Group touts business-life balance with Christian principles

Managing EditorBROOMFIELD ? In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Enron debacle, some businessmen and women are looking for a little guidance on how to conduct themselves in and out of the office without drawing heat from the heavens.

Tempering business practices with a Christian perspective goes a long way to reaching professional, personal and spiritual balance, says Andy Wineman, who for the last 18 months has been running an office for non-profit Boulder/Interlocken Priority Associates. Priority Associates is a division of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Priority offers free, monthly forums that feature guest speakers who talk about ways to build a career and life on a Christian foundation and family values.

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Last month, about 75 people showed up at Borders Books in FlatIron Crossing mall to listen to retired fighter pilot Geoff Gorsuch tell stories about how Gen. Billy Mitchell, Florence Nightingale and Jesus Christ were able to focus on their visions and goals while their worlds were crumbling around them.

Matt Baca, who designs Web-based courses for DigitalMed in Boulder, said the forums have helped him understand how to go about developing his leadership style. ?I’ve learned that it’s important to look at the bigger picture, and to treat people with dignity and respect.?

Gorsuch made an impression, Baca said. ?How you go about leading is different for every person, but basically, what I took away from the talk was to be social, engaging and connect with people when trying to make changes in, say, the social culture of your business.?

Before he took the helm of Priority Associates’ office in Interlocken business park, Wineman worked for Campus Crusade for Christ. He said Priority Associates is different from stereotypical spiritual groups.

?We’re not forcing a heavy-handed religious perspective or a particular religion.? he said. ?But we are coming at this from a Christian perspective in general. We give people things to think about.?

Anne Olson, owner of Olson Architecture Inc. in Niwot, said there is an undercurrent of Christianity, and though it’s not dominant, she welcomes it. ?It’s encouraging to see a large group of people looking to combine their spiritual side with the business life,? she said. ?The speakers talk about connecting your professional, personal and spiritual worlds together. It’s not just about making money, but who you are as a person.?

The organization is in the process of designing training-oriented and more in-depth sessions.

Priority Associates is headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and has 20 offices nationwide. Priority Associates pays Wineman’s salary and covers some of the Broomfield office’s expenses, though the group counts on sponsorships from several Boulder County organizations and corporations.

The initial group of backers included Eric Swanson and Sam Williams of Tango Associates, a private investment firm in Boulder; Carfind.com Chief Executive Steve Warner; and Ned Otey of IBM in Boulder. Other backers include Bob Horner and David Sunde, who work with Campus Crusade for Christ, and Gorsuch, who lives in Louisville while working on his doctorate.

Average attendance at forums is 70 people, but about 120 gathered at a special event Dec. 11 at Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield. Wineman said the larger-than-average turnout was a result of distributing a 16-page pamphlet in The Boulder County Business Report. The insert featured grim photos of people walking dusty city streets, assumedly the streets of New York City after the World Trade Center towers fell Sept. 11. Across the first three pages, in large type, ran the words, “after the dust settles nothing will ever be the same.” There were profiles and quotes on people in New York, former employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, firefighters who returned home to their families that night, or in the nights immediately thereafter. Then there were several short articles.

Most of the articles were on the journey of life, the quest for meaning, questioning our own lives. The last article in the insert quoted John 11:25,26 and ended “How much more important are decisions about our life, particularly our relationship with God?”

The pamphlet was created by Priority Associates office in New York, and its distribution was paid for by the group’s Boulder County backers. Contact Doug Storum at (303) 440-4950 or e-mail dstorum@bcbr.com.