Weekly News from COBRT - September 5, 2018
LEADERSHIP. REACH. RESULTS.
September 5, 2018
Colorado Business Roundtable (COBRT) strongly urges the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to continue negotiations toward an improved and enhanced North American trading agreement.
Canada and Mexico are Colorado's largest trading partners, and an updated, fair agreement would continue to drive sustainable growth and greater economic prosperity that benefits business owners, workers, and all Coloradans.

"Maintaining a strong and beneficial trilateral partnership with Canada and Mexico is critical to many Colorado businesses that have built relationships and strong business ties with our North American neighbors," states Colorado Business Roundtable President, Jeff Wasden. "Our current NAFTA agreement creates jobs, drives economic development & job growth, and benefits consumers. A strong, trilateral partnership among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada is a key driver for expanding trade and economic opportunities, and we implore all three governments to continue to negotiate in good faith until an agreement is reached."

Ongoing negotiations have led to strengthened intellectual property protections and increased promotion of e-commerce and digital trade in goods and services. We remain concerned about reported provisions that would weaken investment protections, limit access to dispute settlement procedures, and would require a sunset clause.

Business Roundtable believes forfeiting this three-nation partnership would destabilize North American supply chains, jeopardize U.S. jobs and undermine economic growth.
The Colorado Business Roundtable believes in the power of being a champion. We are going to recognize Colorado's champions in collaboration, partnerships, the business community and who go the extra mile to help make the business ecosystem of Colorado stronger. We welcome your nominations in the following categories:
  • Aerospace
  • Education and Workforce
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Farming and Agriculture
  • Financial Services
  • Government
  • Health and Wellness
  • Hospitality and Lodging
  • Manufacturing
  • Nonprofit
  • Technology
  • Tourism and Outdoor Recreation
 
Nomination forms will be reviewed by a selection committee consisting of leaders in Colorado. The committee will identify three finalists in each industry. The final winner in each industry will be announced at the Awards Luncheon.

A representative from each finalist company will need to be available at the luncheon which is scheduled for December 10th at the Cable Center.

Finalists and winners in each industry will have the opportunity to host a segment of Connect and Collaborate - the Voice of Colorado Business Roundtable.
 
The deadline for nomination forms is October 12, 2018.

A merger with a $3.27 billion price tag requires a lot of moving parts to make it work, but one thing that never changed was Steve Demetriou's management style. For the chairman, CEO and president of Jacobs Engineering, consistent communication, transparency and inclusivity were essential in overseeing the company's merger with CH2M, which had been Colorado's largest public company prior to the combination in 2017. 

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy's plan to shutter two coal plants and commit $2.5 billion for acquiring new electrical power sources, most of it wind, solar and battery storage systems. The PUC commissioners endorsed Xcel's Colorado Energy Plan in a Monday vote, ending more than a year of planning and hearings. "We face, for the first time, the possibility that a least-cost portfolio is not a fossil-based one," said Jeffery Ackerman, chairman of the PUC commissioners. 

Colorado will get to vote this fall on whether to amend the state constitution with a property 'takings' measure that's backed by agriculture and oil interests and would allow them to sue for payment over government action reducing value of their property. The Colorado Secretary of State certified on Tuesday that the proposed amendment to the state constitution collected enough signatures to appear on the ballot, getting at least 2 percent of the registered voters in each of Colorado's 35 state senate districts to sign. 

Please join Congresswoman DeGette and a panel of business leaders on September 19th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Geotech for a town hall discussion about the effects of climate change and environmental factors on businesses in the Denver area. This event will discuss topics of climate change that focus on the business ramifications rather than the political or scientific aspects of the issue. The panel of business leaders will include representatives from the brewery, outdoor recreation, coffee and construction industry. A reception with appetizers and beverages will follow the panel discussion. Opportunities to tour the Geotech facilities will also be available.

Check out this video by Gallup that highlights their new future builders program. 
Join Colorado State University-Global Campus and the Colorado Business Roundtable for "Cybersecurity Threats in the Future: What every organizational leader needs to know." The event will be Tuesday, October 30 from 7:00 am to 9:00 am at History Colorado Center.

Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving. Hear from top companies about the cybersecurity challenges they have faced, solutions their companies took to overcome cyber threats, and how they believe businesses can prepare their workforce to effectively address the current and future cyber challenges ahead.

