— Our Motto —

Ask of Your Needs and
Share of Your Abundance

It’s about the journey…
and the destination.

Our team has a huge array of diverse experience, with decades of combined experience in demanding business environments. Founded in 2014 after Curt Bear left his banking career to bring together like-minded entrepreneurs, LoCo Think Tank has grown to incorporate a team of
LoCo Facilitators and HQ support that reflects the values of our diverse member community:

Growth Mindset
Servant-Hearted
Engaged in Community
Bent toward Success

The Principles that Guide Every Chapter…

🤝

The Chapter Owns
The Chapter

Members vote on any new additions (and must be unanimous). Facilitators serve, not rule. The group’s culture is shaped by the people in it — and we protect that sacred dynamic. Your chapter needs something different this month? Do it! This is a collaborative effort.

🏆

Non-Competitive & Industry Agnostic

Different industries, different personalities, different backgrounds. When we compete in different verticals, we all win! We use Hallos Relational Intelligence assessments to maximize diversity and understanding
in each chapter.

❣️

Two Parts Business, One Part Personal

We know you can't separate the business from the person running it. Meetings address both — because confident leaders build better businesses. This isn’t a support group, but it all blends together and all our members share how they feel supported by their chapters. You’ll feel the love!

OUR FACILITATORS

LoCo’s True ‘Secret Sauce’ is our facilitator team. They have a proven record of success
and have built a business to scale. They’re here to be a service to the business community.

MOSES HORNER

Builders

DREW YANCEY

Next Level

AARON EVERITT

Builders

KIM O’NEIL

Next Level (Emeritus & Sub)

MICHAEL KESSLER

Thinkers

CURT BEAR

Founder + Guest Facilitator

PETE GAZLAY

Thinkers & Next Level

OUR HQ TEAM

Curt Bear

Founder / CEO

Curt’s curiosity and dedication to community service powered his 15-year business banking career and provided the ingredients for LoCo Think Tank to sprout and grow. He learned the power of peer advisory from his business banking clients, the art and science of facilitation from Bible Study Fellowship, Service Above Self from Rotary Club, and Stronger Together from his service as President of the Board of Directors for The Matthews House.

Founded in 2014 to help Curt navigate a transition from Banker to would-be Restauranteur, LoCo Think Tank has grown from passion project to community-building organization, serving business leaders at all stages across Northern Colorado.

Curt has Hosted The LoCo Experience podcast since 2020, featuring conversational interviews weekly with inspiring and entertaining business leaders from across Northern Colorado and beyond.

Curt was raised on a 1st Generation family farm in central North Dakota, where he graduated with a high school class of 5. He holds an Economics degree from North Dakota State University (Go Herd!) and began a banking career that led him, sight-unseen, to Fort Collins in 1999. He met his wife Jill 2 months later, and they married in 2003.

In his free time, Curt especially enjoys cooking, motorcycling, and gardening. Together with Jill they host International exchange students, enjoy traveling across the American West and Internationally, and enjoy camping and hiking and all things outdoors.

Book a Call

Curt's LinkedIn

Jill Bear

Executive Administrative Assistant

Jill Bear is the Executive Administrative Assistant for LoCo Think Tank, in addition to being married to Curt since 2003. Jill works full time at US Career Institute, where she serves as the Dean of Faculty. Jill has her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Social Work from Colorado State University.

For LoCo Think Tank, Jill serves in an administrative role and is also part of the leadership team. She helps onboard new members, manages payments and reconciliations for our LoCo Facilitators, and handles many other "back office" tasks. Her attention to detail and love for people and community equip her well for the role, and she also (usually) enjoys tagging along with Curt at his many community engagements.

In her extra time, Jill enjoys reading all kinds of books, home and garden decor, camping and hiking in the wilderness, international travel, and quality time with family.

Jill's LinkedIn

Lauren Crawford

Chief of Staff

Lauren Crawford serves as Chief of Staff at LoCo Think Tank, partnering with Founder/CEO Curt Bear to strengthen the member experience, support facilitators, and help grow LoCo's impact across Northern Colorado.

Before joining LoCo, Lauren spent more than a decade serving as a strategic partner to CEOs and executive leadership teams at Fortune 50 companies and high-growth organizations, including Verizon and Citigroup. As a Chief of Staff and executive coach, she helped leaders navigate growth, build high-performing teams, improve organizational culture, and execute complex strategic initiatives.

At LoCo, Lauren focuses on creating exceptional experiences for members, strengthening facilitator success, expanding strategic partnerships, and helping business owners find the clarity, accountability, and community they need to lead with confidence.

Lauren believes thriving businesses create thriving communities, and she has found her forever home in Northern Colorado. Her passion is helping leaders gain the clarity, confidence, and support they need to build organizations—and lives—they're proud of.