Heidi Ganahl

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Heidi Ganahl
Heidi Ganahl 2019.JPG
Ganahl addressing an audience in 2019
Member of the
University of Colorado Board of Regents
Assumed office
2017[1]
Preceded bySteve Bosley[2]
Personal details
BornOrange County, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Colorado Boulder (BBA)
University of Denver (MHA)

Heidi Ganahl, formerly Heidi Flammang, is an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, author, and elected member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents.[3] She is the founder and former CEO of Camp Bow Wow, an international pet care franchise.[4] In November 2016 she was elected Regent of the University of Colorado.[5][6][7] Ganahl is also the only statewide elected Republican in Colorado.[8]

Background and education[]

Ganahl was born in Orange County, California where she lived until she was 12. Her family then moved to Monument, Colorado, where she attended Lewis-Palmer High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Colorado Boulder, followed by a master's degree in healthcare administration from the University of Denver. In the spring of 1994, her husband, Bion Flammang, died in a plane crash.[9][10]

Career[]

In her early years, Ganahl worked for the advertising firms Chapman Warwick and Salvati Montgomery Sakoda. She then held positions in account management at DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Rhone Poulenc (now Sanofi-Aventis), and founded the Maginot Group. She also launched a baby room catalog company, Nursery Works. In 2000, she launched Camp Bow Wow, which is now North America's largest and fastest-growing pet care franchise. Camp Bow Wow was acquired in August 2014 by VCA, Inc.[11] Ganahl is also the founder and president of the Colorado-based Fight Back Foundation, which funds and mentors social entrepreneurs seeking to help kids in Colorado.

In 2015, Ganahl was appointed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to the School Safety and Youth in Crisis Committee established by Colorado Senate Bill 15-214, to study school safety and threat prevention in public and private schools, programs and methods for identifying and monitoring students in crisis, standardized protocols for school personnel for assessing potential threats, and the implementation of the Claire Davis School Safety Act.[12]

In 2019, Ganahl launched the lifestyle brand SheFactor.[13]

CU Board of Regents[]

Ganahl was elected to the CU Board of Regents as an at-large member in 2016. She wants to see more conservatives (student, staff and faculty levels) at the University.[14] Ganahl also recently sponsored an anti-critical race theory proposition in an effort that was seen as an attempt to impose external controls on the academic freedom of faculty at the University of Colorado. The proposition was defeated in a 3--6 vote of the Board. Regents Ganahl, Chance Hill, and Susan Sharkey voted for the proposition.[15]

2022 Colorado gubernatorial race[]

On September 10, 2021, Ganahl filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's office indicating that she was seeking the Republican nomination for Governor of Colorado in the 2022 election.[16]

Political positions[]

Trump and the 2020 election[]

Ganahl considers herself to be a supporter of former president Donald Trump. Ganahl has declined to state if the results of the 2020 presidential election are legitimate.[17][18] After the 2020 presidential election, Ganahl praised John Eastman, a controversial lawyer that has incorrectly claimed that Kamala Harris is not an American citizen and wouldn't be eligible to be Vice President. Eastman also helped Trump in his attempts to overturn the election results.[19]

Healthcare[]

In the 2021 legislative session, Ganahl opposed the Colorado Affordable Health Care Option, a measure that aimed at lowering healthcare costs by creating a public health insurance option. Writing a op-ed and referring to a brain tumor she got removed, Ganahl stated “The proposed Colorado Affordable Health Care Option is not the broad solution politicians claim. With unintended consequences to quality and access, it may force hospitals to eliminate some critical care functions. It may even endanger miracles like mine.”[19]

Education[]

Ganahl is opposed to proposals that seek to expand access to higher education by offering tuition-free enrollment in community colleges. In regards to sexual assault on campus, Ganahl has acknowledged it as a serious issue but has downplayed its prevalence, saying "Twenty-eight percent of students at CU said that they had been sexually assaulted, but it included all kinds of things like inappropriate touching, and catcalling, etc. “I think the actual rape number was nine percent […] it’s still nine percent too many. But you know, that’s self-reported, so.”[19]

