“Forty Under 40”

GroundFloor Media was surrounded by a few of our client stars at the recent Denver Business Journal presentation of their annual “Forty under 40” honorees March 16.

The winners? Drum roll please… Nick Agro of Whirled Peas Catering, Phil Smith of Starbucks Coffee Company and Karl Maier of Market Force Information, Inc. – as well as past winners, Whirled Peas’ Marc DesRosiers and GFM’s own Laura Love. Thus, the GFM table was literally bristling like an entrepreneurial Energizer Bunny – though the Fantastic Five managed to quiet their Blackberrys just long enough to applaud the achievements of the other deserving honorees during the two-hour luncheon.



And no honoree seemed more deserving than Slavica Park. The Dean of the English as a Second Language Department at Emily Griffith Opportunity School, Ms. Park sparked a wave of humility throughout the capacity crowd when she stood to accept her place as one of the 2007 honorees. A 34-year-old refugee of the Bosnian civil war, Park arrived in Denver in 1997 after surviving sniper attacks and other horrors of war – not being able to speak a word of English. However, in 10 years she has not only mastered the English language but has presided over the school’s program, significantly enlarging the department and doubling its funding. Now that’s starting something from the Ground Floor!

Being one of the (just slightly) older members of the GFM table, Jim Dissett applauded loudly when DBJ Publisher Scott Bemis jokingly remarked that – since honorees seemed to get younger every year – perhaps the paper should start at “Fifty Under 50” program in the near future. Jim’s all for that, Mr. Bemis. After all, some folks don’t hit their stride until middle life – just ask Whistler’s Mother.


Here’s to next year and to another round of Denver’s up-and-coming leaders taking their places beside a proud “Forty Under 40” alumni group. Let’s just hope none of them have to face down sniper fire to make it to the podium.

GroundHog Day at Gold Lake

If Punxsutawney Phil spotted his shadow this year in the annual Groundhog Day ritual, the news didn’t make it to Gold Lake Spa & Resort, where GroundFloor Media staffers celebrated GroundHog Day with revelry and camaraderie on Feb. 3rd. Although the mood was warm, the wine inviting and the company, well…fabulous, the weather was decidedly un-spring like. Arctic gusts topping 40 mph kept everyone on their toes (barely) as they scuttled their way from the parking lot to the resort’s dining room and bar as the night began – and a few hardy GFM-ers even arrived early to take advantage of the OUTDOOR hot pools (hello, Linda, Phil, Stephen and Laura – what were you thinking?).

Once safely ensconced in the warm glow and embrace of the lodge and their fellow teammates, the GroundFloor team did what PR people do best: talked, laughed, shared secrets, laughed, gossiped and mingled. Oh, and did I mention that we laughed?

Laura and Ramonna took to center stage during a break in dinner to hand out statuettes to each team member signifying a “contribution” they had made during the past year. The good-natured ribbing (mine referenced Carl Lewis because I always seem to be racing to get to meetings on time) drew cajoles from the crowd – but perhaps that was mainly because the wine glasses had been happily clinking for some time prior to dinner. We even learned a few things over the course of the evening, too. For example:

**Regan needs a little more practice following the birth of her baby boy to get back up to speed on the party circuit (here’s to spring training)
**Ramonna has her sign language skills down pat (can you say, “read between the lines?”)
**Stephen looks dashing in a bathrobe (not that there’s anything wrong with that)
**The bar closing at 1 a.m. is a very, very good thing (did I say VERY good thing?)

In the morning, we awoke to a healthy continental breakfast – most of which was consumed by Stephen – and enjoyed a hearty wrap-up with each other of the previous night’s events (again, another trait of the PR crowd – we LOVE to re-cap, review and re-evaluate!). Here’s to next year’s GroundHog Day event – and let’s hope that there is a spring in between now and then sometime.