A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 53 Gina Miller

Originally Aired: May 1, 2022
Guest: Gina Miller
Gina founded Kaiser Advertising about 14 years ago. It is a full-service advertising and marketing consulting company known for its quality service, smart creative work, budget conscience and outstanding results. It is very client focused and while Gina enjoys what she does in this arena, a big part of her heart is attached to “Angels.” Angels is a 501c3 non-profit that was created in her father’s honor after his battle with Alzheimer’s. Its goal and function is raising money for those suffering from this illness and remains local in order to help those suffering specifically in the Colorado Springs community.
Gina is a true businesswoman, also owning “Blue Ribbon,” a trash company which started in 2016 and now serves Peyton, Falcon, Calhan, Ellicott, Ramah, Rush, Yoder, and Bijou Basin communities in Colorado.
A fun fact not everyone knows about Gina is that she is a cowgirl at heart and rides horses often, as well as enjoys being outdoors!

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 52 Wende Rutherford

Originally Aired: April 24, 2022
Guest: Wende Rutherford
Wende was born in Florence, South Carolina and lived in Europe and Ohio before moving to Tennessee in 1970 at the age of 7.  She grew up in the suburbs outside Nashville with her parents, two younger sisters and a menagerie of pets including horses, a dog, cat, goat, ducks, and various hamsters and guinea pigs.  As a kid, Wende was a competitive swimmer and an avid horseback rider.  She met her husband, Paul, when she was 15 and a Junior in High School.   Paul was a Senior at the same High School, and they became friends immediately.  They began dating after she graduated from High School in 1980 and would go on to attend college together.  After graduation from college, both went to work for an adolescent psychiatric hospital and then for the State of Tennessee Department of Human Services as social workers.  In 1986, they married, and Paul began Law School later that Fall.  Wende would follow him and start Law School the following year.  They attended school together at night while working together during the day for the State of Tennessee in Child Protective Services and Foster Care.  Paul graduated and passed the Bar in Tennessee in 1990 and Wende in 1991.  In August of 1991, they became Foster parents for a 10-year-old boy who would later become their oldest son, Thomas.  They would go on to have three more children, Samuel, born in 1996, Noah born in 1999 and Lucy born in 2002.
 
Before joining Brighter Day Law, Wende and Paul practiced family law together in Tennessee, with several of Paul’s relatives, for over thirty years.  During that time, Wende also served as the chair of the Adoption section of the Davidson County Foster Care Review Board, worked as a trainer with the Court Improvement Program of the Administrative Offices of the Court and provided services to several non-profit organizations that work with children.  Child welfare and adoption are her passion.
 
When she is not working, you can usually find Wende traveling across the country to watch her youngest, a D-1 athlete at Western Kentucky University, run cross country or track.  She also enjoys cooking, fine dining, entertaining friends, and spending time with her family.  She is excited and looking forward to becoming licensed to practice law in Colorado and being a part of the Brighter Day team.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 51 Sarah Malone

Originally Aired: April 17, 2022
Guest: Sarah Malone
My name is Sarah Malone, but I go by SJ at work. I started with Brighter Day in September of 2021 as an Administrative Assistant and have grown into a Billing Specialist/Administrative Assistant. I was born and raised in the Nashville Tennessee area and am currently engaged to Sam Rutherford. I spend most of my time outside of work planning our wedding, but also watch a little true crime TV on the side. When I am not doing one of those; I love spending time outside with friends and doing different activities such as hiking, kayaking, or sitting around a campfire.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 50 Paul Rutherford

Originally Aired: April 10, 2022
Guest: Paul Rutherford
Paul Rutherford is a Nashville native, and yes, he plays guitar. Paul grew up in a musical home - his sister was a talented keyboardist, having played with Jimi Hendrix. His brother taught him the basic chords on guitar as a teenager. Paul played guitar and led worship in church for many years and used his skills to woo his wife of 36 years. Paul has been practicing law in Nashville for 32 years and has a rich heritage in the legal community. His grandfather, great uncle, several uncles, numerous cousins, and older brother were lawyers and judges. He concentrates in the areas of family law and probate. He currently lives in Nashville with his wife and 4 children.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 49 Doctor Steven Motarjeme

