Dan Cooper

President and partner of Acumen

Dan Cooper co-founded ej4, a video-based online training company, in 2003, and was its CEO until selling in 2012. During his time with ej4, he grew the company from a startup to a nationally-recognized firm, serving Fortune 500 clients. As of the 2012, ej4 was serving 1,000+ customers, delivering millions of program views, was highly profitable and debt-free.

 Dan took his leadership and technology experience to work on and in the Sparklab startup business accelerator as well as lead change management and profit building initiatives for mid-market companies.

 Today, he is the President and partner of Acumen, an accelerator community experience built for CEOs and Owners of strong and growing companies. Dan is also a certified Executive Coach credentialed through the International Coaching Federation.

He and his wife, Ali, have been married for 19 years, have three children and attend Cure of Ars church in Leawood, KS. Dan enjoys all things soccer, snowboarding, and burning meat on the backyard barbecue grill.

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5 Ways Entrepreneurs Are Liars (and How to Face the Truth)

 

5 Ways Entrepreneurs Are Liars (and How to Face the Truth)

“The liars list” are aspects of businesses (your business) that you’re probably lying to yourself about. My CEO clients weren’t lying to me. But the fact that they lied to themselves was hurting the company. Did I do that when I ran my company?

Casey Crawford

CEO | Movement

A glance at his resume and you may think to Movement’s CEO, Casey Crawford, greatness lies in achievements like NFL Super Bowl champion, founder and CEO of a multibillion dollar mortgage company, and becoming a sought-after media guest whose appearances span CNBC’s Squawk Box, Bloomberg and Fox News with print features in The Wall Street Journal and TIME Magazine.

There’s no doubt the 2015 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year is ambitious. But what truly drives him is not a championship ring or reaching the top of the corporate ladder. It’s meeting others’ needs.

As a child, Casey watched his father and grandfather use entrepreneurship as outreach. Whether the need was material, employment, friendship or a good example, he saw how business could be used to meet it.

Following his football days during a stint in real estate, Casey became alarmed by glaring inadequacies within the lending industry. The greed and corruption among leadership, the lack of value and care toward employees, and the inattentiveness toward community problems seemed like wide open opportunities.

Casey’s response? Movement Mortgage, established in 2008 on the Christian values he shares with co-founder Toby Harris. Movement was developed as a hope-filled paradox to a dismal reality, with a mission to be a Movement of Change in our Industry, Corporate Cultures and Communities.

Today, the company employs more than 4,500 and has over 650 locations in all 50 states. In 2017, Movement ranked among the top 10 purchase lenders by financing 1 in every 60 home purchases in the country, totaling more than $13 billion in originations. As prosperity increases, so does the overflow into people’s lives. The non-profit Movement Foundation has invested more than $25 million toward community improvement and meeting the needs of the underserved around the globe.

Casey continues to spread this vision of greatness from Charlotte, N.C. where he lives with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters.

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Featured


Movement Mortgage presents "Movement Mentoring"

 

Movement Mortgage presents “Movement Mentoring”

Yesterday, our podcast featured Casey Crawford as our guest — an Entrepreneur, Super Bowl winner who leads Movement Mortgage—a Billion dollar business that Inc and several others have recognized. Although they’re known for their business and employee engagement, their community impact is also impressive! Today, we want to highlight some of their resources, specifically their mentoring program.


God as Father and Friend

 

God as Father and Friend

You know, I came out of sports. My whole life was defined by sports, which is one hundred percent performance based. You are your value to the team.


Podcast Episode 76 - Are Christians Called to Comfort? With Super Bowl Winner and CEO of Movement Mortgage, Casey Crawford

 

Podcast Episode 76 – Are Christians Called to Comfort? With Super Bowl Winner and CEO of Movement Mortgage, Casey Crawford

Today we’re talking to Casey Crawford. Casey is an Entrepreneur that left the NFL with a Super Bowl Ring and then started a company, Movement Mortgage—a Billion dollar business that Inc and several others have recognized. They’ve been known for their business, their community impact, and their ability to create a company that people want to work for. As Casey shared with us, creating a company is far from a comfortable experience. Entrepreneurs, of course, know what it’s like to be uncomfortable. Yet, there’s something in modern/Western Christianity that expects comfort. We often act as though God has called us to a life of comfort and ease, not one of stress and sacrifice. But as Casey points out, Jesus didn’t exactly live an easy life! And this is just one way he gave us a great perspective alongside a paradigm shift in this podcast episode. Listen in to hear more…

Catherine Gates

Senior Director of Content & Partnerships for Workmatters

Catherine Gates is Senior Director of Content & Partnerships for Workmatters. She oversees the development, distribution and support of Workmatters content to equip marketplace leaders to live out their faith at work. She also leads partnership development with clients and other marketplace ministries.

