Board of Directors and Committees

Operating under the guidance of a volunteer Board of Directors, our Chamber carries out a number of programs, all designed to encourage business commerce, support economic development, provide valuable small business education, promote Lone Tree's Businesses, and encourage great community relations. Browse this page for information on the Board members, their bio's, and the Chamber Committees. Utilize the Member Directory to locate any of these individuals, and contact them directly with any Chamber questions or concerns. We like to hear from those we serve!

Program of Work 2010 (available soon)

The Lone Tree Chamber

Board of Directors 2010

CHAIR: Ronald Stowell (Stowell, PC)

Ron Stowell is the owner of Stowell PC Attorneys at Law, which specializes in family law matters. Ron's area of expertise is in interstate and international child custody disputes. He is licensed to practice law in Colorado, the U. S. District Court, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Since 1995, he has been a member of the Douglas and Arapahoe County Bar Associations, the Colorado Bar Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyer's Association, and the American Bar Association. More information regarding Ron's law practice is available on his web site at www.stowellpc.com. A Colorado native, Ron raised four children with his wife, Debbie. They now have six grandchildren. After high school, Ron served in the United States Army as an infantry soldier from 1967 through 1974 and received many decorations including the purple heart with first oak leaf cluster, combat infantryman's badge, and two presidential citations. Following his military service, Ron graduated magna cum laude from Colorado State University with a bachelor's degree in construction management, magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota with a master's degree in business administration, and with honors from the University of Denver with a doctorate of law degree. After a successful 20-year career in real estate development and construction management, Ron founded Stowell PC in 1995 and moved the firm from Highlands Ranch to Lone Tree in 1999. Having served the community in many volunteer capacities, Ron is excited about the newly formed Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce and the opportunity to serve on its board of directors. He will bring considerable business and legal experience to the chamber as well as a wealth of contacts and personal resources. His energy, diverse organizational and leadership skills, and high ethical standards are an asset to the chamber.

CHAIR-Elect-Sheila Massman (Massman Agency, Farmers Insurance)

Sheila Massman moved to the Lone Tree community fifteen years ago. During this time she served for eleven years on the Board of Directors for Taos of Lone Tree, retiring after serving as President for the last three years. She continues to sponsor and cater the annual Block Party for the Taos community. She also served on the Board of Directors for her prior community for twelve years, again as President for three years. She’s very comfortable with committee work and would have the time to commit to the Chamber. Sheila started her Farmers Insurance agency in 1983 after serving four years with the United States Air Force. With the growth of her business the office staffing has also increased, allowing her more time to be involved with the Chamber. Lone Tree is a wonderful place to call home and Sheila looks forward to taking a more active role in the continued growth of the chamber and our city.

TREASURER: Michael S. Nelson, CPA  (Wenner, Silvestain & Company, LLC)

Mike is from Peoria, Illinois. He received an accounting degree from Illinois State University in 1979. He served as a Naval Supply Officer aboard the USS Sacramento for several years.

 He moved back to Peoria (Illinois) and held several accounting positions in the construction industry. He moved to Denver in 1985 and began his public accounting career. He passed the CPA exam in 1987 (on the first try) and began working for a small CPA firm, gaining experience in accounting, auditing, and taxation. He left public accounting for a couple years where he was the controller of a growing public company.  In 1997 he became a key member of the tax and accounting department of a large local CPA firm. He also retired that same year from the Naval Reserves with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He has been with Wenner, Silvestain & Company for over eight years. 

Mike enjoys spending time with his family, cycling, and reading.

SECRETARY-Mark Merritt (Park Meadows Retail Resort)

(bio being prepared)

DIRECTOR- Christie Edwards (The Packaging Store)

Christie Edwards is the owner of The Packaging Store, a retail packaging and shipping outlet, located in Lone Tree for nine years. Christie and her husband, Steve, have owned the Packaging Store for four years. In addition to owning a business in Lone Tree, Christie and Steve are both Colorado natives and have lived in Lone Tree for 16 years. They have two daughters, Alex (19) and Erika (16) that enjoy helping out in the family business. Christie graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor degree in Zoology. The roles of Zookeeper, mother, substitute teacher, day care provider, bookkeeper for their IT consulting business, Treasurer of PTA, school volunteer, have all lead to her success in the packaging and shipping business, nearly doubling the business in her four years of ownership. Christie is a charter member of the Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce. She is an active member of the Lone Tree Ladies Golf group and continually looks for opportunities to serve her community. Christie was very excited about the formation of the chamber and looks forward to being a more integral part of the organization and contributing to the success of the Chamber as a member of the Board. She believes her commitment to Lone Tree, knowledge of the community, her business acumen, her high energy level and her extensive people network will contribute to the Chamber’s ongoing success.

