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Culture Drinks Strategy Through a Boba Straw
by Jeff Dupont, CEO, Durango Chamber of Commerce
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Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That’s still true, but let’s update it for today’s world. Strategy still matters, but culture? Culture drinks strategy through a boba straw.
The next generation of workers isn’t sitting around sipping black coffee, waiting for instructions. They’re actively choosing careers that offer ownership, impact, and alignment with their values. They have options, and they’re prioritizing purpose over perks, inclusion over hierarchy, and authenticity over buzzwords. If you want to attract and retain tomorrow’s leaders, a forward-thinking culture isn’t optional, it’s the starting point.
To be clear, this generation is not lazy or entitled. They’re not looking for handouts. They want to contribute, grow, and engage in meaningful work.
Building a forward-thinking culture doesn’t mean you need to turn your office into a tech campus or copy Google’s playbook. It means committing to some best practices:
1. Flexibility with Accountability
Work-life balance is a baseline, not a perk. Hybrid schedules, flexible hours, and remote options don’t mean lower standards. It means trusting people to deliver results, not micromanaging their time behind a desk.
2. Autonomy and Ownership
No one wants to be micromanaged. When people are trusted to lead and take risks, engagement and innovation improve.
3. Mission-Driven Work
The next generation doesn’t want to participate in the grind, without knowing why. If your organization can’t articulate its purpose, and connect people’s work to it, don’t expect employee retention and loyalty.
4. Diversity and Inclusion
A forward-thinking culture actively seeks out different perspectives, backgrounds, and voices; not to check a box, but because it leads to better decisions and more resilient teams. When employees feel included, they experience the psychological safety needed to speak up, take risks, and innovate.
5. Fail Forward
Perfection isn’t the goal, progress is. New employees should be given room to take smart risks and explore new approaches. Healthy cultures normalize mistakes, encourage experimentation, and learn out in the open. They don’t punish failure, they fail forward.
Now here’s the reality: culture isn’t built overnight. You can’t overhaul it with a staff retreat a new set of core values that are highlighted on a poster. Culture is built through consistent behaviors, hard conversations, and leadership that walks the talk.
Over the next decade, the most effective companies won’t be the ones with the flashiest strategies. They’ll be the ones with cultures designed for where work is going, not where it’s been.
Culture isn’t about being trendy, it’s about being intentional. Every team is somewhere on the journey. What matters is that you’re doing the work, asking the questions, and willing to evolve.
So, if you’re committed to building a team that thrives, start with this question:
Is your culture bureaucracy and black coffee, or creativity and boba tea?
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Join us for Business After Hours hosted by the Bar D Chuckwagon! The May Nonprofit Showcase will feature Stillwater Music!
May 15, 5-7pm
8080 CR 250
This event is family friendly.
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Lunch & Learn: Turn Your LinkedIn Into a Lead Gen Machine (Without Cold Pitching)
With Melissa Glick of Peak CEO
May 21 from 12-1pm
TBK Bank Community Room
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Leading with Purpose: Get to Know the CEO of EsoTerra Ciderworks
Elizabeth Philbrick
May 22 from 8-9am
Center for Innovation
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22nd Annual Downtown Clean Day
Gather your co-workers, friends, and neighbors and join us to shine up Downtown on Friday, May 23rd.
May 23 at 8:30 am
Keller Williams Parking Lot
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Forums for Progress: Local Leaders in Energy
With panelists Chris Hansen (LPEA), George Sharp (Merrion Oil & Gas), Briston Jones (Atmos Energy) and more!
June 5 at 8:30 am
Sky Ute Casino
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Join us on the first Tuesday of each month for an engaging program on various topics from 7:45am to 9am at El Moro Spirits & Tavern. Showcase your best elevator pitch in this morning networking mingle.
