Business Innovators Radio - The Inspired Impact Podcast with Judy Carlson-Interview with Heather Lagge, Sponsorships & Gifts Manager, Bridge House

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

I enjoy blending strategic thinking with creative problem-solving to drive meaningful change. My focus has always been on building connections and finding ways to enhance our communities.I kicked off my career in finance, where I found success as a top salesperson. That experience sharpened my analytical skills and taught me how to understand complex needs, which I now apply to my work in non-profit fundraising.What motivates me is the chance to contribute to causes that resonate with me. I thrive on collaboration, brainstorming new approaches, and discovering innovative strategies to advance our mission. Whether it’s through partnerships, campaigns, or improving processes, my aim is to make a real impact.On a personal note, I grew up in Colorado, am a military brat, and the youngest of six siblings. I speak Spanish and love to travel! I’m a devoted wife who loves spending time with my husband. We enjoy serving our church, exploring new places, birdwatching, and practicing my compound bow in our league. And there’s nothing better than a road trip through the Midwest with classic country tunes playing in the background. These experiences enrich my perspective and fuel my passion for giving back.I’m excited to connect with anyone who shares a passion for making a difference or wants to chat about innovative ways to engage in philanthropy and community work.https://boulderbridgehouse.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-lagge*************************************************************Judy is the CEO & Founder of the Judy Carlson Financial Group. She helps her clients design, build, and implement fully integrated and coordinated financial plans from today through life expectancy and legacy.She is an Independent Fiduciary and Comprehensive Financial Planner who specializes in Wealth Decumulation Strategies. Judy is a CPA, Investment Advisor Representative, Life and Health Insurance Licensed, and Long-Term Care Certified.Judy’s mission is to educate and empower her clients with an all-inclusive financial plan that encourages and motivates them to pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams.Learn More: https://judycarlson.com/Investment Adviser Representative of and advisory services offered through Royal Fund Management, LLC, an SEC Registered Adviser.The Inspired Impact Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-inspired-impact-podcast/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-inspired-impact-podcast-with-judy-carlson-interview-with-heather-lagge-sponsorships-gifts-manager-bridge-house

Welcome to the Inspired Impact Podcast, where dedicated female professionals share how they inspire impact every day. Authentic stories, passionate commitment, lives transformed. I'm your host, Judy Carlson. Welcome to today's episode of the Inspired Impact Podcast. I'm so excited to introduce you to today's guest. She is a strategic thinker and a creative problem solver, and she loves to make meaningful change, and she's making a huge impact. I am so excited to introduce you to Heather Loggie. Welcome.

Hello. Hi. Hi. Thank you so much for having me today. Yeah, I'm so excited to hear your stories. So I don't know where you want to start because you've been at your current organization for a couple of years, so there's a lot of things. that have led you to where you are and you're welcome to start wherever you want to. I'd love to hear your story.

Well, I have more than 20 years in customer service. Oh, wow. And I started out working really, really kind of insignificant means. I worked at a gas station to get me through college. Good for you. And I worked at Starbucks for a few years. I think, you know, like many, like many of us, I think, who end up in nonprofit have worked in a little local coffee shop at some point. This was back in those days when, man, when Starbucks was really a community center, we had people who met and got married in our lobby.

And it was a really special. Yeah, it was a really special place. And that time actually, you know, developed some sales skills for me. and, you know, community, like just a love for community and collaboration, some leadership skills. I had a really great supervisor there that coached me a lot. And those are my early 20s. And from there, I worked for a credit union of Colorado for about seven years. And, you know, it being a not-for-profit organization shaped a lot. lot of my early, I guess, they did a lot of shaping for me. They had a really great training program. I learned a lot of soft skills there. I just, I fell in love with doing what was right for people.

