“I understand that sharing my resources and my story is important for those who need a little encouragement, investment, and a reminder of their worth, power, and possibility.” Wise words spoken by Danielle Shoots, one of the impressive women featured on these pages. These female entrepreneurs and business leaders all share a fierce determination, boundless enthusiasm for their work, a need to uplift their communities, and a thirst for exploration and boundary-pushing ideas that match the spirit of the wide-open western plains of Colorado.
This motivational list includes a vice president and chief financial officer who rose quickly through the corporate world after having a child at 16, a South African native who created a home décor and jewelry business to support artisans on the African continent, a vice president of communications and engagement who overcame cancer three times before the age of 35, and a Haitian model who created a magazine to uplift other Black models and creatives. They have experienced the depths of defeat and the thrilling heights of success. These women have a shared need to tell their stories, warts and all, to support their peers and inspire the next generation of girl bosses.
Keo Frazier
“I am a connector. I choose to inspire great change. My charge in life is to create positive impacts that ripple and resound.” Keo Frazier, currently the vice president of communications and engagement at Emily Griffith Technical College has had much success coupled with great lows. She remains positive and motivated, after overcoming cancer three times before reaching age 35. As the former vice president of marketing at McWHINNEY, a real estate development, and management firm, Frazier was one of three female executives at the company and the only woman of color on the team. Even with these challenges, the executive embraced her role and created lasting change at the company. “My first major project at McWHINNEY was conducting a brand overhaul to elevate the brand in the real estate industry and greater business community,” she explains.
In addition to her corporate roles, the communications executive is an entrepreneur and has created several companies including Focus, a word of mouth guerilla marketing company, KEOs Marketing, a full-service marketing company, and more recently, New Thinkers. This group is designed “to bring people together who are creating great change and solving world problems right here from our city.” Throughout her dramatic ups and downs, Frazier remains positive and motivated. She says, “Through it all, I learned that it is important to always have a plan, and always be prepared to pivot because life never goes as planned. I learned to take risks, but calculated ones at that. I also learned that tomorrow isn’t promised, so enjoy every moment. If it isn’t fun and if it isn’t inspiring, don’t do it!”
Caitlin Halberstadt
Partnering with 22 different groups of artisans in 16 African countries, Caitlin Halberstadt created an online ethical décor and jewelry business, Zeal Living, inspired by her homeland. “South Africa is an incredibly inspiring place. It is a rich blend of cultures, languages, food, flavor, music, and art. There's stunning natural beauty all across the country, and so much talent and innovation in design. Because of apartheid, South Africa still has many communities trapped in cycles of poverty. It’s inspiring to see artisan groups coming together, hiring, and training women to create beautiful things that they can make a sustainable living from. I see my job as a way of creating a bigger audience for the work of my artisans so that their businesses grow, they earn more money, and their lives change for the better,” Halberstadt explains.
The retail industry is a natural choice for the entrepreneur, as she spent 10 years working with her father, John Halberstadt, at Boulder Running Company which he co-founded. What did she learn from that experience? “The customer’s needs should always be at the center of every decision,” and with Zeal Living, the impact on the life of artisans and their communities also receive top billing. Running a company with an international focus comes with its own set of challenges, but Halberstadt chooses to focus on the benefits for the artisans including business and entrepreneurship training, interest-free loans, help with medical expenses, clean water, and sanitation initiatives, additional support for school fees, and in-house childcare for artisans while they work.
Danielle Shoots
One should have a pen and notepad on hand when talking to Danielle Shoots. Every other sentence is a motivational quote or mantra that makes the listener want to be better and do better. To call her background impressive would be an understatement. She is much more than ‘impressive,' using her corporate chops to also serve her community. Currently the vice president and chief financial officer of The Colorado Trust, she is tasked with “managing the portfolio of investments of our endowment and the operations to deploy earnings from the endowment in the communities we have partnered with to improve health equity outcomes. I am responsible for finance, accounting, grants and contracts, IT, and Human Resources.”
Before joining The Colorado Trust, the young executive served as vice prresident of finance and business operations for the West Division of Comcast. Being in charge of a billion-dollar capital portfolio and a team of 60 employees in seven states, the then 31-year-old and only Black woman in the finance department dealt with many microaggressions and condescending remarks relating to her race and age. Throughout all these challenges, including having her son Micai at the age of 16, Shoots always finds comfort in her community. “It is not just my deep honor to be involved in the community, it is my responsibility. I have been given so much and also have a story of perseverance. Being involved in the community is at the root of our ability to be successful and to accomplish our dreams. Whatever life brings us, community, and a strong desire to give back is the cure. Community reminds me of who I am, community reminds me I am not alone,” she shares.
