Our Facilitators

Donna Dow

Donna serves as Main Street Director for Denison, Texas since October 2010.  Dow has over 22 years of Main Street management and has been a Main Street Manager since 2002. Dow has served on resources teams, written for the National Main Street newsletter, and spoke at National Main Street conferences and Statewide Historic Preservation conferences in Oklahoma, Texas, and Oregon.

Annual national conferences and quarterly statewide trainings keep her abreast of current trends and solutions, along with enhancing her advanced tools and problem-solving skills.  Dow’s latest quest for in-depth knowledge began in 1998 when she heard Jon Schallert speak.  Dow is now a Certified Facilitator who can teach the Destination Creation Course.

Vernon Hurd

Vernon Hurd has been helping business owners develop unique solutions to the issues they face for the last 18 years.  He is the Executive Director for Thomas County Economic Development Alliance in Kansas and has taught and facilitated classes across the United States for small and large businesses alike. 

His methodical, yet out-of-the box approach has helped countless business owners see opportunities that were just waiting to be plucked from the crowd.  He’s also a much sought after Santa Claus!  

Raejean Palko

Raejean Palko is a Colorado Native, now settled in Limon, CO.  Raejean earned her BA in Humanities and an AA in Agriculture at Fort Lewis College. She has continuously found herself working among small businesses and local non-profits within the communities. She has successfully maintained a mobile mechanic business for 20 years and managed Honeyville’s retail and holiday store for 25+ years.

Now a Small Business Development Center consultant, Raejean can share her business skills with others.  Raejean is eager to work with you and your business to explore and implement new strategies to improve your bottom line.

Cheryl Sanchez

Cheryl is currently the Project Coordinator for Prowers Economic Prosperity, Baca County Economic Development Coordinator and Business Consultant for Southeast Colorado Small Business Development Center.
Cheryl is a native of southeast Colorado. She has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management. She understands rural communities and small business operations. Her expertise is in leadership, management and planning. Through experience in the banking industry, small business ownership, community college business education and leadership roles, she has the business experience and skills that makes her a great fit for business consulting and economic development.  She looks forward to helping people achieve their business dreams and be a part of encouraging economic growth.

Lynelle Shubert

Lynelle Shubert is a business owner and rural living community advocate.   Raised in Ft. Collins, Colorado, she has made her home in Western Kansas for 20 years.   Lynelle first heard about Destination Creation 4 years ago by attending bootcamp.  Lynelle has a passion for rural communities that want to come together to strengthen their individual business, services and attractions, but for several in a community to re-invent together and redefine their community as a whole.   Even with the need to “social distance”, businesses & communities still have to be able to sustain themselves and lend moral support to one another. 

Lynelle prefers doing this workshop with attendees from the same community, so together they keep each other accountable and motivated to make the changes they want for their businesses and community.

Melanie Truxal

Melanie Truxal is the Main Street Coordinator for the City of Denison. She has worked for Denison Main Street for over two and a half years. Her focus is on the business district and supporting businesses becoming destinations as well as working with realtors and investors purchasing historic buildings. Melanie attended Jon Schallert’s Destination Bootcamp with several other Denison businesses in February, 2020 after becoming a Facilitator of his Destination Creation Course in January. Prior to working for Main Street, Melanie worked for her local Chamber of Commerce as the Tourism Coordinator for several years.

She believes that tourism and Main Street should have a strong partnership in helping foster the local economy. 

 

Julie Turnipseed

Julie Turnipseed has 30+ of executive non-profit experience.  With a proven track record of developing, directing and motivating organizations from small operations to thriving successful and sustainable entities. She had extensive experience working with small businesses on Main Street.  As a director of two accredited Main Street Programs she has helped to coordinate and oversee growth and development of many small businesses.

Julie is currently Executive Director of Anderson County Kansas Economic Development in Southeast Kansas where she works with small and large businesses in this role, and has started programs to develop the workforce such as ACT Work Ready Community, brought the Kansas Works Mobile Unit to Garnett, created Morning Mingle a business networking group as well as spearheaded a local campaign to promote keeping dollars local.

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