Really, I remember, you know, being in meetings at that organization for employees and the CEO was really, was really just advocated for us to do what was right for our members. And I just remember being really moved by that. And there was a lot of empowerment in that organization to like, you know, if I could make decisions in that, in a, like just a basic teller or banker role, I could make decisions to refund fees and do all kinds of things, if it was the right thing for the person, as long as I could make a case, you know, in notes or whatever, this is the story. I would tell the story of the individual. This is the story. This is what happened. This is why this is the right thing to do. And that always stuck with me and has kind of been foundational in the way that I've approached

my professional life. I want to do what's right for people. And I kind of, I have the kind of personality that's like jack of all trades master of none and i can really do any job work with really doing i can really do anything if i enjoy the people that i work with and and the work that i'm doing is meaningful and so um so i've so i've got you know some diversity in and what i've done i've been really blessed with the organizations that i've been a part of um at towards the end of my my time at the credit union, uh, 2020 hit. Oh, which I feel like for many people that I talked to was just like,

I feel like almost across the board like this turning point in many people's lives. Um, during, from 2020 to 2024, I worked remotely and learned something about myself that I can't work remotely. I just. So I feel like, I mean, I just suffered during that time. I'm way too social. I think that, you know, I got to this point where it was like hard to get out of bed. You know, it was it was like, what's the point? Like nobody's checking in on you. As long as there's no fires to be put out,

like nobody even knows you're showing up to work. And being extremely collaborative and coming, I mean, going from like a gas station to Starbucks to banking. I mean, that's 15 years right. of being with people constantly and then sitting in a room by myself, doing outbound calls. And I mean, there were some things there that were collaborative. But like for the individual who liked working from home, I was a nuisance. Because I would just call them up and call my coworker up on the phone and just want to talk, talk, talk.

And they're like, I've got work to do. And so it was really challenging. And during that time, so we, you know, during that time, we moved to South Dakota from Denver. And we lived out, so I mean, I guess to add insult to injury in some ways, we bought some really beautiful land out in South Dakota, which we still have. But I was living away, like far away from everybody. and I was working, I was working out of Denver and living in the country. Oh, wow. And it was just kind of, it was really challenging.

And so, but during that time, I was, you know, I was, I was still partnering with organizations and companies that, that did, that were doing what was right for people. That was really involved in good work. I worked for a mortgage company called Movement Mortgage, which, If anybody's looking for a mortgage plug, they're wonderful. They are one of the first impact lenders. I don't know this isn't why I'm here, but I just feel like every time I get a chance to tell about this organization. Their mission is so wonderful.

They were founded by an old football player named Casey Crawford, who was a man of faith. And he, in 2008, middle of the mortgage crisis, he started this mortgage loan company and wanted to kind of of redefine mortgage lending because mortgage lending was so just kind of sleazy, you know, like you didn't know who you could trust. And so he started what was called impact lending and started to challenge some of these bigger mortgage companies to make more and better use of the profits that they were doing. So the whole purpose of that mortgage company is to fund their nonprofit work. So they've built four or five tuition-free charter schools in inner city north or south Carolina. Big community centers. They pay salaries. They pay everything. It's tuition-free.

And then they also do mission work all over the world. And so, but so the whole, the mission of each of the loan officers isn't just to make bucks. It's to, it's to fund the nonprofit, which is really cool. So then coming from there, I joined Bridgehouse, leaving the mortgage world, looking for something totally different, but still in still kind of following the skill set that I developed, which was building a relationship, determining what people's needs are, and finding solutions to meet those needs. whether it's, you know, individual or corporate.

So part of what I do now is meeting with business owners, municipal partners, finding out what kinds of needs they have, whether it's we need to see less people who are unhoused, or we need to build bridges between us and our target market. And so I kind of identify, help identify what those needs are and then bridge the gap by finding out how the work that we do that we do fulfills some of their marketing needs or their social responsibility requirements and those sorts of things. So that's kind of an overview of where I came from and where I am. How did I get involved with Bridge House? So Bridge House is kind of a family affair in some ways. I started my relationship with Bridge House started about five years ago when I was volunteering to provide household budgeting and

credit counseling to trainees that were in the program when I was still working at the credit union. And that's really what sparked for me personally the impact that I could make and seeing how these worlds are really interconnected. And so, you know, it was interesting to think about, you know, I worked, I was a mortgage loan officer to think about the full spectrum of housing and how I could, you know, with the knowledge that I'd gained at the credit union, I was helping high schoolers open bank accounts and helping young 20-somethings build credit and manage their finances. And when you are looking at people's bank accounts, Judy, you know things.

things about them. Interesting. Money tells you almost everything about somebody that their words won't. Wow, that's very profound. I've never heard it put that way. You know, so when you have access, I mean, I mean, in a very professional way. Yeah, of course. You know, you are helping, you know, you're helping a 75-year-old woman whose husband

passed away balance her checkbook. for the first time because she's never touched her money. You're helping, you know, somebody who's 25, whose parents were absent, learn how to budget because they've overdrawn their account because nobody taught them how to manage money. I helped a gentleman who had been in the Department of Corrections for 10 years. He went in in 1998, came out in 2008.

