Meet Our Consultants
Lead Consultants
Consulting through the North Metro SBDC is for businesses located in Adams and Broomfield Counties (Arvada, Brighton, Broomfield, Commerce City, Northglenn, Thornton, and Westminster). If your business is located outside our service area we will be happy to connect you with the SBDC in your area.
John Henry
John’s corporate career started as a delivery driver with UPS and ended as Managing Director, Canada with FedEx 27 years later. Prior to their startup he was recruited to help write the operating plan including ground ops and aircraft interface for the initial 25 city network. Nine years later he repeated that task for 8 cities in Canada. Both assignments tested and sharpened his organizational and planning skills.
He went on to found a local courier/ cartage company engaged in same day and next day service along the Front Range. During this time, he also taught business management courses for 25 years at FRCC including Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. He joined the consultant team at SBDC in 2010.
John welcomes the opportunity to help entrepreneurs take on the challenges that come with startups, remodels, buyouts and franchising. He specializes in business planning, operations analysis, cost control and performance enhancement.
Ron O’Herron
As a seasoned strategic management-operations business development consultant with more than 30 years of successful corporate management and consulting experience, Ron has extensive knowledge and expertise in both domestic and international business operations. His focus and methodology are structured and directed at helping businesses operations and people, research, plan and implement both short and long-term goals for both personal and business successful growth. He has worked with companies ranging in size from $250 thousand to $500 million in annual revenues. His industry exposure includes Aerospace, Luxury Boat Manufacturing, Banking, Forensic Structural Engineering, Government Contracting, Metal Fabrication, Oil & Gas, Plastics Manufacturing and Telecommunications. Ron was honored as the Colorado SBDC Consultant of the Year for 2015.
Ron grew up and graduated from college in Iowa, which he attended on a football scholarship and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business. He later enhanced his education with Management MBA’s in Business Law from Cornell and Strategic Business Development from Michigan. After college he served as a platoon leader in Vietnam with the 1st Armored Cavalry. Prior to going into the consulting arena, he spent 10 years as the president of an International Electronic Capital Equipment Manufacturing company with 15 domestic offices, 1 in Canada and 5 in Europe. He and his wife, Sheri, are avid outdoor people with four children and eight grandchildren.
Ron’s areas of expertise are:
- Business Development
- Manufacturing
- Strategic Management
- Operations
- Veterans
Nancy Barnett
Nancy has 25 years of experience in corporate training, human resources, and vocational business training. Nancy’s passion is helping business owners start or improve their businesses by understanding all the components to build a strong business foundation. She takes great pleasure in helping owners with strategic planning and business plan development. She spent ten years at national Education College in California, as a teacher, Business Department Chairperson and Director of Education, as well as 14 years with AAA Colorado as Director of Corporate Training before joining Suzy to create Apis Business Solutions.
Besides working side-by-side with Suzy to build Apis Business Solutions, she is a trainer and consultant at the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) Metro Denver focusing on small business development as start-ups. She also designs and manages business training delivered through Apis. She and her husband, David have four grown children and eight grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys genealogy, bead embroidery and collecting antiques.
Nancy’s areas of expertise are:
- Business Plans
- Start-up questions-how to file documents to get your business up and running
- Defining Overall Marketing Strategy
- Using Quick Books data in your business
Jesse Esparza
As the CEO of Morning Sun Enterprises LLC, Jesse has provided guidance and supported to a variety of individuals, organizations and companies. At the present he is a certified counselor and is a business advisor to the East Colorado, the Boulder and North Metro Small Business Development Centers.
He is also certified as a Health Coverage Guide counselor for small business owners, providing direction and support for their small business healthcare needs.
He has counseled and provided needed services and resources to over 400 new potential and existing entrepreneurs. He is also currently a Board member of the Carbon Valley Chamber in Firestone, Colorado and the President of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Boulder County Work Force.
His professional career has included 31 years as an educator 21 of those years as a principal. His leadership skills include helping individual improve their performance, cross cultural education, improving organizations, business development, and tapping potential and appropriate resources. He was the Colorado Small Business Development Center volunteer of the year in 2007 and the Small Business Development Center Counselor of the Year in 2009.
Karen Patel
Karen brings an enormous wealth of economic and business industry experience to her clients. The understanding of day to day business challenges and opportunities serves clients well from 25 years in financial management and commercial lending. Her integrity in building relationships shines through with her personable and trustworthy demeanor. Providing a high-touch level of service, Karen focuses on each client’s need for learning, understanding and executing the strategies that are implemented.
