Last week, the Denver Metro Chamber hosted its 2021 Annual Meeting, celebrating a year of resilience and transition with remarks from new President and CEO J. J. Ament, 2021-22 Board Chair Mark Spiecker and a keynote address that focused on the connection between happiness and success from Michelle Gielan. Bob Hottman, former partner at Plante Moran, was honored with the 2021 Del Hock Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his dedication to Denver, the Chamber and civic engagement.
Over the past year, the Chamber and its family of affiliate organizations served as the voice of the business community and weighed in on 70 pieces of legislation, raised over $84,000 to support the next generation of Denver’s leaders, recruited or retained 17 companies who call Colorado home, researched and developed 10 steps that businesses can take to create an economy that works for everyone and helped 34 new businesses start. View the Chamber’s full 2021 Annual Report here.
“We have a strong economy, strong support from our members and stakeholders, and want everyone to enjoy the prosperity and opportunity our economy affords,” said Ament. “While transitions can be challenging, they also open windows for change, innovation and growth.”
This sentiment rang true, not just for the Chamber, but for its members as well. Over the past year, Chamber members of all sizes stayed engaged in the business community, attending virtual events and networking with fellow members, ultimately passing along $30 million in leads.
An entrepreneur himself, incoming Board Chair Spiecker understands Chamber members of all sizes and stages of development. “That entrepreneurial spirit that so many of you have requires creative thinking, a commitment to problem-solving, and, in all honesty, simply the willingness to show up and get the job done,” he added. “We’ve relied on those qualities at the Chamber over the last year to help our members keep their doors open and their employees on payroll.”
That attitude will only further buoy the Chamber and its members as the city navigates returning to the office and navigating the new world of work together. The most important role of the Chamber will remain the same: putting more Coloradans to work in quality jobs.
During the keynote address, Gielan touched on the important connection between happiness and business success. “When we consciously cultivate a more optimistic mindset, and we get others to do the same, we see it drives every single business, health and educational outcome that we know how to track,” Gielan said.
From enhanced productivity to increasing chances of a promotion by 40%, using a positive mindset improves a business’ bottom line. Reframing thoughts through a success mindset will lead to work optimism, positive engagement and support in the office. When individuals believe their behavior matters, they feel less hopeless and more positive about a given situation.
“As leaders, you have so many opportunities to show others how we can think about challenges,” added Gielan.
The keynote address touched on how different organizations can utilize their success and help their teammates isolate negative or stressful thoughts to ultimately problem-solve challenges of all kinds.
“Our organization is all about convening, communicating and collaborating for the whole community,” added Ament. “At the Chamber, we serve as the voice of business. We will use that voice as a force of good and protecting free enterprise for all of our members.”
The Boettcher Foundation, Comcast, DaVita, FirstBank, HealthONE, U.S. Bank, VF Corporation, Wells Fargo and Xcel Energy were presenting sponsors. Colorado State University Global was the keynote sponsor of the event, and Plante Moran was the platinum sponsor.