,
founder of juniorbiz.com
Entrepreneur’s Organization Conference in Chicago Nov. 4 through Nov. 6. They have also been featured in local media, and sales of the book as well as hits on the website have climbed. Their advice? Get on the Internet. College is the prime place in life to experiment with business. “Now is the time to start a business, when you’re a student,” Scheidies said. “You probably don’t have a family to support, as many responsibilities as a college kid. If you try something you love and it doesn’t work out, the worst case scenario is that it fails and then you learn from it. Companies are going to respond to that if it’s on your resume, especially if it was online, because that’s what everyone is looking for.” design by kira slaght
winter
2010
39
l ast c all
Angel Kwiatkowski
photo courtesy of Skippy Smith, Time/Place Photography
I
took the first job that was offered to me straight out of college because it was the only option I knew about. I lasted for four years and completely changed direction for another four before taking my “dream job.” My dream job lasted 86 days and ended with the CEO saying, “perhaps you should start your OWN business.”
It was the best thing that has happened to my career.
Cohere Coworking Community is my business and it’s a hotbed of success for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote workers. I started it last March in the worst economic times and it’s already in the black, a short seven months after opening. Cohere is a membership based collaborative workspace for independent workers in Old Town Fort Collins, Colo. Today, Cohere provides flexible, open format office space to 30 professionals including freelance workers and graphic designers The members are well equipped with high-speed wireless, endless coffee and a conference room to hold meetings. However, these tangible services are far less important than you’d think. No one joins Cohere to get Wi-Fi, coffee and a chair; they could get that at any coffee shop in town. The best graphic designers, web developers, copy writers and marketing specialists join Cohere to have continuous access to each others’ brains. In a typical day, the graphic designer will create a logo for another member and get a press release as payment. The web
developers will solve code problems on the ample white boards and the remote workers will commiserate about their conference call way of life. They all help each other, every day. One member joined Cohere a week after she was laid off from a local media company. Four months later, she has her own online content strategy company and is fighting work off with a stick. She attributes her rapid and successful acceleration into small business ownership to the mentorship and support that her membership at Cohere has provided to her. My point for telling you all of these things is not to convince you that everyone should immediately quit their jobs and open a small business – they shouldn’t. Nor is it to convince you that working for a regular, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. company job is some sort of sell-out – it’s not. We need wellestablished companies to teach us about managing people, how to be good bosses, how to expand in a sustainable fashion, and how to give back to the community. The most important reason I’m telling you this is to make you aware that working for the man isn’t your only option. Bide your time, get mentored, work for a bad (or a great) boss, learn what mistakes you never want to repeat – and then know that when you’re ready there will be a community of entrepreneurs out there waiting to help you build the career you’ve always wanted.
Angel Kwiatkowski is the curator of the Cohere Coworking Community and got her bachelor’s in psychology and master of education in education & human resource studies from Colorado State University. She worked in retail, government and at a start-up company prior to starting her own business.
