Take the leap

Jon Appino started his first company at the age of 17 and another at 19.  Mr. Appino obtained a BS in Biology, Chemistry, and Economics with a Pre-med focus but after deciding on a business career over medicine he has spent the next 12 years working in both large and small scale Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies in multiple roles as well as start-ups in the healthcare field.  He completed his MBA in 2004 and launched his most recent company and passion – Contract Diagnostics, in 2011.  He is passionate about the education of Physicians with regards to the non-clinical (business) aspects of medicine.

Jason Watson is a Senior Partner for WCG Inc., a progressive tax, accounting and consultation firm located in Colorado Springs and Denver.

Jason has owned two small businesses in the past and holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Aside from carrying the one in accounting class, his desire is speaking with small business owners and creating a dynamic map for the future. Jason enjoys talking about business planning, corporate structures (for elegance and efficiency), S Corp vs LLC concepts, self-employment taxes, health insurance issues and retirement planning. He is quick to point out that while 70% of the all situations can be covered with the basics, every business and person is truly unique. One of his Jason-isms is “every house has four walls and a roof, but inside, the things that are personal to you, are different than your neighbor’s.”

Ask a question and have a dry erase board handy, and you’ll see the true passion of a person who not only wants to educate but also wants to see small business owners thrive. While this book on LLCs and S Corporations can be labeled as shameless self-promotion, it truly came from Jason’s heart to help small business owners everywhere. And No! He doesn’t unnecessarily complicate things; while complication is great cocktail party fodder, most often it is the illusion of precision.

Other than sharing a beer with other Colorado Springs CPAs and drooling on the latest IRS Notice, Jason likes dirt biking, boating in Wisconsin, watching the Packers beat the Bears (it never gets old), and running trails in Colorado. He used to also be a pilot for SkyWest Airlines, a United Express airline, but resigned in March 2015 to focus on helping small business owners and taxpayers alike.

Lastly and most importantly, he is a father of three wonderful, amazing and perfect children (posturing is the new past time in Colorado Springs) and is married to WCG’s founder and Senior Partner, Tina Watson, CPA.

Poppy Walker is the owner of Medical Reimbursement Solutions for the past 23 years, specializing in medical billing for self-employed CRNAs.  Her clients work in a variety of specialities to include pain management, gastroenterology, ENT, ophthalmology, plastic surgery and orthopedics, to name a few.  Her clients span across the United States and Poppy has become well-regarded in the area of healthcare reimbursement.  Her company has grown exponentially over the years simply by word of mouth referrals.  She currently bills for over 20 anesthesia practices.  Her faithful staff has the medical billing operation running like a well-oiled machine.  Medical Reimbursement Solutions’s triple-layer audit system makes her company model unique to the billing industry, ensuring providers reap maximum insurance revenue.  Poppy places a strong value on personal relationships.  Her longest client has been with her company for 20 years and her longest employee has been on staff over 18 years.

Poppy holds a BS in Healthcare Administration and an MBA in Finance.  She obtained a real estate license in 2019 to build her real estate portfolio as well as assist clients with investment properties who are looking to diversify streams of income.  Her passions include teaching, remodeling houses, pilates and serving on local community executive boards.  Poppy teaches financial literacy once a week to high school students, serves as vice president to the Swenson House Historical Society (preservation of local historical landmarks) and is treasurer of the Big Country Home Educators Association – advising in all areas of non-profit accounting and record keeping.  Poppy is an Air Force veteran – having served six years and her husband is a 20-year retired Air Force Veteran and currently a law enforcement officer for the City of Abilene.  They have two beautiful adult daughters, one of which is on her way to becoming a CRNA herself.

Areas of Expertise:
Provider Credentialing
Preparing and launching new private practice 1099 providers
Diagnostic auditing and consulting for struggling practices
Interventional Pain Management
Effective Insurance Collection Methods

Jan Mannino has been a CRNA for over 60 years, received a law degree and has a long history in the profession. She has been active in the AANA and served as president in 1987-88. Jan has authored many articles in professional books and journals and two books, The Nurse Anesthetist and the Law and The Business of Anesthesia. She has recently retired from clinical anesthesia practice, but continues to consult and lecture to SRNAs and CRNAs on legal and business issues for nurse anesthetists. In her retirement, Jan is writing a medical malpractice thriller and a memoir. She lives in Southern California with her dog, Annie.

After four years as a CRNA Team Leader at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Jake realized that his true passion is taking care of other CRNAs.

He left that role, began working as a 1099 CRNA, and joined his family insurance and financial planning business.  His goal is to help CRNAs get to a financial position where they can work on their own terms.

Jake is a licensed independent insurance agent, and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses, as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation.

Originally building his CRNA relationships, through trauma center experience, Anthony (Tony) expanded on that by working in the Locum space for half a decade. Excelling at his contract specialist role, he decided to take a leap of faith, just as many of us have, to become 1099! Thankfully he did but wanted to continue to serve the many CRNAs that he had befriended along the way.
Tony, in the most basic sense, finds what you qualify for and presents the best options from there.
In his free time, Tony loves to homestead, play basketball and spend time with his amazing supportive family.
With hundreds of CRNAs being assisted in their Journey, Tony knows how to help YOU too!!

Chris Baxter is a licensed insurance agent in all 50 states and D.C. with over 35 years of experience in the insurance industry. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of West Florida.
Prior to establishing Baxter & Associates in 1996, he worked in the insurance and financial services industry with Allstate, Prudential, and served as vice president of a healthcare insurance agency.
Baxter & Associates is a full-service agency. Our team members are national experts in medical malpractice and healthcare liability coverage. The agency is dedicated to assisting CRNAs with their medical malpractice insurance needs.

Stephanie Matthews is a financial planner and the Director of Financial Wellness at Aptus Financial. She works with clients of various professional backgrounds to create a financial plan that gives them a roadmap for reaching their goals along with the confidence to manage their own finances and peace of mind about the future.

With Aptus CEO Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez, Stephanie co-founded Save10, a movement to educate and equip women to prioritize retirement savings and save for their future selves.

Stephanie and her husband live in Little Rock, AR, and choose to live below their means so that they can afford experiences that bring them joy, especially traveling abroad. When she’s not working, Stephanie enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, volunteering with local nonprofits, and giving Save10 talks to various organizations, especially those that support women.

I began my career as a per diem ICU nurse before transitioning to my current role as a CRNA.

Being the first-born child of immigrants, independence has been instilled in me from an early age, and living life on my own terms has always been a priority.

Despite my desire to work for myself, I grappled with imposter syndrome and the fear of not having the right connections to secure the right jobs for me. Feeling overwhelmed, I struggled to find a place to start, and good tools to keep track of my work life.

I hope to help other CRNAs, especially those in my generation (who might want something different than usual out of being a CRNA) to understand the basics of doing Locum Tenens work and helps them decide what’s right for their unique situation!

Toni has been serving families in the financial services arena for over 3 decades. She is a seasoned mortgage specialist that is dedicated to keeping her client’s needs as her number 1 priority. Known for providing excellent customer service and for being a wonderful wife and mom, Toni has been known to even take calls in her delivery room! She has gathered a great group of like-minded professionals and service providers with the resources to get you through the maze of the loan process and bring families home!