Book signing celebrates hometown writer

On Saturday, Sept. 7, 2001 Hot Springs County High School graduate Kyle Brost will be hosting a books signing at Storyteller.

Brost spent most of his childhood in Thermopolis, and the town is home to his mother and stepfather, Janice and Gary Otheiser, and his father and stepmother, Jay and Diana Brost.

Following graduation Brost went to work for his father, who at the time was living in Alaska. He then did mission work for his church in Santa Rosa, Calif., before starting schooling at the University of Wyoming in 2004.

While at UW, he started a small carpet cleaning business, which he later sold in 2006 and moved to Kansas City, Kansas where he purchased a freight brokerage. Three years later, in 2009, he sold that business and began a corporate strategy consulting firm. Within this time frame he also earned his Bachelor’s in Psychology and his Master’s in Business at the University of Kansas.

After six years with the firm, Brost hit a pivotal moment, choosing to work instead with foundations and nonprofits, which led him to purchase and become chief executive of the Spark Policy Institute in May of 2017. He has been running the Denver-based institute ever since, and shortly after his first year it was recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the 5,000 fastest growing companies. Brost has also been made a member of the Forbes Coaches Council.

Brost’s book, “Escalate: The Practical Guide to Get Yourself Unstuck and Build Lifelong Momentum,” will be available for signing at the Sept. 7 event. Brost said there is a planner that goes with the book as well, to implement the steps provided in the book.

Signings will be from 8:30-9 a.m. From 9-9:15 a.m., Brost will share some stories and examples not found in the pages. This will be followed up with a brief question-and-answer period and more signings to wrap things up.

Brost said it’s always nice to come back to his hometown, noting that anyone who grew up in Wyoming surely feels like the whole state has an atmosphere of one big town, and he feels like bringing something of value back. When a small child, he said, it was a wonder to see how people became successful.

One of his favorite quotes he likes to share is “You can get wherever you want to go from where you are.”