40
winter
2010
design by lindsay bergquist
creations. Gray thinks the availability of mass produced clothing clothing that is mostly unconventional.” has inspired people to demonstrate their own sense of individuality Sipes studied both art education and fibers at CSU, and after through making their own garments. discovering that teaching middle school Gray first took interest in fashion art wasn’t for her, she began knitting design in eighth grade but didn’t constantly. She has participated in initially pursue a career in the field. many fiber art competitions over She graduated from Armstrong the years and won Reserve Grand Atlantic State University with a Champion in the Taos Wool Festival ~elaine sipes, co-owner of your daily fiber bachelor’s degree in literature and for a hooded cape she knitted. continued to sew on the side. Fortunately, CSU students In 2007, Gray moved to Fort don’t even have to leave campus Collins with her husband and landed a job at Clothes Pony & to showcase their fashion and fiber innovations. Fashion Group Dandelion Toys. After working there for several months, she began International Inc. is the largest fashion design organization on working on a business plan with the Small Business Development campus with about 200 members, and holds an annual runway Center in Fort Collins. She solidified her store plan in March 2009 show every December. and officially opened Mama Said Sew just over a year later. “It’s the only chance we get to show off how great CSU students are [at Her store sells fashion and vintage fabric in addition to design],” Henry, FGI president, said. “We have a really solid program.” traditional quilting cottons, and offers basic courses for beginners, FGI is comprised of mostly apparel design and merchandizing repurposing classes for the eco-conscious and specific garment students but does not limit its membership to only those majors. classes for the practical ‘sew-ista.’ is year, the theme of the show is “Behind the Seams” and will be Gray enjoys sewing children’s clothing the most because, “you held on Dec. 2. can break all the rules when it comes to color and pattern.” She In addition to the annual show, FGI also holds a recycled fashion makes clothes for her own children. show in the spring. Any CSU student can enter the competition e green movement has significantly influenced Gray’s business but must use only recycled materials to construct their garment. and the resurgence of inexpensive and practical hobbies as a whole. “We want to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to “I think it has a lot to do with sustainability and the consumption shine,” Henry said. of our environment,” said Whitney Crutchfield, a graduate fibers With the plethora of classes, workshops and guidebooks out student. “Younger generations, like ours, have had stuff handed to there, anyone can learn how to knit, sew, weave, crochet, felt or us … making things and participating in fiber activities makes us embroider their own work of art. By offering group classes, Gray is feel like we are contributing.” “trying to create a community that celebrates creativity.” Crutchfield describes her aesthetic as “the promotion [of ] As Sipes put it, “If more people spun, we wouldn’t need visual, emotional and intellectual pleasure,” on her website Prozac.” WhitneyCrutchfield.com. She dabbles in thread work, woven work and printed yardage, and will begin selling some of her customdesigned fabric at Mama Said Sew Dec. 3. She seeks to create accessible works that people enjoy and want to spend time with. Her aims reflect why people are so attracted to creating fiber art today: because it’s accessible and enjoyable. Elaine Sipes, co-owner of Your Daily Fiber in Fort Collins, knows a bit about sustainable needlecraft considering she hand-spins and dyes alpaca, llama and yak wool collected from her own backyard. Sipes and her husband, Darrell Sipes, raise the large animals for their wool and sell the hand-spun thread in their store. Sipes enjoys working with earth tones the most and dyes all of her own yarn accordingly. However, Sipes also sells hand-made yarn spun by craftsmen all over the Midwestern United States. Your Daily Fiber sells many forms of fibrous materials made from sheep wool, rabbit fur, dog hair, hemp, bamboo and more in a multitude of colors. Sipes enjoys working with wool the most because “it is the photos by jaime pritchard angela gray, owner of mama said sew, works at her comfort food of yarn” and describes her work as “one-of-a-kind sewing machine.
“if more people spun, we wouldn’t need prozac.”