Originally Aired: April 3, 2022
Guest: Doctor Steven Motarjeme
Medical Man Cave of Colorado
Dr. Steven Motarjeme, Founder and CMO of Medical Man Cave, is a highly skilled physician with exemplary training and over 25 years of experience providing outstanding patient care. A Chicago native, “Dr. M” received his medical degree from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and went on to complete 3 residencies at the prestigious Ohio State University.
He is an innovator and has always been on the forefront of medicine, from opening multiple laser and aesthetic centers in the infancy of the aesthetic boom to start cutting edge Cardiovascular Hospitals and Hospitalist/Emergency Trauma programs across the country. He also co-founder the second largest Telemedicine company in the world.
It all started when Dr. M and his wife, who is in dermatology, realized there was nothing like Medical Man Cave for men, though there were plenty of places similar for women to visit.
Dr. Motarjeme and his wife have 5 children and one grandchild. In their free time they make the most of being in the mountains and love winter sports like skiing and snowmobiling.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 48 Shane Sherman

Originally Aired: March 27, 2022
Guest: Shane Sherman
18 Sierra Financial
 
Shane Sherman is the President of 18 Sierra Financial, a private business lending firm based in Colorado Springs. His Military background brought him to Colorado where he served as a Green Beret with 10th Special Forces conducting multiple deployments around the globe. He met his wife, Meredith, in Colorado Springs, the first place he lived for more than 4 years. His twin boys were born at Memorial Hospital and his wife works at Centura Hospitals, running construction across the state. His family enjoys skiing, archery, and travelling across the country. 
Shane spends his free time serving on local non-profit boards and teaching at UCCS. He is passionate about helping veterans, engaging in Political activities around the city, and helping business achieve their goals.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 47 Florian de Castro Part 2

Originally Aired: March 20, 2022
Guest: Florian de Castro
Power Talk 1040 Website
Golden Lotus Foundation
Asian Heritage Center
Florian or what he is more commonly known as "FLO" is an Asian Immigrant,  Veteran, Entrepreneur and Business Mentor.  Flo immigrated from the Philippines when he was around 10 years old.  He's from a single-mother household that struggled financially.  Flo did not have the means to attend college so he enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school.  He later attended the US Air Force Academy and served 21 years in the Air Force's Nuclear, Space, and Cyber Warfare operations.  After his military retirement, he had a short 3-year stint as a defense contractor for NORAD/USNORTHCOM and US Space Force before becoming a full time business owner and entrepreneur.  
Flo has multiple businesses ranging from real estate investing, IT/telecommunications services, educational tutoring franchise called Huntington Learning Center, and his latest acquisition, Power Media Group which owns KPPF radio station and the Power Talk 1040 news/talk format.  His goal is to provide the local community the best value / lower cost access to traditional media platforms for branding, advertising, and promotions of their causes.           
Flo is on the board of several nonprofits ranging from the Rampart Chapter of the US Air Force Academy Association of Graduates, Vice President of the board for Eastlake High School, and board member for the Golden Lotus Foundation. 
The Golden Lotus Foundation has recently partnered with Colorado Springs to build an Asian Heritage Center, Chinese Tea House, and Asian botanical gardens on one of its parks (1819 W Cheyenne Rd, Broadmoor area, 80906).  Flo is heading the planning and development of the entire project with Golden Lotus Foundation's founder Cynthia Aki and fellow board member Boni Jiang.   

