Arvada Chamber's WIN Podcast

One of the most exciting things for small business owners in 2022 is returning to in-person networking and referral groups without restrictions. That also means it's a great time to revisit best practices and strategies for building a successful referral network. 

Joining this episode are Ian Campbell, Founder and CEO of Mission Suite, and Philip Pelto, Co-Founder of Firestorm. We explore the top things to know before a networking event, the questions to ask to form a referral partnership, and simple strategies to nurture those referral relationships.

The Arvada Chamber is proud to bring you the What’s Important Now Podcast. This podcast features business and community leaders with timely updates and advice to help Arvada businesses and non-profits thrive.

Guests: Barber-Nichols President, Matt Malone, and HR Manager, Rachel Jaakkola

Guests: Samantha Troisi (Graduate, University of California Long Beach) and Arielle Wiedenbeck (Graduate, University of Nebraska - Lincoln).

The Public Relations Student Society of America hosted a competition this past year which challenged student teams to implement a public relations campaign centered on enhancing civility in their community. 

The national competition received 54 entries. We are joined on the podcast by leaders from the top two entries to discuss why promoting civility is critical for your employees and customers and tactics you should employ today.

Guest: Aaron Clark, Justice Reskill

The Arvada Chamber's workforce initiative, Arvada Works, continues to focus on helping our members find, develop and retain the top local talent by leveraging and improving area partnerships. One large, and often overlooked, workforce segment is the justice-involved community. Among the 70 million formerly incarcerated people in the US, about 27% are unemployed. We talk to Aaron Clark, Founder and CEO of Justice Reskill, about the barriers that exist for those who are formerly incarcerated and how employers can best offer career-focused support.

Guest: Frances Padilla, U.S. Small Business Administration

The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to provide funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open. This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location.  We talked to Frances Padilla, District Director (Colorado District Office) at the U.S. Small Business Administration, about the details of this program, how to apply, and other funding options available to Arvada businesses.

Guest: Nicole Milo, System Director Government and Community Affairs at Centura Health

One of Colorado's most contentious pieces of legislation this year is Colorado House Bill 21-1232, which concerns the establishment of a standardized health benefit plan for Colorado. A recent amendment to the bill would require private insurers in the state to offer a highly regulated, standardized plan and drive down premium costs by 18% over three years. We talked to Nicole Milo at Centura Health to break down the origins of the bill, who the legislation will impact, and next steps for the bill this session.

Guest: Christine Billings, Manager of the Office of Pandemic Response at Jefferson County Public Health

Last Friday, the State of Colorado dissolved its Executive Order, along with the Dial 3.0, forcing counties to implement their own tailored strategies to meet their community’s needs. In response, Jefferson County Public Health issued a new public health order to help guide the county through the recovery phase of the pandemic and into a full reopening. We talked to Christine Billings about the business impact of this two-phase health order and what the summer may look like for businesses and the community.

Guest: Tonia Martinez, Career Transformations

Across industries in the pandemic, virtually recruiting and onboarding a remote workforce has become the norm for many. For better or worse, experts say virtual hiring is here to stay. We talked to Tonia Martinez about trends in hiring and recruiting and how your business can conduct a more efficient, effective virtual hiring process.

Guest: Kate Hixson, Black Hound Design

As we continue to celebrate Badass Women of Arvada in March, we talk to Black Hound Design  Co-Founder & COO about elevating female roles in a male-dominated industry and strategies to everyone can use to challenge inequality in the workplace.

Guest: Jeff Weist, Jefferson County Business Lobby

We talk to Jefferson County Business Lobby's Jeff Weist about bills already passed at the Colorado State Capitol and what to expect as the 2021 legislative session continues. Issues include COVID-19 relief, transportation, healthcare, and more.