South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce

	John Brackney, President & CEO Following a time-honored family tradition, John was born. This event took place in what is now Centennial Colorado, and he grew up a block from where he currently resides and attended Littleton high school. John continued on to the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned a Bachelors' degree in political science. Not yet drained from years of academia he attended the University of Denver where he received a law degree. His formal education completed, he embarked on repaying student loans. John enlisted in the Colorado National Guard and later attended Officer Candidate School, attaining the rank of Captain. He served as the Company Commander of the 147th Combat Support Hospital. During his 12-year tenure he was privileged to twice receive the Meritorious Service medal. John was elected to his first term as Arapahoe County Commissioner in 1996, and was selected as Freshman Commissioner of Year by his colleagues across the state. Re-elected to a second term, he served as chairman of the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority, and as president of the Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority. He was one of the founders of the City of Centennial, a city he is proud to call home. In his spare time he is a volunteer fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis society and serves on the Board for Littleton Public Schools Foundation. He enjoys yard work (really?) and, in an attempt to keep his weight down, runs an occasional marathon. No information about John would be complete without mentioning the people most important in his life, his wife Meredith and daughters Taylor and Jordan. Meredith has provided him with endless support and years of friendship (no small task), and his girls keep him on his toes and constantly entertained.
	Don Tallent, Office Manager Don’s background has included more than thirty years of diverse experience in a unique blend of careers in business management, finance, accounting, sales and marketing. “Done it all” sums up his professional history: VP & CFO for a local marketing & brokerage firm, assistant controller within the construction industry, Assistant VP of Operations for a national bank, an associate with a management consulting firm in Denver and a long list of other financial and sales related positions. He has also conducted dozens of seminars and workshops in accounting, financial reporting, software application and business operations. So you might say we have a very tallent-ed Office Manager... (yea... that one hurt me as well). When he isn’t elbow-deep in maintaining our Chamber workspaces, Don can be found in the rough at a local golf course, catching “the big one” with his rod & reel, playing with his five grandchildren, rooting for the Rockies or cheering on the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (who?) “Go ‘Pokes!”
	Bart Sayyah, Director of Economic Development Economic Development Group * Legislative Action Committee Bart has lived in Colorado since 1977. A graduate of Colorado State University where he obtained a BA in Spanish Language/Minor in Economics and a MA in Spanish Literature along with a Teaching Certification in Secondary Education. Most of his professional career has been spent in the investment arena working for Kober Financial, Charles Schwab & Co and most recently, Instinet Corporation. He has been on the chamber staff since 2004 and currently leads the Chamber’s economic development and legislative activities. He currently resides in Roxborough with his wife Marsha, and three children, Madison, Lucas and Sydney.
	Cristin Tarr, Director, Events and Visitors Bureau At the 2005 leadership retreat - Cristin Tarr's theme song was "Just Want to Have Fun" by Sheryl Crow. This is indicative of her life as well. Cristin grew up in Michigan and then traveled and moved extensively after graduating from high school. She went to the Virgina Commonwealth University in Richmond and graduated with a BS in Marketing with an emphasis in International Business. She spent her junior year abroad, living in Lueven, Belgium for a year. While there, her interest in tourism was peaked. Cristin worked on Wall Street shortly after graduation and then quickly moved to uptown New York City where she worked for American Airlines in the East Coast executive offices. She held many jobs there including budgets, marketing analyst and international sales. Cristin and her husband, Jonathan, moved to Littleton in 1995. While home with their three sons, Andrew, Gavin and Ian, Cristin co-founded the Rocky Mountain Denver Chapter of Children's International Summer Villages (CISV), an independent organization promoting cross-cultural understanding. As with any small business, she held almost every job within the chapter, helping to grow the membership from three people to well into the hundreds. In February of 2005, Cristin joined the Chamber as the Events and Visitors Bureau Manager. She is passionate about the tourism industry and loves to brag about the South Metro area. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading and finding new places to explore with her family.
