Day at the Capitol, Spring 2019

Dozens of business leaders, representing over 2,800 businesses and 128,000 employees, met with Governor Jared Polis today to share the collective perspective of the Northwest Chamber Alliance (NWCA) as it relates to business measures under consideration in the Colorado State Legislature. Five Chambers of Commerce including the Boulder, Broomfield, Latino, Longmont and Superior Chambers comprise the coalition which has been very involved for the past several years in issues impacting their regional economy. The NWCA also engaged their State legislators today in a dialogue as part of its continuing efforts to bring a strong business voice to the table for the purpose of addressing regional matters.

In addition to meeting with the Governor and State legislators, the NWCA also had a direct conversation with Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) concerning Transportation issues, a focus of NWCA since its founding.

“Economic vitality is important to all of us, no matter our location. We’ve found that we have many things in common when it comes to issues impacting our members. Working together ensures that our efforts are more robust and thus more effective for all of us,” noted Sam Taylor, the Executive Director for the Broomfield Chamber.

The NWCA shared key priorities for their members with the Governor and engaged in an intimate conversation that is hoped to help everyone better understand different perspectives. ” You can tell that this group and this region of Colorado have done a great deal of planning in terms of transportation and workforce so you may be ahead of others,” said Governor Polis.

The Northwest Chamber Alliance collectively supports the following State Legislative Policy Principles as key priorities for regional economic vitality, with mutual benefit across Colorado:

Statewide Transportation Funding – we believe we must focus on improving regional mobility for commuters and residents to sustain a thriving economy and to address quality of life concerns in the Northwest Denver metro area as we weigh solutions to our mobility challenges.

Workforce Development – businesses face workforce gaps and insufficient access to skilled talent to meet the demand. That is why programs addressing current and future workforce shortages, through enhanced regional workforce development initiatives, are critical to continued economic sustainability.

Electronic Sales and Use Tax Simplification – we support legislation that addresses business concerns regarding the expense and administrative burden they are facing to comply with the complex new sales tax reporting requirement, particularly for small businesses and sole-proprietorships.

“These issues are huge for our members,” said Tricia Brzostowicz, Assistant Director of the Superior Chamber of Commerce. “By working together we can help promote sustained and smart growth across our region.”

The meeting represents the 4th Day at the Capitol sponsored by the NWCA.

About the Northwest Chamber Alliance

The Northwest Chamber Alliance was formed in 2016 as a coalition focused on regional issues that impact economic vitality and quality of life. It is currently comprised of the Boulder Chamber, Latino Chamber of Boulder County, Access Broomfield Chamber, Superior Chamber of Commerce and the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, representing approximately 2,800 businesses and 128,000 employees. These businesses range from large international corporations to small businesses, startups, nonprofits and public institutions.

For more information contact:

About the Northwest Chamber Alliance

The Northwest Chamber Alliance was formed in 2016 as a coalition focused on regional issues that impact economic vitality and quality of life. It is currently comprised of the Boulder Chamber, Latino Chamber of Boulder County, Access Broomfield Chamber, Superior Chamber of Commerce and the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, representing approximately 2,800 businesses and 128,000 employees. These businesses range from large international corporations to small businesses, startups, nonprofits and public institutions.

For more information contact:

John Tayer
Boulder Chamber of Commerce
303-442-1044

Sam Taylor
Broomfield Chamber of Commerce
303- 466-1775

Pete Salas
Latino Chamber of Commerce
720-317-3705

Scott Cook
Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce
303-776-5295

Tricia Brzostowicz
Superior Chamber of Commerce
303-554-0789

T.J. Sullivan
Superior Chamber of Commerce
303-554-0789