T.J. Mecomber Russi
President
Chief Executive Officer
TJ is a Wyoming native, born in Cheyenne and raised both there and in the Denver Colorado Metropolitan area. She makes her home on 160 acres near Burns Wyoming, midway between Cheyenne and the Nebraska state line. TJ has an extensive rodeo and media related background. She attended Cheyenne Frontier Days for the first time at the age of 4 months when her parents were broadcast journalists for the local television station, she hasn't missed the event since. She became a member of the arena crew for the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver Colorado in 1992 later going on to manage and schedule the crew for that show for 7 years. She has been a member of the crew at numerous PRCA sanctioned rodeos including those in Evergreen, Grover and Greeley, Colorado as well as amateur and Little Britches shows.
In 1976 she began working for The Denver Stars, a part of Major League Rodeo as team photographer. The following year she moved into the Media Coordinator position. She received her A.A in Commercial Photography from T.H. Pickens in 1978. She has been a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association photographer as well as working freelance promotional, portrait and advertising photography.
TJ now has more than 25 years of experience in Customer Service, Public Relations and Communications. She served as the Media Center Director for Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Worlds Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration for the last 8 years where her duties included designing media kits, press releases, and the approval and scheduling of media requests and interviews for in excess of 800 members of the working press each year. She has recently joined the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Association.
TJ has been married to Norm for 31 years and they have 2 adult children and a son in law. She enjoys travel, reading, photography, playing the piano and spending time with friends.
TJ@BHE-Inc.com or TJ@blackhatenterprisesinc.com
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Norman R. Russi
Vice President
Chief Operation Officer
Norman Russi considers Wyoming home. He is the eldest son of a U.S. Naval family and grew up on both coasts and spent time in Okinawa before his parents retired to Cheyenne. After a stint in the Navy himself, he returned to Cheyenne then moved to the Denver metropolitan area. Spending almost 20 years there he finally returned home in 1997
His rodeo experience didn't begin until he was "roped" into helping his brother in law at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver some 18 years ago. He went on to schedule and manage the timed event area there and has been a member of the arena crew at numerous rodeos including Greeley and Evergreen Colorado.
In addition to his duties with Black Hat Enterprises, Norm builds rail and parts for Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroads among others for VAE Nortrak North America. He has a strong background in Customer Service and Management. Norm is skilled at negotiations, mediation and scheduling having spent 20 years in Contract Security and as a dispatch officer for the Cheyenne Police Department.
Norm and T.J. have 2 children.
Norm's personal interests include, hunting, fishing, camping and travel when he gets the time. He has been a volunteer member of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Public Relations Committee for 8 years serving as a host to visiting media, VIP's, sponsors and visiting rodeo committees.
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Dennis Cody
Vice President
Chief Information Officer
Dennis Cody is originally from Laramie, Wyoming. He spent parts of his childhood in Laramie, Sidney, Nebraska, and Sterling, Colorado. He now makes his home in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
Dennis spent holidays and summer vacations around farms and ranches both in Wyoming and Colorado working with cattle, horses and other ranch related jobs. He also has a strong background in rodeo, working at the Denver Stock Show and Rodeo, Evergreen Rodeo, and various other rodeos in Colorado and Wyoming from 1989 until the present. He worked as part of the arena crew as gate man for the rough stock events, sorting livestock, working at the stripping chute, and other arena crew duties.
He has over 30 years of professional experience in customer service, retail, distribution, logistics and operations. He is currently employed by a major U.S. distributor of aftermarket parts and accessories for the Power Sport industry in inventory control. Dennis has over 25 years experience in recorded music entertainment in nightclubs as well as mobile disk jockey events, specializing in Country music. He has also done on site client promotional events for radio station KZDG in Colorado. He is in his fifth year as a volunteer for Cheyenne Frontier Days, a member of the Media Team for the Public Relations committee. He has also lends his skills to ABATE (A Brotherhood Active Towards Education) a not for profit motorcyclists organization.
Dennis’ formal education included fine art, commercial art, and photography and his studies included travel throughout Europe with extensive studies in Florence, Italy.
Dennis’ personal interests include camping, fishing, music, cooking, travel, painting, and photography.
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Brandon Russi
Research & Development
Born in Fort Collins Colorado by a weird twist of fate, Brandon now resides in Burns Wyoming. Brandon most recently attended Laramie County Community College with studies in Computer Science and Communication. As the youngest member of the company Brandon brings fresh ideas and perspectives to a business seeped in history.
Brandon could ride by the time he was 2 and was entered by his Uncle in the Muttin' Bustin event at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo at the ripe old age of 4 (the youngest to ever compete there), thus beginning his rodeo career. He joined his parents as a working crew member at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo helping to sort timed-event stock at the age of 6. That same year he was invited to Muttin' Bust in an exhibition during the half-time show at the Denver Bronco's opening game.
Winning numerous rodeos, Brandon continued to compete in Muttin' Bustin until the age of 8 when he hit the age and weight limit but went on to coach at several events. Brandon also joined his parents as a member of the arena crew at Evergreen Colorado.
Brandon currently works for the Alliance for Self Determination in Cheyenne Wyoming as a respite provider, where he assists families of people with disabilities.
He continues to ride and currently owns a registered paint, Skips High Arbor (Arbor), primarily for pleasure.
Brandon's planning to return to school to study Culinary Arts following his Dad and most of his Uncles into the kitchen.
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Scott Parker
Team Member
Scott's involvement in rodeo spans some 30 years. He's been a working member of the arena crew at many front range rodeos including the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, Evergreen Colorado and the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo in Castle Rock, Colorado. Scott has also served as a committee member on the Douglas County rodeo, the Elizabeth Stampede rodeo and Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne Wyoming.
Has been a sponsor and coach for the Tri-County rodeo association and as a former bareback rider brings a perspective from the dirt up.
Scott has more than 17 years experience in the security industry including owning his own company, Parker Security. He currently works with the military in the state of Colorado in an electronic security division.
When not working, Scott's passion is cooking. He has a smoker going most of the time and loves to barbeque and experiment with various herbs and spices. He also finds time to work on the house that he and wife Gina recently purchased.
Scott and Gina have been married for 2 years and make their home in Castle Rock Colorado.
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Gina Parker
Team Member
Born and raised in Greeley Colorado, Gina worked in Cosmetology and Retail Management until the birth of her daughter. Returning to the workforce in the Douglas County school district she became one of the first paid school district Volunteer Coordinators in the country. Her programs boasted a minumum of one hour of recruited volunteer time for every student enrolled each month, the equivalent of approximately 600 hours total per month. While handling this daunting task, Gina attended Arapahoe Coummunity College and Regis University to obtain her Paralegal Degree and BA in Legal Studies.
A District Court Division Clerk with the 18th Judicial District for the last 9 years Gina has received numerous awards as a student and Judicial Branch employee. Gina also owns her own business preparing transcripts of legal proceedings at On the Record Transcribing.
Two and a half years ago she met and married Scott who rekindled her love of rodeo, the western lifestyle and the cowboy. Gina has one daughter, Alexis (Allie) who is 22 and expecting her first child in July.
Their pup Dakota shares her home with them in Castle Rock.
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Todd Nalder
Team Member-Sports Medicine Specialist
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