Read about our members in the news: World Bicycle Relief and M-Bike System.
Our members work hard every day to make the Denver metro area a great place to do business. We want to keep you in the know about the important work of our members, whether they are opening new business locations, hiring more people or creating new partnerships.
World Bicycle Relief Launches Campaign to Provide Life-Changing Bicycles for Students in Malawi
M-Bike System Doubles in Size, Now the Largest Office Park Bike Sharing System in the Nation
Read about our members in the news: Jefferson County Public Library.
Our members work hard every day to make the Denver metro area a great place to do business. We want to keep you in the know about the important work of our members, whether they are opening new business locations, hiring more people or creating new partnerships.
Jefferson County Public Library announces new executive director
Read about our members in the news: Freedom 4 Miler, KLJ , Junior League of Denver, University of Colorado Boulder, Westminster Public Schools Foundation and Adoption Option.
Our members work hard every day to make the Denver metro area a great place to do business. We want to keep you in the know about the important work of our members, whether they are opening new business locations, hiring more people or creating new partnerships.
JUNE 30: Freedom 4 Miler
KLJ expands to Colorado and opens office in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Junior League of Denver grants $20,000 to kick off 100th anniversary
University of Colorado Boulder one of world's top universities, says Center for World University Rankings
Westminster Public Schools Foundation discounted Water World tickets
Adoption Option is making a difference one child at a time
The golf course is one of the prominent places for networking; it helps people to find a common ground and get to know each other and their businesses outside of the boardroom.
The Chamber’s sold out Golf Classic combines the love of golf with the importance of networking. Check out these three tips on how to work the room or the course, and learn how to grow your network.
Networking is a two-way street
The strongest relationships are formed when you spend the time to genuinely get to know the other person. Don’t just pepper them with questions; find out more about their business and inform them about yours. Creating a platform for dialogue will continue the relationship beyond the event.
Chamber tip: Networking is building a strong foundation for a relationship. Check out the right way to network to develop your networking skills.
Think people, not positions
The person that you are talking to is more important than their title. Make it your mission to find the value in each person that you talk to, because you never know what can come out of each conversation. You don’t know where they are going to go in their career or how that connection could help you in the future. Building those concrete relationships are key to maintaining and expanding your network.
Chamber tip: When you have a mindset of reciprocity, you make more meaningful contacts. Learn how to network like you really mean it with these eight tips.
Always get a second date
At networking events, it is often hard to gauge if that initial impression is worth continuing. That is why it’s important to secure a second meeting; make sure you get their contact information to follow up with them to build that new relationship.
Chamber tip: Make the first impression count to lead to a second interaction. Make the most of the time you have and check out the three ways to build leads in 90 minutes.
Take your networking skills beyond the driving range and check out the Chamber's upcoming networking events to put your skills to the test.
Laura James is the communications and marketing coordinator for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Local partnerships provide student veterans with mentorships, career assistance.
Boots to Suits at CU Denver caught Aurora Antonio’s eye because it offers veterans a nice suit to set them up for success, she said. But she soon realized the program reaches far beyond business attire.
“Boots to Suits had partnered me with a mentor within my career field back in October 2017. Over that course of time, Mark Faul, vice president of Whiting-Turner, has guided me and discussed the future that I want to shape,” Antonio said. “Not only has he been a great mentor but has also boosted my confidence within the job search, teaching me that interviews and networking do not have to be an intimidating process but that I too can get my values across to see if the employer is a right match for me as much as I am a right match for their company.
“With that in mind I went to my first job fair in February and have received four interviews thus far.”
Stephanie Espinoza’s experience led her from a mentorship to a career.
“I was paired up with my mentor, Bob Armstrong who is a vice president with MWH Global,” Espinoza said. “He took me to his office on our third meeting and I got to meet his group. A few of the engineers jokingly asked when I would be starting. Well just a couple months later Bob called me during fall break. He said there was an immediate opening at his office and he would like me to come in and speak with the hiring manager and with the rest of the team.
"I am now working at MWH Global, now a part of Stantec, part time until I graduate in May and then I will be moved to full time."
These veterans are benefiting from the innovative Boots to Suits program at the University of Colorado Denver, which is entering its seventh year in assisting veterans in their transition from the military to the classroom and from the classroom to the workforce. The program, through Veteran & Military Student Services, helps veteran students achieve their academic and career goals through peer-to-peer mentoring, mental wellness support, tutoring, scholarships and professional development.
The targeted program, which works with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and other partners to pair veterans with mentees, has emboldened more than 50 veterans in cohorts over the past three years alone – there are 21 participants currently, said Stephani Loxton, transition and support coordinator at CU Denver’s Veteran and Military Student Services.
“The most important aspect of this program is the partnerships, support and collaboration that we have between Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the CU Denver Career Center, and other campus resources that give our students the skill sets and opportunities that help them thrive,” Loxton said.
The Boots to Suits program, which is now also offered at CU Boulder and CU Colorado Springs, is a community collaborative with diverse partners – the chamber provided 11 mentors in 2016-17 school year and 18 mentors in 2017-18 school year – such as Denver Health, Fidelity Investments, Lockheed Martin, Martin/Martin Inc. and MillerCoors.
“We are committed to putting our veterans to work in really good jobs. Boots to Suits provides the support to ensure that,” said Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kelly Brough. “We could not do this work without the support of our member businesses and the invaluable resources they provide, from mentorship to job opportunities for veterans.”
Throughout its seven years, the program has positively assisted the lives of about 100 veterans, and those of their families. And participants such as Antonio and Espinoza said they have a great deal more to look forward to.
“I am still in the Boots to Suits program where we continue to develop long life leadership skills that I think will not only benefit my professional career but also my personal life,” Antonio said. “A task at hand from the program is to identify our strengths and weaknesses and apply those skills to our goals, passions, relationships, and careers.”
“I never imagined that I would have a job lined up before I even graduated,” Espinoza said. “I would have never met Bob and had this opportunity without the Boots to Suits Program.”
Espinoza graduated in spring 2017; Antonio will graduate in May.
Those who would like to get involved as mentors, participate in our Advisory Council or have other ways they wish to support can contact us at VMSS@ucdenver.edu
Join us as we celebrate our Boots to Suits program participants at the Boots to Suits Anniversary Salute on April 18.
Article written by Cathy Beuten
This article was originally published by the University of Colorado. Click here to view the article.
The Science of Reaching & Activating Your Audience
Data analysis has taught us that the axiom, “If you build it, they will come,” is no longer true. Simply having a great product or service isn’t enough to be seen and heard in a world of message bombardment.
Less than five seconds. That’s the amount of time you have to pique consumers’ interest.
We use data to understand audiences and their behaviors, inform the media mix (activation roadmap) to reach that audience and measure performance to inform optimizations, strategy and creative.
This guide will provide you with:
Read about our members in the news: KLA Laboratories, Inc., Lowry Foundation and Community First Foundation and University of Colorado Boulder.
Our members work hard every day to make the Denver metro area a great place to do business. We want to keep you in the know about the important work of our members, whether they are opening new business locations, hiring more people or creating new partnerships.
KLA Laboratories, Inc. Announces Opening of New Service Center
Lowry Foundation and Community First Foundation Announce New Endowment Fund
University of Colorado Boulder: The Outdoor Recreation Industry in Colorado
