Reach Out and Read Colorado, an early literacy organization serving Colorado children since 1997, and its Board of Directors have named Patty Fontneau as new Chief Executive Officer.
Ms. Fontneau’s background as a senior executive in the Health Services industry, combined with a lifelong passion for education, will help further advance the mission of Reach Out and Read Colorado. “We are delighted to welcome Patty as the next CEO at Reach Out and Read Colorado,” says Suzy Jaeger, Reach Out and Read Colorado Board Chair and SVP, Chief Patient Experience & Access Officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “Her extensive experience in healthcare combined with her deep roots in Colorado will be huge assets as we strive to realize our vision of connected families and healthy kids prepared for success in school and beyond.”
As Chief Executive Officer, Patty Fontneau will lead the organization’s strategic growth, deepen its community partnerships, and build on its strong program fidelity and statewide impact to bring the Reach Out and Read Program to as many Colorado children as possible. “Reach Out and Read Colorado provides invaluable resources to children and parents across the state, providing families with a strong literacy foundation. I am honored to serve in this role and to lead an incredibly talented team in service of this essential mission,” says Ms. Fontneau.
A longtime resident of Colorado, Patty Fontneau has served in leadership roles in both the private and nonprofit sectors, most recently serving as President of the Benefit Exchange and Technology Solutions business at Cigna. Ms. Fontneau also served as the Chief Executive Officer for Connect for Health Colorado, leading the development and implementation of Colorado’s public health benefit exchange.
She has devoted years to civic leadership throughout her career with organizations such as Public Education and Business Coalition, ProsperBridge, The Downtown Denver Partnership, International Women’s Forum of Colorado, College Invest, and Qualistar Early learning, just to name a few.
Patty lives in Centennial with her family and is an avid reader and local musician. She began her new role with Reach Out and Read Colorado on August 29th, succeeding previous Executive Director Anne Tengler, who retired earlier this summer.
About Reach Out and Read Colorado Reach Out and Read Colorado gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. They do so by providing a new language and developmentally-appropriate book and empowering pediatricians to talk with parents of young children about the importance of reading aloud at regular check-ups, with a special focus on children growing up in poverty. By building on the unique, trusted relationship between parents and healthcare providers, Reach Out and Read Colorado helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills and healthy family connections from birth, so children enter school prepared for success.
The Reach Out and Read program is backed by extensive research and is the only national pediatric literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. To learn more, visit www.reachoutandreadco.org or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.
Reach Out and Read Colorado Katie Malone 763-218-7439 reachoutandreadco.org
Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado released the association’s updated and complimentary Print Directory of Colorado bed and breakfast inns. Bed and breakfast locations are statewide, providing accommodation recommendations across the state.
The new B&B Directory can be ordered by sending an email to marketing@InnsofColorado.org. In addition to the print directory, the mobile-friendly association website provides additional details and immediate access to information by accessing online at www.InnsofColorado.org.
The mobile-friendly website also includes an activities page with links to arts, culture, music, outdoor markets, and historic sites. Travel planning pages include suggestions on outdoor recreation such as biking, hiking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting and fishing. Colorado’s historic areas offer options to explore ancient cliff dwellings, walk in dinosaur tracks, tour a restored trading fort, view mountains vistas, listen to traditional cowboy music or upbeat mountain jazz, before returning to a bed and breakfast while partaking in a complimentary breakfast each morning.
The new Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado 2022 State Directory contains location, phone numbers, #BookDirect website addresses, and a full-color photo of each property. All member bed and breakfast inns must meet quality standards.
The Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado website includes direct inn website access and reservation availability links with detailed information, a travel and recipe blog, association membership information, and a discounted cookbook order form. Website visitors may instantly receive an electronic listing of inns when subscribing to the association’s Colorado B&B Travel Inn-Sights E-newsletter, distributed regularly with specials, events, recipes and features on member inns.
Copies of the free 2022 updated Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado Official State Directory are available through email orders at marketing@innsofcolorado.org, and will be available at member bed and breakfast inns and at the 10 Colorado State Welcome Centers located throughout the state after July 15.
Booking direct with individual inns and from official bed and breakfast websites can save time and receive the best rates. To order your free 2022 printed State Directory of B&Bs, send an email to marketing@InnsofColorado.org with a name and mailing address and a free Official CO Association B&B Guide will be mailed.
About Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado association: Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado is a statewide nonprofit association with members that include a variety of B&Bs located in historic homes, mountain lodges, country and urban inns, and more. Visit the association’s website at www.InnsofColorado.org for the online order form and additional information including a map of the state with inn locations. InnsofColorado can also be found on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado Sallie Clark, Public Relations 719-471-3980 www.innsofcolorado.org
Mark Harrill, owner of All American Heating, in Fairplay, Colorado, announced Monday that each employee at All American will receive a $3 per hour pay increase to help weather the rising cost of living in the Colorado mountains. The move will inject almost $120,000 into the local economy in Summit and Park Counties and ensure that each employee is now paid what World Population Review and MIT consider the average required hourly wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment in the State of Colorado.