I mean, can you imagine? there weren't really, I mean, cell phones were like almost nothing in 98. Right. And all of a sudden, he's in the iPhone era, you know, almost. And maybe, maybe I'm getting the years a little bit wrong. Maybe it was like 2002 to 2012. It was something like that. But I mean, he didn't have credit.

He'd never have an iPhone. He was barely using the internet, you know, when he went in. And, and so it's pretty amazing. I've seen people who were living two lives who had two families. I mean, the things that you see, I mean, it's just amazing. And so thinking about money and individuals and helping people go from nothing to owning a home, I feel like I feel like I got a handle on like just the like the normal individual for 10 years, you know, like how to open a bank account all the way to how to buy a house.

And then I thought there's this whole sector. of people that I really had hit a blind spot for me. Like individuals who, for whatever reason, you know, for many different reasons, have nothing and don't know anything about finances or don't know anything about recovering their finances, you know, rebuilding their lives. And so that's kind of what brought me into the world of Bridgehouse. to begin with. I wouldn't have even learned about Bridge House if it hadn't been for my cousin, my husband's

cousin. She's worked in addiction counseling since she graduated from college. And she's about 10 years my senior. Okay. I don't want to say that. She's senior. She's not. I'd tease her about it, you know, because we do that.

years older than I am. He's not senior. Yeah. But she's, you know, she's older than me. So she's been in it for quite a long time. And she's been involved with Bridgehouse for over, I want to say, coming up maybe on 10 years. I hope I'm not picturing that. But it's been a long time. She's been in the organization. And my husband had been working in mortgage for like 15 years. I mean, and had been laid off from the same company four times. Oh my gosh. That is the world of mortgage for you. Oh, man. But he is the kind of guy who's like, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't, right? And so he kept going back to mortgage because it was good money. But he hated it. And the fourth time he got laid off, he took a three months off because you don't get many opportunities when you're an adult to take three months off.

Right. So he got a severance and I was like, you know what, you need a break. And when it was time to go back to work, he didn't know what he wanted to do. And his cousin, this woman I'm telling you about that his cousin was like, why don't you come work for us? We just need somebody to man the front desk. And he was like, okay, fine, you know. So my husband is very anti-social. He's very much an introvert.

So the thought of sitting at a front desk was about the worst possible scenario, but he did it. And for the first month, he hated it because he just was seeing people all the time. And then I remember the first time he was driving home from work and he called me. And he said, he said, hey, how was your day? And I was like, excuse me, may I please speak with my husband? Because I couldn't remember as long as we'd been married, him ever calling me after work and having any kind of positive, engaged, excited, or like just up attitude. Wow. And he, so he started working at, like, this is a very, the most entry level position that Bridgehouse offers is, you know, this house manager position, which you're, you're doing you. weighs all day long, you're checking people's bags, you know, for paraphernalia or, you know,

for things that they shouldn't be bringing into the house. It's very invasive. He's going and looking through people's drawers, you know, once an hour doing random UA's. What are UA's? Urine analysis. Oh, okay. Yeah. I mean, and you have to watch. You have to watch. So it was like a pretty, it was a pretty wild difference from what he was paper pushing before. And so, but I mean, but there was this meaningful, he was, he was given the opportunity to mentor to really like get into messy life, where before he was just sitting behind a screen. And I think that that can suck the life out of anybody. And so I started to, I started to just witness this transformation in him as he was working there. He was being mentored by, you know, some of these guys who are, you know, like one of the gentlemen,

you know, John, who is the CFO, I believe the, sorry, he's the chief of programs. You know, he started, he started mentoring my husband. And then, you know, my husband is just, his dad's a pastor. I don't think he ever, I think he vowed he'd never be a pastor, but kind of inadvertently became very, he was very shepherding in nature. And so he started mentoring. And I just started to watch this transformation in him as he was doing this work. And it was evident to me within, you know, within six, I think six or nine months, he was promoted to the manager of housing operations. And then they moved him to aftercare case manager, which is providing support to individuals who graduate from the program. And he was just a different human being. And so like that to me, I mean, to those to those women out there who are married and watch their husbands in a dead end job, like to see to see it to me it was like, this is what you were born to do. was to be like a mentor to people who've never had anybody care about them. And so it was really transformative for me too. And so in 2020, so he started working there.