 Catherine was president of her own software consulting firm for seven years. She is on the leadership team for Christian Women in the Workplace, on the board of Ladies of Grace – a women’s prison ministry, and on the executive advisory council of the Women’s Empowerment Center.

Catherine is married to Thomas and has one adult son. Her mission is to equip Christians, especially women, to reach more of their God-given potential by helping them own their identity in Christ and glorify God through their work.

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Take a Hold of Your Schedule Now

 

Take a Hold of Your Schedule Now

Take a step back and evaluate what you’re saying “yes” to. We are all part of a body of believers, the body of Christ, so that no one person has to do it all – thank God!


10 Scriptures to Help You Face Obstacles at Work

 

10 Scriptures to Help You Face Obstacles at Work

Have you ever felt like you were under attack at work? Catherine Gates from Workmatters.org shares 10 Scriptures to help when you feel all alone at work, or if you just feel overwhelmed by the demands and crazy deadlines coming at you.

Cheryl Bachelder

Director at Chick-fil-A Corporate & US Foods

Cheryl A. Bachelder is a passionate restaurant industry executive — currently Director at Chick-fil-A Corporate & US Foods and the former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Cheryl is known for her crisp strategic thinking, franchisee-focused approach, superior financial performance and the development of outstanding leaders and teams.

Cheryl joined Popeyes, Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., in November 2007, after serving as an active member of the Board for a year. She brought more than 35 years of experience in brand building, operations, and public-company management at companies like Yum Brands, Domino’s Pizza, RJR Nabisco, The Gillette Company, and The Procter & Gamble Company.

In September 2015, Cheryl was awarded The Norman Brinker Award from Nation’s Restaurant News. She has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and was named by CNBC’s Jim Cramer as one of his “21 Bankable CEOs” for 2014. In 2012, she was recognized as “Leader of the Year” by the Women’s Foodservice Forum, and received the Silver Plate Award from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.

She has been married for over 35 years to Chris Bachelder and they have three grown daughters.

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Leaders - Stewards or Owners?

 

Leaders – Stewards or Owners?

Cheryl Bachelder, former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. and author of Dare To Serve, shares her thoughts on ownership mentality vs. a stewardship mindset. “What has been entrusted to your care? Are your actions carefully and responsibly stewarding these resources?”

Christeen Rico

minister of reconciliation in the marketplace

Christeen Rico is a daughter of the Most High King, committed to following Jesus and intent on pursuing a vision found in Proverbs 11:10 (NIV) “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices.”

Currently, she’s on assignment as a minister of reconciliation in the marketplace, starting at her place of work: a major tech company in Silicon Valley where she works in strategy and operations, while co-leading the company’s Christian employee resource group. Christeen is passionate about equipping men and women in the marketplace to pursue an intentional journey of faith and work integration, thereby amplifying their impact in the world in partnership with God.

Christeen is an active steward of the Silicon Valley Faith & Work Movement as a speaker, mentor and co-host of various cross-company, cross-church initiatives including the first ever Silicon Valley Work & Faith Workshop which empowered 70+ faith-driven leaders with tools to launch faith-based employee resource groups to positively impact their company.

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Episode 72 - Has the Center of the Faith and Work Movement moved to Silicon Valley? with Christeen Rico

 


Episode 72 – Has the Center of the Faith and Work Movement moved to Silicon Valley? with Christeen Rico


Today we’re in Cupertino, California connecting with Christeen Rico. She’s on the International Expansion team at Apple. She spends much of her time focused on bringing Apple’s largest product—their retail stores—to life in new countries around the world. In addition to that, she is responsible for co-leading a volunteer team to define and execute programs that strengthen community and growth opportunities for the Apple Christian Fellowship, one of Apple’sDiversity Network Association. It’s a part of a growing trend that’s emerging in places like Facebook, SalesForce, Google, and many other companies. These are great movements for people looking to connect their faith to their work, and we’re excited to bring you all that Christeen had to share…


Chris Horst

Vice President of Development at HOPE International

Chris Horst is the vice president of development at HOPE International, where he employs his passion for advancing initiatives at the intersection of faith and work.

