Sometimes all you need is someone to take a chance on you.

Five years ago, before Kokopelli, it was just two college students, Kayla Niksic and Brenden Fatchett. Kayla and Brenden were energetic and passionate, but also green. Not exactly what most people in the world of business would consider a bargain.

Luckily, Professor Regis Tucci and Dr. Patrick Page were there. Tucci and Page were eager to document the stories of the pioneering physicians in Grand Junction’s medical community. They recruited Brenden and Kayla to get it done, and the relationship they forged eventually became Kokopelli.

Behind the scenes of any company—and behind almost any worthwhile adventure human beings embrace—is just this. Someone takes a chance.

With this in mind, and in recognition of our fifth anniversary, we want to thank all of those who have taken a chance on us.

When Professor Tucci passed away in 2015, we were left with a choice. Do we walk away after losing our beloved mentor? Or do we push forward? We chose the latter, and even though he had left us when we made that choice, it is because Professor Tucci chose to believe in us in the first place that we knew we could keep going.

Fortunately, we had Dr. Page on our side. He did more than help us finish that documentary; he invested his time, energy, and belief and helped put the wind in our sails. He also helped introduce us to one of our first major clients.

Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital, the only behavioral health hospital between Salt Lake City and the Front Range, chose the newly formed Kokopelli to help its fundraising campaign. Wanco also saw something in what was then a young company and gave us the opportunity to represent them through video. One thing lead to another, and we were soon working with Pelsue,rebranding their catalog and website and launching a new brand for their marquee fiber-optic splicing vehicles. We owe our strong foundation today in part to the trust shown in us by our earliest clients.

Even as we’ve grown and established ourselves, we recognize that anytime we enter into a business relationship, both parties are taking a chance. No matter how much you prepare, you never know what it will be like to actually work with someone until you do it. Even to this day, with all the success we’ve experienced, we’re grateful when someone chooses to become our client. First Place Supply, National Call Systems, Quote Ninja, Binary Armor, the City of Denver, Palmer DCS, and many others are part of the reason we’re here. We can’t thank them enough for putting their trust in us, and we have loved every moment working with each one.

At the start of this year, we had the opportunity to expand our team. While looking for someone to fill the much needed role of a Proposal Writer, we were thrilled to find not one, but two amazing people eager to join the team. Sue Kuligowski and Brian Flynn are two of the greatest first full-time employees we could ask for.

Welcome aboard, Susan Kuligowski!

Happy to have you, Brian Flynn!

Working as part of this expanded team involves trusting each other and learning about each other on a daily basis. It’s the only way we can push ourselves to grow, knowing we have the safety net of the team to catch us. Strong trust and communication became even more integral as COVID-19 quickly forced everyone to work remotely. This journey with them, although still young, has been quite the adventure so far! We can’t wait to continue to grow our team in the near future.

So many have trusted us these past five years. We’re so thankful for that, and the drive to prove that trust well-earned is with us every day. So to our clients, partners, families and friends—thank you for five years and for the many years to come.