25 Things You Didn’t Know About Bob Hottman

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The incoming chair of the Denver Metro Chamber’s board of directors turned a small accounting firm into a regional leader. And he did it by focusing on people. Just don’t try to tell him that. Because, well, it’s about the people. Click here to read a feature on Hottman, the Chamber’s 2014-15 board chair. 

Here are 25 things you may not know about Hottman, as told to James Carlson: 

  1. I was on academic probation my first quarter of college.
  2. My favorite class in elementary school was gym. I just loved to move.
  3. My first job was delivering The Denver Post.
  4. My ideal weekend is spent skiing.
  5. My favorite hobbies are in a very specific order: skiing, road-biking, mountain-biking, scuba-diving and then golf.
  6. Why skiing? There’s nothing better than to be on a mountain with fresh powder.
  7. Winter Park is the best. They have the best moguls in the state. And it’s a mountain town, not a resort town.
  8. The furthest I’ve ever biked is probably 120 miles. I do the Triple Bypass Ride every year.
  9. The most exotic animal I’ve ever seen is a toucan in Costa Rica. That’s a big bill.
  10. The best place I’ve ever traveled is Switzerland. I love the people. I love the mountains.
  11. Favorite band? Well, he’s not a band, really, but I like Kenny Chesney.
  12. I’m always listening to sports talk radio.
  13. Favorite sport? Hockey. That’s easy.
  14. My favorite book is Leading with Soul. It’ll never be a New York Times bestseller. It’s just a very compelling parable about elements of leadership you don’t often think about.
  15. Right now? I’m reading The Heart-Led Leader, by Tommy Spaulding.
  16. I love a good black bean burger.
  17. No, I’m not a vegetarian.
  18. Person I’d most want to have dinner with? Absolutely Johnny Unitas. I was a huge Unitas fan. I played quarterback in high school and had those black hightop cleats.
  19. 98 percent of the time, I wake up before the alarm goes off.
  20. People ask, “What keeps you up at night?” Nothing. When my head hits the pillow, I’m asleep. When I wake up, I’m awake.
  21. Failure is my greatest fear, which is weird because I’d also say I’m not afraid to fail.
  22. If I had to choose a role model, it would be Bob Bunting. You probably don’t know him. He’s a CPA in Washington and just a strong values-oriented individual.
  23. My father was the most influential person in my life. He was always willing to give advice, but he never over-managed people.
  24. My first date with my wife was to see a Chicago concert at CSU. She wasn’t sure she liked me. But I had great tickets.
  25. On our 30th anniversary of our first date, I took her to see Chicago in Vegas. I got a lot of bonus points for that.

James Carlson is a Denver-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in 5280 magazine, Eat This, Not That, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He works as the information resources coordinator for the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.