Numerous studies show that employees making a living wage are more satisfied in their daily employment and are less likely to leave. But Harrill’s biggest reason for making this change is not to reduce turnover – although that is a benefit in today’s labor shortage. He wants to make sure he takes care of his people and does the right thing. Harrill believes this is the path forward for business owners – that we are seeing a sea change in the American labor market, and he wants to help set the standard by valuing his people and providing a stable and healthy work environment. Much like Dan Price of Gravity Payments, Harrill believes in the importance of being a socially-conscious business, paying people what they are worth, and generally treating people the way they should be treated. That happy employees provide better customer service is a bonus side-effect.
A 30-year veteran of corporate environments in marketing, IT, and e-commerce in a variety of industries, Harrill wants All American Heating to be a different kind of company than those he’s experienced in the past.
“I want my employees to feel like they are part of something special – a company that does things the right way. I want them to know how important each and every person is to me, and how much I want them to succeed. I also want to be the best in the area at what we do, and do that by providing top-level service, doing great work, and treating our customers with respect.”
Living and working in an affluent community like Breckenridge and the surrounding ski areas can be challenging for permanent residents. A large portion of the residences in the area are second or vacation homes with out-of-state owners who are well-off. In addition, the region relies heavily on tourism in ski season and for hiking and other outdoor activities in the summer for revenue. Certainly, this is a beautiful and majestic area, but these factors have two effects: they drive up the cost of living, and they make it difficult to find affordable housing.
Harrill hopes to combat these effects by taking the initiative and making the investment in his employees, enabling them to live in the area in which they work, and by helping the City of Breckenridge maintain and upgrade hydronic heating systems in city or county-owned affordable housing developments.
“It could go either way,” says Harrill. “It could work out great for everyone involved, or it could break me. I am putting myself out there to walk the talk and to show that our company believes in our employees and in our community.”
All American Heating currently has positions open for experienced HVAC Service Technicians and Installers, Master Plumbers, and Customer Service Representatives.
All American Heating, Inc. is a full-service, locally-owned, HVAC company and NATE-certified Mechanical Contractor located in Fairplay, Colorado, serving Summit County and Park County with the highest standards and integrity since 2003. We handle all types of plumbing services, hydronic heating, and HVAC projects. Our staff of factory-trained, professional technicians specializes in providing top-quality plumbing and heating system designs, installations, repairs, and service. All American Heating is your honest, fair, and dependable home HVAC and plumbing services provider, and is at your service.
All American Heating, Inc. Kerry Schneider 970-453-6640 allamericanheating.com To reach Marketing Director: 216-856-4141
CareerWise Colorado, a youth apprenticeship nonprofit at the intersection of education and industry, today celebrates its second completed cohort of apprentices.
The CareerWise youth apprenticeship model creates a framework for employers to hire students beginning in high school to work alongside seasoned professionals doing meaningful work. Over the course of multiple years, apprentices are prepared to step into entry-level positions in high-growth, high-wage careers.
“Today we honor our apprentices who have become young professionals,” said Meaghan Sullivan, CareerWise’s chief program officer. “Apprenticeship is always rigorous—students are in the classroom and working in fields like financial services, health care and IT. But we’re especially proud of this cohort’s resiliency and adaptability through the pandemic.”
During the pandemic, 67 percent of CareerWise’s youth apprentices remained at work in virtual or modified-for-safety environments.
“It was never a question if we would keep our apprentices on the job, even as unemployment skyrocketed all around us,” said Jim Kepler, president of Intertech Plastics, a youth apprentice employer. “Apprenticeship is both a long- and short-term strategy for Intertech. It creates a pipeline of the diverse talent we’ll need to remain competitive in the future and helps us build capacity and an inclusive culture of mentorship today.”
CareerWise connects employers with applicants on its hiring hub and employers interview applicants through a competitive process as with any other employees. CareerWise’s platform delivers performance and account management for employers, apprentices and educators, as well as training for supervisors and apprentices.
“My CareerWise apprenticeship enabled me to start working with a Fortune 500 Company when I was 16,” said Victoria Long. Long apprenticed with Arrow Electronics in the business operations pathway. “Not only did I learn valuable business skills, I grew a really strong professional network and learned how to be a professional way before my peers have.”
CareerWise is talking to employers now who may be interested in hiring apprentices this fall. For more information, contact Diedra Espinoza at diedra.espinoza@careerwisecolorado.org.
Media Contact: Interviews with apprentices and employers, photography and b-roll available upon request.
Jason Jansky, CareerWise (303) 748-3300 jason.jansky@careerwiseusa.org
Their Very Good Lives, a new book by Myra King, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.
Following the journey of Genovia, Anthony, Aksel, and many other characters, all of their personal struggles are revealed and shows how they recover from them. As their common enemy is dead, everyone feels at peace.
About the Author
Myra King currently lives in Arizona where she is finishing her Bachelor’s degree in business administration. She enjoys composing music, art pieces, and writing short stories and novels.
Their Very Good Lives is a 122-page paperback with a retail price of $13.00. The ISBN is 978-1-6470-2352-2. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, or to request a review copy, please go to our virtual pressroom at www.dorrancepressroom.com or our online bookstore http://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com.
Contact
