Honey Stinger, the honey-powered sports nutrition brand, is pleased to announce the expansion of its partnership with Colorado Mountain College (CMC), to include gifting a yearly use of a portion of the company’s new headquarters, located at the Steamboat Springs Airport, for CMC to house its Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center (YVEC).
“We could not be more excited to house CMC’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center here in our new headquarters and expand our partnership with Colorado Mountain College,” said Mike Keown, CEO of Honey Stinger. “The mission of the YVEC and the opportunities it provides for entrepreneurs make it an ideal fit to share our space, and to promote a collaborative culture as we seek to further support the Steamboat community and help bolster local economic development.”
The gifted portion of the building, which Honey Stinger relocated to this spring, is an upstairs loft space which includes a conference room, three doored offices and six to eight additional work stations. The space will house a range of small start-up business tenants, as well as ad hoc resources that YVEC provides for the broader business community.
Established in 1999, CMC’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center supports economic development through business counseling, mentorship and community service. It offers a broad range of workshops and seminars, provides valuable tools and resources for businesses, facilitates free and confidential counseling with Yampa Valley SCORE counselors, promotes and assists with community networking and engagement, and more.
Relocating the YVEC to Honey Stinger’s new headquarters also frees up valuable space for CMC to add a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab at its Steamboat campus, in the former YVEC location. CMC Steamboat offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing. At capacity, the campus can enroll up to 60 nursing students at a time.
“Together with this partnership, Honey Stinger and Colorado Mountain College can continue to provide numerous benefits to the Steamboat Springs community and broader mountain resort region,” said Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, president and CEO of Colorado Mountain College. “We are thrilled that Honey Stinger and CMC’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center will now literally work side by side to support and stimulate both the local well-being and economy.
“And by freeing up space at the Steamboat campus for our nursing students,” Hauser said, “we are able to educate future health care providers right here in town with advanced medical instruction.”
As part of a broader partnership, Honey Stinger will also be offering direct internships to CMC students and collaborating with several of the college’s academic departments closely tied to the company’s core values, business model and future growth.
The partnership will be formalized with a small, invitation-only ribbon cutting ceremony, following all local safety guidelines around COVID-19, today in Steamboat Springs. The YVEC is expected to be fully relocated to its new home inside the Honey Stinger headquarters by mid-August.
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About Honey Stinger
Fueling top elites and everyday enthusiasts alike, Honey Stinger makes great tasting, convenient, honey-powered sports nutrition to help athletes prepare, perform and recover at their best. The company’s diverse product offering includes a variety of waffles, gels, chews, bars and more, providing natural, sustained energy for every endeavor. Based in Steamboat Springs, Colo. since 2001, Honey Stinger’s products can be found at sporting goods retailers, grocers, convenience stores and online at www.honeystinger.com.
About Colorado Mountain College
Founded in 1967 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Colorado Mountain College has a service area that covers 12,000 square miles, three national forests, six wilderness areas and most of Colorado’s major ski resorts. Serving a number of mountain towns in central Colorado, the college’s three residential and eight commuter campuses offer over 125 certificates, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees ranging from avalanche science and ski area operations to nursing and business administration. Learn more at www.coloradomtn.edu.
About Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center
In a community dominated by small business, Colorado Mountain College’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center provides assistance to the Steamboat Springs area with business plan development, marketing strategies, financial and budget planning, and human resource management. With strong skills in their individual trades, many entrepreneurs seek assistance with the organizational and business aspects necessary to succeed. Working with a highly experienced mentor can reduce startup risks and ease the stress of forging ahead solo or in a small partnership. All services are free of charge. Learn more at https://coloradomtn.edu/campuses/steamboat-springs/yampa-valley-entrepreneurship-center/.
