Ron Brasch and Una Ng-Brasch were recognized as the Business Arts Leaders of the year at the sixth annual Business & Arts Lunch. The lunch, co-presented by the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance and COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, honors businesses and business leaders that support the arts and integrate arts and creativity into their companies.
Ron Brasch is a Merger and Acquisitions Specialist at First Business Brokers, Ltd and Una Ng-Brasch is a Staff Assistant in the Education Department at Colorado College. Between the two of them, their involvement in the local arts community goes beyond financial giving; it is multifaceted, inspiring support. They have each served on various arts organizations’ boards, helping advocate on behalf of the entire arts community. Ron is also an artist; as a poet Ron participates in the Smokebrush Foundation’s Story Project and the Pikes Peak Library District’s Poet Laureate program.
The Mining Exchange was presented the Philanthropy Award for their commitment to creating a culturally rich community in the heart of downtown. The Mining Exchange boasts titles such as a 16th Note sponsor for the Colorado Springs Conservatory, as well as being the official hotel sponsor of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, covering all lodging costs for visiting artists for these organizations. The hotel also serves as a venue to display work by local artists, including Phil Lear and Jeff Cloutier, as well as hosting CD release parties and Jazz Nights for local musicians.
Honored in the category of Creative Workspace was The Ivywild School. The Ivywild School, consisting of Bristol Brewery, The Old School Bakery, The Meat Locker, the Principal’s Office, Hunt and Gather, ModboCo School of Art at Ivywild, and the Fennell Group, is still very new, and yet the complex has already altered the way Colorado Springs thinks about business. Every aspect of the building’s renovation involved creative repurposing of original school materials, including chalk boards and swing sets. Additionally, each business within the school was creatively designed to be able to exchange the by-products of their operations in order to create a unified culture and community.
More than 300 people attended the sixth annual lunch, which featured performances on four stages by acts such as blue grass country band Grass It Up, Cripple Creek performance group Thin Air Theatre Company at Butte Theater, the Chamber Singers of the Colorado Springs Choral Society, Pikes Peak Community College Dance Department, Pikes Peak Philharmonic, Liping Woods from the Chinese Cultural Institute and master painter Douglas Rouse.
COPPeR connects residents and visitors with arts and culture to enrich the Pikes Peak region. The Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance is the leading advocate for business and industry in the Pikes Peak region. Click here to see the slideshow of photos from the lunch and while you’re there, like us on Facebook to stay up to date on all of COPPeR’s updates!
