Daily Inspiration: Meet Barrett Marrocco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Barrett Marrocco.

Hi Barrett, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. Tell us about your story.
After spending a summer coaching youth sports in Indianapolis in my mid-20s, I realized it was time to focus on the next chapter in life: building a career and starting a family. With no job lined up, I packed up everything I owned and followed my family west to Colorado.

While I was at Purdue, my sister had relocated to Denver, gotten married, and started a family. When my nephew was born, my parents moved from our hometown in the Greater Boston area to be closer to their first grandchild. I knew that if I wanted to put myself in the best position for this next phase of life, I needed to join them in Colorado.

Opportunities came quickly. After replying to a job posting on Indeed, I found myself driving out to Candelas, a beautiful up-and-coming development, for an interview that would change the course of my career. That’s when I met Guy Ford—the owner of the firm and someone who would become one of the most influential mentors in my life. Within five minutes of the interview, I knew I’d found the right fit.

Guy had one clear passion: playing a pivotal role in developing amenity-rich communities across Colorado. He was the kind of leader who challenged his team to think deeply and critically. He didn’t hand out answers—he guided you toward them. You had to show up prepared, or you’d hear about it. That expectation drove me to aim higher and think bigger.

A few years later, Guy sold the company. I stayed through the transition, and that’s when I saw just how much his mentorship had shaped me. I approached every challenge with focus, persistence, and a clear understanding of the bigger picture. I was determined to help clients turn vision into reality. I wanted to become the next “Guy”—a respected leader known for getting things done, and doing them right.

The new ownership group gave me the runway to grow into the engineer, mentor, and leader I aspired to be. Over the next few years, we scaled the company from five to fifteen employees. I was seeing my professional dreams begin to materialize.

Then came the turning point. On a rainy day during a quarterly leadership session, a business coach brought in by the company challenged our team to have the tough conversations we’d been avoiding. The discussion got heated—in the best way possible. At one point, after a passionate exchange, the coach looked directly at me and said, “It’s the owner’s house on the line, not yours. If you feel that strongly, maybe you should leave and start your own company.”

That was all I needed to hear.

Shortly after welcoming our second child into the world, it became clear to my wife and me that the company was no longer home. It was time to build something of our own, brick by brick. On my father’s birthday, May 7th, I founded The Connextion Group, LLC. I knew there was no better gift I could give than to follow in his footsteps as an entrepreneur and build something meaningful.

Now, it’s time for one of my visions to become a reality—and I’m embracing every person who joins me on this journey to bring it to life.

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?
Every business owner and leader knows the road is never entirely smooth. While the challenges vary, everyone faces hurdles that test their resolve. Much like when I left Indiana for Colorado without a job, I took another leap of faith years later—this time with far more on the line: my family’s future. My daughter had just turned two, and my son was less than two months old when I launched The Connextion Group. With no income and daycare costs rising, I leaned heavily on my wife to help keep our household financially afloat during those early days.

Shortly after offering my now-business partner, Chase Hanusa, equity in the company, we were served with a cease and desist—alleging we had solicited a former client and breached a prior agreement. While we stood firm in knowing we had done nothing wrong, we chose to take the high road: we stepped back from the opportunity and took careful steps to avoid even the appearance of overlap. It meant starting almost entirely from scratch—setting aside relationships I had cultivated for nearly a decade and focusing on building new ones.

Fortunately, our reputation for delivering thoughtful, creative solutions to complex problems opened new doors. Around that time, Utah had passed legislation that made it possible to support development in ways similar to Colorado. We saw it as both a clean slate and a smart pivot. Even with the pressures of raising two young kids and managing legal, travel, and operating costs from our savings—we believed in the bet we were placing on ourselves.

We could’ve seen those early challenges as setbacks too big to overcome. We could’ve folded. But that’s not who we are. That’s not what The Connextion Group is about.

Our mission is to help bring amenity-rich communities to life—places where people thrive. When a client trusts us to help solve complex development challenges, we stop at nothing to deliver. We connect them with the right people, resources, and ideas to make their vision a reality. That drive—to serve, to solve, and to build—keeps us moving forward, no matter the obstacles.

One year in, our challenges have evolved. With the dispute resolved, we were able to rebuild—and, in many cases, strengthen—the relationships we had previously developed. The outpouring of support from the industry confirmed we were on the right path. In fact, we had to be intentional about spacing out the onboarding of returning clients to ensure we could properly support each relationship at the standard we hold ourselves to. We’re incredibly grateful for the patience and understanding our clients showed during that process. It reached a point where Chase and I knew it was time to grow the business further to serve our clients at the highest level. Today, our challenges are the typical ones faced by any growing business: finding the right talent to help bring our vision to life, delivering timely solutions for our clients, and staying in compliance with an ever-evolving list of business and tax regulations.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At The Connextion Group, we specialize in helping public and private stakeholders bring complex development visions to life—especially in communities that rely on public financing tools like metropolitan districts and PIDs. We work at the intersection of engineering, finance, and governance to guide project owners, developers, and municipalities through every phase of infrastructure development. Whether it’s coordinating with legal teams, engineers, or district managers, our goal is always the same: provide smart, transparent solutions that help our clients move forward with confidence.

What sets us apart is our understanding of how development, public finance, and stakeholder engagement intersect—and our ability to communicate across all three. We’re not just technical consultants. We’re problem-solvers, facilitators, and advocates for the long-term success of every project we touch. Our clients often call on us not just for deliverables, but for guidance through decisions that shape entire communities.

We’re most proud of our reputation for showing up when it matters most. Whether we’re helping future inhabitants and users of a district by reviewing infrastructure as if it were our own neighborhood, or making recommendations to ensure that public acquisitions serve both the developer and the community with integrity, our approach remains the same: do the right thing—always. Both developers and residents know they can trust us to prioritize what’s fair, sound, and sustainable. We’re here to serve the public good—by helping build communities where people truly want to live, work, and thrive.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Relentless follow-through.

If there’s one trait that has carried us through every challenge, it’s our commitment to follow through—on the work, on our word, and on the trust our clients place in us. We don’t just solve problems—we stay with them until they’re resolved the right way, no matter how complex the path. That kind of tenacity builds trust, and in our business, trust is everything.

It’s easy to show up when things are going well. What sets us apart is how we show up when things get tough—when a project hits a snag, when stakeholders disagree, or when there’s no clear answer yet. We’re at our best in those moments because we’re willing to do the hard work to connect the dots, bring people together, and move the project forward.

That mindset also fuels our willingness to take risks when the cause is worth it. Starting this business with two young children at home and no guarantees wasn’t easy—but it was purposeful. I want to build something my kids can be proud of someday. When they’re old enough to understand what we’ve built, I want them to see that we took the hard road, we stayed true to our values, and we made something meaningful—not just for ourselves, but for the communities we serve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theconnextiongroup.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-connextion-group-llc