In the Arena with Colorado Concern

Former US District Attorney for Colorado Jason Dunn joins the podcast to discuss the mounting problems with fentanyl use and how a recent Colorado state law complicates police efforts to combat the surge of drugs. 

In December, the Marshall Fire quickly spread across the towns of Superior and Lousiville, destroying more than 1,000 structures and causing more than $1 billion in damages. We are joined by the Mayors of these great towns, Clint Folsom from Superior and Ashley Stolzmann from Louisville, to discuss the impact of this tragic fire. We are also joined by Sally Ray, the Director of Domestic Funds for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy to talk about the Colorado Wildfire Fund and ways to help.  https://disasterphilanthropy.org/donate-to-the-colorado-wildfires-recovery-fund/

Troy Hill is a member of Colorado Concern and the Owner of Hill Petroleum, a full-service petroleum marketer with over 110 employees serving the Western half of the US. Hill Petroleum is a first source marketer for Chevron and a Master Distributor for Sunoco, Brad Penn Lubricants, and JAX. He joins us on the podcast to discuss the energy industry and the impact of state and local legislation on gas prices. 

Paul Pazen has been the Chief of Police for the City of Denver since 2018 and will retire in October.  Regular listeners will remember Chief Pazen on the podcast discussing the alarming role of personal recognizance bonds on the state of crime in the city. Today we zoom out and look at the city and statewide trends as well as hiring the next generation of officers. 

Today we discuss the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business 57th annual Colorado's Business Economic Outlook Report with Dr. Richard Wobbekind, the leading researcher behind the annual report. Things are looking up for the state as we emerge from the pandemic. Tune in to learn more. 

Chad Vorthmann is the Executive Vice President of the Colorado Farm Bureau, he has been with the organization since 2002 and recently helped produce the Future of Agriculture in Colorado Task Force Report. Today we discuss that report and dive into the policy dynamics at play for the future of our food system. 

Ed Sealover, a Senior Reporter from the Denver Business Journal, joins the podcast to discuss changes at the Colorado State Legislature and discussions underway to radically alter our tax code. 

Dr. Janine Davidson is the president of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado’s third-largest public university and the only access-oriented higher-education institution in the state. Dr. Davidson joins us to speak to the value proposition of higher education, how MSU is working with employers to train the next generation as well as the debate over free speech on America's campuses.

This is a live recording from our 2021 Defining Issues Breakfast. Colorado Concern has a bias for action, for a strong economic growth environment, and for getting results in the arena. The point of the Defining Issues forum is to identify evolving public policy areas that will define important aspects of Colorado's future. We know that business leaders can solve our biggest challenges when we come together to meet the issue head-on. We begin that journey by first understanding the challenges themselves. Our 2021 speakers included:Chris Wright - CEO and Chairman of the Board, Liberty Oilfield ServicesShoshana Lew - Executive Director, Colorado Department of TransportationMurphy Robinson - Deputy Mayor and Executive Director of Public Safety, City and County of DenverChetter Latcham - President, Shea Homes ColoradoMike Coffman - Mayor of AuroraWith special guest Governor Jared Polis

Colorado has become a hub for space. On the podcast, we explore Maxar Technologies and how this Colorado company is using its satellite technology to help Americans, and friends of Americans, escape Afghanistan safely. Dan Jablonsky is the President and CEO of Maxar and a member of Colorado Concern. 

In the second part of our deep dive on housing affordability, long-time board member Pat Hamill joins the podcast to discuss the role of labor and materials shortages on the housing stock in Colorado. Pat Hamill is the Chairman and CEO of Oakwood Homes, a premier master-plan developer and home builder in Colorado and Utah. He is also a founder of the Colorado Homebuilding Academy. 

We are joined by fellow Colorado Concern member Chetter Latcham to discuss how the regulatory process is accelerating Colorado's housing affordability crisis. Chetter Latcham is the President of the Colorado Division of Shea Homes, the largest privately-owned builder in the United States. 

Chris Wright is the CEO of Liberty Oilfield Services, the second biggest hydraulic fracturing company in North America. He is both a mountain climber and an MIT graduate who has been working in energy for over 30 years. As the author of more than 60 technical papers, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge to the important topic of energy and the environment. Bettering Human Lives: 2020 ESG Report: https://www.libertyfrac.com/bettering-human-lives-2020-esg-report/

Our guest this week is Jake Harriman, founder and CEO of a +More Perfect Union, a citizen-led movement working to heal the divide in our nation and make our government work for the people. Join us in a rich discussion about how to cultivate a new, and deeply necessary, form of patriotism. More at: https://www.mpu.us/

Ryan Clancy is the Chief Strategist for No Labels, a national movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working to bring leaders together to solve America’s toughest problems. Their recent polling provides keen insight into what the American public wants from their congressional representatives on this important issue.

This week, we discuss the new process of legislative redistricting that was established under Amendments Y and Z in 2018 with Jessika Shipley from the Colorado Legislative Council Staff.Have your voice heard at: https://redistricting.colorado.gov/ 

The Employee Traffic Reduction Program will require large employers to track and alter the commuting habits of their employees in order to reduce greenhouse gasses. This wide-reaching rule is currently in development and we discuss how business leaders can get involved with Kelly Sloan, the Executive Director of the Freedom to Drive coalition. 

Our guests today are this year’s Terry J. Stevinson fellows at the Common Sense Institute, Evelyn Lim and Peter LiFari. Together they researched housing affordability and presented a paper that outlined several achievable solutions for building our way out of Colorado’s affordable housing crisis.

What attracts a business to Colorado and what may cause a business to move its headquarters elsewhere? Today we discuss the competitive advantages of our great state and what elements of our regulatory environment harm business prospects with JJ Ament, the CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Corporation.  JJ and his team have helped facilitate the creation of nearly 14,000 new jobs and $800 million of capital investment in the nine-county Metro Denver and  Northern Colorado regions. 

Public safety has a tremendous impact on business stability and economic vibrancy. Today we discuss the state of the city with Murphy Robinson, Denver's Deputy Mayor and the Executive Director of the Department of Public Safety.