AMY SUFAK
President & Founder
Amy Sufak, president and founder of Red Energy Public Relations, Advertising & Events, is a speaker, trainer and award-winning published writer who has worked in the public relations and marketing industry for more than 30 years. She’s passionate about building awareness for organizations and helping them stay visible.
Founded in 2008, the Red Energy team provides public relations, crisis communications, advertising, graphic design, event production and social media management to dozens of clients across the US including Re/Max, UCLA, Smashburger, Chick-fil-A and Bonefish Grill. Colorado-based work includes Colorado Indulgence Festival, Garden of the Gods Club, Promenade Shops at Briargate, The Pinery, Garden of the Gods Gourmet, Till, Nor’wood Development Group, Wolf Ranch, Colorado Dermatology Institute, Ent Credit Union, Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery Associates and Sweet Celebrations Children’s Spa among others.
Amy has routinely worked with CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX News, ESPN, National Public Radio, BBC, Telemundo, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Time Magazine, Good Morning America, Animal Planet and Social Media Influencers. She has logged 2,800 hours of executive media coaching and crisis communication training. Her global crisis communications experience includes handling international news and social media response efforts for aircraft crashes, truck bombs, mass shootings, hostage and terrorism negotiations, sex scandals, embezzlement, federal, state and local investigations surrounding crimes which involve deaths and serious injuries.
She is an active public-relations professional, civic leader and nonprofit volunteer throughout the Front Range of Colorado business community. She’s been recognized among the top business professionals in the region by the Colorado Springs Business Journal as a Women of Influence. She was also named one of the top 5 most influential business leaders in Colorado by Colorado Business Magazine. She was named Public Relations Person of the Year for the state of Colorado by the Public Relations Society of America when her agency was first launched.
Before founding Red Energy, Amy was the Regional Director of Public Relations and Community Affairs for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, the flagship of Centura Health, Colorado’s largest healthcare provider. Her Colorado Springs region included Penrose Hospital, St. Francis Health Center, Penrose Community Hospital, and the Langstaff-Brown Urgent Care Center in Woodland Park. She was also responsible for public relations for the $207-million St. Francis Medical Center, the largest regional medical center at the time in Southern Colorado.
Amy joined Centura following a distinguished career with the U.S. Air Force. For 11 years in the Department of Defense, she worked in community outreach, media relations, legislative affairs, marketing and strategic communications for six Air Force units; primarily Space, Missile and Homeland Defense. During her last three years, she served as chief of public affairs for the 21st Space Wing, headquartered on Peterson Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force’s largest geographical unit spread unit across six time zones and four continents, encompassing 44 separate units worldwide.
She served as a Department of Defense Public Affairs officer, speechwriter and spokesperson for 24 military conferences, political summits and military exercises in the United States, Honduras, Philippines, and the Republic of South Korea. She was the military support liaison for the USAF to NASA and also 12 major movie, television and print media projects strategically communicating the U. S. Air Force’s operational and humanitarian missions to millions worldwide.
She’s led the meticulous coordination of more than 1400 events in her career, including summer concert productions, military/state dinners, private, political & promotional events, weddings, media conferences, air shows and celebrity, legislative & presidential distinguished visitor tours. Her events have drawn audiences in the millions.
Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Simmons College in Boston and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from the Boston University Military Sciences program. She earned a master’s degree in Business Management from Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu. She also graduated from the University of Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management Entrepreneurial Program.
CORTNEY QUINTERO
Vice President of Strategic Communications
With more than 14 years of public relations, marketing, and event production experience, Cortney has strategized and executed full-service international campaigns for clients in a vast array of industries. Industries of expertise include communication technology, entertainment, healthcare, franchises, construction and development, non-profits, global luxury retail brands, education, finance, government, energy and sustainability, and hospitality. Additionally, her training and experience in crisis communication have helped clients from national enterprises to local organizations proactively prepare for and navigate crises ranging from natural disasters and brand reputation management to active shootings.
Cortney is passionate about strengthening a company’s brand and effectively communicating their message through a variety of results-driven tactics with long-term efficacy as the goal. Her experience in public and media relations, graphic design, event production, and brand management has allowed her to fluidly communicate client messaging through strategic print, radio, digital, and broadcast media outlets.
Cortney's media results have included top-tier placement in outlets such as The New York Times, The Denver Post, Forbes, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Seattle Times, CNN, National Public Radio, Colorado Homes & Lifestyles, Associated Press, 303 Magazine, Out There Colorado, The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Business Journal, Boston Herald, Doctors Quarterly, SiliconANGLE, the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, MarketWatch, and This Old House.
Her brand campaigns have resulted in dozens of successful mergers, launches, and expansions ranging from small businesses to corporate enterprises. Additionally, her event experience has resulted in the planning and production of hundreds of groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, grand openings, festivals, private ceremonies, and industry-specific promotional launches nationwide. In line with her passion for planning strategic events, she has secured sponsorships with notable brands including Tesla Motors, E&J Gallo Winery, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Sephora.
While she now calls Colorado home, Cortney grew up in Germany and has lived in Washington, Oklahoma, Texas, and England. Cortney's passions include being an active member of Protect Our Winters, serving on the Board of Directors for the Cerebral Palsy Association of Colorado Springs, and serving on the Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce's Programs Committee. During her free time, she loves traveling, watercolor painting, remodeling and staging homes, being active outdoors, and trail running as she trains for her next marathon with her energetic cattle dog.
Katy Houston
Assistant Director, Public Relations & Marketing
Katy has more than a decade of experience developing data-driven content, communications and digital marketing strategies that grow audiences and strengthen brands across private, nonprofit and government sectors. Her expertise spans content strategy, public relations, strategic communications, brand storytelling, social media, analytics, and AI-powered marketing, helping organizations increase engagement, expand their digital presence and achieve measurable results.
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She is passionate about building vibrant communities and forging authentic connections, a focus that shapes both her professional work and the causes she supports. She has worked with organizations including Springs Rescue Mission, Downtown Colorado Springs, the Town of Castle Rock and Springs Media. She proudly serves on the board of Hey Neighbor, a nonprofit that creates vibrant communities by facilitating connection within Colorado Springs neighborhoods.
An Air Force family brought Katy to Colorado Springs in the early 1990s, and the city has been home ever since. She built her life there, attending high school and college, raising a family and serving the community she loves. When she isn't working, Katy loves spending time with her husband, her children, her precious granddaughter, and her 9-year-old golden retriever, Millie, whose dedication to sniffing every blade of grass keeps their walks at a steady 30-minute mile.