Micheline Stone
With all of the challenges and heartbreaking stories during this pandemic, Micheline Stone’s Creative Living is a bright spot in the retail landscape. The one-stop-shop for “modern outdoor furnishing needs” is thriving at this difficult time because of the increase in working and schooling from home. “The outdoor living market is in high demand and isn't slowing down. More and more people are choosing to improve their homes and create an oasis where they are spending the most time, instead of going on vacation. During these times, we have been fortunate. We are busier than ever and during the quarantine time, we were open and doing business remotely. We handled our orders over the phone, consulted clients using Facetime, and met outside clients' homes to measure space and design layouts,” explains Stone.
Before running Creative Living, Stone worked in advertising and was also a grade school art teacher. The move to the outdoor furniture store came as a natural extension of her husband’s business, Artisan Outdoor Kitchens. Although the increase in business has caused some challenges, including finding free time to spend with her husband and two teenagers, she continues to look globally for design trends and also supports the local community. “I like to support local artists and businesses as much as possible. My showroom serves as an outdoor gallery for many local and regional artists to display and sell their one-of-a-kind outdoor artwork. I also source many of our custom pieces from local businesses and artisans to support our local economy. Globally, I look for quality in design and companies that stand behind their product,” she explains.
Samantha Joseph
Walking into a room, Samantha Joseph causes many heads to turn. The model from Haiti is beautiful and striking and is now using her experience as a Black model to create a magazine, NWÀ, with a full cast of Black models for its launch issue. “We have to stop normalizing that all Black models look alike, that’s why I created NWÀ with only Black models for the first issue. It is my way of showing people that we are all different,” Joseph says.
The Haitian model took her negative experiences with modeling agencies and used that drive to promote other Black models, photographers, stylists, and creatives. After being told that she looked like other Black models already signed to agencies, Joseph filled the beautiful pages of NWÀ Magazine with Black models of all descriptions to show the diversity within that specific group. Growing up, the publisher was destined for a future in the fashion industry, first exploring being a designer and then a fashion merchandiser. But modeling was her calling, and now she gets to elevate, promote and support her fellow Black models in a sometimes unkind industry.
Susie Dews
Susie’s Dews success in real estate can be traced back to her motivation for joining the industry 30 years ago. “I was highly motivated to find a profession where I could hit the ground running, and depend on myself to be successful,” Dews says. With this go-getter attitude, it is no surprise that the realtor is ranked in the top 5 percent of Denver’s Real Estate Professionals, and has repeatedly been named by the Wall Sreet Journal as one of the Top Real Estate Agents in the US. When Dews began selling properties 30 years ago, the market was in an incredibly different place. “In 1989 it was rare to have a sale over one million and now in many neighborhoods, this is the price for a home that is torn down for a new home to be constructed,” she explains.
Her work schedule has not slowed down during the pandemic, with demand for larger housing spaces increasing during this time. “In all of Metro Denver, the demand for housing has skyrocketed. It has been a seller’s market for years now, with Denver being a destination for buyers from all around the country doing voluntary relocations to Denver. With the pandemic, we have seen a sharp increase in out-of-town buyers, as well as buyers choosing to leave apartments and step into homeownership. With the need for space for home offices, home gyms, and space for kids to do online schooling, the demand for homes is extraordinarily high right now. The historically low-interest rates are also a driving force.”
What keeps Susie Dews motivated in an industry that is known for its highs and lows? “After a particularly stressful day or challenging transaction I always say to myself, that if it was easy, anybody could do it. My friends all think it is easy. It makes me happy to know I have them fooled. It is always my goal to make such a huge transition in my client’s lives easy.”
Gloria Neal
Count yourself lucky if you are ever in the presence of Gloria Neal or “Glo” as her friends call her. Her powerful presence can energize a room, and now she has brought this dynamic personality to public service. After many years of working as a television and radio presenter, Neal is now the director of public affairs in the office of Mayor Michael B. Hancock. Her role is far-reaching and has continued to evolve during the pandemic. “In the age of COVID-19, my role as the mayor's director of public affairs is really about diversification as it relates to his agenda. Being versatile is paramount to accomplishing the goals set forth by Mayor Hancock, and he is laser-focused on keeping everyone as safe as possible during this very challenging time. How that translates for my position can change daily. Whether it is taking calls from concerned constituents about schools reopening, online or hybrid classes, or making sure the mayor's policy about housing insecurity is accurately and thoroughly communicated to the public,” she explains.
During her time on television, Neal was always open about the lack of diversity in the media and the positive changes that should take place. Now in the mayor’s office, she has a front seat to the movement happening in the city and around the country, to dismantle racial inequality and the systems that support them. “No one person can correct this current situation by themselves. It will require all of us to get involved and share the load. While this time in the history of our country is very challenging and even scary, it is also a time of tremendous opportunity for those who want to effect positive change. The change we create as a result of what we have seen will only last if we, the people, want it to. Corretta Scott King delivered one of my favorite quotes that I use all the time. ‘Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.’ Truer words were never spoken.”