Voices Of Western Colorado: Forge

We asked these Western Slope locals to weigh in on this topic.

PATRIC MATYSIEWSKI

At the start of the pandemic, Patric transitioned fully to Sauvage Spectrum in Palisade. He and his supportive wife are working every day to secure the American dream in Western Colorado.

“For Sauvage Spectrum, we had no choice but to forge ahead when the pandemic hit. We were just gaining momentum with wholesale accounts for our new brand when it all came to a halt. Mesa County granted us a fivestar variance program, which allowed us to operate safely within the guidelines. Instead of holding back and cutting labor hours, we decided to move on the best we could — stay on schedule releasing new wines, continue to research and develop new projects and maintain safety protocols to keep our doors open. We ended up partnering with Western Distributing Co. to manage our wholesale accounts in the state, growing our wine club to over 300 members and hitting all of our goals with our new transition plan.”

STEPHANIE GRIGGS

Stephanie Griggs is the co-owner of Bookcliff Gardens Nursery and Landscape in Grand Junction.

“Forge, to me, means to take something that already exists and form and shape it to make a reflection of our own vision. It was very exciting to acquire an iconic, over 50-year-old business. We knew we wanted to create and shape our company to reflect our personalities while maintaining the culture of Bookcliff Gardens. We had to show respect not only to the employees, but also the loyal customers. We formulated a plan to forge our own way, slowly, in order to first learn the existing business. The next step is to continue to be steady in forming a new Bookcliff Gardens that incorporates both old and new. Our greatest joy is watching our employees forge and grow with us!”

Originally published in the Winter 2020-21 issue of SPOKE+BLOSSOM.

EMILY WEST

Emily West is an environmental engineer working for AECOM in Glenwood Springs.

“Investor pressure is increasingly forcing oil and gas companies to lower greenhouse gas emissions, which for an air quality consultant makes for exciting and interesting new projects. However, this fall our two young children have contracted five viruses each in 12 weeks. My husband and I spend many long nights rocking sick, feverish kiddos back to bed only to wake up early and work as much as possible before another sick day at home begins. The balancing act of parenting and careers is rewarding and challenging with never enough time. The best we can do is be grateful for all that we have and forge ahead day by day.”