2018 Boulder Chamber Year in Review

2018 BOULDER CHAMBER YEAR IN REVIEW What has the Boulder Chamber done for you?

ADVOCACY

In the last year, we advocated for a strong business environment in the following ways:

• Advocated for continued improvements in local and regional transportation operations, including preservation of the community-wide Eco Pass, investments in the US36 corridor, regional Bus Rapid Transit service on SH 7 and SH 119 and local mobility improvements.

• Secured national grants to convene regional housing experts, finance professionals and housing advocates to advance innovative, yet practical housing strategies and solutions to increase workforce housing diversity throughout Boulder County.

• Advocated to avoid the negative repercussions of excessive Development Impact Fees increases impacting the affordability of housing and commercial spaces for our workers and local businesses.

• Resisted an effort to indefinitely extend Boulder’s building height moratorium.

• Advocated for a mix of creative commercial and residential projects, responsive to the needs of local businesses.

• Worked to establish an expedited plan for financing and implementing a community-wide broadband network.

• Advocated for cultural facilities, investments and committing to public art as a community benefit in our long-term planning.

• Worked collaboratively with CU-Boulder to address many communityrelated issues such as creating more multi-modal transportation connections, housing and options for flood mitigation of the South Boulder campus.

ADVOCACY • Represented the small business voice and provided economic perspective while facing political threats to the future of retail and tourism in Boulder.

• Testified alongside regional partners at the Colorado P.U.C. to support sustainable energy strategies for Colorado.

• Continued to advocate for responsible regulation of the cannabis industry, continually seeking the appropriate congruence between State law and local ordinances.

• Worked to minimize the unintended consequences associated with implementation of the regulations and taxes on our local businesses.

• Hosted exclusive visits from U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and U.S. Representative Jared Polis to engage with our community’s business leaders in meaningful policy dialogue.

• Engaged House of Representatives Majority Leader K.C. Becker, Senator Stephen Fenberg and Representative Edie Hooton to debrief the 2018 Legislative Session.

• Took strong positions to reflect the interests of our membership and the Boulder community on the 2017 ballot initiatives.

• Held a Boulder City Council Candidate Forum that featured all fourteen city council candidates and was viewed by more than 1,000 people on our Facebook Live feed.

• Received the 2018 Government Affairs award from the CCCE association for excellence in our advocacy efforts.

ECONOMIC VITALITY

In the last year, we sustained economic vitality in the following ways:

• Presented the 2018 Economic Forecast and Boulder Economic Summit: Workforce of the Future. The signature events drew combined attendance of 800 people, the most to date.

• Produced and released the “Boulder Innovation Venture” report amplifying the performance of Boulder’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem compared to other national centers of innovation.

• Assisted 33 companies evaluating Boulder as a new location for their businesses. Companies announcing new Boulder offices to date include Carbon Black, Spire Global, Amazon, Honey, and HERE Technologies, among others.

• Advocated for key Boulder industries at Natural Products Expo, Outdoor Retailer Markets, Space Symposium and other national and regional industry trade shows.

• Hosted monthly meetings of the Boulder Economic Council, the Boulder Chamber’s leadership group of local executives dedicated to Boulder’s sustained economic vitality.

• Assisted 15 Boulder startups and early stage companies to date with referrals to funding resources, small business assistance providers, and other development resources.

• Invited to present on Boulder’s economy at the Kauffman Foundation ESHIP Summit, Rocky Mountain Innovation Summit, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. and the BizWest CEO Roundtable on Innovation.

ECONOMIC VITALITY • Assisted 95 local businesses in key industries with business development plans, challenges and opportunities. Escalated assistance benefited companies representing over 4,000 jobs.

• Partnered with City of Boulder’s Economic Vitality team to support city retail studies, the Boulder Opportunity Zone, business outreach, the Flexible Rebate program, and other business assistance programs.

• Nominated and facilitated the successful applications of two Boulder companies for $3.2M in state incentive awards from the Colorado Economic Development Commission.

• Collaborated with economic vitality partners at CU Boulder, including Silicon Flatirons, Office of Industry Collaboration, the Deming Center, Tech Transfer Office, and campus and college administrative leaders.

• Partnered with the CO Office of Economic Development and the City of Boulder to successfully apply for a new federally-designated Opportunity Zone incenting local investment.

• Nominated, in coordination with the City of Boulder, 120 early stage Boulder businesses for CO Companies to Watch awards. Nine Boulder businesses recognized with CCTW awards.

• Published monthly Economic Vitality newsletters sent to all Boulder Chamber members, and produced quarterly Boulder Economic Indicators reports and semiannual updates of the Boulder Market Profile.

MEMBERSHIP

In the last year, we supported our membership community in the following ways:

• Supported over 1,250-member businesses (representing over 60,000 employees).

• Hosted over 140 events and meetings, connecting thousands of business leaders for valuable personal and professional engagement opportunities.

• Saved members money while promoting local businesses through our exclusive Member Advantage Programs.

• Created opportunities for member visibility through the Boulder Chamber Business Directory, online Directory, lobby displays, as well as sponsorship recognition, ribbon cuttings and social media.

• Reached over 13,000 Twitter followers, giving our members even more visibility through one of Boulder’s top Twitter accounts.

• Provided opportunities for member-to-member connections through our online Member Information Center.

• Successfully engaged new members with quarterly outreach plans.

• Supported nonprofit members with new benefits and exposure through Bolder Young Pros (BYP) and Battle of the Industry Bands.

• Supported professional development through Pop-Up Learning Studios, BYP and Business Women Leadership Group (BWLG) events.

MEMBERSHIP • Provided a health insurance option for our member businesses and their employees.

• Produced the Esprit Venture Challenge, a pitch competition culminating in a $10,000 grant for the winnings startup, Khala Kloths.

• Engaged our members through unconventional Chamber events such as our Disc Golf Tournament, Running Club, BYP After Dark and Battle of the Industry Bands.

• Helped engage and support a broader diversity of business leaders through BYP, BWLG, Community Partnership Council and Community Affairs Council.

• Partnered with the Community Foundation to prepare a diverse group of over 35 business, nonprofit and government professionals for leadership roles through the Boulder County Leadership Fellows.

• Launched “Chamber Chats” through Facebook Live, lending exposure to member businesses.

• Produced weekly newsletter, exclusive to Chamber members, keeping recipients updated on local events, economic activity and public policy news.

WE BUILD COMMUNITY THROUGH BUSINESS

303.938.2065 l 2440 Pearl St. Boulder, CO 80302 l membership@boulderchamber.com boulderchamber.com