I think in 20, I think it was at the end of 2019, maybe or maybe it was 2018. I can't remember. Years are blurry prior to 2020. And my husband's father passed away. And at that time, the whole world was upended. And so we decided to move out of Colorado where things were very contentious. And we wanted to get out into the country. And so that's when we moved.

But it was really challenging for my husband because he loved working for Bridgehouse. Well, in 2023, with Medford, who was one of the founding individuals of Bridgehouse or the lifeblood in a lot of ways of the organization. He passed away from heart complications. And we came back for the funeral and he was invited to apply for a director position at Bridgehouse. And so which he did, he applied and they, and he was offered the position. But he was like, you guys know I live in South Dakota, right? I mean, we had picked up our whole lives and moved across country and they were like, you know, we really want you to apply and when they offered in the position, he kind of was like, okay, I'll interview like just to see how things go. And when they

offered it to him, he was like, I think he even actually was like, you know what, I'm not, like, thanks for the invite, but I'm not going to do it. I'm not moving back to Colorado. And then he called back and was like, I changed my mind. Okay, I'll do it. It was a huge opportunity and he loved the organization. He cared so much for the mission. and the people and it just yeah so we so we came back we moved back for bridge house and i was still working remotely and then um i went to a softball picnic and had a chat with the CEO we were just kind of talking about what what was coming down the pipeline for the organization and how i might be able to you know how i could use my skill set to help to help build the organization um and so

I applied for a position working for the development, the development department, philanthropy, and I was given a position and helped with what nonprofit needs help with, data entry. Which, you know, nonprofits, I kind of started with this. If you're a warm body, you can do it, you know. Yeah, you know, so it was, I, one of the things that just struck me. me is the opportunities to grow as a person when not working in a nonprofit. Because there's so much work to be done and so few hands oftentimes that there's no shortage of opportunities to learn new skill sets, to learn new programs, to learn new software,

to collaborate, to come up with new solutions. I mean, it's just, it's endless. And I wish, I honestly wish that I had taken a role in nonprofit 15 years ago because the, I feel like the amount of skills that I have acquired just on a personal level while I've been with Bridge House over the last two years, it goes beyond, I think, what I probably have learned in the last five years prior to. And so I'm really grateful on a personal stuff. just in terms of my my personal confidence, like what I feel like, like what skills I have to

offer for, you know, for the organization. It's really stretched me and I've been really thankful for that. But yeah, so that's kind of, I guess, what, what I've been doing. And now I, as a super extrovert, I'm sure you can tell. I get to do my first. favorite thing, which is being in the community. I love building relationships. I love networking. I love going to random lunches at golf clubs and meeting people. Like, it's just I love to hear about how people have come up with the craziest job ideas and just gone for it, you know, and the things that drive community members, the passions that people have,

I just love it so much. It's so inspiring to me. And so it's fun to be an inspirational person, bringing an inspirational message to inspirational people. Like, it's just the best. And so I wish that I had started networking and being more involved in the community on a, you know, like on this scale years and years ago.

but it's just it's just a pleasure to be in the community sharing about Bridge House and the mission that we have and the work that's being done and the lives that are being changed it's just it's just remarkable so what is the mission of Bridge House and is it a place that people live? Yeah, so Bridgehouse's mission is to end homelessness one person at a time. Oh. So Bridge House has a spectrum of programming that it offers that provides everything from basic need services to more robust solutions like our ready to work program. So we are just about to open a navigation center in Englewood. which provides transitional housing. So it's not, it's not emergency shelter. It's, it's a facility that is meant to provide like 30 to 45 days max stay for individuals who are either in danger of