June 3:
Pam Moore, Executive Director of Homesfund
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Stay Connected, Stay Informed
Kim Oyler, COO, Durango Chamber of Commerce
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The Colorado General Assembly adjourned this week, wrapping up the 2025 legislative session with 733 bills introduced. Governor Polis has until June 6 to sign or veto any bills passed; those left unsigned by June 7 will automatically become law. For a recap of how the session addressed key business-related issues, read the Colorado Chamber’s legislative summary here.
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Business Connection with Bank of Colorado
By Sara Lynn Valentine
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During the Great Depression, the one and only bank in rural Palmer, Nebraska had to close its doors. Local brothers, George and Tom Dinsdale, felt they must do something to help their community. In 1938, despite the fact they were farmers rather than businessmen, the brothers opened what became Pinnacle Bank. Over the next 84 years, the Dinsdale family expanded Pinnacle Banks into other communities where there was a need for true community banking. In 1978, they purchased Colorado’s oldest state-chartered bank, Bank of Colorado.
“Our mission goes beyond helping our customers reach their financial goals,” says Durango’s Bank of Colorado President Jason Portz. “We are a very special bank because of our knowledgeable and caring employees, who live in and love this community.”
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Jason visited and fell in love with Durango on his first trip when he was sixteen. He told his friends then that he would someday live in Durango. The day Jason finished college in Minnesota, he packed his car and drove to northeastern Colorado to stay with a friend, hoping to get his foot in the door with a job in the state.
“Banking was one of the careers I was interested in. My friend had an account at a Bank of Colorado branch in his community and said the people there ‘seemed like really good people.’ So I met with the branch president. He asked where in Colorado I’d want to be. There was a map on the wall, and I pointed to Durango. He set up an interview and I was hired. I learned all the jobs - credit analyst, personal banker and eventually consumer loans,” stated Jason. “After two and a half years they asked me to move to Montrose, where we’d recently acquired some banks, to handle the transition. Nine months later, Durango asked me to come back. That was 2007 and I’ve been here ever since.”
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While serving as a vice president, Jason enrolled in a three-year training program at Pacific Coast Banking School. He traveled periodically for abbreviated stints of in-person classes, completing course work and writing papers after hours back in Durango. He completed the program in 2012 and transitioned to oversee commercial lending in 2019. In January 2022, Jason became market president of the Bank of Colorado in Durango.
Jason is a huge believer in giving back to the community. “Our employees are all involved in community causes. We support them and the organizations they donate their time and energy to. We give $200,000 to $250,000 to local nonprofits each year. We want Durango organizations and residents to benefit from our success in the community.”
Bank of Colorado supports many organizations, including the Durango Chamber’s Leadership La Plata program, Durango Education Foundation, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Fort Lewis College, Boys and Girls Club, United Way, Rotary High Noon, Lions Club, and the Durango Chamber of Commerce.
Bank of Colorado was recognized as the 2024 Business of the Year at the Durango Rocks Awards.
| For more information on the Bank of Colorado, visit www.bankofcolorado.com, stop by 1199 Main Avenue, or call 970-247-5151. | | | |
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Featured Young Professional:
Lizzie Heine
Where do you work & what do you do?
As Region 9's Office Manager, I assist in loan servicing, organizing the quarterly board meetings, various secretarial duties, and anything asked of me that leads to the overall success of our company.
Why did you want to be a YPOD Board Member? I wanted to become a YPOD board member to expand my professional peer network, to add to my resume, and to have the opportunity to use my skills in a fun way outside of the workplace.
How do you spend your free time? In my spare time, you can find me Irish Dancing, Skiing, playing Ultimate Frisbee, hiking (Fun Fact: I have what's known as the 'triple crown' in the hiking community), slaying at Banana Grams, and spending time with friends and family.
Want to join the YPODs? Find out more Find out more
| | YPODs in Action: April Recap | | |
The YPODs kicked off April with a First-Time Homebuyer's Class presented by mortgage pro Ryan Champion and realtor Jessica Greg. Young Professionals gathered to learn the basics of the homebuying process and get updates on the local housing market.
Later in the month, the YPOD's enjoyed sunny spring weather on the patio at Animas Brewing Co. where they were joined by employees from the City of Durango as special guests.
