Krystopher Fakir (Photo by Bryan Oller)
By Sarah McMahon
From his brief stint as an intern for the Olympic Training Committee in 2013, Krystopher Fakir knew Colorado Springs was where he wanted to one day settle with a family and a community.
“Colorado Springs just had this aura about it that resonated with my energy, and I was like, this is the place that I want to settle and start everything over start from scratch and just get rooted into the community itself,” Fakir says.
So, in 2020, he moved here from North Carolina to start his business — creative marketing and therapeutic art space, K.F.E LLC, in Old Colorado City. He brings a host of experience with a background as assistant marketing director for World Wrestling Entertainment and degrees in marketing and new media journalism. Fakir refers to himself as a “creativepreneur” and works to partner businesses with local artistry.
Of the niche company, Fakir says, “it’s an umbrella company with two brands: one that focuses on public relations and creative marketing construction, and the other one, which is in the process of growing, is a therapeutic art space that enables artists — which is a very ambiguous term — of all sorts to come and feel safe in an environment that works best for them.”
“K.F.E LLC is a means to serve the community through creative expression. His company provides traditional digital content creation blended with artistic representation. The unique thing about Krys is that his workplace is synonymous with the community,” says Chip Frazer, nominator of this award, and Rotary Club of Colorado Springs member.
Fakir, too, has been an active member of the Rotary Club since his arrival in the Springs. He currently serves as the co-chair of Rotary FLIGHT, director of public relations, and creative specialist.
“I want the artist community to thrive.”
Community leader and founder of The Men’s Xchange, James Proby, says in his nomination of Fakir, “He is someone who completely understands community vitality and supporting small local businesses for the greatest impact.”
Not only does Fakir say he works to mainly support local businesses through funding and personal shopping, he is actively working on partnering small businesses to host regular brunches for local artists and creatives in a free event to “come together in fellowship.”
“As a creative, I want the artist community to thrive and feel like they are able to set themselves apart from the traditional concept of what an artist is,” says Fakir. “I want to help companies feel connected to their community and tell their stories in a very specific and creatively detailed way.”
And he’s enthusiastic about our local artist community. “There’s a lot more open-mindedness here than where I’m coming from, which seems very confined,” Fakir says. “Being very honest, it was very oppressive towards the marginalized community. And here seems like they are looking to reach out and embrace diversity because they understand that change needs to happen.”
As a proponent of change himself, Fakir is now a Mayor’s Civic Leaders Fellow. The program introduces and educates future civic leaders in city government. He’s part of a cohort that will help make future decisions about the city.
He also is organizing two fundraising events for the upcoming year, partnering K.F.E with local Rotary Clubs. The first will run at the end of September, to include BIPOC artists in the community. Proceeds will benefit Colorado Springs School District 11 schools. And the second will run in the spring to benefit other districts in the area.
With his wife, Kiersten, Fakir is eagerly awaiting twin boys, fulfilling his dream of settling down and laying roots.
“He creates synergy daily by addressing needs of underserved communities and is simply a person of impeccable character,” says Frazer. “He is a go-getter who eschews negativity and promotes harmony, synergy, and love for each other. To know Krys is to love him for his strength and conviction.”