4 Tips for Rebranding Your Business – And What It Reminds Us About Entrepreneurship

As entrepreneurs, our businesses grow and evolve in ways we never expected. Our business plans, products and services, even the very identity of our ventures, are constantly changing — that’s why rebranding your business at the right time is so important.

So when was the last time you considered if your logo is still an accurate representation of your business? 

Your logo is the face of your business — but even the prettiest ones can do with a facelift. For example, 74% of the S&P 100 companies rebranded their business within their first seven years. If you haven’t turned a critical eye to your logo since you printed your first business cards, then it might be time to consider a rebrand. 

READ — What Are the Safest Industries to Start Your First Business in 2023?

And as it turns out, an experiment in rebranding can remind you of the fundamental principles that made your business successful in the first place. 

Why Rebrand? 

Growth and adaptation are the foundations of a successful business. Those that do it well thrive, while those that don’t struggle to survive. Think back to the early days of your business. How much has changed? 

Our real estate brokerage, LUX Denver, is celebrating its tenth birthday this year, and it got us thinking about how different our brand is today compared to when we started. We’ve expanded, our clientele has changed, and our vision for what we want to achieve has clarified and sharpened. 

Last year, we began to feel that our logo no longer reflected the business in its current form. So we embarked on a journey to bring it up to date, and along the way, we picked up a few valuable tips for anyone considering a refresh of their brand. 

Start With Your Vision 

Why do you do what you do? Why is it important? And how has that changed since the early days of your business? 

Rebranding is an abstract experience that requires us to reflect deeply on the core values of our business so we can be sure they remain at the forefront of everything we do. So before you start sketching and brainstorming, take some time to explore your vision for your company’s future, and let that be your compass throughout this journey and beyond. 

Know Your Audience 

Who is your audience now? What do they have in common? And what do they expect?

Over the last decade, our brokerage has refined our niche in the luxury homes market, so we needed to modernize our logo to meet those standards. In addition, we recently expanded to new markets, so our branding needed to symbolize that our services have grown beyond the Denver Metro area. 

Take the time to describe your ideal client. This will inform your design choices as you explore new concepts for your logo and cue you into what clients expect from you in everything you do. 

READ — Determining Your Business’s Target Market: Why It’s Necessary and How To Do It

Stick to What You’re Great At

If you’ve never worked with design software before, let us clue you in on something: it’s hard. Take our advice and hire a professional designer to help bring your ideas to life. 

When you were a new entrepreneur with razor-thin margins, you likely had to do much of the heavy lifting yourself. But now that you’ve “made it,” recognize that you can create the most value by sticking to what you’re exceptional at and delegating the rest. 

Trust Your Instincts

So, after all that brainstorming and a few dozen mock-ups of a new logo, how do you know when you’re done? The same way you knew it was time to rebrand in the first place: you trust your gut. When you feel like you’ve found the right design, the one that resonates with you, listen to that feeling. 

Our instincts are all we have as entrepreneurs. They tell us which risks to take and which to avoid, which deals feel right and which don’t. Listen to those feelings. 

To help you conceptualize all this, here’s where the process took us.

From this:

Unnamed 2

 

 

 

To this:

Final Lux Logo Logo Denver Black

 

 

 

 

 

And ultimately to this:

Unnamed 1

 

 

 

 

 

The central, continuous line creating “LUX” conveys the forward momentum and growth we’re striving for, a theme reinforced by dropping the period that once followed the name. The ideai – for our company, our clients, and this new logo – is to create connections. Whether at home, at work or in the community, connecting with the people and places that create Inspired Living is the ultimate purpose of our brokerage, and we love how this logo conveys that.

Rebranding our business reminded us of the fundamental lessons of entrepreneurship that are all too easy to forget when you’re in the daily grind. A refresh of your logo is an opportunity to get out of a rut and explore new possibilities for you, your brand, and your business. So what are you waiting for?

 

A E PhotoIn 2014, Colorado native Aaron Cummins and Emily Duke founded LUX Denver Real Estate Company. As entrepreneurial-minded individuals with backgrounds in psychology, both were seeking a business that would enable them to create meaningful relationships, make a difference in an industry they loved and find Inspired Living in their lives and business. You can learn more at luxdenver.com.

Top Company 2022: Manufacturing

The outpouring of applications for this year’s Top Company awards is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of enterprises that do business in the state. Applications for the 35th annual awards numbered in the hundreds, and it was particularly encouraging to see so many companies rebounding from two years of COVID restrictions, with most posting revenue and employee gains approaching—and in some cases, exceeding—pre-pandemic numbers.

This year’s Top Company winners and finalists represent 13 industry categories, plus a startup category for companies in business less than four years. Entrants were judged on three criteria: outstanding achievement, financial performance and community involvement. The judging panel was made up of ColoradoBiz magazine’s editorial board and two representatives from the business community.