becoming homeless or are recently homeless and have resources or need resources. And it's just temporary until they can provide a more permanent housing solution. until they can find a more permanent housing solution. So we kind of help provide that. And it's Englewood, Sheridan, and Littleton, Colorado that have come together to fund that facility and we'll be running it. Wow. And then our Ready to Work program is a three-part program that includes paid employment. dorm-style housing and

wrap-around case management services. So ready to work is kind of the culmination of all of these other programs that we provide. So we have our primary objective, our primary method

to ending homelessness is a work-first model. So individuals who come into our program need to be able to work to begin with. They're ready, willing, and able to work, and they're able to work in the United States. Okay. So that doesn't cover every part, you know, everybody who's homeless, right? You have individuals who are disabled and unable to work, and there are other organizations that help provide resources for individuals in that situation. We have, there are other individuals who are homeless who have no desire,

for willingness to work. Their lifestyle homeless or their lifestyle, their lifestyle homeless. You know, they don't, they don't have any desire to work. But then the individuals who want to work, we want to help them get back to work. So

our ready to work program houses individuals, employees individuals in one of our social enterprises, and them provides case management all in the same facility so that we can help remove barriers to housing and employment. And it's really neat because we're the employer, we have the benefit of identifying what barriers there are very easily. You know, if imagine you have somebody who is struggling with mental illness or with addiction issues, they're going to struggle keeping a job.

even if they want to work, it's going to be really difficult because, you know, they're going to have a hard time. Can you still hear me? Yeah. They're going to have a hard time, you know, let's say they just, they're just not feeling it. Yeah. They're not feeling it today, so they're not going to go to work, right? Because we're the employer, if somebody shows up to work five days late, we get to address it without firing them, right? that's an opportunity for us to identify what's going on and through our case management to work with

them to put coping mechanisms in place to work backwards. Okay, you're showing up late. Why? Well, I was up on my phone last night. Well, why were you on your phone all night? Well, I was just really anxious thinking about tomorrow like the next day and like, well, why were you anxious? You know, we kind of get to work backwards a little bit. Some of it is that. Some of it is just some people were never modeled what it looks like to go to work even when you don't feel like it. You know, if you want to stay housed, you have to stay employed. So there's a whole, I mean, the reasons and the mechanisms that create barriers for people, you know, to housing and employment are as unique as each person.

And our case managers have like maybe a 15 to 20 person. workloads. So it's very manageable for us to give very personalized, very customized case management services. And, you know, and we're talking about everything from graduates who have become case managers to certified addiction counselors all working in the same building. So how does Bridge House get their funding? Yeah, that's a great question. So we have, I mentioned that we have social enterprises. So we have a culinary, a culinary, we have two culinary social enterprises. One is community table kitchen that is primarily out of Boulder.

We are looking for kitchen facilities or individuals to donate kitchen facilities for us to expand that social enterprise. But we, that the community table kitchen has been providing everything from taken bake meals to catered galas and and chef-inspired cuisine up in the Boulder area for for quite a long time. And then we also have commercial landscaping. Oh, you know, I didn't mention so we have community table kitchen and we also have Bridge House brownies. So we have an online truffle brownie business where you can purchase brownie. and type in name and address and a little note and we'll ship them to anywhere in the U.S. for you.

Oh, that's cool. And then we provide commercial landscaping, which about, I think it's 80%, approximately 80% of our trainees work in landscaping. And we provide everything from reclamation at Bear Creek Lake Park and Boulder Open Space, Boulder County Open Space. We do maintenance for a rural municipal center. We maintain all of the bus stations in Sheridan. We do all kinds of stuff like that. We're working on building contracts with HOAs. So, you know, HOAs that, you know, want to help with help end homelessness,

would be a great resource for landscaping, snow removal, landscaping projects. maintenance, all that kind of stuff. And so we receive about 40% of our revenue through our social enterprises. And then the rest is just generous donors, whether it's corporate sponsors, municipal partners, family foundations, the people like my neighbor, my neighbor, who donates $20 a month, you know, a lot of, I think that one of the misconceptions is that homeless services is just taking care of by the government. And it's just not. I mean, they,

