Thank you to everyone who attended and sponsored the State of the State last week. We appreciate your time and support of COBRT. We were honored to have Governor Jared Polis speak at the event and we hope you enjoyed the conversation.

Do you remember the story of the goose that laid the golden egg? It didn’t end well for the goose or the farmer. Rather than be grateful for the goose’s eggs, the farmer hoped to gain more gold by taking her to the butcher block. He ended up with no more golden eggs. The moral of the story? Appreciate your good fortune. Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Why bring up this child’s tale? These are golden economic times for the State of Colorado. 

According to the most recent CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business report, Colorado has one of the most robust economies in the nation. Colorado has an unemployment rate of 2.6 percent, one of the lowest in the nation. Our state ranked 4^th on the growth of personal income over the previous year and on labor force participation. Home values are growing. Businesses are expanding. Interest rates are stable. People continue to move to our state because of its economic dynamism and opportunity.

These are golden economic times. And, everyday Colorado businesses provide Coloradans across our state income and benefits, valuable products and services, tax revenue, and funding for vital charities. 

But like the golden goose in the tale, Colorado businesses are vulnerable because of our success. It’s easy to take prosperity for granted. It’s easy to forget that Colorado businesses—business owners, employees, and investors—are the foundation of our economic success. 

When business succeeds, people succeed, Colorado succeeds. This shared success is critical to keep all four corners of Colorado economically vibrant.

The Colorado Business Roundtable will continue to work with our allies - industry leaders, chambers of commerce, educational institutions and governmental bodies - to improve the business climate in our state. Our priorities include workforce development and education, transportation funding and infrastructure, regulation, sales and use tax simplification, tax reform, immigration and economic development. 

That’s part of our mission at the Colorado Business Roundtable… we will help Colorado see the good business does, so businesses have the freedom and flexibility to KEEP doing good for our state. 

Debbie Brown

President

Colorado Business Roundtable 

For the recently begun 2020 Colorado legislative session, businesses largely will have to define victories by the bills they stop or amend rather than those that they pass. But business-group leaders and legislators who are looking at how to help companies say they believe there are a few areas where they can proactively pass laws that make life just a little bit easier for employers.

Business Roundtable on Thursday applauded the Senate’s 89-10 vote to pass H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act. “Today’s historic vote in the U.S. Senate on USMCA demonstrates strong bipartisan support for preserving and strengthening the $1.4 trillion in North American trade supporting over 12 million American jobs,” said President & CEO Joshua Bolten in a statement. “We look forward to the President’s signature on this bill and will work closely with Congress and the Administration on USMCA implementation to ensure continued North American competitiveness.”

With a new year and, now, a new decade upon us, predictions are aplenty about what the future will hold. For many employers the "future of work" isn't somthing that merely preoccupies them as the year turns - it's something that persistently spins in their minds. Some of the projections are hair-raising, such as the World Economic Forum's estimate that 65% of children in primary school will work in jobs that do not yet exist. How do you prepare for that unknown?

Now that the attention of Colorado's political observers is officially looking forward to the remainder of the legislative session and the November elections, now is a good time for a fresh look at our state's voter registration trends. While not as revealing as actual turnout trends (more on those in later posts), comparing voter registration statistics over time can shed some light on the fundamental changes happening in Colorado. One way to do so is to isolate new registrants.

Denver-area mayors are dealing with growth pressures in a variety of ways, from developing smart transportation infrastructure to bringing in more primary employers, and need help from the state government - without any growth caps being imposed by voters - in order to continue the economic boom that has defined this region over the past several decades.

As we mark our first decade, we share the success of our first ten years with you and thank you for your support and generosity. I am proud to report that 2019 not only capped our first decade but was also a tremendously successful year for Common Sense Policy Roundtable. As a non-profit free-enterprise think tank dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorado's economy, our mission is to research and promote common-sense solutions for the most pressing public policy issues facing Colorado.

On June 10-12, 2020, one hundred Coloradans from all walks of life, from all corners of our state—both urban and rural—will attend the Colorado Capital Conference in Washington, D.C. 

Co-hosted by U.S, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), this bipartisan conference provides attendees key insights into how the U.S. government works as well as a chance to hear from and interact with our nation’s leaders.

Gino Campana, past participant and Owner/Founder of Bellisimo, Inc. located in Fort Collins says it best: “This conference was so much more than I expected. I was able to network with business leaders from across Colorado, and interact with political leaders from across the nation. The agenda was packed with high profile speakers from both sides of the political aisle, and we were given the chance to ask them candid, earnest questions in a personal setting. It was obvious that our two U.S. Senators—Senator Bennet and Senator Gardner—work well together despite their differences to provide this unique opportunity to Coloradans year-after-year." 

Participants are responsible for their own airfare and hotel accommodations (hotel block and room rate offered), plus a non-refundable registration fee of $425, which covers the cost of most meals.

Registration closes March 20, 2020. Attendees will be notified of their selection no later than April 17. Apply today!

Questions? Contact Event Coordinator Linde Marshall at 970.623.9388 (cell) or learn more at: Coloradomesa.edu/capital-conference

02/01/2020 - Wings over the Rockies: Drones: Is the Sky the Limit?

02/06/2020 - Colorado Women Chamber of Commerce: Top 25 Most Powerful Women Gala

02/19/2020 - ACEC of Colorado: Denver's New Building & Fire Code Amendments - What Owners Need to Know

03/10/2020 - COBRT: Aerospace Day at the Capitol

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Colorado Business Roundtable: Colorado Business Roundtable (COBRT) works to promote a thriving economy in Colorado through sound public policy by partnering with the business community and government. We believe good public policy will drive meaningful and lasting economic growth for Colorado where businesses can succeed.