Chris serves on the boards of the Denver Institute for Faith & Work and the Mile High WorkShop and is a founder of dadcraft.com.

Chris and his wife, Alli, have three children—Desmond, Abe, and June. Chris has recently undergone a radical transformation from self-proclaimed foodie to a man who prepares far more trays of chicken nuggets than avocado toast. (He wouldn’t change it!)

LINKS


The Idol of Grit

 

The Idol of Grit

Though most of us aren’t bowing to statues or poles, we’d argue from personal experience that many leaders’ idol of choice is the idol of our own abilities: a good thing we are tempted to distort into the ultimate thing.


To Our Heroes Wearing Trucker Caps

 

To Our Heroes Wearing Trucker Caps

This global pandemic has created heartache, but it has also revealed new heroes. Amid the public health and economic pain inflicted by this virus, we also see it chipping away at old stereotypes and dismantling our chronic underappreciation of service roles in our economy.


The Foremother

 

The Foremother

Chris Horst and Claire Stewart share their Christianity Today article “The Christian Roots of the Fair Trade Movement” with us. Beneath the buzzwords around sustainability, transparency, and ethical sourcing we find something far more important than consumerism: Christ-centered love for our neighbors.


Risky Business

 

Risky Business

In a suburb north of Denver, Prime Trailer Leasing manages a fleet of gleaming white semi-trailers. Like the Hertz of semi-trucks, Prime owns and rents its trucks to commercial customers of all varieties. Wes Gardner, the founder and owner of Prime, acknowledges that “semi trailers aren’t glamorous,” but the work his company is doing is anything but mundane.


A Well-Designed Journal Can Change Your Life

 

A Well-Designed Journal Can Change Your Life

Mica May, founder and CEO of May Designs, took in what she just heard. The stern instructions came to her from Tory Johnson, a regular contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America. She needed samples of May’s notebooks for a feature she was hosting on gift ideas.

At the time, May was a staff-of-one, a scrappy entrepreneur working from her home. Thrilled about this opportunity for increased publicity, she shipped off a few of her classic notebook designs.

But then the show aired.


A Well-Lit Pathway Out of Poverty

 

A Well-Lit Pathway Out of Poverty

Brian Rants never thought his contribution to the world would be a $15 lamp. But for schoolchildren in Swaziland and earthquake survivors in Haiti, these solar lamps have made all the difference. Rants’s Denver-based company—Nokero, short for “no kerosene”—have allowed African students to read at night and increased safety for Haitian families living in tent cities. As vice president of marketing, Rants’s job is to get these lamps into the hands of millions of families in the developing world.


Refugees finding work in Colorado

 

Refugees finding work in Colorado

Millenials flock to Denver faster than almost every other city in the country. Colorado’s recreational culture, active lifestyle and surging downtown create a magnetic atmosphere for young people. But our new neighbors include more than hipsters in search of tech startups and fresh powder.

“Colorado is better than other places,” said Ah Hki, who moved to Colorado two years ago from a refugee camp in Thailand. “I found a great job and have a lot of work. Housing is expensive here, but the wages are higher here, too. And the weather is better.”

Each year, several thousand refugees make Colorado their home. When they do, a make-or-break factor in their acclimation is whether or not they can find good work.


The Moral Mattress Kings of Denver

 

The Moral Mattress Kings of Denver

A “restful buying experience.”

Few American consumers would ever think to describe mattress shopping this way. In fact, if you have been mattress shopping recently, restful is probably the last word that comes to mind.

“This is one of the sleaziest industries in the world,” says business owner Ethan Rietema. “Customers are treated so poorly. Stores beat you up, trying to get as much money as they can, but they couldn’t care less if you get the right bed.”

Rietema and Steve Van Diest, both former campus ministers, are bringing rest—and integrity—back to a business largely devoid of it.