design by bethany chambers
winter
2010
41
fast f or w ard
by aliese willard
You.com
photo by jaime pritchard
here’s a cowboy proverb from the American Old West that states, “if you’re riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.” After his graduation from Colorado State University in 2009, it appeared that Nick Scheidies had lost sight of the herd. After his commencement ceremony, Scheidies laid on his couch and stared at the ceiling, like the Lone Ranger in the midst of the Sonoran Desert. The English creative writing major loved what he did, but had no idea what to do with his life. “It wasn’t exactly a burgeoning job market,” Scheidies said of his creative writing path. “A lot of college kids just don’t know what they’re going to do after they graduate, and that’s the position I was in. I had no idea.” Luckily, Scheidies found a vocational future in his roommate Nick Tart, a 2010 business marketing graduate. Tart had started a website called Juniorbiz.com as a project for a business class, but wanted to continue his venture. One year, one book and one website later, Tart fulfilled his dream of owning a business and Scheidies found a niche for his writing abilities, all in the expanding world of online entrepreneurship. 42
winter
2010
T
how your talents can mean money on the internet
JuniorBiz, an online company that teaches young entrepreneurs how to start and manage their own businesses, has grown into an accredited resource for middle school to college-age entrepreneurs. In conjunction with their website, the two Nicks co-authored a book, “What it Takes to Make More Money than Your Parents,” that was released in July 2010. And according to both, there has never been a better time to create a business on the Internet. “It’s like the Wild West right now; the Internet is just getting on its feet,” Scheidies said. “It’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. There’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” Though they’re not swindling anyone, the Nick duo could be compared to a modern Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: they see the possibilities in the new frontier of the Internet, and are taking full advantage. Tart and Scheidies add new material about business resources every week to their blog, and both are capitalizing on their writing, artistic and entrepreneurial talents to make a living. And their story is not uncommon. Due to the devastating recession, people from college age to retirement age are creating online businesses as a means for extra cash. The timing is right: in spite of the difficult economic
conditions, Internet traffic has increased. According to the 2010 Paypal Online Retail Report, one-fifth, or 10.2 million British Internet users, shop online once a week, and 19.5 million shop online at least once a month, up from 4.5 million in 2009. Though the Paypal study only covers Internet users in Britain, it gives a glimpse of what can only be a rapidly expanding market in the United States. With the availability of programs like Wordpress, almost anyone can create their own online business or website. And they are. Paul DiSalvo, an adjunct professor who teaches CIS 410 Web Application Development, believes that it is easier nowadays for people to make money online, even if they do not have previous website experience. “Ten years ago the tools for people to bypass the specialized knowledge [of the internet] didn’t really exist,” DiSalvo said. “[Now] you can build a dynamic database that accepts credit cards and everything without knowing anything at all about computers. Simply because you’re filling in fields in a form, and software generates it.” DiSalvo is a computer expert, as displayed by the M.S. in computer information systems that he completed this month. When he isn’t teaching about HTML coding and databases, he works freelance creating graphics for print and web, and aiding clients with CSS development and back end programming. He believes the Internet will be the future for most businesses. “I think there are some businesses which are inherently tied to brick and mortar, like restaurants,” DiSalvo said. And people talk about [brick and mortar establishments] as being irreplaceable, but [they’re] getting replaced. There’s no doubt about it that many businesses that were doing fine 10 years ago are not right now. Most businesses are going to be online.” But that doesn’t mean everyone has to study CIS technology. DiSalvo’s own unusual career path illustrates the variety of the people who create web-based businesses. His undergraduate degree is in English. He worked as a chef but stopped because he became a vegetarian. Disalvo’s next profession was in publishing; when print media started to become digitized in the 1990’s, he became fascinated with the Internet and graphics programs like Photoshop. He discovered he had a hidden talent in CIS and put it to use. There is another Old Western proverb that says, “The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.” With the sluggish state of the economy, people are looking in their back pockets and utilizing what gifts they have, like DiSalvo, to earn a living through the Internet. Dylan Reed, a junior studio art major, has been exploring the vast terrain of the web since childhood, and operates several different websites that offer his abilities and services to other people. He utilizes his crafting talents to sell stuffed animal creations that
