Author: Debbie Brown
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GUEST OPINION: Opportunity Now apprenticeship program builds a skilled workforce
Last summer, a handful of graduating seniors from Jefferson County and Denver Public Schools walked onto CoorsTek’s manufacturing floor and began a 15-month apprenticeship in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. When these students complete the program this fall, they will be eligible for entry-level roles at the 13 Colorado manufacturing companies that make up the…
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GUEST OPINION: Colorado’s talent pipeline is a business risk and opportunity
Colorado’s economy is constrained by one factor more than any other: talent. Across industries, CEOs are facing similar challenges—roles remain open too long, hiring costs continue to rise and uncertainty about whether new hires will perform on day one persists. Whether you are leading a health system on the Front Range, a construction firm on…
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PERSPECTIVE: Colorado’s prosperity is on the brink
By J.J. Ament, Debbie Brown, Dave Davia, Loren Furman and Kourtny Garrett When a company leaves Colorado, no one wins; especially not the line cooks, delivery drivers, bookkeepers, or the small businesses depending on them. Too often, business departures are shrugged off as isolated or inconsequential incidents. They are not. Their departures are a sign of the growing disconnect…
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GUEST COLUMN: Saudi Arabia’s ‘desert is blooming’ — for Colorado
Saudi Arabia wasn’t on my bucket list of places to visit for business or pleasure; it should have been. Colossal economic changes are transforming the once oil-dependent nation into a high-tech, diversified economy under the direction of Vision 2030, the nation’s blueprint for progress. As the president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, I recently witnessed…
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Colorado needs more home-based child care
The Colorado Business Roundtable is a public policy organization comprised of executives from some of the state’s largest employers working to strengthen Colorado’s economic vitality. After the events of 2020 — a global pandemic followed by an economic crisis — our mission became even more critical. In fact, our No. 1 priority for 2021 is…
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THE PODIUM | Road to recovery is paved with potential
Debbie Brown It comes as no surprise that COVID-19 has adversely affected almost every aspect of our state’s economy. While obstacles seem to have stacked against us this year, the disruption has brought an opportunity for Coloradans to rethink and rework policies that could elevate Colorado into a faster and more sustainable economic recovery. The…
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THE PODIUM | Colorado’s oil & gas regs work well
Debbie Brown Colorado’s oil and natural gas industry has helped fuel our state’s economy for decades. Not only does it generate good-paying jobs across our state, including in rural areas where they can be hard to come by, but the industry also pays more than $1 billion in taxes each year to support teachers and…
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GUEST COLUMN: Employ U.S. resources in the global fight against COVID-19
COVID-19 is not slowing down. In fact, it’s only picking up speed as cases rise in Colorado and across the country. What we do next matters— not only for us in the United States, but for people around the world. While the virus is impacting communities differently, there’s no doubt we are all feeling its…
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ROAD TO RECOVERY | ‘Don’t kill the golden goose’
Debbie Brown A few months ago, just as I started my tenure as president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, I was given a copy of the book, “A Love Letter to the American Anti-Hero: Big Business.” The book explores common criticisms against American business — that it’s selfish, profit-driven, or even corrupt. The truth, however,…
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Government has come between a woman, doctor
“No one should come between a woman and her doctor.” I agreed with Sen. Mark Udall when he uttered these words in his recent debate with Cory Gardner. But they don’t square with the senator’s decisive vote for Obamacare. As the executive director of the Colorado Women’s Alliance, I have spent the last year talking…