The fifth Leadership Northern Colorado (LNC) class will soon complete their six month program and LNC alumni and the public are invited to celebrate the class accomplishments and to learn more about leadership at a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Ryan Wood, former fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, co-founder of the billion-dollar Under Armour apparel company, and owner of Sweetwood Cattle Co. in Steamboat Springs.
The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on June 24 at WindsongEventCenter, 2901 Saddler Blvd, outside of Fort Collins. Sponsored by Public Service Credit Union and Austin‘s American Grill, the event provides a great way for Alumni and the community to reconnect to the program and will raise funds to provide scholarships to future class participants. Registration is $25 and available at www.FortCollinsChamber.com. Registration includes lunch and the keynote presentation by Wood.
Join the current class and the over 150 graduates of the LNC program to learn about Wood’s experiences and vision.
“I don’t come from generations of ranchers, but I’ve always had a passion for it,” said Wood, who left Under Armour in 2007 after 10 years, including two years running its international operations out of Amsterdam.
“The greatest thing about Under Armour were the early years,” said Wood, 38. “We sewed. We were bookkeepers, IT guys, sales and manufacturing guys. We did everything from cutting fabric to boxing products in a warehouse. That was so cool looking back on it. Worldwide, there are 2,500 employees, and you think of all those lives that you affected and opportunities you provided.
But Wood was ready to come home to Colorado – to ski, fish, hunt and start his new company producing artisan beef. Last spring his ranch became the first in Colorado to receive the “Verified Green” award from the USDA for its sustainable practices. Sweetwood even ships its steaks across the U.S. in recycled, recyclable or reusable packaging as part of its environmental stewardship.
Leadership Northern Colorado, a joint initiative of the Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland chambers of commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and WeldCounty, is designed to build human capacity and to identify, define and address the issues facing the Northern Colorado region.
The Leadership Northern Colorado program will end June 24 with a final class session and graduation by the 31 participants. The class ran from January through June 2014.
The 2014 Leadership Northern Colorado graduates are:
Eric Aakko, Weld County Public Health and Environment
Richard Alper, Alper-Davis Mediation Services
Matt Beck, Colorado Business Bank
Mara Brosy-Wiwchar, Congressman Jared Polis
Jordan Butts, BBVA Compass Bank
Chris Crutcher, Wells Fargo Bank
Todd Dangerfield, Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority
Patti Garcia, Town of Windsor
Guner Gardenhire, RBC Wealth Management
Jennifer Gehrman, PointsWest Community Bank
Bob Hinderaker, Great Western Bank
Howard Hissrich, Morgan Stanley
Jeff Kirtley, RLH Engineering, Inc.
Paul Matthews, Banner Health
Eric McCrery, Cobalt Mortgage
Heather McNeill, Columbine Medical Equipment
Greg Metzo, US Bank
Deanne Mulvihill, Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce
Tamara O’Dell, PR and Marketing Communications
Jenna Oliver, Aims Community College
Jessica Rawley, CSU – College of Business
Sarita Reddy, GCI, Inc.
Rochelle Reynolds, Ehrlich Vehicles, Inc.
Sara Seely, First National Bank
Michael Short, Downtown Fort Collins Business Association
Erica Siemers, PVH and MCR Foundation
Melissa St. Clair, Heart of the Rockies Christian Church
Robyn Steele, Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Shashi Unnithan, Front Range Community College
Paul Watkins, Wells Fargo Business Banking
Reza Zadeh, Timberline Church
Leadership Northern Colorado is a program developed and designed through collaboration of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Greeley Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County. The regional development program is designed to build human capacity and to identify, define and address the issues facing the Northern Colorado region. The six-month interactive program for 30 select leaders from across the region will focus on regional issues, regionalism and regional leadership skills. For more information, visit www.LeadershipNorthernColorado.com.