Winner — Growing Spaces

Pagosa Springs

Gardeners in Colorado looking to grow year-round can turn to Growing Spaces, which manufactures and installs geodesic greenhouse kits. The greenhouse is 100% solar powered and utilizes a thermal mass in the form of an above-ground pond. The company supports customers through blogs, videos and Facebook groups offering help with gardening challenges.

Growing Spaces purchased a new manufacturing facility and has used the additional space to improve production efficiency. The manufacturer also added solar, so both shops are run off 100% renewable energy.

Each year Growing Spaces offers an Urban Farming Grant for an underserved community. In 2022 the grant winners were Harlem Grown in New York City, and Valor Point VA Domiciliary in Lakewood. The 26-foot Growing Dome for Valor Point, scheduled for September installation, will be used for both inpatient and outpatient education, and to help veterans learn a new skill and get back into the workforce.

Employees are active in the Pagosa Springs community, and volunteer at the local food hubs and Habitat For Humanity. Employees get first choice of the produce grown in the company’s own domes, and Growing Spaces also donates the food it produces to the local food hubs in Pagosa Springs and Golden. Growing Spaces is looking to expand its presence in the Front Range, and hopes to open a new office and manufacturing facility in Denver in 2023. It also wants to establish hubs in other states and countries through either expansion or partnerships.

Finalist — Alpen High Performance Products

Louisville

Alpen High Performance Products custom manufactures super-insulating, thermally efficient residential and commercial windows and doors. The company uses a proprietary combination of component products including lightweight suspended-film technology, ultra-thin glass, and either fiberglass or fiberglass-reinforced uPVC framing systems.

Alpen’s new product, WinSert, is a high performance secondary window insert to improve existing single-glazed or lower-performing double-pane windows. The new product was recognized as a BuildingGreen Top 10 Product for 2022. Also, the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) Program conducted nearly year-long testing and evaluation of WinSert secondary window inserts and reported that the inserts demonstrated up to 18% whole-building energy savings based on energy modeling.

After the December 2021 Marshall Fire, Alpen employees assisted with the relief efforts for neighbors in Louisville and Superior by collecting donated goods and supplies. Alpen is further helping with the long-term relief efforts by developing a specific window product line to assist with rebuilding homes. This product will make it more accessible for homeowners to rebuild with high efficiency window components, helping the fight against climate change.

Alpen hosts quarterly meetings to recognize employees and show appreciation for the hard work that goes into manufacturing this product. The company is a sustaining sponsor for the Colorado Green Building Guild (CGBG), helping make high performance building more accessible for all, and looks to become a major influencer in the retrofitting and upgrading of existing older building stock to bring it up to today’s energy performance standards.

Finalist — Agri-Inject

Yuma

Agri-Inject manufactures chemical and fertilizer injection systems that connect to irrigation systems. The equipment allows the irrigation systems to do double or triple duty by applying both water and fertilizers, chemicals, or other helpful products simultaneously. The system promotes environmental benefits, user safety, timely and precision application as well as cost savings for growers.

Since 2013, Agri-Inject has been undergoing an operational transformation. Beginning with a digital 3D model, the company reorganized the entire factory to promote efficient movement of people, product and information. It removed walls, installed lighting, polished old concrete, and designed and installed new storage and production cells. It expanded the facility by 40% and recently broke ground to add another 25%. There is also a one-piece flow production line for a product line that is about 60% of total business volume, switching from an outmoded batch philosophy and reducing assembly time by over 70%.

Among the company’s product innovations is ReflexCONNECT. The Reflex product line is centered around sophisticated controls to operate injection pumps featuring PLC control and touchscreen interfaces. ReflexCONNECT takes that step to the age of IoT (Internet of Things), bringing the control features to the web, allowing remote control and monitoring of equipment from a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Agri-Inject works with schools to educate students about manufacturing, and holds a Manufacturing Day event, bringing in students from nearby schools for a tour of the facility, and discussion of products, markets and processes.

Voting With Our Feet

The world of community economics includes Charles Tiebout’s 1956 theory suggesting people “vote” on private products with their pocketbooks and vote on government services with their feet. If you do not like what you are getting from the government, move to a different jurisdiction. Twenty years later, Albert Hirschman introduced us to “voice versus exit.” Dissatisfaction will result in voicing one’s concerns and/or walking from the relationship. The speed with which we will begin walking depends upon our loyalty despite dissatisfaction, the availability of good alternatives, and the cost of switching to a new provider — whether public or private. This voice versus exit decision spans many situations in life — an unhappy marriage, immigrants leaving their homeland, and communities with high taxes and/or poor services.