DIRECTOR- Michael Krochalis (Primerica Financial Services)

Michael Krochalis is currently an Independent Representative of Primerica Financial Services (PFS). PFS has been in business since 1977, and is the largest financial services marketing organization in North America. Primerica serves over 6 million clients, has over 100,000 licensed representatives, over 25,000 Mutual Fund licensed representatives with $40 billion of assets under management.

Mr. Krochalis joined PFS in 2000 in the Colorado Springs area, has been promoted quickly, and in 2008 was in the top 5% of all Colorado representatives for production and service. In his roles at PFS, Mr. Krochalis analyzes his clients current financials, develops and implements strategies covering proper use of term life insurance, mutual fund investments, college savings, debt consolidations, variable annuities, legal protection services, and Auto and Home Insurance. He serves as the recruiting and training manager to develop new agents for his location. Lastly, he also offers retirement planning solutions for small and large businesses (such as 401(k)’s, SEP IRA’s, and SIMPLE IRA’s etc).

Prior to PFS, Mr. Krochalis served in several roles at Fortune 500 companies like MCI and America Online Inc, as a Director of Financial Planning and Budgeting. During his tenure, he has also contributed in key roles by managing the development and implementation of accounting and financial applications (internally built, and SAP). He has also been an Acting CFO and COO for a few IT Service Consulting companies in Colorado, primarily focused on CRM/Call Center and IT implementations. Mr. Krochalis has also consulted small business owners and developed business plans for their successful expansion. He has over 23 years of Finance and Financial Operations experience. 

A native of Virginia, he has lived in Lone Tree for 4 years with his wife and 2 children. He holds a Bachelors in Financial Management from Virginia Tech, and holds several licenses and certifications in the financial services arena.

DIRECTOR-Donna Russell (First Commercial Bank)

(bio being prepared)

DIRECTOR-Susan Larsen (Larsen Law Offices, LLC)

Ms. Larsen owns and operates Larsen Law Offices, LLC, located in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Ms. Larsen has over 25 years of experience in all phases of contracting, including negotiation, drafting, and final analysis. Ms. Larsen has a strong business background, having worked for several Fortune 500 companies in the past, such as Coors Brewing Company, US West, Qwest, software companies such as Quovadx, Inc., Astracon, Inc., and Printrak International, Inc., as well as various Internet companies such as Cognigen Networks, Inc.  Ms. Larsen has considerable experience with technology development and transfer matters and was Chair of the Colorado Bar Association Technology Law and Policy Section and has taught software licensing for the Colorado Bar Association. Larsen Law Offices, LLC currently has numerous business clients on a regional, national, and international level, expanding across many different types of industries.

EDUCATION

University of Denver, College of Law, J.D., Law

University of Denver , B.S., Accounting

University of Denver , M.A.S., Technology Management

University of Denver ,M.P.S., Applied Communications

DIRECTOR-David Burcham (First Bank - Lone Tree)

(bio being prepared)

Lone Tree Chamber

Active Committees

Don't miss these valuable networking opportunities. The Chamber has several active committees serving its members and the community. Review the lsit below and find the committee that best meets your business needs and personal interests, then contact the person listed or call the office to get involved today! Office: 303-792-3282.

Investment Committee

Volunteer Chair: David Burcham (First Bank/Lincoln Branch)

The Investment Committee is dedicated to presenting the most professional business image of the Chamber by recruiting and welcoming new Chamber Members, retaining existing Members through “high-touch” Member contact, and strengthening and supporting the mission of The Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce. We accomplish this by representing the Chamber as official hosts at Chamber and Community Events, and building relationships with members by welcoming them to the Chamber personally! This is a great way to increase your visibility in the community.

Join us today, by contacting David directly, or calling Michelle at the office, 303-792-3282!

Events Committees

The Events Committee has several groups, supporting the signature events and networking opportunities hosted by the Chamber. These events get bigger and better every year or month they are put on! They all have such a positive impact on the Community and Membership. But it takes a lot of teamwork to prepare and execute these events. Each Committee relies heavily on volunteers within the Chamber and in the Community. Please consider getting involved this year! Thanks for your support.

Please view the Calendar of Events to see upcoming dates and times:

• Golf Tournament (Michelle Holbrook, Chamber President, 303-792-3282)
• The Annual Gala & Awards Ceremony (Matt Guccini)
• A Taste of Lone Tree; Art & Food Festival (Donna Russell)
• Annual Small Business Expo (Matt Guccini)
• Business After Hours (Matt Guccini, Michelle Holbrook, 303-792-3282)
• Lunch and Learn Sessions (Chamber Office)