With regional, national, and international contacts and economic development experience, Karen is able to provide resources and networks to strengthen her clients’ overall position. With a formal education in accounting and management from St. Norbert College, there is a structure and discipline present to constantly review and track all implemented strategies of her clients’ plans. She sits on numerous community and non-profit board of directors keeping her in decision-making company with other successful leaders.
As a business owner herself, Karen understands the needs of small businesses and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs lay the foundation of sound financial principles and practices. Starting at the age of 9, her strong work ethic allowed her to see the value of the dollar. As a young teen, she confirmed her vision to reap rewards from her disciplined saving. She saved, spent and paid taxes realizing there must be better ways to manage her small fortune. Knowing that not everyone has the knowledge, experience or professional contacts to assist them, Karen strives to assist her lifelong clients and those referred to her by satisfied clients.
Karen has a variety of licenses and certifications, including being a certified family business specialist (CFBS), certification in Long-Term Care (CLTC), registrations for her Series 6, 63, 65 and 7, along with her Life and Health license. She is very proactive with current and prospective clients, which she goes about by holding educational events like business owner symposiums, seminars and workshops for business owners.
Outside of her consulting practice, Karen enjoys hobbies and recreations like cooking and baking, gardening, rooting for her favorite NFL Teams, eclectic arts and crafts, winetasting, golf and traveling internationally. She has been married for over 25 years and has three marvelous children who together keep the family laughing and active.
John Shields
John spent many years as a Global Senior Director for Fortune 500 Companies. He holds an MBA, a BS in Marketing, a BA in Communication, and is a Navy Veteran.
John believes small business owners have an extremely challenging role. They must understand and adapt to competition and balance very limited resources for maximum ROI. All the while, owners must also be an expert in the entire breadth of business functions e.g., Products, Marketing, Sales, Customer Support, Finance, IT and HR.
John’s driven to work with small business leaders and teams to breakdown and understand complex problems. Then, with owners/teams, define actionable strategies and tactics. Together we prioritize the options to focus on just those that scale and can be maintained with the business owner’s available resources and tools available from the Colorado SBDC.
In the end, execution eats strategy for breakfast. What good are plans that can’t be deployed and maintained?
John’s area of expertise is in comprehensive go-to-market (GTM) strategy
- Integrated Demand Generation
- Events & Tradeshows
- Digital Demand Generation (Paid, Earned, Owned)
- Advertising & Digital Print
- Social Media: Driving Thought Leadership & Follower Growth
- Web Archive: Achieving High Search Ranking (Organic & Paid)
- eMail: Buy Journeys via Internet dBase & 3rd Party Placements
- Press
- Maximizing Distribution/Reseller’s Marketing
- eCommerce Effective Buy Journeys
- Marketing Messaging for Products and/or New Companies
- Message/Value Proposition for Products & Solutions
- Company Naming
- Brand story for Banking/Investor Relations
Marketing
John Shields
John spent many years as a Global Senior Director for Fortune 500 Companies. He holds an MBA, a BS in Marketing, a BA in Communication, and is a Navy Veteran.
John believes small business owners have an extremely challenging role. They must understand and adapt to competition and balance very limited resources for maximum ROI. All the while, owners must also be an expert in the entire breadth of business functions e.g., Products, Marketing, Sales, Customer Support, Finance, IT and HR.
John’s driven to work with small business leaders and teams to breakdown and understand complex problems. Then, with owners/teams, define actionable strategies and tactics. Together we prioritize the options to focus on just those that scale and can be maintained with the business owner’s available resources and tools available from the Colorado SBDC.
In the end, execution eats strategy for breakfast. What good are plans that can’t be deployed and maintained?
John’s area of expertise is in comprehensive go-to-market (GTM) strategy
- Integrated Demand Generation
- Events & Tradeshows
- Digital Demand Generation (Paid, Earned, Owned)
- Advertising & Digital Print
- Social Media: Driving Thought Leadership & Follower Growth
- Web Archive: Achieving High Search Ranking (Organic & Paid)
- eMail: Buy Journeys via Internet dBase & 3rd Party Placements
- Press
- Maximizing Distribution/Reseller’s Marketing
- eCommerce Effective Buy Journeys
- Marketing Messaging for Products and/or New Companies
- Message/Value Proposition for Products & Solutions
- Company Naming
- Brand story for Banking/Investor Relations
Diego Leyes
Diego is an independent contractor and coordinates Spanish Program outreach for the North Metro SBDC. As a bilingual System Engineer with an MBA in Project & Process Management, Diego currently specializes in the area of Digital Marketing as a marketing strategist, delivering valuable solutions effectively and efficiently to businesses owned by Spanish-speakers and English-speakers alike. He has a passion for helping businesses to get more leads and increase their sales.
