It’s hard to focus on far away tomorrow when today is a hot mess. The economic disruption caused by the government shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has us focused on the here and now. Who can think about swimming the English Channel when they’re dog paddling to keep their head above water in their backyard pool?
Even so, Chamber leaders are looking ahead five years. The Chamber is in Year 4 of the five-year strategic initiative called Northern Colorado Prospers (NCP). NCP has been very productive for the region with a long list of successes, the biggest being the work now underway to widen North I-25.
How do we keep the momentum on important projects like Fix North I-25 and help the regional economy rebuild?
Those questions are being asked with an eye toward NCP 2.0. Absolutely nothing has been decided at this time other than to do feasibility work for a possible NCP 2.0 campaign. The big things that need attention and have been mentioned so far include:
- Stay focused on getting I-25 widened. This will require constant attention to keep the money already committed and to secure additional funds.
- The workforce development program – Talent 2.0 – is now on a dual track. Many companies still can’t find the talent they need while we have a significant number of dislocated workers.
- Business just got creamed by government closures. The voice for strong advocacy for business needs to be even louder.
- Re-ignite / rebuild the economy. Northern Colorado is damaged. How deep is the economic hole, what do we need to do to replace the lost jobs, what public policy changes need to take place? In short, the region needs a proactive economic development plan.
These ideas and others will be tested over the next couple of months. It you have things you want to make sure we consider, contact me at [email protected].