May features more outdoor events for the YPODs with an Animas River Trail cleanup day and park day at Santa Rita Park.
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Chamber Diplomat Spotlight:
Cindi Taylor
What’s Your Business? I’m the founder of Taylored Tours, a boutique travel business specializing in immersive, custom-designed journeys, river cruises, and group travel. I help clients explore the world in a more meaningful and effortless way.
How long have you been a Diplomat & lived in Durango? I joined the Chamber Diplomats in early 2025, but I’ve been an active Chamber member since starting my business six years ago. I’ve called Durango home since 2003, and it continues to be a place that inspires and grounds me.
Tell us about your family. I live in Durango with my husband and our three dogs, who keep life fun and active. My extended family lives in the Midwest, and I travel back often to help tend to our vineyards and assist with starting our winery.
What is your favorite part of being a Diplomat? I love welcoming and supporting new businesses. It’s rewarding to be part of something that helps others feel connected to our community.
What is a Fun Fact About You? Before starting Taylored Tours, I was a detective. Today, I use that same attention to detail to plan unforgettable travel…and I was recently named one of the top 150 travel advisors in 2024 out of over 10,000 nationwide.
Want to be part of a fun and community-building group? Find out more here.
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Congratulations Nook Ceramics! | | | |
Congratulations Caver Jewlery! | | | |
Congratulations Rocky Mountain Sheds! | | | |
Congratulations Nourish Durango! | |
Leadership La Plata Alumni Feature:
Neil Dolder
What do you do for a living? I am the Director of Operations for the Four Corners Offices for Jaynes Corp of Colorado.
What LLP Class were you in? 2012-2013
What do you love about LLP?
I love that LLP brings leaders together who want to give back and make a difference in our community.
What is a less-known fact about you? I served in the Army in Iraq. I have lived in Belgium and Switzerland.
Learn more about Leadership La Plata at LeadershipLaPlata.org.
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LLP Monthly Focus:
AI is Here to Stay: Harness it’s Power for Your Small Businesses
By Beth Porter, Four Corners Broadcasting & LLP Alum
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AI dominates pretty much any discussion of technology advances in business today. But if you’re like me, it’s overwhelming to parse how AI can help, let alone which product to implement.
According to the SBA government website, AI can help streamline a lot of mundane, clerical tasks, saving time and money.
Distribution: Keep abreast of traffic and flight delays to help avoid delivery issues. Use rate optimizers to lessen shipping costs. Find budget-friendly ways to mitigate your business’s environmental impact.
Safeguard data: AI technology can be used to process more data, faster and to react quickly to an attack.
Make better business decisions: AI can help you use all that data you’ve collected to make better strategic decisions. Use data inclusive tools to compare your business to similar businesses to discover those gaps where you can press your advantage.
Delegate repeat tasks to AI: Use a voice assistant to program monthly meetings, set calendar reminders for important deadlines. Sort email into your inboxes by task or client. Use AI products to update to-do lists or inventory automatically, record and summarize meetings, generate reusable templates.
Create content: AI can help edit photos or videos, draft a business plan, write a job posting. Use AI to translate original marketing content to e-commerce product descriptions or generate and schedule social media posts across multiple platforms, develop content based on social media trends.
Collaborate and brainstorm: That brainstorming session may be just you and an AI program to develop a new logo or a marketing plan based on your budget. Find problems in upcoming projects, like hidden costs or regulatory changes.
Improve customer service: Add a website chatbot. Fine tune ads that better target customers’ interests and needs. Write thoughtful replies to online reviews.
The one constant with AI technology is it is constantly changing. If you’re new to AI, start small. Many AI tools offer basic services for free or at a lower cost. That makes it easier to try them out to see if they add value.
It looks like AI is to today’s business environment what PCs were in the 80s…here to stay and it’s much more productive if you can harness the benefits!
Looking for an immersive experience in leadership development or to develop leadership skills for a team member? Consider Leadership La Plata, an excellent local resource.
