High-caliber business conference offers major-market experience without the travel

Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times 

This fall, Western Slope business leaders won’t need to travel to Denver, Salt Lake City or beyond to access elite-level training. Instead, nationally recognized speakers and actionable business strategies are coming directly to Grand Junction, all at a fraction of the usual out-of-town cost.

The Spark Summit, presented by the C-Suite Initiative, will take place Sept. 24 at Colorado Mesa University’s Meyer Ballroom. The one-day leadership and strategy conference is designed specifically for CEOs, business owners and executive teams, and it promises to deliver the same quality experience typically found only in major cities.

“Our intention is to bring something to Grand Junction that hasn’t been seen before, an event that challenges business leaders to ignite their businesses and think differently,” said Robert Bever, co-founder of the C-Suite Initiative. “We want to disrupt traditional thinking and focus on practical tools instead of just theory.”

Not Just Another Conference

The Spark Summit is intentionally designed to be more than just another business seminar. It offers fast-paced, interactive learning and direct access to national experts with deep experience in transforming teams and organizations.

“We don’t want this to be just another conference where people walk away with one good idea,” Bever said. “We want attendees to leave with real strategies they can implement right away.”

Attendees will hear from three powerhouse keynote speakers:

Carl Lubbe, founder of Curiosity Coach, will open the day with a session about transforming conflict into collaboration using emotional intelligence and inquiry-based leadership.

Lube has trained teams from major brands, including Lululemon and Chick-fil-A, helping them lead with empathy, communicate effectively and build resilient teams. Known for his engaging storytelling and real-time coaching tools, Lubbe teaches how to “train people how to people,” equipping leaders to foster alignment and trust even in moments of tension.

Susan Frew, a TEDx speaker, bestselling author and small business AI expert, will deliver a live lunchtime keynote titled, “Compete on Awesome with AI.”

Under her leadership, her company achieved 535 percent growth, landed on the Inc. 5000 list, and earned 43 industry awards. Frew has worked as an international general manager for AT&T Wireless, an instructor for the SBA Emerging Leaders program and is known for making cutting-edge technology approachable for small and mid-sized businesses.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops, because this will be a hands-on session packed with immediate takeaways.

Carolyn Strauss, a business strategist and former CEO with more than $160 million in product sales on the Home Shopping Network, will close the day with a high-energy keynote on how to become “irresistible” in your leadership, communication and brand presence.

Strauss has been featured on CNN, PBS, ABC, NBC, and the Food Network, and she brings real-world business acumen and humor to the stage. She’s also co-host of the podcast Another Day Above Ground and helps leaders identify key areas of reinvention that can spark rapid growth.

“Our speakers are excited to be here,” Bever said. “They’re not just flying in and flying out. They’re staying for the whole day, because they want to interact with attendees and provide real value.”

Breakout Master Classes and Peer Learning

Beyond the keynotes, attendees will participate in breakout master-class sessions led by expert facilitators. Topics include:

• Financial strategy and interpreting business reports.
• Hiring smarter and building intentional culture with the Culture Index.
• Delegating without micromanaging.
• Executive presence and high-impact communication.
• Mapping the customer journey to build loyalty.
• Preparing your business for sale.
• Diagnosing early signs of company decline and how to course correct.

“This is a working summit, not a listening lecture,” Bever said. “It’s fast-paced, it challenges your comfort zone, and it’s focused on results.”

Big Impact Without the Travel and Hotel Costs

While similar leadership conferences are often held in major metropolitan hubs, requiring airfare, extended hotel stays and time away from the office, the Spark Summit coming to Grand Junction alleviates many of those challenges.

Bever said Ii’s a fraction of what it would cost to attend a similar event in Denver or Salt Lake City, and because it’s in Grand Junction, a company can take its whole leadership team for the cost of sending one person out of town.

Built for Western Colorado

The Spark Summit is the flagship event of the C-Suite Initiative, co-founded by Bever and Kristin Donahue, a seasoned EOS Implementer with 25 years of experience coaching leadership teams across public and private sectors.

Their shared mission is to elevate the quality of business leadership in Grand Junction and across the Western Slope by connecting local companies with the kind of insights and tools usually only available in major markets.

Bever said the Spark Summit is just the beginning. The goal is to make it an annual event, with additional smaller workshops planned throughout the year to maintain momentum and continue supporting local business leaders.

Early-bird tickets are $450 through July 31, after which registration will be $500.

To register or learn more, visit: sparksummit.rsvpify.com

Meet the Founders: The Vision Behind the Spark

In August 2023, Robert Bever and Kristin Donahue, two experienced business coaches, met for the first time at a coffee shop in Grand Junction. Though they came from different professional backgrounds, they quickly discovered a shared passion: empowering local business leaders to think bigger, lead better and build stronger teams.

That initial conversation sparked something more: the idea that Western Colorado needed a high-caliber platform that could bring national-level insights directly to the region’s business leaders.

From that meeting, the C-Suite Initiative was born.

Bever, a veteran coach with more than 40 years of leadership experience in marketing, sales and business development, had already been working one-on-one with CEOs and leadership teams through his firm RLB Partners.

Donahue, a certified EOS Implementer with 25 years of experience in organizational coaching and facilitation, had helped countless teams gain clarity, accountability, and traction.

Together, they envisioned a leadership platform that would combine practical strategies with transformative vision, one that would challenge comfort zones while delivering real, measurable results.

The Spark Summit is the first major event to grow from that vision, designed to “ignite” growth not just for individuals, but for entire leadership teams, and to do it without the high cost or travel demands of big-city conferences.