I began thinking of voting with one’s feet after this summer’s reversal of Roe v Wade. The Supreme Court decision to leave abortion laws to states and the ensuing uproar begs the question of whether people will vote with their feet if their voice is not heard over a major civil rights issue. Sixty-one percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. This percentage has varied little since 1995 when Pew Research first began surveying Americans on their views toward abortion. On a state-by-state basis, only six states (all in the South plus West Virginia) have less than 40% of respondents favoring abortion rights. Fourteen states show more than 60% support for abortion rights. The rest, including Colorado (59% favoring), are in the middle, somewhere between 40% and 60% both supporting and opposing abortion.  

The central question here is whether or not Americans favoring a woman’s right to choose will be so frustrated by strict anti-abortion laws that they will relocate to another, more supportive state, leaving family and friends behind. In this sense, will abortion rights impact local economic development prospects? The only precedent I can think of when it comes to states’ “violation” of civil rights causing people to vote with their feet en masse is the Great Migration from 1920 to 1940 when 1.6 million African Americans moved from the South to the North to escape persistently oppressive political and socioeconomic conditions with no effective voice.  

Such mass migration is unlikely to occur over abortion rights for a number of reasons. The infringement on women’s rights created by strict anti-abortion laws is episodic if it occurs at all, and there are, in most cases, viable alternatives except for poor women. This contrasts with the persistent violation faced by Blacks in the post-Civil War South. There is limited research on voting with our feet, but Keith Dowding and Peter John did recently find in England “only a weak relationship exists between dissatisfaction and geographical exit.” They found that “people are more likely to complain privately, vote and engage in other forms of collective participation.” This makes sense to me, as moving involves many aspects like diminished relationships, jobs and affordable housing. Unless you are young, the switching costs can be high.  

This does not mean states implementing strict anti-abortion laws will not be impacted economically. Over time, communities tend to evolve their brand based on legislative and cultural preferences. Some people like the brand and others do not. Colorado Springs is a good example. During the 1980s and 1990s the community became known as a fiscal, religious, and socially conservative city. While I and many other Colorado Springs locals experienced great diversity, perception is reality when it comes to branding. Clearly, the brand did not stop the city and El Paso County from growing as it, like Colorado in general, has so many growth-driving assets, but it may well have dictated the type of growth.

READ — Why Veterans Love Colorado Springs

Industries that rely on young, educated workers for their long-term success are often sensitive to cultural and legislative preferences around social issues. Major companies understand innovation tends to come with looser versus stricter cultures. It was not surprising that Eli Lilly and Cummins reprimanded the Indiana State Legislature over passing strict anti-abortion laws in August. More institutional voting with location choices is likely to come. This is where legislative brand impacts are likely to emerge – with corporate America and the nation’s younger, more educated women. Colorado’s natural and economic draws, along with expressed preferences of 59% of adults, will continue to position the state as a place people want to walk toward.

 

Tom BinningsTom Binnings is a senior partner at Summit Economics in Colorado Springs. He has more than 30 years of experience in project management, economic and market research, real estate development, business analytics and strategic planning. He can be reached at (719) 471-0000 or [email protected].

Live Music: Sounds Good to Colorado Economies

Morrison’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre sold 505,312 tickets in 2007. That number soared to 1.3 million in 2021 and could top 1.5 million in 2022, according to Denver Arts & Venues.

Over the last five years, out-of-staters bought 42 percent of tickets to Red Rocks shows. Those people book hotel rooms, eat meals, and otherwise leave plenty of money behind in the Centennial State.

Beyond Morrison, the state plays host to more than 100 festivals with live music in a given year, with big paydays for places like Telluride and Aspen.

READ — Colorado’s State Parks: Economic Forces of Nature

“The tourism impact [of live music] is huge,” says Margaret Hunt, executive director of state arts agency Colorado Creative Industries (CCI). Young people “are more interested in experiences than products. That’s why we’ve seen such huge growth. And post-COVID, people want to gather together in a community and have shared experiences. It’s more important now than it’s ever been.”

Michael Seman, Ph.D., an assistant professor for arts management at Colorado State University, has studied the economic impact of live music for 15 years. He’s also in a rock band, Shiny Around the Edges.

Seman started researching the economic impact of music scenes in postgrad work more than a decade ago. “It was just not a subject discussed very often—the idea of music scenes being economic drivers,” he says. “My Ph.D. was looking at the Denton, Texas, music scene, comparing it to Michael Porter, the economist from Harvard, his cluster theory. I illustrate that music scenes operate just like an economic cluster, like Silicon Valley or Napa Valley.”

Seman authored a report, “Colorado’s Music Industry,” while at CU Denver, finding that live music events represent about $500 million and 5,000 jobs—not including about 8,000 musicians, managers and agents in the state as of 2016. He says the numbers were likely diminished by COVID-19, but they remain relevant as a baseline in 2022.

