New Mexico native and Durango-raised Ross Anderson is reflecting on his first year as a member of the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame. His recent honors include the Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame and a New Mexico Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.

Matt Martensen is trying to change the paradigm of internet monetization. His tech startup, User Cooperative, is a user-owned internet browser structured as a member-governed cooperative. He says trillions of dollars and our well-being are on the line.

Gary Barnett led the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks football team to multiple wins over his two seasons as the Fort Lewis College Head Coach. After coaching the Skyhawks, Barnett led the Northwestern Wildcats and Colorado Buffaloes to high-level bowl games. He was named the top college football coach in the country in 1995. In 2001, Barnett’s Colorado Buffaloes beat the number-one-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 62-36 in a nationally televised contest on ABC.

The theater community is celebrating Nicholaus Sandner as Colorado’s top drama teacher. Sandner is a Durango local, a Fort Lewis College graduate and a drama teacher at Montezuma Cortez High School. Sandner was recently in Denver to accept his Colorado Theater Teacher of the Year award from the Colorado Thespians organization. Sandner says his students might be as happy as he is for the recognition.

Levi Kurlander is leaving his position as Executive Director of Durango Devo after serving for nearly eight years in the role. Under his leadership, Devo’s enrollment numbers have grown by nearly three times. Still, he considers his ability to back up a bike trailer the most important takeaway from his time at Durango Devo. Despite raising numerous Olympians and Pro Tour racers, Kurlander emphasized that Devo's goal remains to foster the love of riding bikes.

Clayton Lytle is the new Head Brewer at Animas Brewing Company. He’s worked at breweries across the country, including Stone. Over the course of his career at places like Spice Trade Brewery in Denver and Stone Brewery in San Diego, Lytle has focused on quality beer-making practices.

Jennaye Derge is the Founder of Bike Durango, a non-profit advocacy group for bike commuters and pedestrians. She’s also a journalist whose work can be found in The Durango Telegraph, Adventure Cycling Magazine and Cycling Weekly. Derge is hosting Bike Prom for a second consecutive year this fall at the Powerhouse Science Center.

Lisa Dierson is the Founder and Director of the EQUUS Film & Arts Film Festival. She’s preparing to bring the equestrian-themed festival to the Four Corners region for the first time in the event's 12-year existence. The gathering will include a Mustang summit, focused on furthering the conversation on managing the local Jicarilla Mustang herd.

Sponsored by Sky Ute Casino Resort and CommonSpirit.