	Juli Frey, Executive Director of Corporate Relations Juli grew up in Vermillion, a small South Dakota town named from the color of the eroding cliffs along the Missouri River. Though a tiny farming community, Vermillion is also the home of the University of South Dakota. Juli is one of six children, in those days a small family compared with the average farm family. Life there was slow-paced but full, with many fun-filled days of water-skiing, snowmobiling, and ice-skating. Nights seemed to be very hot or very cold, yet the playing never ended until well after dark. Graduating from high school, she began studying for a business degree, but soon found herself bored and wanting more. She moved to Denver (the big city with big adventures) and graduated from CU with a degree in Architecture. Still not satisfied, she continued to study, this time in the field of meteorology. With most of her life spent in sales, Juli believes her love of people and the ability to listen are her defining qualities - qualities that make her great at what she does today. Juli and her husband have one son, Christopher, a name only mom can use. To everyone else he is known as Kit. If she is not working, Juli will likely be found on the top of a fourteener (53 down and only a few more to go), riding her bike (RAGBRAI ten times), playing hockey herself or watching Kit play hockey. Juli and her son recently went on the climb of a lifetime to the top of Kilimanjaro in Tanjania, Africa. Juli believes in living life to the fullest, constantly enriching it with new people and new experiences.
	Marcia McGilley, Director, Small Business Development Center Marcia got her introduction to the business world by spending 10 years in various sales and marketing positions with Hyatt Hotels, The Lee Apparel Company and Showtime Networks. A Cancer survivor herself, she held leadership positions supporting those on the cancer journey at The Cancer FitSpa and QuaLife Wellness Center. In 1989, she visited the Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS, and started her first business - a marketing consulting firm with a business model of launching and growing companies… at the rate of 100 per year! She is a self-professed “business midwife” helping birth companies and guiding them through the subsequent growing pains. From this auspicious start, Pessemier has continued her entrepreneurial drive over the past 18 years. She has owned six companies as diverse as a marketing consulting firm, a murder mystery theatre company, a motivational speaking and training company and both in person and online coaching companies as well as working with other SBDCs along the way. Marcia is thrilled to join the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce as the Director of the SBDC and to lend her entrepreneurial spirit and skills to the current and start up businesses in the South Denver Metro area. “Watching someone’s dream or passion come to fruition in the business world is one of my foremost experiences.” As Director of the SBDC, she hopes to impact the community by leading with the wonderful group of business consultants and trainers associated with the group. She is the past founder and president of Limelight Presentations, a creative firm specializing in helping professionals in the limelight. Watch your TV closely, because when not directing the SBDC, Marcia also does TV commercials and local theatre as a professional actor. Marcia is an avid skiers and lives in Centennial.
	Elyse Feldman, Director of Investor Relations Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Education Coalition (STEM-EC) Elyse quickly became an integral part of the Chamber family when she joined the organization as a member of staff in June 2008. During her short tenure, Elyse has demonstrated a consistent passion for creating business opportunities for Chamber investors through strategic connections and long-term relationship building. As such, she has climbed the ladder of success, recently earning a major promotion from Executive Assistant to the President & CEO to the Director of Investor Relations. In her new role, Elyse’s highest priority is to inspire her staff to their fullest abilities so that all Chamber investors feel such a strong connection to the organization that they participate year after year, increase the level of their engagement over time and insist that their closest business partners, family and friends get involved too. Elyse’s formal education pursuits began as an undergraduate student at Colorado College with major emphases in Biology and Psychology and a minor emphasis in Education. Prior to landing at the Chamber Elyse served at two local non-profits organizations, first as a Residential Treatment Counselor and Multisystemic Therapist for juvenile sex offenders, then as the Development Officer for Open Fairways. Currently, Elyse is a part-time Masters’ degree student in the Organizational Leadership program at Colorado State University Global Online Campus. As a native of South Metro Denver, Elyse has a loyal appreciation for the Colorado outdoors. When she is not dedicating her time and energy to the success of the Chamber (which isn’t often) Elyse can be found with her husband Corey exploring the trails behind their new home in the Ken Caryl Valley on foot or snowshoe.
