Catalyzer Helps Mesa County, Colorado, Update Strategic Plan
Lansing, Kansas – July 10, 2025: Some new organizational leaders come in and make quick, sweeping changes. Some make none. Others study the landscape and adjust carefully. Some attempt the process on their own. Others get help from experts. That’s what Mesa County, Colorado did.
“Our plan already had good bones,” said county administrator Todd Hollenbeck, “but we had new commissioners, new directors, and new administrators, so it was time for a serious review and revision.”
“We knew we would outsource the job because we had done it successfully before,” he said. “Catalyzer convinced us that they could engage everyone this time around and help us align values, goals, and measures of effectiveness.”
“And they delivered.”
One of the advantages Catalyzer brought was simply objective investigation.
“Having outside facilitation of the process gives everyone the opportunity to raise issues, have input, and feel valued,” added deputy administrator Matt Lewis. “Steve is a master of that: he allows no innocent bystanders in the room.
“Steve” is Catalyzer President and CEO Steve Ingalls, who shepherded the weeks-long effort, with a 2-day seminar as the centerpiece.
“In fact, having consultants uncovered some healthy disagreements, where people in another setting might have held back,” Hollenbeck said.
The administrators are clear-eyed about the amount of time and work involved in an honest assessment of strategy. Fortunately, Ingalls took that into account as he structured the process.
“Steve gave us pre-work, which made our sessions much more efficient and productive,” said Lewis. “During those meetings he respected our time in another important way: he protected us from scope-creep so that we accomplished what we intended and didn’t get dragged into issues that – while important – weren’t appropriate right now.”
“There’s no rainbows and unicorns with Steve,” said Hollenbeck. “It’s work. He gathers the necessary resources, reads the room, provides leadership, and challenges everyone to think and contribute.”
The results are predictable: a plan with depth, quality, alignment, and most important: buy-in.
“People really appreciated how Steve handled this,” Hollenbeck said. “Because he listened and incorporated their ideas, they were more likely to support the final plan, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen as we have rolled it out.”
“One thing that really helped the process is that Steve is a lot of fun,” said Lewis.
“Everyone dreads attending this type of event. But afterward, we got feedback that people actually enjoyed these discussions,” said Hollenbeck.
The administrators did have a complaint, however. Although the county seat, Grand Junction, is 250 miles from Denver, this is still Broncos country.
“Don’t come in here one day wearing Kansas City gear, talking about the Chiefs.”
Catalyzer is a Kansas-based, veteran-owned small business that believes servant leadership drives success and changes the world for the better. “We live out that conviction by offering tailored leadership development programs, one-on-one coaching, integral assessments, and studies that help you better understand your people and their place in your organization,” said Ingalls.
Since inception, Catalyzer has produced and led more than 600 separate programs across diverse industry sectors, developing 17,000+ leaders nationwide. Organizations served include law enforcement, union/non-union manufacturing companies, community banks and their associations across nine states, engineering companies, and non-profits. Prominent organizations include McDonald’s, Utility Trailer Manufacturing, Tindall Corporation, Trideum Corporation, and Scouting USA.