We’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs. Here are some of their

Success Stories

Fortified Development Trucking

Fortified Development Trucking strives to be an innovative and solutions-driven minority-owned trucking company, challenging their drivers to provide reliable and excellent customer service while balancing their career and family.  Their mission is to become the transporter of choice for construction hauling and short- and long-hauling from coast to coast.  With the byline “Realizing Potential at Every Level in the Trucking Industry”, Fortified Development Trucking offers reliable, safe, timely delivery that is the most cost-effective trucking carrier available for construction hauling projects and line-haul in all 48 states.

Fortified Development Trucking is a family-owned business, based in Aurora, that began in October of 2019.  Owners Arthur and Monica Gilbert come from a trucking family in Pittsburgh, PA.  After years in the corporate world, with husband Arthur in real estate and their son also in business, they decided to research the trucking industry.  They found low-paying opportunities with taxing schedules, making it difficult to maintain a healthy home life.  In response to the struggle, the partners pooled their experience to create a solution to meet their needs, as well as offering viable employment opportunities for individuals coming out of incarceration. 

 

They started their business with personal investments, credit cards, and a Small Business Administration loan from the Colorado Enterprise Fund.  They believe in building relationships. Through partnerships with the community and the trucking industry, they are working to build a transportation company that delivers not only freight, sand, gravel, dirt, and more, but also “Hope“ to the community.

Their partnership with the Aurora-South Metro SBDC has spanned four years, gaining assistance in business planning, lending options, trucking regulations and government certification.   Today, with help from the SBDC’s certification consultant, they hold the following small business certifications: MBE, DBE, WBE, SBE and ESB.  Business is booming, with annual revenues increasing six-fold from 2021 to 2022.  They’ve also added three full-time employees for a total of five. 

 

“The Aurora-South Metro SBDC has helped our business connect with technical resources, prime contractors, and other invaluable tools to sustain our business.”  Fortified Development Trucking doesn’t just talk about hope for the community but they now provide prevailing wages for those who want to work in the transportation industry.  Learn more at www.fortifieddev.com.

Trunk Nouveau | Squadron

Trunk Nouveau /t^nk/ ‘nju:’veo/ noun:  A curated monthly showing and sale from an independent maker who offers handcrafted wares.  Trunk Nouveau in Aurora started with a remarkable dream:  a busy aviation studio, industrial in nature, doused in the smell of engine oil and creativity.  In the back, a room with steam trunks and suitcases filled with forgotten treasures–the kind that people hold on to, handcrafted and meaningful. A trunk showroom was created at Aurora’s Stanley

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Pirate Chef LLC

“Aurora-South Metro SBDC gave us the empowerment, guidance, and connections to realize our dream of owning our own business with sustainability.” Ian and Vanessa Reeves believe that sharing good food is the best way to show love.  Pirate Chef specializes in bespoke catering, private parties, in home, and corporate dining. Taking experience from lives well-lived, they bring their clients a gastronomic encounter unlike any other.   Their business venture has been a longstanding dream, and they can’t wait to share it with

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Havana Street Tattoo and Legacy Tattoo Collective

Havana Street Tattoo opened 15 years ago in Aurora.  The tattooing industry has shown its potential for significant growth in the past 10 years and continues to do so, because the customer base and artists offering the service have evolved past an old stereotype into a market of true professional artistry and serious collectors. In mid-2019, business partners and co-owners, Larry Foussat and Gilbert Ledesma decided to open a new location in Aurora to expand the shop’s client base and

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GradePower Learning

Robert and Olga Mead, the owners of GradePower Learning, started out with a vision to help build children’s confidence and self-esteem. They found an opportunity to do that not only through tutoring students, but also in teaching them how to learn. The LEADING EDGETM Strategic Planning Series was the perfect tool for Olga to test her business model. She graduated from LEADING EDGETM in 2015 and continued on as a client at the Aurora-South Metro

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Cranelli’s Italian Restaurant

In the restaurant world a successful business often begins with family. When Cranelli’s Italian Restaurant, a new hotspot in Lone Tree, opened, the whole family pitched in to help owners Jim and Lasinda Crane make their dreams come true. Hours after the ink was dry on the restaurant lease, the couple began updating the décor and kitchen with the help of friends and family. Lasinda’s father David, a retired electrician, helped build a bar and

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Banh & Butter Bakery Café

“The SBDC helped me better understand and prepare my business plan. Growing up in a family business, a business plan was all about going with the flow.  I never knew what a cash flow was, but support from the SBDC has increased my business knowledge.” – Thoa Nguyen   CEO and owner Thoa Nguyen is a pastry chef by day and a culinary chef by night.  Branching out from the family’s restaurant, she studied baking and

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