DENVER – The Colorado business community heard from expert transportation and infrastructure panelists and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce at the Chamber’s 2022 State of the City address. The event, presented by United Airlines, provided a platform to discuss the current state of the transportation industry, as well as the goals and priorities for the future.
The event also celebrated United Airlines’ 85th year of service in Denver. As a “birthday” celebration, United distributed prizes to event attendees and discussed United’s commitment to Denver and sustainability during their sponsor remarks. After their new lease at the Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver is now the largest hub in their system, giving them the ability to fly about 700 flights out of Denver a day. As the largest private employer in Denver, United also plans to expand their employee base from 7,000 to 10,000 in three to five years, and has the goal to be carbon neutral, without using offsets, by 2050.
“We’re excited to celebrate 85 years here in Denver,” said United Airlines’ vice president of the Denver Hub, Matt Miller. “But today is less about the past and more about our future. We’ve invested in our people, our customers and the community of Denver to be the best hometown airline we can be.”
The panel featured a variety of transportation and infrastructure community leaders. Raymond Gonzales, EVP for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and president of the Metro Denver EDC, moderated the discussion. Gonzales was joined by Debra Johnson, general manager and CEO for the Regional Transportation District; Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation; Mayor Jackie Millet, City of Lone Tree and former Chair of the Metro Mayors Caucus; and Michael Sheehan, senior vice president of Special Projects for DEN.
During the panel, the conversation focused on the use of federal and state dollars for infrastructure projects, crime and safety on public transit, fair pricing of transit costs, collaboration between the organizations on increasing public transportation accessibility, sustainability goals and efforts of each organization, and the EPA’s non-attainment reclassification for Metro Denver and the Northern Front Range.
The panel lasted for an hour, and at the end, all panelists were asked, “If you had a magic wand to remove one obstacle to achieve the vision you have for the Metro Denver region, what would that be?”
Johnson focused on having a robust public transportation network. Stating that we don’t currently have one, Johnson said she doesn’t look at other transportation services as being competing, but complimentary. She stressed the need to collaborate across networks and organizations to properly serve communities.
Lew stressed that many needed projects aren’t addressed until damage has been done. Lew said that many important issues are known ahead of time, but it often isn’t until irreversible damage has started that any one takes action.
Mayor Millet’s big barrier were construction defect litigation issues. She emphasized that we all want to attract and retain talent, and in order to grow her own community, she needs more affordable and workforce housing options.
Sheehan’s desire was to continue resilience and sustainable growth for the region. He stressed that DEN is 27 years old, and many of the systems and processes are outdated. DEN’s goal is to continue their growth in a sustainable way as they prepare themselves to meet the needs of their travelers.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, J. J. Ament, gave closing remarks, summarizing the Chamber’s insights on the state of Metro Denver. Ament focused on limiting government restrictions on businesses for Colorado, specifically mentioning the EPA non-attainment reclassification as a burden for Coloradans.
Ament stated, “The Chamber, who helped regulate the original Air Quality Commission, knows how critical our environment is to our economic success and physical health. But we also know that burdensome and expensive regulations that don’t actually solve problems facing our businesses, residents, or even the environment, are unwise.”
Ament continued to say that the Chamber is leading a coalition against the EPA reclassification. The coalition is in pursuit of more, “pragmatic, scientific and less economically damaging approaches to continue the substantial emissions reductions we’ve seen, and maintain and improve [Colorado’s] air quality.”
There was also mention of the Inflation Reduction Act, the large reconciliation deal recently passed by Congress, with Ament emphasizing the move of Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama. “If we really want to address inflation, part of that is reducing unnecessary spending, such as spending $1 billion to move something that’s part of our community,” said Ament. The move of these headquarters impacts nearly 1400 Colorado jobs and many have called for the move to be challenged.
Ament closed by emphasizing that collaboration between the private and public sector is needed for innovation and growth, and he stressed, “We will strive to strike that balance to both protect our environment and our economy. We can do both at the same time.”
To learn more about the Denver Metro Chamber’s political stances, visit https://denverchamber.org/policy/current-state-legislation/
About the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
For 155 years, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce has been a leading voice for Colorado’s business community. With a membership that spans the state, the Chamber is an effective advocate for small and large businesses. The Chamber’s family of organizations includes the Metro Denver EDC, the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center, the Colorado Competitive Council, B:CIVIC and Prosper Colorado. For more information, go to denverchamber.org.
For 26 years, Denver International Airport (DEN) has been a huge point of pride for our region and a vital part of our economy. That is even more true today as DEN prepares for post-pandemic travel. In fact, the airport is busier than most in the world when it comes to passenger traffic. DEN welcomed over 33 million passengers last year and saw its ranking as busiest U.S. airport jump to #3, up two spots from 2019. DEN’s world ranking saw an even greater leap, moving from 16th busiest airport to seventh.
Those numbers are in part due to the way DEN responded as the pandemic hit. The airport has been a true partner to airlines, concessions operators and rental car companies. With assistance from federal funding, DEN provided relief to its partners by deferring rent payments and allowing vendors to flex their operating hours without penalty.
DEN understood how critical the economic impact of its planned improvements was. Construction projects, like the gate expansion, Great Hall and Peña Boulevard, not only delivered jobs to Coloradans but also better positioned DEN to welcome passengers from an expanding number of worldwide destinations in 2021 and beyond. The airport reprioritized $3.5 billion to expedite certain projects, turning low passenger traffic into an advantage rather than a setback. These projects are putting 39 new gates in service by early 2022, with the first ones having opened in November 2020, and employing 1,000 construction workers.
And those new route expansions are coming in. Just last month, Air France, a new airline at the airport, announced nonstop flights to Paris beginning in July. Existing and new carriers’ continued investment in the Denver market demonstrates how the demand for air travel is rebounding, helping our region recover faster than many of our peer cities.
