Gov. Jared Polis Joins Denver Metro Chamber Of Commerce For 2022 State Of The State Address

Denver CO

20 May, 2022

6:19 AM

Description

Press release from Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce: May 19, 2022 DENVER – May 12, the Colorado business community heard from Gov. Jared Polis and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce about the outcomes of the 2022 legislative session at the Chamber's 2022 State of the State address. The event, presented by Xcel Energy, provided a platform for Gov. Polis, the Chamber and other business leaders to discuss the talent and workforce challenges that Colorado businesses are facing. The event follows the end of the legislative session each year. Gov. Polis and Denver Metro Chamber president and CEO, J. J. Ament, were joined by Rachel Beck, senior director of government affairs at the Chamber and executive director of the Colorado Competitive Council (C3). A panel to discuss workforce challenges and solutions was held with Michelle Marks, Chancellor at University of Colorado Denver, as the moderator. Panelists included Jake Hirsch-Allen, North America workforce development and higher ed system lead at LinkedIn, Dr. Ian Kristic, regional head and industrial/organizational psychologist at the Myers-Briggs Company, Naeem Ishaq, EVP and CFO for Checkr, Inc., and Meaghan Sullivan, executive director for CareerWise. "We can be proud as Coloradans of the effort [the legislature] made on workforce issues," said Gov. Polis to the audience of almost 800 business and community leaders at the Colorado Convention Center's Four Seasons Ballroom. Gov. Polis cited that Colorado has already recovered more jobs than were lost during the pandemic, and that the state's workforce participation rate is one of the highest in the nation. Rachel Beck shared the Chamber and C3's perspectives on the outcome of the legislative session, stating that their stances support the business community and encourage policy that makes Colorado the best place to live, work and do business. Beck stated, "This session, the Chamber and C3 have shown our strength as collaborative partners by brokering compromises on critical business issues." Ament continued with the difficulties the Chamber and business community faced this session, "In some cases, let's be honest, we got what we didn't want—when the legislature degraded the spirit of the Labor Peace Act and overruled local control regarding collective bargaining." Ament is referencing the passing of Senate Bill 230, which gives counties the right to collectively bargain, a bill that the Chamber has been opposed to since the session began. This press release was produced by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.