Diego oversees the design and implementation of the North Metro SBDC’s Spanish Program Outreach Strategic Plan, which includes impact goals, strategic partner collaboration, direct outreach to Spanish-speaking business owners, and other assistance to improve our service to the North Metro Denver Spanish-speaking small business community.
Peter Brissette
Peter has more than fifteen years successful experience in B2B and B2C sales and marketing for small businesses.
Working in such industries as advertising, automotive, catering, financial services, computer hardware and software, senior care, high tech manufacturing, internet marketing, consumer electronics, video security and many more.
Peter can walk a small business through a discovery process to uncover the key factors that will differentiate them from their competition. This differentiation will oil the machine of digital marketing for business growth.
Peter has expertise in the following areas: Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Development, Internet Marketing, Video Marketing, Email Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Content Creation, Product Development, Social Media Marketing, etc.
He is an expert at creating digital platforms, systems and tools for small businesses.
Financial
Karen Patel
Karen brings an enormous wealth of economic and business industry experience to her clients. The understanding of day to day business challenges and opportunities serves clients well from 25 years in financial management and commercial lending. Her integrity in building relationships shines through with her personable and trustworthy demeanor. Providing a high-touch level of service, Karen focuses on each client’s need for learning, understanding and executing the strategies that are implemented.
With regional, national, and international contacts and economic development experience, Karen is able to provide resources and networks to strengthen her clients’ overall position. With a formal education in accounting and management from St. Norbert College, there is a structure and discipline present to constantly review and track all implemented strategies of her clients’ plans. She sits on numerous community and non-profit board of directors keeping her in decision-making company with other successful leaders.
As a business owner herself, Karen understands the needs of small businesses and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs lay the foundation of sound financial principles and practices. Starting at the age of 9, her strong work ethic allowed her to see the value of the dollar. As a young teen, she confirmed her vision to reap rewards from her disciplined saving. She saved, spent and paid taxes realizing there must be better ways to manage her small fortune. Knowing that not everyone has the knowledge, experience or professional contacts to assist them, Karen strives to assist her lifelong clients and those referred to her by satisfied clients.
Karen has a variety of licenses and certifications, including being a certified family business specialist (CFBS), certification in Long-Term Care (CLTC), registrations for her Series 6, 63, 65 and 7, along with her Life and Health license. She is very proactive with current and prospective clients, which she goes about by holding educational events like business owner symposiums, seminars and workshops for business owners.
Outside of her consulting practice, Karen enjoys hobbies and recreations like cooking and baking, gardening, rooting for her favorite NFL Teams, eclectic arts and crafts, winetasting, golf and traveling internationally. She has been married for over 25 years and has three marvelous children who together keep the family laughing and active.
Kelyn Lanier
Kelyn Lanier is an entrepreneur and business consultant. He is the owner of Rowan Tau Unified, Inc, a consulting, business acquisition, and commercial lending brokerage company. Kelyn has a proven track record of helping businesses achieve their maximum potential. Before establishing Rowan Tau Unified, Kelyn co-founded a national pharmacy company. He led long-term strategic initiatives to compete and win in spaces with giants like Walgreens and CVS. He has also actively contributed to the business community as a director and vice chair of two local charities.
Academically, Kelyn has pursued both doctoral and master’s studies in the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, focusing on human networks and complex adaptive systems. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and Business Law from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
As a self-ascribed human business system architect, he blends the rigor of scientific research methodology with the adventurous nature of the entrepreneurial spirit to empower others in building resilient companies that thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.
Carole Johnson
Carole is a senior management professional and has functioned as a Chief Financial Officer, Business Analyst, Director of Finance, Vice President of Operations, Technical Services Manager, Human Resource Director and Corporate Trainer.
Carole has proven analytical and organizational skills that are instrumental in figuring out the issues that clients are having and solving them quickly. She was influential in successfully growing the revenues of several small businesses she is involved in.
As a computer programmer, Carole was the person in charge of writing code and modifying programs for the accounting and payroll areas for large companies and manufacturers. She enjoys being part of the change agent that is sometimes very difficult to implement within any organization.
Carole has been an active community member, volunteering as a Commissioner on the Business of Thornton Advisory Commission (BTAC) for over 7 years. She also served as the Ex-officio to the Thornton Arts, Sciences and Humanities Council (TASHCO) Board of Directors.
