SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD
Denver, Colorado · Food service · Second-chance entrepreneurship
Original reporting: Kiara DeMare, Denverite · September 16, 2026
Dan Klehm left a California prison about 30 years ago with no high school or college education. Today, at 56, he owns Convict Coffee, which recently opened its third shop at Colfax Avenue and York Street in Denver, Denverite reports.
Klehm told Denverite he was in and out of incarceration from age 13. A California criminal record he provided to the reporter lists felony charges from 1987 through 1997. After his release, he took a job at Applebee’s and, by his account, rose to become a vice president there, later moving up the ladder at several restaurant chains. He said he doubts that climb would be possible today, when background checks are far more common.
In 2023, at 53, he left corporate restaurants to start his own business. The first Convict Coffee opened in Parker; a shop near the University of Denver followed in May, then the Colfax location. The company hires people with criminal records, has worked with programs including the Realness Project and the Juvenile Assessment Center, and limits pay so that no one, Klehm included, earns more than five times an entry-level wage. Denverite reports it has raised more than $200,000 for people in prison and those who have been released.
The story does not say how many employees have records. A nonprofit arm and franchise opportunities for five-year employees are plans, not yet in place.
Location Decision takeaway
Second-chance hiring is usually framed as an employer’s choice. Klehm’s path shows it can also be a business model built by someone who once needed that chance, and small reentry-minded businesses can advance workforce and commercial-corridor goals at the same time.
Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.
Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Kiara DeMare, Denverite, September 16, 2026.