Maroon Ventures Blog

I am. Drop me a line if you want to get together to compare notes, hear about Maroon Ventures’ schemes for world domination or just get caffeinated …

I’ll be participating in the Optimize and Monetize panel on Friday, Sept. 12 from 2:30 to 3:45. Here’s a PDF schedule for the entire conference, and here are details on the Optimize and Monetize panel …

“Master the art of online advertising and understand what works for your site. Are you using excess inventory to your advantage? What do advertisers need? What do marketers think when they decide what to spend and where to spend it? Where are you going wrong?
“Panelists: Ken Doctor, news industry analyst for Outsell; Mark Rose, director for sales strategy, Tribune Company; Bob Benz, partner, Maroon Ventures.”

tofu1.jpg

Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz

The partners of Maroon Ventures have been infiltrated by a pair of vegetarians, and it’s taking a toll on our meat-loving ways. During a MV confab in Denver this week, Chris Tippie tried to convert Wes Jackson to the wonders of grilled tofu. The results were a bit disturbing, as this series of photos will attest …

For more photos of the folks at MV, click here.

It’s official. We put out a press release last week announcing that Heather Lamm and Mike Higgins are now officially partners in Maroon Ventures. Higgins struggled a bit while we gave him the Official Maroon Ventures Tattoo, but otherwise the indocrination went smoothly.

I’m thrilled to have Heather and Mike on board and even happier to see they’re already sharing their wisdom on our blog in the form of homages to Father Guido Sarducci and the equally holy iPhone.

The fun is just beginning …

Community activism is alive and well at 9000 feet. Here in Crested Butte, CO, the booming metropolis that is the world headquarters of Maroon Ventures, the community is celebrating a victory over the latest threat to our way of life - a giant molybdenum mine project just outside of town. 

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Spring hasn’t quite sprung here at Maroon Ventures HQ but for one fellow Crested Buttian, it’s close enough. While leaving the office the other day, I spotted a large black dog across the street. Very large. Upon closer inspection it was an adult black bear (full grown). In the summer, bears are relatively commonplace - especially at night. However, its March. Aren’t these bruins supposed to be sleeping? You can learn more as to why this big fellow is awake in town… at this hour. Our furry friend is still around and has thus far eluded all efforts to capture him. I’ve started calling him “Hank”. While a full grown black bear can be very dangerous, Hank appears to be pretty mellow and well, groggy. No telling how long Hank will be in town but his presence sure does put a new spin on leaving the office after dark.  

When some people hear we’re called Maroon Ventures, they think of the famous Bugs Bunny malapropism: “What a maroon, what an ignoranimous!” We constantly remind our selves that we’re only a few vowels away from being Moron Ventures …

The second thing people often ask is “Why Maroon Ventures”?

The name comes from the Maroon Bells, a twin-peaked mountain in Colorado known for its astounding beauty and deadly reputation.