Weekly News from COBRT
LEADERSHIP. REACH. RESULTS.
September 6, 2017
The Business Roundtable conducted a survey of their CEOs and ninety percent responded that delaying tax reform will harm the U.S. economy by causing slower economic growth, hiring, and capital investment. Fifty-seven percent of the responding CEOs say delaying tax reform means their company will delay capital spending, the investment that drives jobs and growth. Fifty-six percent say their companies will delay hiring plans.

Colorado Business Roundtable strongly encourages our congressional delegation, leadership, and the administration to pass meaningful and permanent tax reform. If you are interested in joining business leaders, chambers and associations in advocating for a fairer, simpler, and more competitive rate, please contact us at [email protected]

Preliminary construction is underway on a new, $350 million Lockheed Martin facility that will produce next-generation satellites. The new facility, located on the company's Waterton Canyon campus near Denver, is the latest step in an ongoing transformation, infused with innovation to provide future missions at reduced cost and cycle time.

"This is our factory of the future: agile, efficient and packed with innovations. We'll be able to build satellites that communicate with front-line troops, explore other planets, and support unique missions," said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "You could fit the Space Shuttle in the high bay with room to spare. That kind of size and versatility means we'll be able to maximize economies of scale, and with all of our test chambers under one roof, we can streamline and speed production."
"The Trump administration announced an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) with a six month window for Congress to take legislative action. The Colorado Business Roundtable has long advocated for pragmatic, comprehensive immigration reform. Immigration is the responsibility of Congress and the President has given them a window to come up with a solution for Dreamers who sincerely impact our communities and economy. COBRT has been a strong supporter of Dreamers and DACA and encourages leadership to look at the facts, incredible value and positive impact these amazing youth have had, and will continue to, contribute." states Jeff Wasden, President of Colorado Business Roundtable.

"Immigration policy has a profound effect on our economy and eliminating DACA would costs hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in economic output. Congress and the President need to work together to come up with a viable replacement plan before any changes to DACA occur." 
 
The United States is blessed with a combination of advantages that few other countries enjoy. We are the world's longest surviving democracy, with an entrepreneurial culture that fosters and rewards hard work and innovation. Our natural resources are abundant. We have the world's strongest military and a generally reliable rule of law and low corruption. Our country has some of the best universities and hospitals and is home to many of the best, most vibrant businesses on the planet - from small and midsize companies to large, global multinationals. 

Don't wait to fill out your nomination form for the Collaboration in Industry Awards Luncheon. The Colorado Business Roundtable plans to recognize Colorado's leaders in collaboration, partnerships, and going the extra mile to help make the business ecosystem of Colorado stronger on December 7th with keynote speaker Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup. 

To nominate a company or organization who has demonstrated collaboration, please fill out this form

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Sunday said Republicans and Democrats should work together to rethink how states are preparing high school graduates for the 21st century economy. "It's not a Republican or Democratic issue to say we want better jobs for our kids, or we want to make sure they're trained for the new generation of jobs that are coming or beginning to appear," he said on CBS's Face the Nation. 

Xcel Energy on Tuesday continued its shift away from coal, announcing an agreement to retire two of its three coal-burning units at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo while adding substantially more wind, solar and natural gas generation. 

Xcel Energy will request competitve bids before the end of the year for 1,000 megawatts of additional wind, 700 megawatts of solar and 700 megawatts of natural gas power generation under its "Colorado Energy Plan." 

Please join us on December 7th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in helping recognize leaders in Colorado and come listen to our keynote speaker, Jim Clifton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gallup , discuss his view of business collaboration. Early bird registration is available for the awards luncheon until September 30th. 

Consul General of Canada,  Stephane Lessard,  Governor of Colorado,  John Hickenlooper, and Former Mexican President, Vicente Fox last week were at the Global Chamber Denver forum where they discussed opportunities for cross-border business with moderator President  of MSU, Janine Davidson.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, in conjunction with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, outlined a series of proposed incremental reforms to the federal Affordable Care Act that they have presented to Congress. 

Hickenlooper, a Democrat, and Kasich, a Republican, believe their proposals will encourage more young and healthy people to buy individual health insurance policies and, in doing so, will slow the rapidly rising costs of that type of insurance. 

With billions in new Denver infrastructure projects planned and continued demand from the commercial and residential real estate development community, construction companies are reaching farther than ever to find workers, and the city of Denver's staff and council members are searching for ways to help. 

Along the Front Range and in metro Denver in particular, the real estate ramp-up that followed the end of the recession meant a shortage of construction workers, particularly those in skilled trades such as electricians, carpenters, and concrete workers. 

FWD.us has put together a panel of international entrepreneurs with successful startups from around Colorado. They'll come together to discuss the many challenges they had to overcome to be successful in Colorado, including immigration policy. They will discuss startup paths as well as what makes Colorado a great place to launch a startup. 

The panelists will be Julien Denaes, CEO & Founder of Alpin, Andrea Guendelman, Co-Founder & CEO of BeVisible, and Lamine Zarrad, CEO and Founder of Tokken. 

Miss the Speaker Series event with David Avrin?

Check out the commercial-free podcast recorded LIVE  from the Colorado Business Roundtable's Author Series  event in the studio last week.

David discussed the ideas behind his latest book,   Visibility Marketing: The No-Holds-Barred Truth, and shared what it takes to "Grab Attention, Build Your Brand and Win New Business."

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   www.cobrt.com/radio and on your favorite podcast app the day after live airing.

Stream or Download These Recent Episodes
See all at our events page and use this contact form to add yours!
9/25/2017 - 9/29/2017

10/30-31/2017
25th Fall Conference & Exhibition - Colorado Nonprofit Association

11/7/2017 - 11/8/2017
Clean Energy Means Business Corporate Summit - Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association

11/9/2017
2017 Annual Meeting & Luncheon - Colorado Oil & Gas Association

12/6/2017
  2017 CSBR Roundup - Colorado Space Business Roundtable


Thank you to our COBRT Sponsors
COBRT partnership opportunities are now available. 

Get noticed. 
Support policy efforts. 
Invest in Colorado.

Enjoy this week's newsletter? Have ideas that can improve the newsletter's coverage in the future? 



FOLLOW #COBRT