It’s wonderful to have an occasional rainy day in the middle of summer. As someone who grew up on the eastern plains of Colorado, I always appreciate moisture coming from the sky! Rainy days inspire me to pause and reflect, even in the hustle of everyday demands. Below is a catch-all of today’s observations.
Hats off to Chamber member and long-time volunteer Carrie Gillis! Carrie is the Real Estate Manager for a grouping of businesses here in northern Colorado and was inducted int...
Sunshine, outdoor patios and summer break have been taking over my mind the last week or so. It is so exciting to see people out and about, supporting our businesses and celebrating a return to the new normal. I hope that you and your family are also enjoying all that summer has to offer.
But I also need to take over a small bit of your brain to think about action in the name of business. We have a number of opportunities that are circulating throughout the community that are in need of...
As we noted last week, we have officially launched the public phase of Northern Colorado Prospers 2.0 – a five-year catalytic initiative for regional economic growth and a $4 million campaign to fund its implementation.
In my first six months as CEO, I’ve had the great opportunity to talk with more than 80 key employers in Northern Colorado. In those conversations I’ve been able to share the work we’ve accomplished on behalf of the regional business community and where we are headed...
Change, change, change. If there is anything that we’ve learned about a pandemic it’s that things will not stay the same very long.
This last weekend was another one of those change moments for us during the pandemic. The CDC came out with their new mask guidance, Larimer County ended their public health orders and the City of Fort Collins ended their local face cover order. At the same time, the State of Colorado amended their face cover order.
As organizations that work closely with businesses on a daily basis, we want to understand the challenges your business continues to face in 2021.
We previously used results from regional and organizational surveys during this pandemic to help catalyze, design and mobilize funding tools, such as local loan funds and other local government or chamber of commerce responses, including some tax deferment, rebate and micro-grant programs.
We are collecting this information to better serve our b...
As the Fort Collins Area Chamber Executive Vice President, and now as it’s CEO, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to sit in on very interesting conversations. I’m a person that is incredibly curious, so miscellaneous data is always welcome to come my way. Today I thought I would share some of the data points that have come across my desk this week that might be beyond your typical bubble of information….
The SBA opened up another round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fundi...
I had the tremendous pleasure of serving on a panel during the BizWest Economic Forecast today. The panel included economic developers from across the northern Colorado region and provided an opportunity for all of us to do some story telling about the incredible collaborative environment that we have been functioning in the last 12 months.
Chris Wood did a great job leading the panel through consideration of several issues including:
Regionalism and the integration of economic developme...
Over the weekend I posted on my Facebook page that I was energized by the fact that I got to put on my CSU Ram gear on Game Day. Yes, my wardrobe is filled with green and gold—but there is something special about getting ready to cheer on your team (even if it is from your living room).
As I got ready for Game Day, I was struck by the fact that we all have a role in being a cheerleader and a fan of business during these uncertain times.
I’m so proud of the work that our economic partne...
There is a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here are a few things on my mind, big and small.
I’m thankful for the recalibration of 2020. It is clearer than ever that many things are really not at all important; others are vital. 2020 provided clarity.
Frontline healthcare professionals are a treasure. At a certain level, we’ve always been thankful for their skills. Now we’re very thankful. The same goes for all of the support people behind them. For every nurse on the Covid-...
Recently, I was invited to brief a bank board about Northern Colorado Prospers and my perspectives on where the economy is headed as we try to climb out of the Covid-hole. A PDF copy of my PowerPoint presentation can be found here.
In the middle of the presentation and in the ‘bonus slides’ section at the end you’ll find some interesting data. Some of it is unsurprising: initial unemployment claims filings soared mid-March through mid-April. The economic downturn was widespread but part...
