The annual Small Business Week began on Monday with the Small Business Bash and the announcement of the Small Business Week Award winners at Boot Barn Hall. they are:
• Small Business Owner of the Year: Von Kessel & Partners of iFLY Indoor Skydiving in Colorado Springs. The indoor diving venue opened in March 2022 inside the Polaris Point Retail Center on the north side of the Springs. The facility is the brainchild of three retired Air Force Academy colonels: Omar Bradley, Joel Maynard, and Corky von Kessel.
• Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Behr and Behr of Platinum Group Realtors. The team includes owner and founding partner Ed Baer and brokers Renee, Brandon, Leah and Eric Baer, according to the website.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Jackie Lujan, founder and CEO of Lighthouse Early Care and Education, a learning-centered daycare.
• Small Business Champion of the Year: Zachary Barker. He is a Certified Economic Developer and Founder of Startup Support Center. According to Pikes' profile, “After spending nearly 20 years in entrepreneurial growth consulting and community development, Zachary has established a sustainable and scalable methodology for building entrepreneurship ecosystems, creating clear and His website for the Peak Small Business Development Center, which drove growth through an easy-to-implement growth blueprint model.
• Small Business of the Year: Severn Stryker, general manager of Bob Penkas Motor Company.
Small Business Week continues through Friday with virtual workshops, marketing panels, and more. The theme is “Year of AI (Action & Innovation)”. For more information, visit pikespeaksbdc.org.
