Highlands Ranch
Herald
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 25, Issue 50
November 1, 2012
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
NO TRICKS, JUST TREATS
Chamber tackles growth issues Technology, customer service in spotlight as group weighs role By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Emily Shende, 6, left, and Maya Shende, 8, pick out treats from one of the tables at Eastridge Recreation Center’s Trick-or-Treat Street Oct. 27. The annual event invited kids younger than 10 to dress up in Halloween costumes, collect candy, create crafts and play games. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen | ckuhlen@ourcoloradonews.com
Watercolors wend way to Washington Highlands Ranch brothers’ artwork to be displayed By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com As America prepares to send a new batch of politicians to Washington on Nov. 6, two young boys from Highlands Ranch are more excited about sending their artwork. At ages 5 and 7, Chase and Austin Harnish were both surprised to discover that their first “masterpieces” will be hanging soon at the U.S. Capitol. The watercolor works of the Harnish brothers, depicting peaceful scenes from one of Colorado’s many forests, were selected as part of a juried art show to accompany the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree from Meeker to Washington in a traveling gallery. The 70-foot tree, which will depart White River National Forest on Nov. 3, will make its way across the country, stopping at 15 locations in Colorado before swinging through eight other states and arriving at the Capitol on Nov. 26. The accompanying art show will feature works from 18 artists, including three children, one from Colorado Springs, and the Harnish boys of Highlands Ranch. “I think it’s pretty cool,” said Austin, a first-grader at Eldorado Elementary School, who enjoys collecting shells and matchbox cars.
Chase Harnish, 5, left, and Austin Harnish, 7, both of Highlands Ranch, were among 18 artists to have their work selected to be part of the “Into The Woods” art show. The brothers’ artwork will be part of a traveling exhibition that will accompany the Capitol Christmas tree as it makes its journey from the White River National Forest in Colorado to Washington, D.C. Courtesy photo by Todd Litzman
He and his brother, a kindergartner at the school, likely inherited the painting gene from their grandmother, Cheryl St. John, the overall winner of the contest that featured more than 100 artists from 12 states. St. John, whose winning painting will be permanently displayed at the Capitol, took the boys on a weeklong painting vacation this summer, where they successfully tried their hands at onsite landscapes.
“She’s been doing art since the 1970s,” said Melanie Harnish of her mother. “Her medium is oil, but she started out with watercolor.” Sound familiar? Austin said he’d like to someday have his paintings hang in galleries all over, like his grandmother, but for now, he, like his brother, is thrilled to have his work selected in a show that will be seen by Capitol continues on Page 7
As Highlands Ranch’s business landscape continues to build up and out, its chamber of commerce is taking a long, hard look at what its role is in that growth. In just its 12th year, the Highlands Ranch chamber has grown up just about as fast as the community around it. President LaRae Marsik knows that the best thing they can do is to become the best resource possible to those who live and work within the community. She also is well aware that the community does not stop at Quebec, County Line, Santa Fe, Wildcat Reserve Parkway or McArthur Ranch Road. “The Highlands Ranch chamber is not tied to a specific boundary line or a specific geography,” she said. “We really look at our role within the county and how that fluxes and bends and moves. That connection is important because everyone wants to know not only where the economic health of our community is going but what their role is within that.” Marsik said the chamber’s big goal heading into 2013 is to jump-start the communication channels that are available to members and really begin to take a more educational approach, allowing the organization to become a true information center for all things businessrelated. “We want to start to raise the visibility a bit more through social media and other outlets,” she said. “In addition, we want to make the website more pertinent and begin talking about in fair depth what the business dashboard of our community looks like, why numbers are what they are, what the trends are looking like and what businesses should be thinking about specific trends and movements.” When it comes to current and future members, Marsik understands that Highlands Ranch is a unique community and so are its businesses. “Every business is unique. I think we need to look at it in a reverse lens in many cases,” she said. “It’s becoming ‘what can we help you build?’ It’s a different conversation than it’s been. I’ve turned a blind eye to how other traditional chamber organizations are looking at it because we want to be looking at it differently.” One thing Marsik has decided to do right away is to bring that educational component to the monthly luncheons, Chamber continues on Page 7
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