When it comes to safety, DEN added plexiglass barriers, hand sanitizer stations, frequent cleaning and on-site COVID-19 testing for passengers. The airlines, including Chamber members Frontier, Southwest and United, have upped their safety measures, too.
It’s clear that air travel will continue pick up as more people get vaccinated. So, book your vaccination and plan your travel for a vacation at the same time! (Have you gotten your vaccination yet?)
Take the Metro Denver EDC COVID Air Travel Survey #3
By the way, your thoughtful insights through our air travel surveys in October and January were tremendously helpful. It is clear that the business community’s travel needs serve as the foundation that boasts over Our Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, in partnership with DEN, is again asking for your help.
Please complete the latest survey by May 24.
Today marks a day of celebration not only for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, but for the Denver business community: It’s the day that the first locomotive arrived in Denver in 1870 after years of hard work to connect the city to the rest of the nation.
And, as the Chamber celebrates its 150th anniversary, you’ve probably heard that the Chamber was founded in 1867 to bring the Union Pacific Railroad to Denver. That was no small task.
Just a few days after organizing, the Chamber, then known as the Denver Board of Trade, and the business community went full steam ahead to raise $500,000 in order to build 100 miles of rail bed on which Union Pacific would lay track. a canvassing committee of community leaders knocking on doors, $300,000 was raised in just three days.
Did you know $500,000 is worth $7,790,708 today? Compare Chamber facts from when we were founded in 1867 to how we work today.
When work started on the rail bed for the Denver Pacific Railroad on May 18, 1868, it signified what the Denver community can do when it comes together to support Denver’s economy. When the first train chugged into the station on June 15, 1870, it brought the promise of trade and transportation.
From the first locomotive in 1870 to Denver International Airport in 1995 and FastTracks in 2004, the Chamber and the Denver metro area business community have worked to keep transportation at the forefront to make our region competitive. How we move people and goods is key to our economic success.
That rail spur was our first call to action. What do you think our next “rail spur” challenge will be? Tell us in the comments.
Laura James is the marketing and communications coordinator for the Denver Metro Chamber.
“Sorry I’m late. I had to fly though Denver.” That was the phrase used in an ad that ran in The Wall Street Journal to promote Salt Lake City in 1985.
Stapleton International Airport, a project that the Chamber helped bring to fruition, was the primary airport serving the region since opening in 1929. At that time in early flight history, the Chamber had a vision to make Denver “one of the foremost cities of the United States in air-mindedness and aviation industry.”
That same focus guided the business community in 1978. The Chamber formed a committee led by Bob Albin, a local businessman who would later chair the Chamber, of more than 50 business leaders to study the potential need to replace Stapleton. During the 1970s three major carries (Frontier, Continental and United) made Denver a hub after the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, but, that ad was unfortunately true: Denver was still known for delays. The study was completed in 1979, recommending a new airport.
”By the turn of the century, we had to drastically expand or completely replace the existing airport,” Albin said.
The study was just the beginning; in order for Denver International Airport (DIA) to become a reality, Denver metro area voters had to approve this multibillion dollar project. The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (a Chamber affiliate then known as the Greater Denver Corporation) put $700,000 into an election in 1988 to approve the annexation of land and development of a new airport.
Two votes were needed to approve DIA.
On May 17, 1988, Adams County voters approved the annexation of the land by an 8 percent margin of 54 to 46 percent. On May 16 of the following year, Denver voters gave an almost two-to-one support of the new airport, with 63 percent in favor.
The airport faced challenges, critics and delayed opening. Ultimately, on Feb. 28, 1995, DIA opened to travelers. Today the airport, widely considered one of the region’s smartest economic development investments, now serves more than 54 million passengers a year, making it among the busiest in the United States.
Albin said it best: “It takes a long time to do big, important things.”
And, we continue to work on DIA. In 2015, voters in Adams and Denver counties renewed their agreement to develop area surrounding the airport. Panasonic Enterprise Solutions has been among the first companies to relocate business to this area—and they are creating a smart city, Peña Station Next, as part of the next chapter for this area.
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Photo courtesy of Denver International Airport.
Your ballot is coming—and, soon! Here are a couple reminders of issues related to important economic drivers that we are supporting are on that ballot: National Western Stock Show and Denver International Airport.
Referred Question 2C asks voters to extend the lodgers’ tax, which will be used to transform the National Western Center into an economic center for animal science and agriculture and make much-needed improvements to the Colorado Convention Center. It will forge new partnerships between National Western and Colorado State University, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and History Colorado. And, some say the best news of all is that we are only extending a current tax (so folks are used to paying it) and it's mostly funded by visitors (those who stay in our hotels). The bottom line: Help ensure our agriculture and animal science industry thrives for the next 150 years. Vote yes on 2C.
Referred Question 1A asks Adams and Denver County voters to approve an agreement for additional commercial development on DIA land. The agreement is endorsed by Gov. John Hickenlooper, local legislators, county commissioners and city council members in Adams County, Aurora, Bennett, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver, Federal Heights, Thornton and Westminster. You will also see a long list of chambers of commerce, economic development groups and other organizations from across the region on that list of supporters. Today DIA creates $26 billion in regional economic impact and supports 200,000 direct and indirect jobs. This agreement will help this economic engine get even more mileage by encouraging business and development around DIA. The agreement ensures the benefits of that economic activity are shared by all the surrounding cities and counties as well. The bottom line: Collaboration is how we do business in Colorado and this is our 2016 poster child of collaboration. Vote yes on 1A.
Also, watch your inboxes next week for our fall issue of Business Altitude, where you can see our full ballot guide for issues that matter to business.
Kelly Brough is president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