he calls “Awesome Guys” on a website he has through the online craft market Etsy.com. His next website is an informational blog for clowns and entertainers written from Reed’s experiences as a professional clown. Reed also has a personal website and blog at DylanReed.com, where he offers his talents of writing, design and general handiwork. He is also launching a new website with his wife, Sarah, that will showcase their projects, from baking to sewing. “I try to do everything possible to do what I enjoy and not what I don’t enjoy,” Reed, 29, said. “If I’m able to turn something I do, whether it’s entertainment or crafting stuff, into something where I could make money to survive, that would be awesome.” And though Reed’s online business ventures have not completely covered the bills, he isn’t worried. Managing websites is a timeconsuming endeavor, especially for a student, but he says that once he has more time to invest in his websites, there is potential for success. “People don’t realize that an online business takes the same if not more work than if you have a brick and mortar store,” Reed said. “There are many easy ways to make money online, but you have to be willing to put the time in, [and] it’s a ridiculous amount of time. If you start your own business, you will put in 80 to 100 hours per week. Well, online businesses are the same.” Tart and Scheidies are a perfect example of the results that can come from steadfast devotion to online business. The two have devoted their post-graduate lives to furthering JuniorBiz, and are excited with the increasing recognition their business receives. The two were invited as breakout speakers to the National Collegiate
“it’s like the wild west right now; the internet is just
getting on its feet. it’s still at the point right now where the little guy can carve out a space by putting the love and time into it. there’s a lot of clutter, but there’s also a lot of opportunity.” ~ nick scheidies,
founder of juniorbiz.com
Entrepreneur’s Organization Conference in Chicago Nov. 4 through Nov. 6. They have also been featured in local media, and sales of the book as well as hits on the website have climbed. Their advice? Get on the Internet. College is the prime place in life to experiment with business. “Now is the time to start a business, when you’re a student,” Scheidies said. “You probably don’t have a family to support, as many responsibilities as a college kid. If you try something you love and it doesn’t work out, the worst case scenario is that it fails and then you learn from it. Companies are going to respond to that if it’s on your resume, especially if it was online, because that’s what everyone is looking for.” design by kira slaght
winter
2010
43
l ast c all
Angel Kwiatkowski
photo courtesy of Skippy Smith, Time/Place Photography
I
took the first job that was offered to me straight out of college because it was the only option I knew about. I lasted for four years and completely changed direction for another four before taking my “dream job.” My dream job lasted 86 days and ended with the CEO saying, “perhaps you should start your OWN business.”
It was the best thing that has happened to my career.
Cohere Coworking Community is my business and it’s a hotbed of success for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote workers. I started it last March in the worst economic times and it’s already in the black, a short seven months after opening. Cohere is a membership based collaborative workspace for independent workers in Old Town Fort Collins, Colo. Today, Cohere provides flexible, open format office space to 30 professionals including freelance workers and graphic designers The members are well equipped with high-speed wireless, endless coffee and a conference room to hold meetings. However, these tangible services are far less important than you’d think. No one joins Cohere to get Wi-Fi, coffee and a chair; they could get that at any coffee shop in town. The best graphic designers, web developers, copy writers and marketing specialists join Cohere to have continuous access to each others’ brains. In a typical day, the graphic designer will create a logo for another member and get a press release as payment. The web
developers will solve code problems on the ample white boards and the remote workers will commiserate about their conference call way of life. They all help each other, every day. One member joined Cohere a week after she was laid off from a local media company. Four months later, she has her own online content strategy company and is fighting work off with a stick. She attributes her rapid and successful acceleration into small business ownership to the mentorship and support that her membership at Cohere has provided to her. My point for telling you all of these things is not to convince you that everyone should immediately quit their jobs and open a small business – they shouldn’t. Nor is it to convince you that working for a regular, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. company job is some sort of sell-out – it’s not. We need wellestablished companies to teach us about managing people, how to be good bosses, how to expand in a sustainable fashion, and how to give back to the community. The most important reason I’m telling you this is to make you aware that working for the man isn’t your only option. Bide your time, get mentored, work for a bad (or a great) boss, learn what mistakes you never want to repeat – and then know that when you’re ready there will be a community of entrepreneurs out there waiting to help you build the career you’ve always wanted.
Angel Kwiatkowski is the curator of the Cohere Coworking Community and got her bachelor’s in psychology and master of education in education & human resource studies from Colorado State University. She worked in retail, government and at a start-up company prior to starting her own business.
44
winter
2010
design by lindsay bergquist
