Colorado Mountain College’s “Four Year Stories Project” shares the stories of our inaugural class of bachelor’s degree students, who are receiving degrees this weekend. Next up in our series: Kyle Ballinghoff from Steamboat Springs. Read on!
Kyle Ballinghoff had already worked his way up the ladder to an upper management position at Surefoot‘s retail store in Steamboat Springs when he started his bachelor’s degree at Colorado Mountain College. Midway through his degree, Surefoot, which has over 20 retail stores worldwide, bought up two other small chains of stores in Manhattan and in LA. As soon as the spring semester wrapped up, Surefoot sent Kyle to New York City for the summer as a member of a small strategy team of employees to help open seven new stores and train approximately 300 employees.
“When my company acquired other companies this summer, I ended up doing a lot of outside consulting work. It was pretty amazing that things you learn in a small little mountain town while you’re skiing, you can use directly in a large city like New York to meet the goals and tasks that you’ve set forth for your business,” says Kyle. “I would definitely say the business classes at Colorado Mountain College have enhanced my day to day business skills – and the way that I can apply those skills to today’s markets.”
“One of the great parts about the business program here is that it’s a very fresh, very exciting program right now. You have a ton of professors here who are really steeped in the field – and who have chosen to come live the life up here when they could be teaching at a Division One school. They really want to see students succeed. They really, really care.”
“It’s amazing talking to my friends who went to more of a traditional school on the Front Range. They are blown away at the experience I get to have up here – the education I’m getting, the programs we’re working on – while also getting to ski. The bottom line for me is that if you know what you want to do, CMC is one of the best places to do it. My bachelor’s courses were all hands on, right away. You’re not sitting in a lecture hall just talking theory. You’re doing it. And you’re doing it at a cheaper rate than anywhere else in the state. Colorado Mountain College allows you the freedom to pursue both your educational goals and your personal goals, and enjoy moving towards your professional career on your own schedule.”