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 46 Claire Swinford

Originally Aired: March 13, 2022
Guest: Claire Swinford
Claire Swinford is the Executive Director of Bee Vradenburg Foundation, a privately endowed grantmaker advancing the relevance, resilience, and greatness of the arts in the Pikes Peak Region. She is responsible for strategic leadership, social justice work, community partnerships and capacity-building initiatives for the region’s cultural sector. She is the 2016 recipient of the Mayor’s Young Leader Award in Creative Industries, and was named a Rising Star by the Pikes Peak Arts Council for her cultural advocacy as well as her work as a painter. Swinford points to the Pikes Peak Region’s robust creative economy as one of the top reasons for a young professional to live in southern Colorado, and she enjoys exploring local galleries, museums, breweries and performance venues with her husband, also a working artist. A proud member of the advisory board for the UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA), she is also an avid skier, cyclist and proud “parent” of two rescue pets.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 45 Anica Midthun

Originally Aired: March 6, 2022
Guest: Anica Midthun
Hi my name is Anica Midthun (Ma-Toon) and I am one of the attorneys at Brighter Day Law. I moved to Colorado three years ago and attended the University of Denver – Sturm College of Law. I wish there was something I could say “drew me” to Colorado, but I didn’t put a lot more thought into my move than considering the sunshine, sports teams, and as many outdoor activities as you could imagine. But that’s par for the course for me since I am from a military family. I grew up moving all around the world, living on four continents by the time I turned 20. I even graduated high school in England though I am disappointed I won’t be bringing a British accent to the show, I never picked one up. Growing up, most weekends I would be in a different country, competitively swimming or trying as many foods as I could get my hands on.
Now a days, my life is less flying and more filing, attorney life fills up my weekdays. On the weekends you can find me hiking 14ers, skiing double black diamonds, or hanging out with my dog Ginsburg and my fiancé. I love to cook and try new recipes weekly though my go-to is jalapeno popcorn, I could eat it for every meal. I have been at Brighter Day Law since September 1, 2021 and am loving every minute of it. I am thrilled to be on the show.

A Brighter Day in the Neighborhood with Angela Jones - Episode 44 Lenie de Castro

Originally Aired: February 27, 2022
Guest: Lenie de Castro
Huntington Learning Center Colorado Springs
Huntington Learning Center on Facebook
Huntington Learning Center on YouTube
Lenie was born and raised in the Philippines. She got her degree in Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from The National Teacher’s College, Manila Philippines. She taught elementary students from Kindergarten to 6th Grade for 12 years until she immigrated to USA sponsored by her husband “Florian De Castro”. Florian and Lenie knew each other since childhood. When Florian immigrated at the age of 10 years old, they became penpals and on the year of 2000 they got married. She supported her husband while doing his military career until he retired. When Florian and Lenie decided to retire here in Colorado Springs, she and her husband started a tutoring center franchise (Huntington Learning Center) in February 17, 2017. Lenie is the main person who makes sure to find a good location for the center. Florian helped in planning and strategizing the market in the area. The center opened in December of 2018 and as of today, this year is the 5th year of Huntington. They have helped a lot of students and their families from K-12 in building academic skills, subject tutoring and exam prep.
 
Lenie is the CEO and the Center Director of Huntington Learning Center here in Colorado Springs. She manage the day to day operation of the center, marketing, networking and everything about the business. She just recently hired a managing director who can help her with day to day activities. She wants to focus her time to bringing more business in and mentoring students which is very dear to her heart.
Since Lenie works with families and students. She make sure that the students are caught up especially this time where COVID made a tremendous loss on children’s education. She also mentor students that they are capable of doing more and become successful in life. She mentored high school students who are enrolled in the Exam Prep program. She instill with them, that what they are learning at the center is not only for taking exam but a skill that they can use in life to become successful. Lenie and her team of teachers help the students to accomplish the goal and made sure that they can reach their potentials that they thought they are not capable of. Lenie’s treasures are the student’s accomplishments. Her center were able to help students gain up to +2 Grade levels while doing the academic skills program, up to +229 points for SAT and 5.4+ for ACT.
Lastly, Lenie wants other women, housewife, immigrant learned from her experience on how she started her business even though she doesn’t have a degree on that realm, that everything is possible if you put your hearts and efforts to what you love.