Daily Inspiration: Meet Ashley Hermes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Hermes.

Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 1995 my family built the only indoor sports complex in the Appleton, WI area. After 27 years of successful operations, they retired and the community staple unfortunately died with them, as did my dreams of taking over the family business one day. After college I moved to Colorado and fell in love with the mountains. As a social worker for the Colorado Department of Human Services for 15 years, it was now my turn to give back to a community in a different way. Fast forward to 2025 when my partner and I moved to the mountains near Conifer, Colorado where healthy and active locals have very little to do that is healthy and active for their families during the winter months. When we asked locals what families and youth do for fun, they stated that they hang out in local grocery store parking lots. I was shocked to hear that in such a vibrant and active community, locals have to drive down the hill into the city for activities. I then began asking locals how they would feel about an indoor sports complex in the heart of the community and the way people lit up with that question was all I needed to move quickly on creating a business plan and diving into research in order to strategically plan a tailored business to the 285 corridor. We are privately funded and while we would love to provide the community with all of the Rec center amenities, it simply is not in our budget. It’s important to understand that we are not a Rec center and our focus will heavily be on teams and leagues for as many sports and activities as possible. We secured one of the few commercially zoned properties in the area, acquired massive donations that got us halfway to our goal for starting the build, and developed meaningful relationships with a community that is filled with a long overdue excitement for a physical and mental healthy outlet for all ages.

My partner and I are building a 32k sq ft indoor sports complex that will offer leagues from 6-adults for soccer, flag football, basketball, volleyball and pickleball. We also hope to have space for lacrosse, baseball and other fun activities such as dodgeball, kickball, ultimate frisbee, etc. We will have tournaments and events as well. We also will have a 3k sq ft bouldering wall and meeting rooms for birthday parties. What we will provide the community will be an incredible asset and positive impact for everyone! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The entrepreneurial dream has been a three decade dream in the works. I’ve owned a few businesses part time and co-authored children’s books on Amazon, but to dedicate 100% of my career and self-sufficiency to my own business, has been decades of hard work, tenacity and turning ‘no’s’ into opportunities. While taking over the family business in WI was a dream, it was never a dream to move back to WI. Being able to continue the family legacy of starting an indoor soccer complex, and in the mountains of Colorado, often leaves me speechless that this is a reality. To build this life and start this family business journey with my partner overwhelms me with gratitude. After moving the the community, we quickly learned of the core struggles with businesses in the area which include, but are not limited to, finding an appropriately zoned commercial property and finding a property where water usage wouldn’t be disruptive or an issue for the community. We also have been told that our project will take much longer to receive a permit and with more financial requirements by Jefferson County, which is extremely disappoint and something that we did not see coming. Despite this hurdle, we will continue to push forward and work towards providing the community with a multifaceted outlet of pro social activities.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My passion for entrepreneurship and innovation has been lifelong. Although my career has been in social work, I also dabbled into life coaching, certified health coaching, was a licensed realtor in two states and created a youth mental health business. My youth mental health business, Turtleback Ridge, was created to provide youth with a tangible self-regulated breathing tools to reduce anxiety. I created 12 characters that were relatable to common youth childhood diagnoses (ADHD, OCD, ASD, etc) that appeared in my children’s books to appeal to youth. The characters emulated healthy coping skills and were designed to slow breath through exhaling to reduce anxiety and reactivity. The children’s books served as a guide and a therapeutic/parent guide was attached via a QR code in each book. The self-regulated breathing tool characters were close to manufacturing, however, never came to fruition. My lifelong goal is to help youth, our future, thrive in the world while being their authentic selves.

Resource about former business- Soccer Heaven is also in the local newspaper article:

https://www.canyoncourier.com/news/fundraiser-to-support-planned-sports-complex-in-conifer/article_87e8ad85-0a14-4771-93d8-4885b2699c47.html

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My absolute best advice is to do life as authentically as possible. Emotional intelligence is a key component in learning how to connect with others and for overall happiness. As mentioned in a personal favorite book of mine, ‘The Happiness Advantage’, success does not define happiness, but rather happiness drives success. Having a solid and authentic relationship with yourself is imperative to solid and genuine relationships with others in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mountainmamassportscomplex.com/
• Instagram: @mountain_mamas_sports_complex
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582280315151

Image Credits
All of the pictures except the AI one are from Soccer Heaven, my former business. The field on the large field will be the exact field/arena that will be in our business. This field is 180′ x 80′. The image with the track up top is an AI render of what it may closely resemble, however, not exact because we won’t offer individual gym equipment at this time.