Kelly Alexander has always felt a natural pull towards adoption. “That’s been something that’s been on my heart for a very long time,” she said. “I always knew I wanted a family — little girls daydream and all of that — but my kids were just gonna magically appear.”

In a city where Black-owned gyms are rare, Peak City Athletics stands out. “I have a hard time acknowledging my accomplishments, I don’t see it as an accomplishment,” says co-founder and CEO Jeffrey Cooks, “but it’s pretty cool to represent Black people. I see it as fulfilling a purpose; som…

There are quite a few things that are out of the ordinary about Kiki’s Cookies and Cakes. Maybe its appeal at local farmers markets is rooted in its beginnings as a bake sale, or its standout exotic pastries — or maybe it’s the fact that the company’s stall is almost always manned by its 16-…

Donna Carlson says connecting people is an art — and she’s honing her skills. 

Jenn Campo didn’t know that being a professional organizer was an option. 

For Demetrius Marrow, the most fulfilling part of working at Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center is knowing that he’s doing his part to keep the Center’s services free.

Diep Dao has co-developed a new analytical framework for crime research that could upend our understanding of criminal activity. 

At around 30 years old, Gary Geiser had no experience running a restaurant. But he had the right attitude for it, a family friend thought, so they drew his attention to the King’s Chef Diner, a purple castle-shaped restaurant open since the early ’50s which had gone up for sale.

Stephen Martin’s former UCCS classmates might well consider that his work experiences have strayed the furthest from his 2015 bachelor’s degree in health care science. What began as an informal Instagram chronicling outdoor adventures with his dog Ollie, @explorewithollie, morphed into a vid…

Krystopher Fakir has been in Colorado Springs a year, and has made his digital content business a highly visible entity in that brief time, from a headquarters managed out of a colorful former house on West Colorado Avenue in Old Colorado City, to his multifaceted  K.F.E. LLC  that includes …

After a stint in for-profit hospitality human resources, Shahera Shalabi has found her calling in the nonprofit realm of HR. After almost a decade at Aspen Pointe (now Diversus Health Services), she moved to her current role as human resources senior manager for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. …

Drawing on school desks in Monument, Claire Swinford might have showed a hint of her future passion — but it took a class with SPQR’s Brett Andrus to hone the talent that would make her one of the region’s better-loved artists. Likewise, her path in the nonprofit world stretches a long way back.  

Thirty years in, the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce is seeing a renaissance. 

The decline of the American Farm as a way of life is a story of globalization, the rise of corporate and industrial farming strategies and complex farm subsidization policies. Flying Pig Farm, a 1-acre sprawl of gardens, groves and goats nestled in the foothills of Manitou Springs, tells a d…

The traditional barbershop concept evokes dark leather seats, aggressively-scented aftershave, and walls of 1950s paraphernalia. For Kai Hong, these have never been the most inclusive spaces.

It’s hard to imagine someone better qualified to tell the stories of women in Colorado Springs during Women’s History Month than Leah Davis Witherow, curator of history at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. 

For close to a decade, TheMuddShop has turned out streamlined, minimal web design aimed at nonprofits, small businesses and artist-entrepreneurs. 

Angelica Starnes is one of just 5,000 genetic counselors in the United States. Her role is unique in health care in general, and in oncology specifically; she explains cancer risks to those with possible genetic predispositions, outlining how some risks are inherent, and some can be changed …

When David Dahlin took the reins as vice president for philanthropy at Pikes Peak Community Foundation in early 2021, his primary role as director of The Philanthropy Collective was still in gestation. The property for the initiative had been acquired at 315 E. Pikes Peak Ave., and designs f…

Katie Kruger grew up in rural Alaska, in a home heated solely by two wood-burning stoves — but her connection to Colorado came early. She and her siblings took advantage of family ties in Fort Collins to enroll in Colorado State University, and although it looks like a long road from her fin…

For Ramon C. Alvarez, owning a printing franchise carries with it the responsibility of being involved in efforts beyond his business — the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and business consulting. 

Few people volunteer; even fewer dedicate their lives to the service of others — but Samantha Chapman is doing just that. At 33, she’s one of the youngest-ever nominated president-elects of the 145-year-old Rotary Club of Colorado Springs. 

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic first gripped the world, Ashley Brown lost her job as a sous chef at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. 

Mark Terry spent decades in corporate America, but he’s always had a drive to help others through his work. 

Justin Armour says it’s easier owning a restaurant — even during a global pandemic — than playing wide receiver in the NFL.

When Maureen Basenberg landed in Colorado Springs in 2016 to become executive director at Safe Passage, the nonprofit’s most pressing goal was to move to a larger building — one that could handle a multi-agency staff of health care employees, police, child welfare advocates and others dedica…

Jim Lovewell had been retired from the Air Force all of six days when he stepped into the role of chief defense development officer for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC.

Stu Davis is no stranger to a life of service. 

Four years into his prison sentence, Phoenixx Ugrilla decided to throw himself into the world of business. 

Erika Lehman has no prior cycling experience, but she’s undaunted by her new role as USA Cycling’s chief marketing officer. 

Angela Rose has always had a soft spot for children.

Shutdowns at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic saw an unprecedented surge in demand for home gyms. Weights, ellipticals and treadmills flew off the shelves, and across the nation people started working off the “Quarantine 15.”

Eva Padilla has found her dream job in the community development financial institution world, arranging loans for entrepreneurs in women-owned, Black-owned and Latino-owned businesses.

Lisa Keenan joined UCHealth in February 2020, just as COVID-19 was changing everything in health care delivery. As grants manager for the health system’s Southern Colorado region — a newly-created role at the time she accepted it — Keenan saw the pandemic rearrange priorities in health care …

Over the six years that Hannah Gingrich worked retail Downtown, she gradually noticed a market need that was not being met. 

As a kid, Michael Weisman was passionate about hockey — but even then, he knew he’d best serve the sport off the ice.

Five years ago, the indoor mall was declared endangered; the demise of Sears at Chapel Hills Mall seemed to fit a national trend. But Sears is being replaced with a planned 300-unit luxury apartment complex, and malls are starting to see a more eclectic and well-heeled customer base.

Since the day in January 2020 she opened On-Site Medical Care in Colorado Springs, Jennifer Hawkins knew the model of Direct Primary Care, or DPC, was bound to rile many in the health insurance industry. Her focus on the general practitioner model of telehealth and home visits (remember them…

As an 11-year-old, Elizabeth Quevedo learned an invaluable lesson during her grandmother’s funeral.