Bloomin Babies

Early in Patty’s nursing career, she knew she wanted to become a midwife. After years as a RN and completing her BSN, she decided it was time to pursue her dream and enrolled at Frontier Nursing University. Little did she know, her education at Frontier Nursing University would not only prepare her to become a midwife but also potentially a future entrepreneur; one of the final capstone projects she had to do was write a business plan for a midwife/birth center business. Armed with Patty’s nursing and midwifery education along with Dick’s Masters of Hospital Administration, they made the decision to move to Grand Junction to be closer to their daughter.

Upon settling into Grand Junction, they found their way to The Business Incubator Center where they took the “Starting a Business in Western Colorado” and “Leading Edge” classes. During this time, they were also in the beginning stages of starting Bloomin’ Babies. Upon completing the classes, the Kandiko’s were confronted with challenge after challenge.

First, they had to find a suitable location close to emergency medical treatment should it become necessary. They signed the lease on their location in February 2013 and were confronted with the next challenge, finding a doctor with hospital privileges that would be willing to take their referral patients. Third, they had to work with local and state fire officials to determine which fire safety rules their birthing center needed to be built to. Finally, they needed to receive their state licensing in order to operate. Some of these challenges were easier to overcome than others but the Kandiko’s persevered and were verbally granted their license on September 17, 2013. They credit their success in part to the resources that the SBDC and staff coaches have provided along the way. Patty & Dick both say, “The coaches and staff were there to help without being too pampering. They are a great support system.”

The Kandiko’s are excited to be able to offer a birthing option for women who want the expertise of medical professionals with a home-like environment with a personal touch. In addition to birthing services, they will also be offering services for all women from pre-conception (annual visits, contraception, etc.) through menopause.

(970) 549-1711
2241 N. 7th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Patty & Dick Kandiko
https://bloominbabiesbirthcenter.com/

Angels In the Making

Teri Thomas, owner of Angels in the Making, LLC, has always had a passion for working with animals. She trained her first dog at the age of 8. As a child she spent her summers at her grandparent’s ranch in New Mexico, there she raised and trained chickens to do a variety of tasks much to everyone’s surprise. Born and raised in Colorado she attended CSU in Fort Collins for 1 year and Mesa College

Edgewater Brewery

For Jim Jeffryes, brewing beer had always been a source of refuge from his stressful job in technology. That is, until 1998 when he decided to jump into brewing beer full time. Although Jim had brewed beer recreationally, he had never done it in the quantities he was going to need to support a brewery, so after purchasing land on 9th & Struthers in Grand Junction, he enrolled in beer school and took Leading Edge

JT Crane Service: Taking Business to New Heights

Jeff Thornton, veteran, owner, and operator had 12 years of crane operating experience and another five years of heavy equipment operator experience. However, something Jeff had limited experience with was starting and growing a business. “The classes and coaches [at the Grand Junction SBDC] have been essential because I have no experience in bookkeeping or web design,” said Jeff. After learning about the Grand Junction SBDC through the SBA’s website, Jeff made his first coaching