Surviving the Hardest Season: What to Do When Your Business Stalls
Denise Burgess
Position: President and CEO of Burgess Services and Founder of Burgess Community Development
The Miraculous Story of Faith, Leadership, and Abundance with Denise Burgess
Denise Burgess is a transformative force in Colorado’s construction and development landscape, widely recognized for her leadership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to expanding economic opportunity for communities of color. As President and CEO of Burgess Services and Founder of Burgess Community Development, Denise carries forward a multigenerational family legacy while championing a future defined by innovation, equity, and sustainable growth.
A military brat and self-identified Daddy’s girl, Denise entered the family business with her late Father Clyde Burgess in the early 1990s and took the helm in 2001 after his sudden passing. Through faith and determination, Denise guided the company into its position as one of Colorado’s most respected Black woman-owned construction-management firms. Under her leadership, Burgess Services has partnered with major public agencies, municipalities, and private developers, delivering high-quality owner’s representation, construction oversight, and project management across the region. Her expertise spans decades of technical experience, business strategy, and a deep understanding of the built environment.
Beyond construction, Denise has become an influential civic leader. She is a past Chair of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Board of Trustees for the Colorado School of Mines. Her leadership consistently centers on strengthening workforces, uplifting small and minority-owned businesses, and expanding pathways for Black and Brown professionals within construction and related industries.
A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Denver, Denise has built a career rooted in excellence, service, and empowerment. Her work continues to open doors for the next generation of entrepreneurs, builders, and changemakers. Whether shaping major development projects or advocating for a more inclusive economy, Denise Burgess stands as an enduring example of what visionary leadership can build.
The Blueprint of an Unexpected Calling
Have you ever looked back at your life and realized that the very thing you swore you would never do became the exact place God called you to lead? Life has a funny way of shifting underneath our feet, or more accurately, God has an incredible way of rearranging our steps. On a beautiful, surprisingly warm 67-degree winter day in Denver, Colorado, podcast host David Mansilla sat down with Denise Burgess on the Anchoring Hope podcast to unpack a raw, deeply personal journey of business, heartbreak, and overwhelming grace.
Growing up as a military brat and a self-identified "Daddy's girl," Denise’s introduction to the family business, Burgess Services, wasn’t exactly glamorous. Her father, Clyde Burgess—a brave three-war veteran—started a heating and air conditioning company. At fifteen, Denise’s job description was simple: cleanup girl on the dusty construction job sites. "It's not interesting at all when you're 15," Denise laughed. She went through her college years at the University of Northern Colorado pursuing journalism, fully resolved that corporate broadcast sales was her future. She achieved massive success, becoming one of only six African-American female station managers in the entire country during the 1990s.
But a high corporate salary can’t satisfy a heart that is being pulled by the Holy Spirit. Denise felt a profound restlessness. The radio world didn’t line up with her faith and core values anymore. Seeing her transition, her father quietly reeled her back in by asking her to help redesign his marketing and sales materials. Slowly, the beauty of building things caught her heart. She realized construction wasn’t just about metal, bricks, and concrete; it was about shifting how people live. It was about building a place where families thrive. Denise learned that when we surrender our career ambitions to Jesus, He doesn't take away our talents—He elevates them to leave a legacy that outlives us.
The Fire of Sudden Grief and Unshakable Grit
It is easy to praise God when the bank accounts are full and the family is healthy. But what happens when the anchor of your life is suddenly ripped away, and you are left to steer a massive ship completely alone? In 2002, just as Denise was settling into running the business with her father, tragedy struck. Clyde Burgess was diagnosed with cancer. In a heartbreaking six weeks, he passed away. The sudden loss threw Denise into an emotional whirlwind: burying a legendary father, taking care of her 94-year-old mother, and carrying the immediate weight of a massive new contract.
Then, the storm grew even darker. Looking at a young Black woman stepping into leadership, all of her senior managers suddenly quit on her. They didn't believe she could do it. They abandoned her when she was at her lowest point. Can you imagine the heavy anxiety of that moment? The people you paid to help you look you in the eye and walk away because they expect you to fail.
But what the world calls an ending, Jesus calls a beautiful clean sweep. Denise didn’t throw in the towel. She dug deep into her faith and relied on pure, God-given grit. She woke up every morning saying, "Lord, I just have to make it through today." God answered that cry. He didn't just help her survive; He completely reshaped the company. Within two years, the business became exactly what she had dreamed it could be, staffed with loyal, faith-filled leaders who are still with her decades later. Romans 8:28 promises that all things work together for good for those who love God. Sometimes, the Lord allows a storm to clear out the wrong people so He can build a foundation that can hold your future.