	Taren Shuck, Strategic Events Planner Helping Young Professionals Excel (HYPE) A child of the corn, Taren was born in Omaha, Nebraska and came to Colorado after a short period in California. Aurora, Colorado has been home for the past 14 years, so she feels like a native. Loving Colorado and wanting to stay close to family, she attended the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business. Business being in the blood and winning International DECA awards for marketing/advertising as a high school senior, earning a bachelors degree in marketing with a minor in communications was the perfect fit. Since then she has employed her knowledge as the events coordinator at Bellco Credit Union and in a sales capacity for proprietary education with ESM. Taren is looking forward to taking the Chamber’s events to the next level; a level that will bring great value to the members while also drawing in the outside community to learn what this amazing chamber is about. Taren’s first love in life is her adorable son Riley, who has learned to share her passion for basketball and hockey, go DU Pioneers! Unwinding on the weekends is best done with a good movie (anything but horror please!). After living abroad in Rome as a student, Taren has also discovered a love of travel and plans on much more of it in the future; suggestions always welcomed.
	Brian Bartony, Marketing & Visibility Consultant Renewable Energy Task Force Brian feels very fortunate to be a part of the South Metro Denver Chamber. Before joining the staff, Brian was a individual member and a proud volunteer of the Chamber Connection. Brian grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts. He attended The University of Maine, graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree, with a concentration in Marketing. During Brian’s college career he was a very active member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, on which he served a variety of leadership positions. Brian was also very active in student government, serving as a student senator, the President of The College Republicans, and was the campaign chair for various student government campaigns. Upon graduating college, Brian made the long trek across America to call Colorado his home, where he has lived for more than 13 years. Brian is married to his wonderful wife Victoria and has a son named Stephen who is exploring his world with little sister Jessica. When Brian is not working with South Metro Denver Chamber’s members to be incredibly successful, he can be found in tailgating in Lot M during the Denver Bronco’s season, cooking gourmet food in the parking lot. During the summer, Brian can also be found in the streams of the Colorado Mountains, prospecting for gold.
	Mary Kay McCarty, Marketing and Visibility Consultant Mary Kay has a long and storied history, with the Chamber that is. A member since 1988, she has seen three Chamber Presidents, two office relocations and one name change from Centennial to the South Metro Chamber of Commerce. After participating and volunteering for a while with the Chamber she was offered a position as a Membership Representative in 1992. Her response was "I'll give it six months since I have no sales training or experience" and the rest is history. She soon found that sales was definitely her niche. By 1996, Mary Kay was named one of the top three salespeople in the State of Colorado by Colorado Business Magazine. That same year the South Metro Chamber was named "Best Chamber" for the second year in a row, thus the reason our website name: www.bestchamber.com. Mary Kay, a.k.a. "Pit Bull" in her early days at the Chamber, loves sharing her sales stories. Her all time favorite is when she sold a membership to a door-to-door salesman that had stopped by her home to make a sale and walked away wondering "What's wrong with this picture?" Anyone that knows Mary Kay is aware of how important her family is to her. Married 45 years, she and her husband Larry are the proud parents of five children (all grown, married and living in the metro area) and very proud grandparents of ten grandchildren. Growing up in Kansas, her family moved to Houston where she attended high school and college, majoring in Elementary Education at the University of St. Thomas. After getting married and moving to CA, she taught 5th grade in San Diego before coming to CO in 1969. Mary Kay retired from the Chamber for a while in order to pursue her passion for traveling (she is still always packed and ready to go at a moment's notice) and her other hobbies as a pianist, seamstress and artist. She was coaxed out of retirement in 2000 to work part-time at the Chamber and still continues to enjoy her involvement with this very dynamic organization.
	Kevin Wong, Marketing & Visibility Consultant Diversity Program As a native of Taipei, Taiwan, Kevin has taken residence in Colorado since the age of 4. His education history consists of being an alumnus of Littleton H.S. and The University of Northern Colorado. During Kevin’s tenure at Littleton H.S. he majored in art and became a marketing major when arriving at UNC. Other than the (SMDCC) South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, Kevin has been associated with the (AKL) Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity, (AMA) American Marketing Association, and the (FMA) Financial Managerial Association. Kevin’s professional background is in marketing and is experienced in management. As a son of former restaurant owners, his business philosophy is based around relationship building, hard work, and integrity. Kevin’s professional goals are to provide value to those around him and become an asset to those who associate with him. As Kevin looks to the future, he expects to continue his personal and professional endeavors within Colorado. He aspires to have a long career connecting businesses together while joining any new organization with acronyms.
