Year: 2013

2014 Top Chamber Priorities

After a very successful 2013, which included helping retain Woodward in Fort Collins, the Chamber is focused on six top priorities for 2014:

Find candidates for 2015 City Council elections. Local government has a big impact on business. Having people on the Council at least willing to consider the impact of government policies on business and the economy is very important to the community’s wellbeing. Increase public advocacy of the Chamber’s Jobs Agenda. Th...

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It All Begins with Why

Purpose matters. Why your organization exists drives your decisions and actions.Inspired by a TED presentation by Simon Sinek, the author of the “Start With Why,” last year the Chamber Board had a series of conversations about the Chamber and its purpose. The ‘Start With Why’ discussions were very interesting and really engaged board members. It was clear this was not an intellectual exercise. This was about their hearts. They aren’t investing t...

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Much to be Thankful For

With 50 degree weather forecast for the next week, it’s almost hard to believe that it’s Thanksgiving. But, this being Colorado, we’ll take it!Thankfulness is something I try to practice every day, but it’s top of mind for most of us this time of year. With even just a little reflection, we realize how much is going right in our lives.Here’s a short, short version of my ‘thankful’ list:

Top of the list, my family, followed by my...

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Senate Majority Leader Rollie Heath Visits Chamber Board

At the meeting of the Chamber’s Board of Directors yesterday, State Senate Majority Leader Rollie Heath stopped in for a visit. Senator Heath is a Democrat from Boulder and has been a champion for education reform, including Amendment 66, which failed at the polls two weeks ago.Senator Heath is doing a listening tour around the state.The conversation about education reform was a good one. We all agreed that strong public education is important to the future of Colorado...

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King / Queen for a Day: What Public Projects Would You Want Done?

Are there public capital projects you want to see built here in Fort Collins? The kind of things I’m talking about would be new streets or widening of existing streets, new community recreation centers, bike lanes or trails, fire stations, police equipment, park improvements, and the timing of traffic lights to name a few.The reason I’m asking is because conversations are underway in City Hall about the next capital improvement tax package to bring to voters. The Building on Basics &...

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Public Supports More Water Storage

Water is always a sensitive topic in the West. Other places drink it, we fight over it! Even as I look out the window as I write this at the gray sky and damp street and think about the scenes of devastation from the floods only six weeks ago, our water problems in Northern Colorado are usually about not having enough of the stuff rather than having too much.The residents of Larimer and Weld counties understand the need for water development based on a poll recently conducte...

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Strong Economy, Sticking Up for Biz, Widening I-25

As a member of the Chamber, you are probably aware of the Moving Fort Collins Forward! campaign now underway. It’s a volunteer-led effort to secure the resources for the Chamber to operate next year and accomplish key things for the community and business community.Three strategic initiatives being promoted during the campaign involve promoting the local economy, sticking up for business and supporting infrastructure projects. Here’s a little bit of information a...

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Who is Moving to Colorado?

Census data released last month gives some interesting insights about where Americans are moving. Last year, states welcomed 8.9 million new residents. 7.1 million Americans moved from one state to another and the other 1.8 million were people moving from abroad.Governing magazine compiled data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. You can find an article about their findings here along with a great tool to look at moving data for each state.The findings ...

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Amendment 66 is a Costly Disappointment

Ballots will be in the mail soon for the November elections. In the near future you’ll receive a special election electronic newsletter from the Chamber with our positions with background information.In the meantime, I want to get a head start by briefing you on Amendment 66 and letting you know that the Chamber opposes it.As its name indicates, this is an amendment. In this case, it’s an amendment to the state constitution. Amendment 66:

raises the state in...

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Government and People at Their Best

The floods of 2013 were historic and devastating. It will take years and a lot of treasure to put right what Mother Nature rearranged.

 

Rescue operations are winding down and relief and recovery are now underway. I participated in a couple of sessions last week focused on getting the highway infrastructure rebuilt. State officials inc...

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