Like many Colorado newcomers, Mike Gentile fell in love with the state while living here temporarily. Gentile grew up outside of Chicago and went to Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the early 2000s. After graduating, Gentile moved back to Illinois for a job. “But I always knew I was coming back,” he says. “It was just a matter of when.” Fast-forward to today and Gentile is a married dad with three daughters and a bustling outdoor store in Castle Rock called the Spirit of 1876. The name alludes to the year the Centennial State entered the Union while the retail store’s product line embraces Colorado’s nature-centric lifestyle.