“Colorado and Denver are really good at hosting music festivals and shows,” Seman says. “It’s one of the few places in the United States where people will come from all over the world to see a show.”

And that requires a skilled workforce, he adds. “We have these great resources. We have people who know how to run lights, we have people who know how to run sound, we have people who know how to host a festival.

“It’s a solid industrial sector within the state and certainly in Denver,” Seman says. State and city leaders “take it very seriously, and they treat it as an industry.”

He calls the nonprofit Music District in Fort Collins a template for the industry’s future in the state. “I’m very much focused on looking at music and music scenes through the lens of economic development. If you do look at it that way, find ways to incubate music,” he says.

“How would you work with your tech community? You would say, ‘You need spaces for incubation.’ As a city, find a way to approach your all-ages, DIY music venues where so many of your artists are going to be incubated and developed, and find a way to make it sustainable.”

 

Denver-based writer Eric Peterson is the author of Frommer’s Colorado, Frommer’s Montana & Wyoming, Frommer’s Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and the Ramble series of guidebooks, featuring first-person travelogues covering everything from atomic landmarks in New Mexico to celebrity gone wrong in Hollywood. Peterson has also recently written about backpacking in Yosemite, cross-country skiing in Yellowstone and downhill skiing in Colorado for such publications as Denver’s Westword and The New York Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]

Colorado Business Hall of Fame Names Six New Inductees for 2023 Program

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain are pleased to announce that they will add six new inductees in 2023 to the Colorado Business Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes influential state business leaders, past and present. The just-named class will be inducted at the 33rd Colorado Business Hall of Fame dinner on Feb. 6, 2023, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.

“Colorado Business Hall of Fame laureates are part of a league of remarkable individuals who have made legendary contributions to the free enterprise system,” said Robin Wise, president and CEO of JA-Rocky Mountain. “Through their actions and accomplishments, the laureates were selected for their enduring entrepreneurial efforts and business excellence, ethical standards, and philanthropic contributions in moving Colorado in a stronger direction. They are outstanding role models for the next generation as they take the reins of leadership in the years to come.”

The 2023 class includes leaders in a variety of industries, including computer consulting and programming, real estate and architectural development, oil and gas, and mutual fund management.

Learn more about the six new editions to the Colorado Business Hall of Fame, below.

Bill Berger

Bill Berger

For decades, Bill Berger’s influence has been felt across major mutual fund companies based in the Denver area. He began his career by managing equity portfolios for The Colorado National Bank’s trust department in 1950. Over the next 40 years, Mr. Berger helped establish Denver as one of the largest mutual fund centers outside of New York and Boston and had a hand in the growth of at least three families of mutual funds. These included the Centennial Fund and Gryphon Fund (the two later merged into the Founders Growth Fund), and what would eventually evolve into Invesco Funds family of mutual funds, which is now part of Amvescap P.L.C., a global money manager.

Mary Pat Link

Mary Pat Link Headshot

Mary Pat Link has been a leader in innovation and champion for nonprofits for over 40 years. She founded Interlink Group, later acquired by Dell Computer, and now serves alongside her husband, John Strohm, as a founding member and managing partner of Farrell-Roeh Group.

Ms. Link’s impressive leadership and innovative spirit have been consistently recognized throughout her career. She was added to the Forty under 40 list in 1997 and was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year 1995 and 2000. In 1995, Interlink was recognized on the Inc. 500 list at #51 of the fastest growing companies in America, #56 on Denver Business Journal’s list of fastest growing Colorado private companies, and #14 on Colorado Biz Magazine’s list of top Woman-Owned businesses. Two years later, the company ranked #44 on Inc. Magazine’s Inner-City 100, and in 2000 Interlink was the recipient of the Colorado Biz Company of the Year.

Jay Anthony Precourt

Jay A Precourt Headshot

Throughout his career, Mr. Precourt has held extensive public company board positions, serving in a range of roles from board chairman to leading various executive committees with Hamilton Oil, Timken Company, Apache Corporation, Bariod, Dresser Industries, Halliburton, Tejas Gas Corporation, as well as several large private industrial corporations and nonprofits. At Stanford, Mr. Precourt is the founding donor of the Precourt Institute for Energy and is vice-chairman of its Advisory Council. He is a member of the Woods Institute for Environment’s Advisory Council and founded Global Energy Forum, which now resides at Stanford.

The contributions that Mr. Precourt has made to his community through business leadership and philanthropy are exceptional. He served on Vail Health Hospital’s board of directors for the past nine years, has served as president of Eagle Valley Land Trust and on the boards of Denver Art Museum Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Denver, Historic Denver Foundation and Alley Theater in Houston. The Precourts’ generosity in the Vail Valley also includes Walking Mountains Science Center, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Eagle Valley Behavioral Health, and Vail Global Energy Forum in Beaver Creek Resort.