Awards & Recognition:
- Who’s Who of Young Professionals
- Who’s Who of American Women
- Who’s Who – Lifetime Achievement Award
- Commissioner – Business of Thornton Advisory Commission (BTAC) – 7 Years
- Ex-officio to the Thornton Arts, Sciences and Humanities Council (TASCHO) Board of Directors
- Instrumental in starting the “Shop Thornton First” marketing campaign
- Notary Public for the State of Colorado
- Certified Business Consultant for the Colorado North Metro SBDC
Legal
Samantha Peaslee
Samantha Peaslee is an international business and intellectual property law attorney for small- to medium-sized businesses and non-profits. Her practice focuses on entity formation, copyright registration and litigation, trademark registration and litigation, business transactions (cross-border and local), international commercial arbitration, and commercial and civil litigation. She also serves as general counsel for small businesses and non-profits.
Samantha has a J.D. from University of Denver Sturm College of Law, an M.A. from Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and a B.A. from Middlebury College. She placed first in the 5th Annual Shanghai International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot in 2015 and was a quarterfinalist in the 12th Annual William C. Vis (East) International Commercial Moot, where she also was the fourth best oralist overall. At Sturm College of Law, Samantha was Senior Managing Editor of Denver Journal for International Law and Policy and published her article “Is There a Place For Us?: Protecting Fan Fiction in the United States and Japan” in its Winter 2015 issue. In addition to her work and research in international business and intellectual property, Ms. Peaslee also researched extensively on state, national, and international energy laws with Professor K.K. DuVivier at Sturm College of Law and piracy issues with the Ved Nanda Center for International and Comparative Law.
Originally from Alexandria, LA, Samantha has also lived in Vermont, Maine, North Carolina, France, and South Korea. She speaks fluent French and can read Italian and some Korean. She has taught English as a second language in Paris at Montmartre After-School studies and in Seoul at Chungdahm April (Mapo). She currently furthers her international interests as a member of Denver’s Alliance Francaise, Denver Sister Cities Takayama, World Denver, and Denver World Trade Center’s NextGen Steering Committee. Samantha also continues to coach the University of Denver Vis Moot team.
An avid supporter of the arts, Samantha works with visual and performing artists to protect and promote their works. At Middlebury College, Samantha was a member of the Middlebury College Musical Players. Her capstone with that group was directing a performance of West Side Story in April 2010. Samantha was also involved in dance (notably tap) and choir. Although not actively performing, Samantha now supports the arts through membership in the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts and Colorado Attorneys for the Arts. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
Samantha is also a member of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
Education:
- University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of International Studies (M.A. in International Studies, 2015)
- University of Denver, Sturm College of Law (J.D.; Order of St. Ives; International Law Certificate, 2015)
- Middlebury College (B.A. in International Studies, 2010)
Bar Admissions: Colorado
Margrit Parker
Before entering private practice, Margrit Lent Parker served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey of the Colorado Supreme Court, and as a judicial law clerk for federal Magistrate Judge William Beaman in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In law school, Margrit completed internships with Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid, the Denver U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Denver City Attorney’s Office Litigation Section.
Margrit is a leader in the community, and her work was featured in the February 13, 2015 issue of the Denver Business Journal. Recipient of the Denver Bar Association’s 2014 award for Young Lawyer of the Year. Margrit played an integral role in researching and developing what is now the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program, which was developed through the Chief Justice Commission on Professional Development. From 2009-2011, Margrit was the Colorado and Wyoming District Representative to the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. In that role, and in the following years, Margrit formed and chaired a Colorado Bar Association committee tasked with renewing Colorado’s disaster legal services plan for providing volunteer legal assistance to disaster victims. Margrit was part of the team that implemented the revived program during the state’s 2012 wildfires and 2013 floods.
Prior to law school, Margrit completed a dual major in Zoology and Equine Science at Colorado State University, after which she worked at a Thoroughbred breeding farm and an equine veterinary hospital, both in Kentucky. Drawing on her horse and legal experience, Margrit has contributed articles and presentations to the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Law Association. Margrit also served on the Board of the Colorado Horse Council in 2015 and 2016, and has served on its Legislative and Regulatory Committee.
Catherine Reynolds
Catherine Reynolds is a business and employment lawyer specializing in litigation. Her practice focuses on business formation, business dissolution, and employment. In addition, Catherine is a family law attorney with experience in divorce, child custody, child support, contempt issues, and post-decree issues.
Catherine has a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science from Purdue University. While attending Sturm College of Law, Catherine was the treasurer of Child Legal Advocate Group, an editor on the Transportation Law Journal, and participated in the law school’s appellate program. She also specialized in cooperate and commercial law. Catherine interned with several Judges in 18th Judicial District in Arapahoe County and the 2nd Judicial District at the Denver Juvenile Court.
Catherine was born in St. Louis, MO before moving to Evergreen, CO at the age of fourteen. Catherine is an avid skier, runnier, and triathlon competitor. When she is not working, Catherine can be found in the mountains with her dog, Luna, and her husband.