they have, we, we have very generously been, been given grants through, through some municipal partners, but the majority, the large majority of resources, financial resources, in-kind resources come from individual donors, foundation donors. And so there's a huge need right now and for, yeah, for the word to get out because I am sure that everybody's driving past that individual on the street corner with a sign and they're like, who's going to do something about this? And I'm like, we are, we all are. We all, we all need to, you know, even if it's $50 a month, it makes a huge impact to be able to have that steady income stream to be able to budget for future resources. But, you know, something that I really want to share is that our work first model is so effective. We could, if, if we had a bridge house, ready-to-work facility in every city and the United States, we would see such a significant

and rapid decrease in maybe by even a third, you know, it would be astounding. We would have to close down, you know, eventually. But we have a 72% graduation rate. Oh, wow. So our program is nine months to a year long. Okay. And 72% of the individuals who enter our program graduate successfully, we continue to provide aftercare support and community resources for a year post-graduation, and 80% of our

graduates are still housed and employed after a year. We've helped over 500 people exit homelessness, and it would be more than that if we had more facilities. So we're very excited to be opening our third facility in Englewood at the end of this month, in fact. And it's going to house 50 people. Our Boulder facility houses about 50 people. Aurora houses about 50 people. So we have the potential to graduate, you know, with those statistics, 96 to 115 people a year. Yeah. Through our. program and it's on a rotating basis. So we have people graduating every every month of the year. Sure. It's pretty remarkable. So how should people get more acquainted with you, Bridge House,

encouraging a homeless person to apply, all of those things? That's a great question. So it's So we have a really simple, this might blow your mind, but a lot, and most people who are homeless have a device. Okay. Have some means of communication, typically through our phone. Oh, I see. I remember when I worked at Credit Union of Colorado, we had a lot of individuals who were unhoused who would congregate by our building because we had an outlet outside the wall and that's outside the building. So that's where they could charge their phones. And, but there's, you know, so there is, you can go to B-H-R-T-W.org.

And let me pull it up really fast because I want to. H-R-T-W.org. So bridgehouse ready-to-work.org. That's what that B-H-R-T-W stands for. Yes, that's correct. Okay. And. And let's see here.

So on our website at bhrtw.org, there's a get help now tab. Oh, okay. Where any, you know, if there's somebody that, you know, you're having a conversation with someone who is struggling with with homelessness, they can go to this website, click on get help now. go to learn more about joining ready to work. And there's an intake form that it's really basic. Your name, your phone number, if you have one, or, you know, how we can set up an appointment so that you can meet with a case manager.

And we have an internship process where you would meet with a case manager. you would, you know, if you're accepted to the program, then you would have an internship phase of about two weeks to two months, just depending on, on their specific needs. And during that time, they can determine if they want to be in the program, as well as, you know, us determining if we're a good fit for what their specific needs are. And so that's how, you know, if somebody were to meet someone who needed help, that's where they could direct them. Gotcha. If somebody, you know, has interest in supporting us, same website, and you can just click the

donate page, the donate button. Okay. And that will help you see what, you know, what kind of donation you might be able to provide. Okay. It's important, I think, to note, too, that right now, the IRS or the state of Colorado has a homeless contribution tax credit that will provide up to 25% back. So is a tax credit? So if you were to donate $400,000, you would get a tax credit of $100,000. Wow. So it's up to $100,000. Oh, it's up to $100,000. Oh, it's up to $100,000. It's up to $100,000. Yeah. So, yeah, so it's 25% of your contribution with a minimum of $250.

And so that's over the course of the whole year. So, you know, if you did, you know, $12 a month, that would qualify. Yeah. And so that's just a really great thing to note that if you're looking for a great tax break and you want to donate to somewhere that you know is going to put that money to good use, we'd be a great place to do that. Wow. Oh, my, I think I could keep talking with you and asking you questions.

We should probably let our listeners have a breathing space here and digest everything you've shared with them. Sorry, I have just kind of rambled on. No, it's so good. I mean, this is an amazing program. I'm so glad to know the history behind you and the program and the needs. Obviously, every one of us knows the needs that are out there and you're tackling it. what is what did you say homelessness one person at a time um and that's that's worth it right yes absolutely every single individual is worth it they are worth it yeah well bless you my friend

thank you so much for your time today and appreciate everything you've shared and hopefully our listeners will be blessed as well i hope so too thank you so much judy Thanks so much for joining us for the Inspired Impact Podcast. To listen to past episodes, please visit theinspiredimpactpodcast.com.