This year, JA is partnering with Techstars to present a series of free virtual entrepreneurial summits geared for teens. These exciting and interactive one-hour events invite students to ask questions of panelists.
Stream the Colorado Business Hall of Fame Summit
In partnership with Techstars and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, JA is excited to offer the Colorado Business Hall of Fame Summit, which was held on Tuesday, February 9. Emceed by Denver7’s Brian Sanders, this special edition of our Entrepreneur Summit series featured two Hall of Fame past inductees: Jim Johnson (president & CEO of GE Johnson) and Larry Kendall (founder of The Group, Inc. and the Ninja Selling System), plus two up-and-coming entrepreneurs from Colorado: David Potter (CEO & co-founder of Curu) and Alana Vaughn-Phillips (co-founder and chief development officer of BobaVida).
Above: Watch the February 9, 2021 Colorado Business Hall of Fame Summit.
Watch our first Entrepreneur Summit from November 2020, here.
Thank You Sponsors!
Summit Sponsors: Alpine Bank, AMG National Trust, BDO, Beeble, Boettcher Foundation, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Craig Hospital, Denver International Airport, FirstBank, Flood & Peterson, Grant Thornton, Husch Blackwell, Intermountain Rural Electric Association, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank, and Vectra Bank.
Meet the Panel
Jim Johnson, GE Johnson Construction Company
As chief executive officer of G.E. Johnson, Jim Johnson is building on his father’s legacy, not just following it. The company is Colorado Springs’ largest locally owned and operated commercial builder, and one of the biggest in the state and the Rocky Mountain region. Through the years, G.E. Johnson has either built, expanded or renovated all or portions of some of the highest-profile structures in Colorado Springs. The company culture founded by Gil carries on no matter the project or location: caring and commitment to family and community. Jim’s passion for community service and client satisfaction drives him as he continues to lead the company in its 50th year of operation.
Larry Kendall, The Group, Inc. & The Ninja Selling System
Larry Kendall has been a leader of the real estate industry for 45 years. He is a founding partner of The Group, Inc. and is a co-creator of the Ninja Selling System, used by more than 80,000 real estate and other sales professionals worldwide. His book, Ninja Selling: Subtle Skills. Big Results. was an Amazon bestseller and number one new release in its first week.
David Potter, Curu
David Potter is CEO & co-founder of Curu, a company setting out to make financial products more accessible to underrepresented applicants by creating a more inclusive credit system. The inspiration for his company came when he and his roommate kept getting rejected from student apartment complexes because they did not have established credit.
Alana Vaughn-Phillips
Alana Vaughn-Phillips is Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer of BobaVida, a disruptive clean food technology startup and the first and only commercial producer of popping boba in the Americas. She also leads Energize Colorado’s Digital Innovation Initiative (the nonprofit founded by Brad Feld), as well as strategic partnerships for Go! Running Tours, the global leader in “sight-running” experiences with a presence in over 70 cities worldwide.
A serial entrepreneur, her first startup was named “Top 5 Most Promising Startups in the World” (Kauffman Foundation) and nominated for a TED award. Alana also spent several years as a strategy consultant on corporate innovation and change leadership to Fortune 500 C-suite executives from several of the world’s most admired companies, which has given her unique firsthand exposure to top business minds and trailblazers from around the world.