Check out https://www.durangobusiness.org/llp.html for more information
| Beth Porter is the Senior Marketing Consultant with Four Corners Broadcasting and an alumni of Leadership La Plata Class of 2015-2016. | Thank You to this month's LLP Sponsor: | | |
What’s Happening with our Chamber Members?
Find more events on our calendar..
Every Wednesday American Legion Trujillo-Sheets Post 28 Luncheons
Every Thursday Free Yoga at April's Garden (supporting loal nonprofits!)
May 9 & 10 Manna garden Annual Plant Sale
May 13 Durango Tourism Round Up hosted by Visit Durango
May 15 Mothers for Awareness and Prevention of Drug Abuse Meet and Greet
May 16 Surf & Slurp: A Seafood & Beer Pairing at Carver Brewing
May 17 4CORE Spring Rain Barrel Sale
May 23 Bar D Chuckwagon Season Begins
Want your event listed? It’s free! Log into you member portal.
| | Thank you to all our renewed members! Consider checking our member directory to ensure you are shopping local and supporting other chamber members! | | |
Unemployment's Hidden Toll: Skills, Confidence and Mental Health
41% of Job Seekers Report Skill Deterioration
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Durango, CO— In a rapidly changing job market, the consequences of prolonged unemployment are taking a significant toll on job seekers, affecting not only their skills and confidence but also their mental health and networking opportunities.
According to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey, there is a glimmer of hope: only 22% of unemployed job seekers have been without work for more than two years, a significant drop from the alarming 40% in Spring 2023. However, the road to recovery is still long, with only slight improvements from Fall 2023 (36%) and Spring 2024 (32%). The primary reasons for unemployment remain consistent, with voluntary quits (26%) and terminations (19%) leading the pack.
Impacts of Extended Unemployment
Extended periods of unemployment have both practical and mental impacts on job seekers. The most common effects include:
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Deterioration of Skills: 41% of job seekers report a decline in hard or soft skills.
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Gaps in Work Experience: 37% cite gaps on their resumes as a significant issue.
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Decreased Confidence: 34% experience a loss of confidence.
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Reduced Networking Opportunities: 29% find it harder to network.
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Decreased Awareness of Industry Trends: 23% feel out of touch with current practices.
Generational differences also play a role, with Gen Z and millennial job seekers more likely to report a deterioration of hard skills compared to boomer/senior job seekers (34% and 31% vs. 17%, respectively).
Survey Methodology
The Job Seeker Report was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from Nov. 21 to Dec. 10, 2024, among 1,039 adults ages 18 and older.
For full survey methodologies, please contact Sheena.Hollander@ExpressPros.com, Director of Corporate Communications & PR.
| The Durango, CO Express office is located at 1911 Main Ave Ste 282 and serves the Four Corners Area. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to stop by, visit www.ExpressPros.com/durangoco or call (970) 403-8780. | | DURANGO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | | |
Staff
Jeff Dupont, Chief Executive Officer
Kim Oyler, Chief Operations Officer
Madison Anderson-Oles, Member Relations Coordinator
location: 2301 Main Avenue | Durango, CO 81301
mailing: PO Box 2587 | Durango, CO 81302
970.247.0312 ext. 2
www.durangobusiness.org
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Board Members
Vaughn Morris, President; Boys and Girls Club
Josh Neff, Vice President; CommonSpirit/Mercy Hospital
Mike Vermette, Treasurer; Star Liquors
Dr. Karen Cheser, Immediate Past President; 9-R School District
Melisa Jackson Palmer, Secretary; Bank of Colorado
Brian Lundstrom, Sky Ute Casino & Resort
Nick Johnson, Exit Realty Home & Ranch
Sarah Brandt, Durango Motor Company
Tom Loch, Diplomat Representative
Land Title Guarantee Company
Jenn Bartlett, Leadership La Plata Representative
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Ryan Simonovich, YPOD Representative
Ryan MTB Media Company and Local News Network
Dave Woodruff, City Councilman, City of Durango Representative
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