The Danger of the Solo Burden
There is a dangerous lie that many ambitious student leaders and business owners believe: “If I don’t do it myself, it won't get done right.” For years, both Denise and David carried their companies entirely on their own shoulders. David shared a painful reflection from his own life, revealing that at forty years old, the overwhelming stress of trying to control his company led to a severe heart attack. He hadn't learned how to lay his heavy burdens at the feet of Jesus. He felt entirely alone.
In 2008, amidst the terrifying pressure of the Great Recession, Denise faced her own wake-up call. She was constantly jumping on and off planes, chasing projects across the country to keep her workers employed. Her body couldn't handle the silent, crushing anxiety. After landing back in Denver, she couldn't even climb the stairs of her own home. Her daughter rushed her to the emergency room, where doctors discovered severe blood clots that had moved straight to her lungs. The doctor told her, "We have no idea why you're alive. It missed your heart and your brain. You lived to tell about it."
That terrifying moment was a divine pause. While Denise lay in a hospital bed completely helpless, something beautiful happened: her employees stepped up and took over the daily operations seamlessly. It taught her a life-changing lesson about leadership style. True leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room or working yourself to death. It is about trusting God, hiring great people, and stepping out of the way to let them flourish. When we finally stop playing God in our own lives, we give the Holy Spirit room to move.
Shifting from Scarcity to Holy Abundance
In the project-based world of software and construction, business is highly volatile. You are only as good as your last project. Denise and David discussed the terrifying reality of "contract lag"—those seasons where financing stalls or approvals get delayed, leaving months where no money is coming in but workers still need to be paid. In those quiet, dry gaps, a spirit of fear loves to whisper that you aren't going to make it. Fear tells us that resources are running out.
But Denise challenges us to look closely at the world around us. God’s entire creation is a massive, overflowing fountain of abundance. If you plant a single kernel of corn, it multiplies into a plant holding hundreds of new seeds. A single fish lays thousands of eggs. Jesus took four small pieces of bread and three fish and effortlessly fed thousands of hungry families. Why do we serve a God of infinite multiplication, yet live our lives with a mindset of lack and poverty?
Denise's business strategy shifted when she fully grasped Deuteronomy 8:18: Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to create wealth. Wealth in the Kingdom of God isn't about hoarding millions of dollars in a hidden vault; it’s about creating a river of resources that blesses everyone it touches. When you run a business or direct a project with the mindset that everyone must win—your clients, your employees, and your community—God opens the windows of heaven to pour out blessings you can't contain.
Houses Built on Love and Legacy
True visionary leadership eventually outgrows the pursuit of a simple paycheck and turns into a deep desire for community transformation. A few years ago, Denise led Burgess Services through a massive, risky pivot. She walked away from safe, comfortable mechanical contracting and entered the complex world of Construction Management. Today, instead of fixing small pieces of a project, her firm helps manage massive, breathtaking $250,000,000 developments that shape the entire Denver landscape, including the Denver Justice Center and the CU Hospital.
But her most beautiful, Christ-centered victory is her recent jump into affordable housing development. Partnering with a local non-profit, Denise took a massive personal financial risk to construct a 97-unit housing complex for hard-working, middle-to-low-income families. While traditional developers told her to cut corners and refuse to put washer-dryers in the apartments out of fear that tenants would flood them, Denise stood firm on her faith. She believed in treating every single human being with dignity and honor. She put a washer and dryer in every single home.
At the grand opening, an emotional woman in her 50s walked up to Denise with tears streaming down her face and said, "This is the first time in my life I have ever had a washer and dryer in my own home." That emotional moment is exactly what the work of Jesus looks like. It is a joyful place where a community room hosts weddings and milestone celebrations. Denise pushed through the midnight panic by laying it all on the line for God, and He met her at the finish line. As she prepares to hand this beautiful multigenerational legacy down to her daughter, Maya, Denise’s life stands as an inspiring monument for every young student and aspiring leader: when you build your life on obedience and love, God will build something through you that time can never destroy.
Author: Jovilyn Abella
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“As CEOs have to remember, you know, sometimes you need to get out of the way and let the let the Lord work. Get out of the way.”
