How Yampa Valley reshapes local landscaping
By Kate Brocata

Residents of the arid mountain West in the Yampa Valley, it’s no secret that we are facing devastating impacts caused by a historically unprecedented 23-year drought. Despite a strong monsoon season that brought relief to much of our region, we are far from drought recovery.

Routt County, home to Steamboat Ski Resort, sits at the headwaters of the Colorado River with the Yampa River at the heart of our communities. However, being at the headwaters doesn’t mean the region is free from drought impacts. Agricultural producers suffered 70-90% reduction in hay and alfalfa yields in 2021 due to extended drought. For the past three summers, the Yampa River was closed to recreational uses due to high stream temperatures caused by low flows. River closures and use restrictions place burdens on the region’s already economically strained recreation and tourism industries.

Confessions of a serial entrepreneur
By Jessi Burg

 I have started two successful companies over the past five years, and I’ve learned that growing a successful business means following the money. You have to ask yourself: “What are my client’s currently paying for, what else are they willing to pay for and how does that overlap with the work I want to do?”

I opened my first business, Soe Harvest, in 2017, planning to teach people how to grow vegetables in their garden. This rapidly became overall garden maintenance, followed by working with clients to incorporate more sustainable and edible plants into their landscapes. Three years later, my vegetable garden coaching business had turned into Pears to Perennials, a design/build and maintenance company focusing on sustainable landscaping. I sold it in 2021.

My current business, Outgrow Your Garage, was started in 2021 and has followed a similar trajectory. What began as a direct- to-business consulting company has become an on-demand business development program. At the beginning, my clients were mostly existing trades and service companies looking to solve specific problems. Soon, I needed programs my clients could work through on their own. This segued into working with other consultants, nonprofits and business coaches to create business education that could be used by any small business — whether my clients or someone else’s.