Frederick Ross

Frederick Ross

Frederick Ross founded Frederick Ross & Co. in 1888 – a real estate company that touched almost every corner of Colorado. The company, now called Newmark, has built Denver’s skyline for over 134 years.

At 22 years old, Mr. Ross moved to Colorado to help alleviate symptoms of his tuberculosis. At the time, Denver was a simple “cow-town.” Because of Mr. Ross’ foresight and gumption to begin a real estate company, Denver began to come to life. Under his leadership and partnership with other business leaders at the time, Mr. Ross worked to secure water rights for the city and oversaw the planning of the Moffat Tunnel, which provided a way for water to travel through the Continental Divide. He worked alongside elected officials to transform what was once a slum into what we now know as Civic Center Park. He improved the Denver Public Library and was instrumental in helping build the library’s first permanent facility at Colfax and Bannock in 1910.

Mr. Ross’ career wasn’t solely focused on commercial feats. He envisioned housing beyond the central business district. He helped develop the Country Club Place subdivision near the Denver Country Club, as well as the Park Hill subdivision, both of which now include homes that are valued in the millions of dollars today. Mr. Ross’ impact extends decades – Frederick Ross & Co is one of the only real estate companies to span from the 20th to the 21st century. After his passing in 1938, leaders in Mr. Ross’ successful real estate company continued to build Denver and its metro area, fundamentally changing the city and real estate industry forever.

Steve Schuck

Steve Schuck

Steve Schuck founded Schuck Communities, now Schuck Chapman Companies, over 50 years ago, and the company continues to be a major developer of commercial, residential, industrial and mixed-use projects in multiple markets. Throughout his stellar career, Mr. Schuck has had more than 50 joint ventures and partnerships, creating and developing thousands of residential home sites and scores of commercial projects in the Denver, Colorado Springs, Portland, and Phoenix markets, valued in billions of dollars.

As founder and co-founder of both Colorado’s and Colorado Springs’ private economic development programs, the Greater Denver Corporation, the Colorado Leadership Forum, and the Republican Leadership Program (now the Leadership Program of the Rockies), Mr. Schuck’s entrepreneurial leadership reaches far beyond business and into public policy, including having been a candidate for governor. He and his late wife, Joyce, have been school choice activists for decades, creating Parents Challenge over 22 years ago, which has empowered low-income parents of more than 3,000 disadvantaged kids in Colorado Springs with privately funded scholarships, grants, and mentoring that can be used in both public and private schools. Their private foundation, The Schuck Initiatives, is a leader and activist in advancing freedom and personal responsibility, moving people from dependency to independence.

Community and civic challenges are no strangers to Mr. Schuck, and his leadership in improving communities through service includes being a trustee of more than 20 organizations, including Junior Achievement. His leadership has earned him well-deserved special recognition from highly distinguished organizations, including being named Citizen of the Year by the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Lifetime of Community Achievement Award from the Colorado Association of Homebuilders, a medal of merit from the University of Colorado Board of Regents, the David S. D’Evelyn Award for Inspired Leadership from the Independence Institute, and the 2021 Leadership Program of the Rockies Legacy Award, among many others.

Mark Smith

Mark Smith Photo 3

Mark Smith has 50 years’ experience in real estate development, sales and marketing. He is a Founding Principal and Managing Partner of Slifer Smith and Frampton and was a founding principal of both East West Partners and Union Station Neighborhood Company.

Commonly described as a visionary, Mr. Smith is most proud of the significant contributions he has made to his community by being the founder of highly impactful organizations, including Youth Foundation (now Youth Power 365), Platte Forum, and Riverfront Park Community Foundation.

Mr. Smith’s community involvement extends to the board room as well, with current board affiliations with Colorado Forum, First Western Financial, Forbes Global Properties, Riverfront Park Community Foundation, Slifer Smith and Frampton Foundation, and Chief Executives Organization. He has served as chairman of the Beaver Creek Metropolitan District, Bravo Colorado Vail Valley Music Festival, Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District, and Downtown Denver Youth Foundation. Mr. Smith also served as a director of numerous youth and education-focused organizations, including Denver Public Schools Foundation, YPO Rocky Mountain Chapter, Teach for America Colorado, Colorado Succeeds, Mayor’s Leadership Team on Early Education, Colorado Uplift, and the Charter Fund, among many others.

Via Ferrata: Colorado’s Next Big Outdoor Vertical?

Via ferrata may be the biggest outdoor recreation business you’ve never heard of. Translated, “iron ways” started in the late 1800s as a secure way to climb and traverse mountainsides in the Italian Dolomites. Today, Colorado contains the largest concentration of via ferratas in North America.

