Laurie Taylor--Businesswoman and Entrepreneur

It was wonderful seeing so many people at the 40^th Reunion. During my presentation I wanted to give everyone a sense of just how special the year 1969 was – not just because we graduated from high school and started along the paths of our futures, but because we lived it and may not have recognized just how special it was as a turning point for so many aspects of our world.

I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Parks and Recreation and later received my MBA from there also. I spent 14 years in that field, 8 of it in Aurora, Colorado and 6 years as the Recreation Superintendent for the City of Loveland. I was fired from that career in 1986 and ran into a good friend, Sherri Leopard. We had become good friends when I was the editor of the Colorado Parks and Recreation Magazine and she became one of the writers. Both of us were looking for a way to put food on our table and we just started finding work, helping businesses promote themselves. That very shaky start eventually become the launching point for our marketing communications company, Leopard Communications, that we grew to over 100 employees and up to $12M in sales.

I have taken that experience and created my own company called FlashPoint! My passion is helping business owners ‘stay ahead of their growth curve’. I work with CEOs of companies with fewer than 500 employees and help them understand how to manage growth effectively and efficiently. I use a model called the 7 Stages of Growth that was developed by another business partner of mine, James Fischer that I joined forces with when I left Leopard. I helped James publish his book “Navigating the Growth Curve” and we worked with hundreds of CEOs to bring the growth curve model to their businesses.

Today, as a Speaker, Trainer and Business Growth Specialist, I love helping business owners predict how growth will impact them, stay focused on the right things at the right time, and adapt their leadership skills to what the company needs at any given stage of growth. If interested here is a link to my website http://www.igniteyourbiz.com.

Dave and I live in Westminster, CO with our two dogs Classy and Dixie. We lived for 8 years east of Berthoud, CO on 35 acres and three years ago moved back into town. Today Dave works for CH2M Hill and is the mechanical engineer on the water treatment plant that is being built in Santa Fe, NM. I travel back and forth between Westminster and Santa Fe. Dave’s son Jason and wife Crystal have two children, Hagen and Abigail (see attached photo) and live in Newton, KS.

Grandson Hagen, 6 years old, raises chickens, horses, cats and dogs on their 40 acres and is becoming quite the farmer. (see proud Grandpa with Abi) Dave and I love playing golf and riding our Harley’s. He has a Road King and I have a Softtail Deluxe (it’s my 12^th motorcycle!). Our third bike is a Can Am Spyder, a 3 wheel roadster that will allow me to continue to ride when I’m 85 years old! My brother, Kevin and wife Mary, still live in Ft. Collins.

My sister Chris and her husband, Mike recently moved from California to Durango after 20 years. Their daughter, Heather and husband, Danny recently bought a Closet Plus business in Durango, promoting everyone to move away from CA and back to CO. I’m delighted we are all in the same state again after so many years. We get together as often as possible. (see attached photo with the 3 Ts) Family and a great group of friends are an important part of Dave’s and my life.

I look forward to seeing our class get together for our 45^th Reunion. Stay in touch and if you know of other classmates, send them to this blog so they can let us know where they are.

Laurie Taylor