The keynote speaker is Criss Bradbury, senior manager in the cyber risk services department at Deloitte. Panelists are from Microsoft, IBM, AT&T and more.

Following a U.S.-Mexico agreement in principle, Business Roundtable stressed the importance of including Canada in a trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). "Replacing NAFTA with one or two bilateral agreements would create more regulatory burdens, disrupt North American supply chains and hurt U.S. workers and businesses," the Roundtable said in a statement. The Roundtable also emphasized that, "In modernizing NAFTA, the touchstone of success is whether changes improve - rather than weaken - NAFTA for U.S. workers and businesses." The statement expressed concern that the Administration's announcement of a U.S.-Mexico pact could signal "a step backward" by requiring a sunset provision, weakening investment protections and constraining access to dispute settlement procedures.

The Labor Department unveiled on Thursday a new website to promote business apprenticeship programs, apprenticeship.gov, billed as a "one-top source for all things apprenticeships." The free site is essentially a search engine intended to help employers promote opportunities for apprenticeships and to help workers find them. 

Tuesday, September 18 | 7:30 am - 7:00 pm | McNichols Civic Center Building
 
Join a diverse group of stakeholders to exchange ideas, network and learn and visit the Tech Showcase featuring the latest tech innovations in smart city development and beyond.
 
Whether you are a tech professional, are working on city infrastructure, are an academic leader, or are a resident of a city, the Colorado Smart Cities Symposium will provide you with valuable information on the future of smart city technology. Our all-star speaker line-up with feature keynote presentations from:
 
  • Matthew Bailey, Smart Cities Global Practice Leader, Arrow Electronics and Co-Founder, Colorado Smart Cities Alliance
  • Sean Harrington, VP City Solutions, Verizon Wireless
  • Aiden Mitchell, VP of IoT Global Solutions, Arrow Electronics
  • John Tolva, Founder, CityFi and Co-Founder, Colorado Smart Cities Alliance
 
Learn more about the event, the speakers and why you should attend the Colorado Smart Cities Symposium.
The Colorado Business Roundtable was honored to attend the SpacePort Celebration event last week at Wings Over the Rockies. Congratulations on your commercial spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration! We are excited to see the aerospace industry grow even more in Colorado. 
Oil and natural gas giant BP formally opens a new division headquarters this month for its onshore U.S. drilling, making Denver home base of an operation on the cusp of a $10.5 billion deal to enter the booming shale oil business. Employees of the London-based company have moved into the BP Lower 48 headquarters in a brand new downtown building between the South Platte and Interstate 25. 

KPMG, which is part of the "Big Four" largest professional services networks in the world, is expanding both its Denver metro head count and one of its offices. "Every one of our practices is growing," Mike Bearup, the KPMG LLP Denver market managing partner, said. KPMG is the second largest accounting firm in the Denver metro as of Nov. 1 of last year. 

As summer begins to fade into the upcoming Labor Day weekend, building support for fixing the nearly $12 billion in maintenance backlogs at the nation's prized national parks and historical sites could become a little easier, thanks to a new tracking tool that breaks down individual state and park repair needs using federal data. 

WorldDenver is collaborating with Colorado Business Roundtable to expand access to a cultural exchange program facilitated by the US Department of State. This exchange program brings talented, trained young professionals from around the world to work full-time in US companies for up to 18 months. The companies benefit from their skills and knowledge and in return, the trainees learn American business skills. We are currently searching for organizations to participate in this program who are looking to build and/or sustain a pipeline of international talent, generate new foreign business opportunities and enhance the cultural competence of current employees.

DENVER - The Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA) Board of Trustees announced today that Ron Baker has been named the finalist for the Executive Director. Mr. Baker has served as the Interim Executive Director since December. He has served Colorado's public workforce through various roles he has held since joining PERA in 1994. After starting with PERA in management positions overseeing information technology, Mr. Baker was appointed Chief Administrative Officer in 2013. In his new role, Mr. Baker becomes the seventh executive director of the $49 billion retirement system, which was established in 1931 by the Colorado General Assembly. 

Listen at KDMT 1690 AM Denver's Money Talk from 
4-5 p.m. Monday through Friday or  live stream online. Podcasts are available at  http://www.cobrt.com/radio-podcast and on your favorite podcast app the day after live airing.

Stream or Download These Recent Episodes

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