A CEO’s Insights

Unadulterated joy. That was the expression on the faces of more than 350 Pinnacol employees June 30 when we held a reunion picnic in the parking lot of our building. My expression was no different, and I can’t help but smiling again every time I think of that day. I’ve written a lot in this blog…

I moved to Denver 25 years ago and my appreciation for the things that make this such an attractive community continues to grow each year. Yet, one doesn’t have to live here to understand just how special we are as a community. Month after month, outside reports highlight and validate all that…

I’ll be leaving my post at the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation on Friday, March 31, completing 35 years on the Front Range of Colorado in a variety of economic development roles.  Doing regional economic development is easy, especially if you have lots of money on the table. But here…

As my time as CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Corp. dwindles down to a March 31retirement date, I’m finding myself reflecting on 35 years on the Front Range; and mostly responding to civic and business leaders about the great things that changed our lives since the 1980’s “Oil Bust Recession.”…

The Lufthansa A330-300 lifted off from the Munich Airport runway on May 11, heading to its newest destination – Denver, Colorado. The two airports have been “sisters” for 25 years, exchanging staff, learning from one another, copying one another’s best practices and, most importantly, working to…

Let’s not kid ourselves. Luck plays an important element in a region’s successful economic development. When it comes to luck, Metro Denver has had its share. For example, the Cold War set the stage for Colorado’s key role in aerospace when the Department of Defense needed a safe location out of…

Tom was recently interviewed by The Villager about the 2016 Industry Cluster Study and what we can expect for the year. The following article, by Jan Wondra, highlights Tom’s take on affordable housing and employment growth: “We are highly encouraged with the momentum we see in our industry…

The beginning of 2016 is a bit of a shock. National and international stock markets shudder with China’s pending recession. The Saudis continue to pump oil at prices like the 1970s, resulting in U.S. job losses just as we stand on the precipice of becoming both the No. 1 producer of natural gas AND…

In the early 90s, Metro Denver voters approved the Metropolitan Stadium District (MSD) as part of an effort to recruit Major League Baseball. The region had spent almost 20 years beseeching baseball’s owners for a team that would fill a fan void in the Rocky Mountain West. Metro voters, suspicious…

By 2022, China is expected to have over 630 million middle class citizens, spending $3.4 trillion annually according to Dominic Martin for The Diplomat. This new demographic already buys more flat panel TVs than most of the other prominent Asian economies combined. As China increasingly opens its…

Metro Denver is the epicenter of the "fly-over zone" – beautiful mountains, verdant plains, and few people. As the editor of the Times of London once wrote in the late 1990s, "Denver has no reason to exist. Perhaps that's why its inhabitants engage in such superlatives." He had flown here, non-…

Routes Americas, now in its 8th year, took place in Denver last week, marking the first time the event has been held in the United States. The event brought together leading airports, airlines, tourism authorities, policy-makers and other aviation stakeholders to develop new air services to, from…