Ganahl has claimed that conservatives at colleges are being "silenced" and has attempted to form organizations that promote conservative viewpoints on-campus.[19]

Awards and recognition[]

2019 Women’s Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Most Powerful Women;[20] 2015 Parade Magazine Designing Women: 10 of the Most Amazing Female Entrepreneurs in U.S. History;[21] 2016 Colorado Brave Leader Award;[21] Inc 500/5000 five years running 2009-2014;[22] Fortune Most Promising Women Entrepreneur;[23] 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Semi-Finalist; 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist; Entrepreneur Franchise 500 seven years running 2007-2014;[24] 2010 WPO/AmEx Open – Top 50 Fastest Growing Women-Led Companies (#10); 2010 #39 in Inc Magazine “Top Consumer Product and Service Companies”; 2009 Denver Business Journal’s Colorado Business Woman of the Year; 2008 Stevie Award for Top Entrepreneur and for Top Company;[25] 2009 Top 50 Colorado Companies to Watch;[26] 2009 Colorado Biz “One of the Top 100 Woman Owned Companies”; Entrepreneur Magazine “One of America’s Top 50 Fastest Growing Woman Led Companies”; Tech Cocktail's 15 Female Entrepreneurs You Should Know (But Probably Don't).[27]

References[]

  1. ^ "Heidi Ganahl". Archived from the original on January 24, 2019.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - University of Colorado Regent - At-Large Race - Nov 08, 2016".
  3. ^ Kuta, Sarah (November 8, 2016). "Daily Camera". www.dailycamera.com. Daily Camera.
  4. ^ Understanding Management, 8th ed. - Page 86 Richard L. Daft, Dorothy Marcic - 2011 "More recently, Heidi Ganahl's launch of Camp Bow Wow has become a powerfully motivational story of triumph over tragedy. Most people know Camp Bow Wow as a fun franchise that offers doggie day care for pet owners on the go. But the ..."
  5. ^ Ganahl, Heidi. (2019). Shefactor Present Power-future Fierce. BookBaby. ISBN 9781544513515. OCLC 1099352754.
  6. ^ Colorado Legislative Council, School Safety and Youth in Crisis Committee Archived September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ "With Heidi Ganahl win, Republicans retain majority on CU Board of Regents". Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  8. ^ Paul, Jesse (September 10, 2021). "Republican Heidi Hanahl files to run for Colorado governor in 2022". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved September 21, 2021. "The University of Colorado regent, who is the only Republican official who holds statewide office, was expected to formally announce her bid next week."
  9. ^ The Denver Post
  10. ^ Huffington Post
  11. ^ Wall Street Journal
  12. ^ Colorado Legislative Council Staff, Memorandum
  13. ^ Castrillon, Caroline. "This CEO Of $100 Million Brand Launched An App To Set Women Up For Success After College". Forbes. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "New CU Regent on Paying for College, and the Need for More Conservatives on Campus".
  15. ^ "CU Regents Approve Compensation Plan, Discuss Academic Freedom".
  16. ^ Luning, Ernest (September 10, 2021). "Polis challenger Republican Heidi Ganahl files paperwork to run for Colorado governor". Colorado Politics. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  17. ^ Zelinger, Marshall (September 14, 2021). "As she enters Colorado governor's race, Ganahl won't say if 2020 election was fraudulent". 9News KUSA-TV. Denver, CO. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Burness, Alex (September 16, 2021). "The Spot: Where you (and Heidi Ganahl) stand on 2020 election results is a litmus test". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d Schmidt, Madeleine (September 10, 2021). "Who Is Heidi Ganahl, Republican Candidate for Colorado Governor?". Colorado Times Recorder. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Commerce, Colorado Women's Chamber of (December 19, 2018). "Announcing the Top 25 Most Powerful Women of 2019". Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  21. ^ a b jon (March 23, 2017). "Heidi Ganahl". University of Colorado. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  22. ^ Inc 500/5000
  23. ^ Fortune Magazine
  24. ^ "Who are this year's Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs?". Fortune. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  25. ^ Reuters
  26. ^ CO Biz Magazine
  27. ^ Tech Cocktail
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