After a successful career in technology and management, Laurie opened the Durango FASTSIGNS® in 2009. In 2013, she purchased DurangoTV. Laurie was the Colorado State Competition winner with her 2018 Business Plan for starting a visual communications company. She was also awarded Entrepreneur for the year award in 2020 by Durango Chamber of Commerce and FASTSIGNS Award her their prodigious FASTSIGNS Franchisee of the year in 2015.

After stints in Austin and Silicon Valley, Nathan co-founded Web Services Management in Durango in 2010 - a boutique web services and software company. A seasoned entrepreneur and technology architect, he has built several Content Management Systems (CMS) systems for media companies, and has deep experience weaving web, mobile, cloud and backend technologies into cohesive systems.

After an award-winning journalism career, she joined Laurie in 2013 to launch Durango TV and blended her knowledge of journalism and public relations to build a proven process for creating short video news stories that are relevant to the community and have in-depth reporting. As NEWS Producer of LNN, she trains journalists how to transition from a print-based writer to a video journalist, how to find relevant and important stories in their community, and how to write stories using the LNN VideoScript Template™.

Allison Farkas, known to many as Allie, is a passionate and highly skilled graphic designer with over 20 years of experience in print and digital design. Her career has spanned working with print shops, photographers, and serving as an in-house designer for a Fortune 500 company. She has created thousands of designs, including logos, flyers, brochures, posters, packaging, t-shirts, and trade show graphics—bringing creativity and precision to every project. With a strong foundation in vector illustration and typography, Allison has a keen eye for design and a deep understanding of branding. She takes pride in crafting designs that not only meet but exceed client expectations, ensuring every project is both visually compelling and strategically effective. A lifelong learner, she continues to expand her skill set into areas like video editing, animation, and UI/UX design. Outside of work, Allison finds inspiration in nature—whether hiking in the woods, paddleboarding on the river,

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Film from Montana State University, Zach moved to Los Angeles where he worked freelance in the film and television industry. When the pandemic brought him back to his hometown Durango in 2020, he had a serendipitous encounter with Matt Crossett of the LNN while hiking, and soon after joined the LNN team. As videographer and editor, Zach employs his love for visual storytelling to produce content that's relevant and engaging to the community he loves the most.

Meet Tracey Wagster-Hilton, a seasoned Marketing and Advertising Director with a proven track record of delivering outstanding results in the dynamic world of marketing. Tracey has demonstrated an exceptional ability to craft and execute innovative marketing strategies that drive brand awareness, engagement, and revenue growth. Throughout her career, Tracey has consistently exceeded expectations by leveraging her deep understanding of consumer behavior, market trends, and emerging technologies. Tracey has successfully led cross-functional teams, collaborating with creative minds, data analysts, and media experts to deliver impactful campaigns that resonate with audiences. With an impressive portfolio of successful campaigns and a reputation for delivering results, Tracey Wagster-Hilton continues to be a driving force in the world of marketing and advertising. Her passion for the industry, combined with her extensive knowledge and experience, makes her a trusted advisor and a go-to resource for businesses seeking to achieve marketing excellence.

Connor joined LNN from KOA News Radio in Denver, where he spent seven years as the breaking news reporter on Colorado's Morning News. While at KOA, he was involved in two #1 ratings periods and was part of the team that earned the 2018 Station of the Year Award from The Colorado Broadcasters Association. Connor has been both a News Director and Sports Director over the course of his broadcast career, and he spent two seasons as the play-by-play broadcaster for the minor league affiliates of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians. In addition to his responsibilities at LNN, Connor is the voice of Fort Lewis College Athletics on the RMAC Network. Connor enjoys traveling, watching live music and sipping good whiskey. As a native of Southern New Mexico, he is always on the lookout for good green chile.

Sadie joined Local NEWS Network in December 2023 after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor's degree in media production and a minor in journalism. A Durango native, she loves reconnecting with her community and sharing its stories as a multimedia journalist. At Local NEWS Network, she covers a wide range of topics, from local government to human-interest stories. Growing up, she competed as a freestyle skier and in rodeo events and horse shows for over 10 years. In her free time, Sadie enjoys cooking, traveling, spending time outdoors and reading a good book.

Elijah (Eli) joined Local News Network as a Project Manager after serving as a Program Manager at Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency, a non-profit organization focused on emission reduction. A native of Durango, CO, Eli is passionate about outdoor activities such as mountain biking, rafting, soccer, and scuba diving. He also contributes as a part-time coach with the Rio Rapids Durango Soccer Club. Eli earned his degree in Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Sustainability, from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2022.

Steven joined the Local NEWS Network team after earning his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. Passionate about connecting local businesses with their communities, he focuses on fostering meaningful engagement and growth. Through collaboration, Steven aims to build a seamless platform that delivers relevant local news while helping businesses showcase their brand identity and core values.

Allison is Executive Director of the Warehouse Business Accelerator and has a passion for helping visionary leaders and growing organizations make greater and more positive impacts in the world. Previously, Allison was the President of Prosci Inc., a global training and consulting organization specializing in the discipline of change management, and led the team responsible through the founder's exit, two Private Equity transactions and two international add-on acquisitions. During her tenure, Prosci's top-line revenues and bottom-line profits tripled and Prosci was named to Forbes' ‘Top 20 Best Places To Work’ list. Allison graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, the science and power of language and communication.

Drue Townsend has over 30 years of experience as a marketing, advertising and communications professional in the sign and visual graphics, hospitality and telecommunications industries. She has a wealth of business-to-business experience working directly for franchisors, manufacturers, and advertising and marketing agencies that have been family-owned, privately held, or private-equity owned. Prior to creating An Outside View Consulting, LLC in March, 2020 to offer marketing advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses, Drue spent 24 years in positions of increasing responsibility with FASTSIGNS International, Inc., most recently, as the Senior Vice-President of Marketing.

Kim has 25 years of experience spanning film, television. digital signage, digital media, technology, ad sales and marketing. She was recruited right out of the University of Central Florida to help launch PetCARE TV, a combination Place-Based Media Channel in Veterinary offices and on Cable TV. When PetCARE TV was sold, she helped them transition to a digitally delivered Broadband network and launch a sister channel in pediatric offices called KidCARE TV. She is the only woman ever to be elected Chairwoman of the Digital Signage Federation and during her tenure was tapped to write the industry standards manual on creating content for the Digital Signage Industry. She is currently chairwoman of ACE (Associates for Connected Experiences.)

David Weir is a journalist and author who has published in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Economist, The Nation, salon.com, wired.com, Mother Jones, California, New West, New York, LA Weekly and many others; is a co-founder of the Center for Investigative Reporting; author of four books; a former executive at KQED, Excite@Home, Salon, Wired; and taught journalism at U-C Berkeley, Stanford, and SF State for many years.

Mark is Executive Vice President, Franchise Support & Development for FASTSIGNS International and has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of franchising in both consumer industries (home services, food and retail), as well as business-to-business (flooring; signs and graphics). He joined FASTSIGNS International in 2009 and today leads Franchise Support (including Training, Operations and Supply Chain) and global Franchise Development. Since joining the company, the brand has added more than 200 locations domestically and signed international agreements to enter twelve new countries (UAE, Malta, Italy, Greece, Chile, Spain, the Caribbean, and 4 others in the Middle East). Prior to joining FASTSIGNS, Mark was the Vice-President of Franchise Development for 8 years for multiple franchise-owned brands at CCA Global Partners including ProSource Wholesale Floor Covering.