Hello friends,
The Board of Directors for Colorado PTAC recently appointed me as the new Executive Director, an honor I am proud to accept. I look forward serving the Colorado business community in increasing their work in government procurement which will continue to stimulate the economy of our great state.
I have been with Colorado PTAC almost since inception. PTAC opened their door on November 9th of 2009 and I started on December 21st of that same year. I had the same question everyone seems to have when I first met them "What's a PTAC?". Now I can easily recite that we are a Public/Private Partnership (P3) formed as a 501c (3) non-profit to serve all Colorado businesses with procurement assistance under the Defense Logistics Agency's Procurement Technical Assistance Program. While that is accurate, it doesn't represent what we really do.
What we do is change people's lives through support of business. As I was gearing up to step into this role full time I asked all our counselors what they enjoyed most about the job. Without hesitation everyone said it was the feeling of accomplishment they experienced when they helped someone overcome an issue, get a contract, or simply helped them figure out the direction they should take. You see, nobody gets rich working for PTAC but I have felt more joy and job satisfaction in my time with PTAC than in any phase of my career previously. All of our counselors can tell you stories about how clients come to us, sometimes despondent, and we were able to help them resolve whatever issue they faced.
I served as a counselor for many years and ended up as the Deputy Director in 2014. The few years I had under Gary Henry's tutelage opened my eyes and helped me realize the breadth of economic impact we can have. I look forward to working with the partners we align with to this end. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) carries out some wonderful programs to assist Colorado citizens. We are strongly aligned with the Small Business Development Center Network, the Minority Business Office, the Chambers of Commerce and the Economic Development activities of the various communities. You will see us and the Small Business Administration in many cooperative efforts throughout the state. We realize the benefit of supporting the agencies as well. Federal agencies, State Procurement, CDOT, counties, municipalities are all our partners and customers wrapped into one. The better we prepare contractors to work on government projects, the better the result and the better the public is served.
So as Gary, who I will consider a life-long friend, moves on to another opportunity I am given the chance to best him and have even a bigger impact. There are several irons already in the fire and I think some really great new collaborations will result in meaningful revenue and employment in the state. I am pretty stoked and I hope you can be too. Make no mistake though, it will not be me doing it, it will be Colorado PTAC.
It will be Bob Brown, an Air Force veteran, with the PTAC for several years and one that clients seek me out to tell me they love him - literally. Bob has such a deep understanding of the processes at work in the procurement field he can provide truly insightful advice on approaching procurement opportunities. I am happy to say I have asked him to assume the duties as Deputy Director and he has accepted. This will be effective on 14 August.
It will be Joan Saunders. You likely know Joan as she is usually the first person you talk to in our organization but trust me she does much more than make appointments. Joan spends most of her time working issues in operating the business side of the house. She manages our contracts, pay, and financial health. Since I have taken over for Gary she is the one I have spent most of my time with. If our business is not healthy we cannot help others.
It will be Kathryn Lobdell who has more PTAC experience than any of us. Kathryn moved from the North Carolina PTAC to Colorado when Tom Elam opened the doors in 2009. I have always been impressed with Kathryn's ability to guide a company to the root of their issues so she can get them the help they really need. Her early efforts on the Western Slope, now in Aurora, have allowed us to gain the respect and cooperation of those communities.
It will be Tom Thompson. Tom came to us as the first Aurora counselor then opened the office in Adams County. He has been instrumental in developing and honing our training and outreach efforts. Always a hoot to talk to, he gains the trust of clients early which leads to relationships that are deeper than advice, he gets in for the win. He is a pleasure to work with even though I am jealous I can't take the fishing trips he does.
It will be Yasmin Brown who came to us from the Department of Homeland Security and DoD. Yasmin started in our Golden office then moved to the Colorado Springs office when her current position opened. Now that she is in the Colorado Springs office I have the pleasure of working with her in person I see the quality of her personality and the value she contributes to our program. She is always eager to take on an issue for a client and get them the information they need.
It will be Kathryn Rowe. Former Director of Procurement for Larimer County where it just made sense to have her run our Ft. Collins office. Her insight to the workings of Northern Colorado allow us to enjoy more and more relationships with strategic partners there. Kathryn's solid relationships with many of the state and local procurement offices allows us to serve that community well. She is a pleasure to work with and we are happy she came to us.
It will be Stephen Crawford, our newest counselor. Stephen served over 20 years with the Defense Logistics Agency as an industry advocate, a role that equipped him well to work with PTAC. Even though he has only been with us a couple of months he is already making an impact. We enjoy a deeper relationship with the DLA which we hope to leverage and bring more manufacturing to Colorado. He will be key in this effort. He is also reported to make some very good wine, and who can't appreciate that?
AND it will be Savannah Waggoner. Without Savannah you would not be reading this. Gary had the fine notion to hire a younger person to manage our social and media presence since we were struggling to figure it all out. Savannah is a sports management student at UCCS and let me tell you if you are in doubt about the upcoming generation, don't be. I have the deepest respect for Savannah's drive and work ethic. Not only does she carry a full class load, but she works with us and volunteers with USA Basketball. I hope we can keep her until she graduates but, alas, I am sure she will move on to fulfill her goal of working with an NBA team after that.
This leaves us with one open counselor position in Colorado Springs so if you think you can keep up with this group let me know!
I have been, and continue to be, blessed in working this fine organization. I am deeply proud of what we have been able to accomplish and am extremely confident in our ability to do more. Though I am taking a new role, I will always have time to do what I love most and that is to help Colorado businesses. Please connect with me if you want to talk about how we can help you.
Sincerest regards,
Dennis
