Starting a business workshop to be held
The Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center and First Southwest Bank will sponsor a workshop called “Starting Your Business” from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Durango Public Library Program Room, 1900 East Third Ave.
Presenters will include a small-business specialist, marketing expert, small-business banker, an attorney and an accountant. Topics will include: business planning, legal structure, taxes, marketing and market research and finance options.
The fee is $25 or $20 for Chamber of Commerce members. To register, visit https://clients.coloradosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=170340014, email Asano_L@fortlewis.edu or call 247-7009.
Introduction course on Quickbooks offered
The Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center and First National Bank of Durango will sponsor a workshop titled “Introduction to Quickbooks” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 in the training room of First National Bank of Durango, 259 W. Ninth St.
A lunch break will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Participants are asked to bring a bag lunch. This workshop, taught by Certified Quickbooks Pro-Advisor, Bethany McManus, will help small-business owners understand how much money they are bringing in and how they are spending it. Topics will include: How to Get Through the Set-up Process, Creating an Effective Chart of Accounts, Small Business Accounting 101 – What Every Owner Should Know, Strategies for Managing Cash Flow, How to Make Bill Paying Less Painful and Strategies for Getting Paid Faster.
The workshop is $70 or $65 for Chamber of Commerce members. To register, visit https://clients.coloradosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=170340064, email Asano_L@fortlewis.edu or call 247-7009.
Keller Williams welcomes new broker
Keller Williams Realty Southwest Associates, LLC welcomes broker-associate Scott da Silva.
Da Silva and his family have been residents of Durango for the past six years. Prior to becoming licensed in real estate, he worked as a principal and director for Durango School District 9-R and as an executive director for the Bureau of Indian Education. Da Silva holds a degree from the University of California, Riverside and two master degrees from California State University, San Bernardino.
For more information, call 375-3210.
Gervais & Associates receives designation
Gervais & Associates, P.C., a certified public accountancy, received the Professional Plan Consultant designation of Paul Gervais by Financial Service Standards in the area of retirement plan consulting.
The designation was developed by Financial Service Standards to help professionals that work with employer-sponsored retirement plans to specialize in this increasingly regulated niche of the financial industry. Program graduates must sit for either a two-day training class or complete the equivalent Web-based training program, pass a comprehensive final exam, sign off on the FSS Code of Ethics and commit to ongoing training in retirement plan management.
Gervais is president of Gervais & Associates, P.C., CPAs and has been working within the retirement plan industry for 15 years.
For more information, call 799-3618, visit www.gervaiscpas.com or 3710 Main Ave.
First National announces new hire
First National Bank of Durango announces the addition of Grace Carlson as a personal banker at the Albertsons Branch.
Carlson is from Bayfield and graduated from Frontier Baptist Academy. She was previously with Albertsons before joining the bank.
For more information, visit www.fnbdurango.com.
Manna awarded funds for backpack program
The Walmart Foundation’s Colorado State Giving Program awarded the Manna Soup Kitchen a $40,000 grant to be used for weekend and summer backpacks for kids who don’t have sufficient food sources.
The program awards grants to local organizations that address the needs of the communities they serve and make a significant social impact. Manna will work with the local school district for distribution.
Blue Ribbon Properties announces relaunch
Claudia Williams and Stacy E. Engle are relaunching Blue Ribbon Properties of Durango.
Williams has owned Blue Ribbon Properties since 2002, and after a two year stint at RE/MAX Pinnacle, she is relaunching Blue Ribbon Properties with three owners and agents: Williams, Engle and Kurt Gerlach as a locally owned company specializing in real estate sales and buyer agency.
For more information, visit www.blueribbondurango.com, call 247-8388, Williams at 749-3555, Engle at 759-6411 and Gerlach at 759-9667.
Seasons names assistant manager
Tyler George has been named assistant general manager at Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 764 Main Ave.
A native of Silverton, George was raised in the industry, as his father is a chef. Before joining Seasons in January 2014, he served at the Glacier Club for 4½ years, promoted from bartender to eventual food and beverage director. George attended Fort Lewis College, earning his degree in business administration.
For more information, call 382-9790 or http://seasonsofdurango.com.
La Plata Electric announces promotion
Journeyman Lineman Jerry Sutherlin has been named as a serviceman at La Plata Electric Association, based out of the Durango office.
A serviceman focuses on direct work with customers, upgrading electrical systems, setting meters and working with local electricians. LPEA’s servicemen are also on-call for outages and are the first in the field, troubleshooting the cause of an outage and determining next steps for restoration of power.
A Colorado native and graduate of Durango High School, Sutherlin attended Fort Lewis College. In 2000, he came to LPEA on a temporary basis. He subsequently completed the four-year apprentice program and earned his journeyman lineman in 2009.
For more information, call 247-5786 or visit www.lpea.coop.
Ecosphere consulting receives recognition
Ecosphere Environmental Services won the ColoradoBiz magazine’s Top Company Award in the category of consulting and professional services on Aug. 28.
Ecosphere was founded in 1982 in Farmington and is a full-service, woman-owned environmental consulting firm that specializes in environmental compliance and permitting, natural resources consulting, public outreach and participation as well as environmental planning and monitoring. Factors that contributed to Ecosphere’s award are its continued growth and delivery of high-quality environmental consulting services.
For more information, visit www.ecosphere-services.com.
Bank of San Juans announces acquisition
Ten First National Bank of the Rockies branches will be renamed Bank of the San Juans following an acquisition by Montana-based Glacier Bancorp Inc.
Customers will notice few changes at the Grand Junction, Steamboat Springs, Craig, Hayden, Meeker, Rangely and Oak Creek banking offices. A division of Glacier, Durango-based Bank of the San Juans was founded in 1998 and operated as an independent community bank until 2008, when it was bought by the Montana bank-holding company.
County candidate forum will be held on Tuesday
The Durango Chamber of Commerce will host Lunch & Issues: Candidates Forum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio.
The buffet-style lunch will feature La Plata County commissioner candidates Brad Blake and Cynthia Roebuck. The cost is $20 for chamber members and $30 for nonmembers. Reservations are required.
To sign up, visit www.durangobusiness.org.
Social-media series to begin
A six-part series called “Social Media Monday” will begin with “Social Media 101” from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 22 in the upstairs meeting room of the Pine River Valley Bank, 1701 Main Ave.
The cost is $10 for Durango Chamber of Commerce members and $20 for nonmembers. This class is a beginner’s level lecture-style course that will cover several major social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and more.
To register, visit www.durangobusiness.org.
Herald Staff