	Valerie Collinsworth, Marketing & Visibility Consultant Chamber Dance Group * International Trade Committee Born and raised in Texas, Valerie has had her share of both small towns and large metropolitan areas. She relocated most recently from Montana. In Montana, she attended the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology earning an Associates Degree in Business Management with an emphasis on marketing. With her degree in hand, Valerie began her illustrious career, standing out from the crowd in restaurant management and public relations. Self-motivated and always enthusiastic, when she decides to move forward on a project or goal, she has a stubbornness that rivals that of more than a few mules known throughout history. The joys of her life are her protégé, Brent, a fine young man of 9, going on 35 and the youngest member of the Collinsworth household, Rex, born in August... To call Valerie an extrovert is understating the obvious. Her outgoing, passionate, confident, caring and humorous style is both a curse and a blessing to those working around her as they feebly attempt to emulate her charisma. Her passion is dance and is quite the bell of the ball, whether it be Country-Western, Ballroom or Hip-Hop (you gotta see her krumping!). In her spare time you can find her on a dance floor, or attending the nearest Hot Rod Show as she has true appreciation for gearheads.
	Craig Hakes, Marketing and Visibility Consultant Chamber Health & Wellness Initiative Originally from Kansas City and a big fan of the Jayhawks and barbeque, Craig has lived in Colorado since 1998, both on the western slope and currently in downtown Denver. He’s a Fort Lewis College graduate majoring in business with an emphasis in marketing. His professional track record varies from small business management and operations to client marketing and consultation. He knows the Rocky Mountain Region very well, spending his weekends there year round. Whether it’s snow sports or hiking, rafting or playing with his dog Denali, Craig loves Colorado, its active citizens and our economy. Craig also is a well-traveled gentleman who travels to all parts of Europe and even as far as China and Tibet. If you want to spark a conversation up with Craig, bring up international trade issues or Colorado’s resort and hospitality industry. He’s one of our Marketing & Visibility Consultants and vigorously works with his colleagues to grow our client’s businesses by utilizing our extensive network and connecting them with our other strong members.
	Ali Recek, Marketing and Visibility Consultant Ali Recek graduated from the University of Colorado (Boulder) in 1986 with a B.A. in Psychology. She then went into a post-graduate program at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (San Francisco campus) to pursue a Merchandising & Marketing degree and was the recipient of the esteemed Cyril Magnin Award for Merchandising Excellence. Ali has spent many years as a B2B outside sales consultant specializing in providing practical and extraordinary printed marketing media. Although her career in printing was dynamic, she chose to apply the vast marketing experience that she gained in printing to expand her husband Art’s already successful real estate team. She first sought to create branding, logo recognition and a database for ongoing marketing. While assisting Art of The Recek Team at Keller Williams Realty it was necessary to become a Broker Associate, so she did so, and began her own successful “book” of clients. Ali joined the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce to help current and future investors of the chamber to build strategic relationship alliances with other businesses throughout Colorado. Her straight forward, friendly ability to grasp what people need, and then creatively bring together a plan of action will be an asset to everyone she consults with. Her capability to look at “the big picture”, allows her to remain a positive addition to all of her relationships. Alas, all work and no play is a bad equation. When not bouncing warm energy off the chamber walls, Ali can be found searching with her son, Alika, and husband, Art, for the deepest, steepest snowy mountains in Colorado, or frolicking on the beaches of her beloved islands of Hawaii. Hiking, mountain biking and snow shoeing are other ways Ali likes to unwind.