Via ferratas give adventure seekers immediate access to jaw-dropping views on heart-thumping multi-hour vertical excursions. Dangling 180 feet above a raging box canyon river, as you do in routes in Ouray, via ferratas are an addictive thrill, mixing tight-roping bridges between cliff sides, scrambling up granite and sidestepping precarious rungs around rock outcroppings, all while manually clipping in and out of bolted steel safety cables.

Colorado’s via ferratas, now in double digits, sit on both public and private lands, making oversight and safety regulations an unfolding mashup of European and American standards that boggle the mind. State inspections are currently run through the Division of Oil and Public Safety, the same one that checks amusement park rides.

But the money is in the guiding, with some longtime climbing services now counting on via ferreta bookings for up to 90% of summer business. In Ouray and nearby Telluride, which installed the state’s first public via ferrata, anyone can climb. All you need is the gear—a helmet, harness and specialized EAS lanyard. And only in Ouray does a ranger check you in. Everywhere else, from installations at A-Basin ski area to the Royal Gorge, you must go with a guide.

Ouray native Logan Tyler, who owns climbing gym, gear and guide service Basecamp Ouray, just opened the state’s newest private via ferrata. “In March 2020, I had 55 cents in my bank account,” he says. “By August, revenue from just guiding the via had saved my business. The economic impact is substantial — way beyond my expectations.”

Tyler’s professionally designed and built via ferrata sits on Gold Mountain Ranch, just outside Ouray, where he struck a deal with a wealthy landowner. Twice the length of the town’s two public courses with 1,200 feet of vertical climbing and a cable bridge through an old mining site, a Gold Mountain half-day starts at $198. Getting his via ferrata through shifting state and county politics was a monumental feat. But as a pioneer in the industry, Tyler knows it’s only up from here.

As he puts it, “It’s an earned experience.”

America’s Energy Future Depends on Cultivating the Next Generation of Talent   

Since the start of the Industrial Age, affordable and reliable energy has helped fuel economic growth. Studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between energy consumption and economic growth. Each time the material we use for energy changes (from wood to coal to nuclear, for example), society adapts.

The energy industry, a sector that has long fueled Colorado’s labor force, has seen a recent shortage of its own: an insufficiently skilled workforce committed to the continued safe and responsible development of energy. And on the heels of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a skilled workforce will be more important than ever.

READ — Coloradoans are Playing an Important Role in the Global Energy Evolution

Of the $740 billion aimed at reducing inflation, $370 billion over multiple years is earmarked for energy and climate provisions in the form of tax rebates, credits, research dollars, loans, and grants to jump-start our energy future. The ultimate outcome of the bill’s priorities will be realized in the future, but we know the provisions will be impactful on all forms of energy: solar and wind, oil, natural gas and hydrogen.

For decades, the oil and natural gas industry has served as one of Colorado’s strongest economic engines. Colorado is the fifth-largest crude oil producing state, the seventh largest natural gas producing state, and 35% of the state’s net electricity generation comes from renewables — wind accounting for four-fifths, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The U.S. Department of Energy estimated that the energy industry as a whole in Colorado directly employed 146,238 people in 2021. That figure doesn’t even account for the indirect or induced jobs as a result of the direct industry contribution. This includes research facilities like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, skilled union and labor jobs, and support activities related to the industry and project.

It’s been estimated that 55 percent of the electric and natural gas utility workers across the country are set to retire, along with nearly a third of the oil and natural gas industry’s engineers and geoscientists to retire within the decade. However, considering the continued growth in clean energy and renewables’ burgeoning technology sector, Colorado has a tremendous opportunity to continue its energy leadership. But in order to meet the country’s evolving energy needs, Colorado will depend on a new generation of workers to build upon the successes already achieved over the past decades and innovate the way we develop energy that is more efficient, cleaner, and safer.

Other industries in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields share the energy industry’s struggles to fill their ranks, although the healthcare industry saw a spike during the pandemic. According to a study released by Pew Research Center, minorities and females are still underrepresented in terms of the overall share of employment and growth. While the inclusion of women varies by field, Black and Hispanic graduates are underrepresented compared to their share of all degrees.

In other words, there is plenty of opportunity to help expose kids across Denver supporting their STEM skills within the energy industry. There were 12,000 new clean energy jobs in Colorado alone in 2021. Addressing the gaps in our STEM workforce begins with recognizing that our future leaders and innovators are currently sitting in classrooms, curious about the world, hungry for knowledge and eager to imagine their future careers. It is up to us to inspire them.

As part of greeting the new school year, trade associations and companies within the energy space are working together to host Denver’s fifth annual Energy Day Colorado Festival at East High School on Sept. 24, 2022, which is a year-round initiative that engages students’ interests in energy and STEM education through summer camps and a capstone festival with hands-on demonstrations across the industry.

We encourage you to join us at Energy Day Colorado — and work with us to inspire and encourage the next generation of energy leaders. 

