Dale's Meats

Dale’s Meats

Paul Beier has family business roots in the meat industry dating back to 1950 and has continued
the tradition by carrying on his father’s business, Dale’s Meats, in Brighton, Colorado. Weathering the
impacts of a pandemic has not been an easy feat for small businesses, especially ones with such
longstanding history attached. However, through the support of the CARES Act funding, Paul as been
able to shepherd Dale’s Meats through the economic slowdown and has even positioned the business
for future success by implementing new approaches.

By the end of February 2020, Dale’s Meats was experiencing an increase of 40% from the
previous year’s sales. Paul was looking into the possibilities of hiring more employees or purchasing
improved equipment to increase efficiency, but when the pandemic began to make headway in the U.S.
the business took a devastating blow. By mid-March wholesale business had virtually stopped and for
the next two months the only reliable sales would be sourced online.

To react to this sudden shift, Paul began ramping up the business’ current e-commerce
marketing, increasing email campaigns with content focused on healthcare workers and how to stay
prepared during these unforeseen times. He also applied for the Paycheck Protection Program when it
first went live as well as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. After a rollercoaster of ups and
downs and having jumped through a few hoops, Dale’s Meats received the necessary funding to stay
afloat.

Due to support from the SBA funding, Paul was able to bring back all his employees who felt
comfortable working and was able to make a new hire as well as they work to get ahead of the curve for
the return of business demands. Looking ahead, Paul is interested in diversifying the product line and
customer base to offer more options to secure the business. Looking back, Paul is thankful for the
supportive community of SBDC consultants, banks, vendors, industry associations, the SBA, and his local
community, who have all come together to help small businesses navigate this challenging time through
financial assistance, guidance, information, resources, and encouragement.

303-659-8796
Paul Beier
https://mountainamericajerky.com/

CIMBRA Inc.

Owning and operating a business is challenging. Doing so as someone who is underrepresented in business as well as their own industry ads even more hoops to jump through. For Miriam Rodriguez though, the challenges are worth struggling through to live everyday doing the work she loves.

Rocky Mountain Brownies

There is rarely a linear path to entrepreneurship. Often, it is a series of twists and turns, ups and downs, that wind us through the business journey. That has surely been the case for Lori Christensen, owner of Rocky Mountain Brownies. Lori was sailing through a highly successful law career, when a series of life altering circumstances forced her to reconsider what she valued most and what kind of life she wanted to lead.

CEU / Consulting & Education Unlimited

Kristie Ashby – Owner/Founder
A Strategic Path to Growth

Kristie Ashby had been running her business, Consulting & Education Unlimited (CEU), for years, but she lacked a clear strategy to consistently attract clients. While she knew she had a bigger vision for her business, she struggled with how to gain clarity, structure her growth, and develop a plan that aligned with her long-term goals.

Gaining Clarity and Structure

Kristie joined the Strategic Business Planning Program – LEADING EDGE for Entrepreneurs through the North Metro SBDC, seeking the tools and guidance to elevate her business to new heights. Through the program, she gained essential knowledge on strategic planning, client acquisition, and long-term business growth.

Alongside the structured curriculum, Kristie took advantage of one-on-one free advising, where she worked step by step to develop a clear, actionable strategy. She focused first on capturing the low-hanging fruit—immediate client opportunities—before scaling toward her larger vision. Throughout this process, her confidence and belief in her business flourished…

Mass FX Media

Mass FX Media is a small business that delivers big creativity in the area of video production. Shawna Schultz and her husband, Matt, met in high school, drawn together by their interest in producing videos. After they both completed their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in film production at the University of Colorado, they got jobs making documentaries for Group Publishing for almost three years. When faced with the opportunity to go on a four-month

Meno

Meno is positioned as a meeting place of meaningful sustainability and appealing design. Jerri describes her motivation saying, “My goal is to not only do things differently but to actually show the industry a fresh business model and approach that can be profitable, all while being transparent for the customers.”

KidSpace

To say that Roger and Meghan Stockman have somewhat of a diverse background and childhood would be an understatement. Megan is a Kansas native raised in rural northern Kansas, served in the military and retired with the rank of Major. Roger, whose Father was with the State Department, was born in Singapore…lived in Africa, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Ireland…finally landing in Kansas City. Roger’s initial career was in Law Enforcement, serving with agencies in Lawrence,