Andy Brown
Andy Brown has been practicing law in Colorado since 2015. His focus is civil litigation, trial practice, criminal defense, and business law. Before joining Polaris, Andy practiced law as a prosecutor, first with the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Sterling, Colorado and second, with the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Greeley, Colorado. He represented the People of Colorado until 2021. Throughout his prosecutorial career, he prosecuted thousands of cases and brought nearly fifty trials to a jury in a myriad of different types of cases.
Andy has a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he interned for the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Denver.
Andy was born and raised in Denver, Colorado in Park Hill and attended Denver East High School. As a Colorado native, when not working, he enjoys travel both locally within the natural beauty of our state and abroad.
Other Specialists
Courtney Berg
Business humorist Courtney Berg turns typical HR and management issues into fun learning experiences. She draws from her years of human resources and operations management experience to bring boring employment concepts to life. Courtney has built HR departments from the ground up and has experience from front line supervision to vice president in both HR and operations in a variety of industries. Her goal is to bring her knowledge and experience to business owners, making management easier for them.Courtney is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). In December 2008, Courtney was featured in a “How To Conduct Annual Employee Reviews” in Inc. Magazine. Courtney is also a 2009 Denver Business Journal “Outstanding Women In Business” nominee. She received the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce “Chamber Champion” award in 2011. Courtney has a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from the University of Northern Colorado.
Courtney’s areas of expertise are:
- HR issues
- Hiring
- Firing
- Employee Relations
- Unemployment claims
- Background checks
- Company culture
- Time management
- New hire paperwork
Kelyn Lanier
Kelyn Lanier is an entrepreneur and business consultant. He is the owner of Rowan Tau Unified, Inc, a consulting, business acquisition, and commercial lending brokerage company. Kelyn has a proven track record of helping businesses achieve their maximum potential. Before establishing Rowan Tau Unified, Kelyn co-founded a national pharmacy company. He led long-term strategic initiatives to compete and win in spaces with giants like Walgreens and CVS. He has also actively contributed to the business community as a director and vice chair of two local charities.
Academically, Kelyn has pursued both doctoral and master’s studies in the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, focusing on human networks and complex adaptive systems. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and Business Law from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
As a self-ascribed human business system architect, he blends the rigor of scientific research methodology with the adventurous nature of the entrepreneurial spirit to empower others in building resilient companies that thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.
Ron O’Herron
As a seasoned strategic management-operations business development consultant with more than 30 years of successful corporate management and consulting experience, Ron has extensive knowledge and expertise in both domestic and international business operations. His focus and methodology are structured and directed at helping businesses operations and people, research, plan and implement both short and long-term goals for both personal and business successful growth. He has worked with companies ranging in size from $250 thousand to $500 million in annual revenues. His industry exposure includes Aerospace, Luxury Boat Manufacturing, Banking, Forensic Structural Engineering, Government Contracting, Metal Fabrication, Oil & Gas, Plastics Manufacturing and Telecommunications. Ron was honored as the Colorado SBDC Consultant of the Year for 2015.
Ron grew up and graduated from college in Iowa, which he attended on a football scholarship and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business. He later enhanced his education with Management MBA’s in Business Law from Cornell and Strategic Business Development from Michigan. After college he served as a platoon leader in Vietnam with the 1st Armored Cavalry. Prior to going into the consulting arena, he spent 10 years as the president of an International Electronic Capital Equipment Manufacturing company with 15 domestic offices, 1 in Canada and 5 in Europe. He and his wife, Sheri, are avid outdoor people with four children and eight grandchildren.
Ron’s areas of expertise are:
- Business Development
- Manufacturing
- Strategic Management
- Operations
- Veterans
Dora Esparza
Dora has worked in Early Childhood Education Administration for over 20 years. Dora has a long history of CCAP work and has chaired the Denver CCAP Collaborative (formerly known as the Child Care Task Force) in the Denver community for more than nine years. Dora is currently the Director of Business Services at the Denver Early Childhood Council and has provided ECE business coaching to providers for the last eight years.
Dora utilizes a relationship-based approach to build effective bonds with child care providers to help them grow their businesses. She helps providers develop strong business practices that work for them and values meeting everyone where they are and has a deep understanding of braided funding streams. Dora has a passion for ECE advocacy and helping ECE programs understand their cost of care and how to advocate for systematic changes. She has a master’s degree in Business Administration, as well as graduate degrees in Psychology, Project Management, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, and Nonprofit Management.
Dora’s passions include reading, exploring new places in Denver, and meeting new people.