 

Andrew Browning is the chief operating officer of Consumer Energy Alliance and the chief organizer of Denver’s Energy Day festival.

Colorado is Seeing More Inbound Moves in 2022 Than Most Other States in the U.S.

In response to the rise of remote work in our post-pandemic world, Americans across the country have been moving far and wide away from places they’ve called home for years. While some states like California and New Jersey have seen years of exodus, Colorado has remained a popular destination for those looking for change of scenery. In fact, the U.S. Census documents that Colorado has gained 760,180 new residents over the last decade.

With the Rocky Mountains in our backyard and the growing share of tech firms in city hubs, The Centennial State has a lot to offer. Looking at what cities people are moving to can help predict business growth in these areas – so where exactly in Colorado is everyone headed?

READ—Eagle County Real Estate: Market shift brings new hope for buyers 

Most popular Colorado cities to move to in 2022 

According to a recent Colorado Migration Report by moving tech company, moveBuddha (data sourced from their moving cost calculator), these are the top 10 Colorado cities with the highest moves in vs. out in 2022:

  1. Dillon, CO (218 to 100 in-to-out ratio) 
  2. Durango, CO (203 to 100)
  3. Golden, CO (200 to 100) 
  4. Boulder, CO (187 to 100) 
  5. Denver, CO (157 to 100) 
  6. Grand Junction, CO (156 to 100) 
  7. Evergreen, CO (155 to 100) 
  8. Colorado Springs, CO (142 to 100) 
  9. Louisville, CO (141 to 100) 
  10. Fort Collins, CO (138 to 100) 

Co Map

By taking a look at Dillon’s economy, it’s clear why it’s become such a popular move destination this year and probably won’t be slowing down any time soon. In the last year, Dillon’s job market has increased by 2.6% with future job growth predicted to be 48% over the next ten years, which is considerably higher than the national average of 33.5%. Dillon has all the beauty and access to ski resorts like Breckenridge at a bit lower cost and a booming economy.

Tech jobs fuel Mile High City moves 

State capital and #5 most popular move destination, Denver, continues to prove its reputation as a business hub and will most likely remain a popular destination as long as that remains true. Denver ranked #10 (up two spots from last year) in CBRE’s 2022 Scoring Tech Talent report, which analyzed the North American tech market on the availability of tech jobs and the talent pool itself. This is following a 23% growth of its tech talent workforce from 2016-2021.  

READ—Colorado Companies to Watch 2022: The Techies 

Additionally, Denver has had relatively low housing cost increases in the last couple of years despite the craziness of the market nationwide. Data from Zillow.com shows that the average cost of a single-family home in Denver has only increased 27% from 2020-2022 (that’s nothing compared to Dillon, CO’s 40.35% increase). 

Colorado will stay on the rise 

Unlike some other states, Colorado has not relied on retirees or politics to bring in residents, and the state’s beauty and job opportunities speak for itself. With cities state-wide showing population increases and booming economies, Colorado will continue to grow for years to come. 

 

HeadshotMercedes is a Digital PR Specialist based out of San Diego, CA, and currently with the agency, Green Flag Digital Media. She has worked in all realms of public relations for four years now. When she’s not helping clients grow through PR, Mercedes loves spending time at the beach or feeding her passion for music by finding more records to bring home or going to concerts.

A Guide for First-Time Colorado Homeowners Moving to Our Rocky Mountain State

The current population in the state of Colorado stands at 5.8 million residents, making this an all-time high since more than 1.5 million people have moved to the state in the past 20 years. Colorado continues to attract new residents, and you should consider a few things before moving. 

What should you know when moving to Colorado? 

Colorado is a swing state.

Because Colorado is a swing state, its inhabitants get plenty of attention every election to help decide the president. If you are moving to Colorado from a town that leans heavily to the left or right, you might not be accustomed to being flooded with phone calls, ads, and knocks on your door due to political campaigns. 

Marijuana culture is the norm.

Depending on which city you choose to live in, the buying and selling of marijuana is quite an everyday occurrence. Since the plant was legalized, the state’s weed culture has flourished. Your friends, neighbors, and family will likely purchase the herb regularly and even offer it to you. So before you move to Colorado, expect to smell weed being routinely smoked. 

Another unique element to relocating to Colorado is its breathtaking neighborhoods and Surroundings.

The elevation and neighborhood dynamics are amazing. Living in Colorado will expose you to different cultures amidst different elevations and proximity to the mountains. For example, if you move to Burlington or Julesburg on the Eastern plains, you should expect to experience warmer and more humid atmospheric conditions. However, if you move to Glenwood Springs or Gunnison, you will experience the opposite since various parts of the state are at different elevations. 

Be mindful of your budget.

Before you relocate to the state, you need to know what type of neighborhood you are looking for and align this with your budget. While it is widely known that living in Colorado is not a cheap undertaking, certain neighborhoods are more accessible. 

