In this Capitol Report:
Colorado Chamber Elects New Board Members
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce elected new board members at its annual membership business meeting last week. Please join us in welcoming the following individuals to the Colorado Chamber’s Board of Directors:
Roger McKenzie Bartlett, President of Affordable Concrete
As a certified 8(a) firm and DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) firm, Bartlett understands small business challenges and opportunities. He takes his responsibility to the community seriously. He serves on the City and County of Denver MWBE (Minority & Women Business Enterprise) Payment Task Force which got a landmark approval by Denver City Council to pay MWBE firms within 35 days. And, remembering his early start in business, he serves on the Transportation & Construction GIRL Advisory Committee which focuses on bringing more women into the transportation and construction industry while also helping to solve workforce shortages.
Mauricio Henderson, President of Perseverance Staffing, LLC
Mauricio Henderson founded Perseverance in May of 2014 on the premise of providing a high-level quality of care, and top-notch workforce service solutions for small businesses, and government entities. Henderson is a phenomenal leader in the community with strong leadership skills and innovative ideas for all people. He has dedicated all of his time to assisting his company’s clients with their business and workforce needs. He devotes a great deal of time to make a difference in his community by volunteering. He is proud to serve with the Adams County Public Schools, Denver Public Schools, Transportation & Construction Girls, WORK NOW, and Colorado State Youth Council, to get more youth engaged in the Colorado workforce. With his ability to adjust to any type of situation, he can handle all work environments. He has a strong cultural intelligence background which allows him to assist clients and business partners in a timely and professional manner.
Andy Newland, President/CEO of Hercules Industries
Andy Newland is President of Hercules Industries, which provides a full line of products for heating and air conditioning systems to contractors throughout the Western United States. Andy is part of the 3rd generation of the Newland family who owned and operated the business for 57 years. He helped lead the business through an ownership transition to an ESOP in 2019. Hercules has received numerous industry awards and has been named among the “Top 50 Family Owned Companies” by ColoradoBiz magazine. Prior to becoming President of Hercules in 2013, Andy had been Vice President and CFO for Hercules. He earned his B.S. in Accounting from Pepperdine University. He serves on the board of the HVAC division of Affiliated Distributors as well as Millennium Insurance company. He is also on the Board of Trustees at Arrupe Jesuit High School.
Beverly Razon, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for COPIC
Ms. Razon serves as the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for COPIC and has been with the company since 2009. Prior to joining COPIC, Ms. Razon worked on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. for nearly eight years. She leads the government affairs and public outreach for COPIC, engaging with business and health care organizations in an effort to identify opportunities to partner on legislative and policy initiatives, as well as statewide and community projects involving health care and patient safety. Ms. Razon holds an MBA from Regis University and bachelors of science from Doane College.
Meg VanderLaan, Chief Marketing Officer for Encore Electric
As a member of the executive leadership team at Encore, Meg VanderLaan leads the company’s marketing program, provides thought leadership and guides decision-making. Her reputation for results grew through her work as an independent marketing and communications consultant for Colorado companies following her chief communications officer role at MWH Global (now Stantec). She also held leadership roles in marketing and public relations at Gates Corporation, a dot-com startup and companies in the healthcare industry. In 2016, VanderLaan was named Business Marketer of the Year by the Business Marketing Association Colorado Chapter, and one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She was also named Business Person of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America in 2015, and the 2014 Outstanding Woman in Business in Media, PR and Communications by the Denver Business Journal.
The Colorado Chamber also elected its new Board Chair, Rachel Nance. View the press release here.
The Denver Post Editorial Board: “Now is not the time” for Prop 118
The Denver Post this week published an editorial opposing Proposition 118, the paid family and medical leave insurance program, raising concerns about its impact on small businesses and employees in these challenging economic times.
“What Colorado needs right now are jobs — not better-paying jobs, or better benefits, just jobs,” the editorial states. “Thousands of Coloradans need to pay their bills or face eviction and foreclosure. In May about 5% of mortgage borrowers were more than 30 days late compared to only 1.5% in May 2019.”
“[A]s we recover from these hard times, it’s hard to overstate the importance of protecting small businesses and fostering their reopening or creation. As badly as this board wanted to support Proposition 118 and create a system to provide paid family leave for all working Coloradans, we have to conclude that now is not the time.”
Job Announcement - Director, Unemployment Insurance Division, Colorado Department of Labor & Employment
Please be advised that the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment is seeking candidates to serve as the Director of the Unemployment Division at the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment. Most recently, Jeff Fitzgerald, the current Director of the Division, will be moving on to work with the Federal Department of Labor. This is a very good opportunity for Chamber members who may be interested in being actively involved in unemployment insurance decisions by the State. Below are the details and announcement regarding this opportunity:
Director, Unemployment Insurance Division
Job Title | Director, Unemployment Insurance Division |
Closing Date/Time | Thu. 10/29/20 5:00 PM Mountain Time |
Salary | $7,642.00 – $11,875.00 Monthly |
Job Type | Full Time |
Location | Denver, Colorado |
Department | Department of Labor and Employment |
If you are interested in this role, please contact Loren Furman at [email protected] so that she can share your contact information with leadership at the Department.
The Broadmoor Featured in ProCo360 Podcast
The Colorado Chamber’s Dave Tabor spoke with Jack Damioli, President and CEO of The Broadmoor, on his latest ProCo360 podcast episode. The Broadmoor is a long-time partner member and hosts the chamber’s annual golf tournament each year.
The episode takes a look inside one of Colorado’s most iconic five-star resorts, covering how they’ve adapting to the pandemic, Colorado’s luxury service culture, and Damioli’s role as CEO.