	Terry McElhaney, Manager of Communications Greater Littleton Youth Initiative Born and bred in Littleton, Terry has a real passion for his hometown. Graduating from Littleton High School in 1970, he had already completed 6 of the 27+ job descriptions he would eventually accumulate before arriving at the South Metro Chamber. After a stint in the Navy as a communications electrician on a minesweeper (“Yes… any ship can be a minesweeper – but usually only once.”), he followed his ambition of being a high school counselor to Adams State College. Somewhere along the line he discovered photography and from the little town of Alamosa, he went to the big city of Los Angeles. Graduating from the Art Center College of Design with a degree in photography, Terry returned to Colorado and began shooting everything from the brew to mountain panoramas to super models for Coors Brewery. He switched his focus to computer graphics in the early years when a single computer took up the whole room and watched as the computers shrunk while their capabilities grew. All the while, Terry maintained an entrepreneurial spirit by sprouting several home-based businesses and gaining a MS in Systems Management. In 1999, his sister convinced him to drop everything and become partners in the burgeoning coffee business. At one point operating four coffee bars throughout the south metro area, they have settled down and are now focusing their attention on Romancing the Bean. “Littleton’s Hometown Coffee Shop” is located at the downtown Littleton light rail stop inside the 135-year-old D&RG railroad station. Shifting gears back and forth from coffee to communications, Terry still spends a few hours a week making caramel mochas and true Italian machiatos as well as being actively involved in the Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants Association. He also occassionally gets in a scuba trip to 'big water', but now his passion is getting the word out about the South Metro Chamber and it’s bevy of great member companies.
	Ken Wyble, Executive Administrative Assistant to John Brackney Ken Wyble is a former Executive Admin at First Data Corporation, Operations Controller at Merrill Lynch, Marketing and Communications Specialist at EMG, Marketing Associate for First American Heritage Title Company, Technology Specialist for Kinko's (now FedEX Office) and more but still a chef, father of 2, husband, artist and REALLY passionate community organizer.
	Danielle Findley, Administrative Assistant Small Business Development Center One of the newest employees of the Chamber, Danielle is a born and bred Coloradan. Raised in Aurora, she graduated from Rangeview High School before moving to Greeley to attend the University of Northern Colorado. During her four years at UNC, Danielle became actively involved in the campus community. She pledged and was inducted into Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, where she held numerous leadership positions, including Vice President of Membership and Vice President of Alumni Relations. Danielle also worked for two years as a Student Manager in the Colorado Business Resource Center. Throughout her time in the CBRC, Danielle trained over 120 student volunteers to work in the office and help entrepreneurs find the resources they needed to open their businesses, while also assisting potential small business owners in performing feasibility analysis on their business ideas. After graduating from UNC’s Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business in 2009 with her BS in Business Administration (Management emphasis), Danielle returned to the Denver area to be closer to her family and to begin working with the SBDC. In addition to her work with the CBRC, Danielle’s previous experience includes internships in the front offices for both the Colorado Mammoth and Denver Outlaws lacrosse teams, five summers with the Golf Division for the City of Aurora, as well as ongoing work with the State of Colorado’s Board of Law Examiners. She enjoys spending her free time travelling, playing volleyball, and going to or watching any professional or collegiate sporting event she can.
	Michael Harrold, Chamber Intern Student Leadership Program Michael Harrold is a student at Johnson & Wales University finishing his Bachelors Degree’s in Business Management and Marketing with concentrations in Human Resources and Business to Business Selling (his fourth degree). He has a passion for learning and is always willing to take time to share any of his knowledge or experiences whether it is from his travels to foreign countries or the latest technology. Michael feels strongly about pursuing knowledge; even if it is a software program, certification, or degree. In his free time Michael enjoys window shopping, trying new foods at different restaurants, and attending various events throughout Colorado. He has made it a personal goal to travel internationally every summer! Michael will be concentrating on the Chamber's Student Leadership Program placing student interns with Chamber Investors.
	Cory Belcher, CPA, Controller Belcher Deductions, Inc. In 1994, shortly after earning a Bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in finance from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX, Cory was drawn to live in our Colorado mountains. Cory spent 7 years as controller of a hotel & restaurant in Vail while perfecting his snowboarding skills. In 2002, he moved to Denver in to pursue his CPA licensure while holding a 5 year controller position for a successful commercial / industrial HVAC contractor. In 2007, he left private industry to practice public accounting, and went on to start his own business in 2009. His business, Belcher Deductions, is a proud member of the Chamber as well as AICPA and the CO Society of CPAs. “To make the transition from career accountant to business owner, I knew I needed to get out from behind the cubicle to interface with other business owners. The Chamber was and is the perfect mechanism that has bridged me to the terrific relationships I’ve developed. I’ve learned more on how to run a business just through informal chatting with Chamber investors who are real business owners than from a formal teaching environment for hire.” If Cory is not spending his free time with his wife and sons, you’ll find him out running, snowboarding, or golfing.