How to make moving easier when heading to Colorado 

So you have finally settled on Colorado as your next home! This is a great choice and certainly a big deal. As you plan your move, you can make the whole process easier by: 

Updating your license, registration, and vehicle titles.

When you move, update these details to match your new address and state. Next, you should find car insurance in Colorado and acquire proof of insurance in the state, as this will allow you to register your vehicle there. 

Find a trustworthy real estate agent.

This will help you find exactly what you are looking for, as the market is flooded with all housing options. The realtor will bring in their expertise and help you find the right fit for you that meets your budget requirements. An experienced realtor will be able to shortlist properties for you based on what it is you are looking for. If you buy a home without a realtor, you will be forced to go through all the housing options yourself, and you can imagine how this will be a time-consuming task. 

What items to have on hand at all times in Colorado 

To thrive in the state of Colorado, you will need to be prepared for all the different conditions it offers. The following items are thus a must-have if you are considering a move to the state: 

Humidifiers.

The Colorado climate is definitely arid. When you are planning to relocate to this otherwise beautiful state, you will want to add a humidifier or even two to your list of essential items. Running your humidifiers will, in the long run, save you from experiencing the side effects of dry skin. 

Outdoor gear.

In Colorado, every resident enjoys a bit of outdoor adventure no matter what the season is! You can enjoy activities like hiking, running, biking, and skiing throughout the year. To avoid missing out on all the fun, add outdoor gear to your propriety list before making a move. 

Snow shovels, snow melt, and ice scrapers.

The winter in Colorado brings thick layers of snowfall, which can affect your daily life. This is why every homeowner in Colorado should have these materials readily available. 

Fun activities that are exclusively in Colorado 

There is no shortage of fun activities to indulge in as a resident of Colorado. Though the list is quite expansive, here are just a few unique attractions. 

Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Located just 15 miles from Denver, this is a naturally formed amphitheater that has been used for ages dating as far back as the Ute tribe. 

Mesa Verde National Park.

This stunning park has preserved Puebloan cliff dwellings and is a must-see if you love history. 

 

Headshot 5Taylor McKnight is a Digital PR Specialist representing clients across all business niches who enjoys content writing and marketing among other PR activities. He is also the author of SMARTBOX.

 

Aging Smarter: Denver Doctor Gives Tips for Better Brain Health

We all have misplaced our keys or forgotten someone’s name more times than we probably want to admit. We tend to chalk up these momentary memory lapses to our busy schedules or even stress. As it turns out, occasional forgetfulness can be a normal and natural part of aging. However, these episodes of forgetfulness also may be a sign of a more serious problem with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s.

The good news is there are some simple strategies you can implement that may help combat memory loss and keep your mind sharp, no matter your stage in life.

Exercise that brain

We all have heard the adage “use it or lose it.” This is particularly prudent advice when it comes to keeping your memory and brain function in the best shape possible.

Examples of activities that may stimulate your brain include crossword puzzles, painting, reading or online brain games.

Maintain a healthy diet 

It is undeniable that a healthy diet can have wide-reaching benefits on a person’s physical health; it also can be a boon to cognitive health. Some of the research suggests that a healthy diet is associated with the brain’s ability to remember and potentially stave off dementia.

To help reap the benefits of brain-boosting foods, consistently reach for fruits and vegetables as well as include items that are high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, nuts, avocados and olive oil. Try to stay away from foods high in trans and saturated fats, like cake, doughnuts and fatty cuts of beef.

Don’t shortchange your zzz’s

The brain is constantly busy during waking hours but while we sleep, the brain has a chance to relax and “detoxify” from the day. Scientists are learning that this process is critical to maintaining brain function, and in turn, helps keep the brain healthy and memory sharp.

Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep a night. Of course, everyone is different, and medications, as well as underlying health conditions, can impact sleep. Consult your provider if you are having trouble getting adequate sleep.

Get moving

Regular physical activity can boost brain health. Most adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly along with at least 2 non-consecutive days of strength training. But, set realistic fitness-related goals for where you are in life. Starting with daily walking is a good first step. Or perhaps you feel motivated to finish your first 5K or hit a nice bike trail. People should always check with their physician before starting any exercise regimen.

Bottom line

Always be mindful of changes as you age. If you notice abnormal or rapid changes in memory or forgetfulness, talk to your provider. There are many reasons for memory changes. For example, if you have had COVID-19 and are experiencing “brain fog,” it could be a post-COVID condition.

Practicing some or all of these strategies might help keep you ahead of the aging curve. Remember, needing extra time is normal as we age, but you are still capable of learning new skills and forming new memories as you get older.

 

KaczmarczykDr. Greg Kaczmarczyk is a family physician with New West Physicians, part of Optum in Denver.