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Wakȟályapí Coffee, founded мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê junior Devyn Valandra, took home the $10,000 first-place cash prize for the best business plan at this year’s Hawk Tank competition.

Skiing is the economic lynchpin for many Colorado communities, providing capital to local businesses and opportunities for further economic development. The industry produces $4.8 billion in revenue in the state and provides 46,000 year-round jobs. The ski industry is also an integral part of the United States economy, generating $20 billion in economic output annually. 

Fort Lewis College has established two pivotal endowments for faculty, thanks to generous donors focused on the present and future of teaching excellence. This is an important step for the FLC Foundation as the impact from these endowments will inspire and attract future philanthropic investments in faculty and ensure the College’s success for generations to come.

This fall, Fort Lewis College’s School of Business Administration and the Center for Innovation will launch a turbo-charged business education series.

When Danielle Joe (Accounting, ’20) arrived at Fort Lewis College with her young son, Alexander, the single mother was determined to get her degree. A member of the Navajo Nation, Joe wanted to join her family’s thriving mercantile legacy on the largest Indian reservation in the U.S. But first, she needed to build the skills. 

Meet FLC alum Torrey Udall (International Business, ’13). As VP of Development & Finance at Protect Our Winters in Boulder, Colo., Udall aligns his passion for outdoor adventures with his professional path.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB International, announced that Fort Lewis College has extended its business accreditation, an accomplishment that has been achieved by only 5% of the world’s schools offering business degrees at the bachelor’s level or higher.

The Hawk Tank Business Plan Competition is launching on January 26 and has expanded to include students from San Juan College. 

Steve Elias, dean of the School of Business Administration, was awarded the inaugural Anchor Point Foundation’s Startup Champion Award to further support activities that grow local entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The Center for Innovation houses business startup consultants and acceleration assistance, offering entrepreneurs wraparound services from one location on Main Avenue.

The formal paths make it easier for PCC students with an associate degree to transfer into the same academic program at FLC and pursue a four-year degree.

Mayor, distiller, and outdoorsman P. T. Wood embraces the mountain-town spirit in his living, working, and politicking.

Today it’s paramount for businesses to understand how to attract, convert, and retain customers online. The new Digital Marketing Certificate program provides the training ncessary to lead businesses through this challenging territory. 

The School of Business Administration has teamed up with the Durango-based Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, one of the largest manufacturers and retailers of quality confections in North America, to offer a course in entrepreneurship and franchising that includes the chance to compete to win and own an active RMCF store.

Norm Franke didn’t set out to be a banker when he attended college. But 34 years after starting his career, he finds himself a regional president of Alpine Bank in charge of location development – a role that also enables him to invest in the health of his new community. Franke (Business Administration, ’83) worked on Colorado’s Western Slope for 20 years before he moved to Denver in 2013. 

It’s hard to go into business with family. But the Martin brothers can hardly imagine working with anybody else. For them, the formula is paying off: Nitrum Dynamic Paint, which they founded while attending Fort Lewis College, is increasing its capacity to recycle paint, while also contributing to a better world and keeping these brothers connected beyond their college experiences.

When it comes to embodying sustainable lifestyles, look no further than these two farmers. James Plate and Max Fields, friends since second grade, attended FLC together and founded Fields to Plate, a farm rooted in quality and responsibility.

“It’s gratifying to see Fort Lewis College alumni give back to their alma mater in such an important way,” says Keith Newbold, vice chair of the FLC Foundation. “With this gift, the Nords are investing in the lives of the future FLC students who will walk in their footsteps.”

“We want to dominate the paint industry. [Nitrum Dynamic Paint] is eco-friendly, we’re helping the environment, and we’re helping people at the individual level.”

“The in-class moments that are the best are when I watch a student finally grasp a difficult concept that they have been struggling with,” he says. “Getting to watch those ‘a-ha’ moments may be the most rewarding part of this job.”