By: Lynn Myers
Last week, I had the privilege of joining elected officials and business leaders from the Denver South region and other parts of Colorado at the Accelerate Colorado 2018 Business Mission in Washington D.C.
Accelerate Colorado is a partnership between business and local governments in Colorado that works with Congress and key federal leadership on issues critical to the state’s economic development, top industries, and business community.
The following elected officials and business leaders were in attendance representing the Denver South region:
Jackie Millet – Mayor of Lone Tree
Seth Hoffman – Lone Tree City Manager
Jenny Engle – Fidelity Investment
Bruce Porter – Weitz
Jon Lehmann – Comcast
John Frederick – Jeppeson / Boeing
Steve Burns – Iron Woman Construction
Ken Caskey – Corporex
Xcel Energy team – Jerome Davis, Rob Osborne, Tom Henley
RTD Director – Dr. Claudia Folska
Arapahoe County Commissioners – Nancy Jackson & Bill Holen
Bob Lembke – United Water & Sanitation
Mike Martin – Merrick
Kevin Quinn – Citywide Banks
Cherie Talbert – HBA of Metro Denver

The main focus of the three-day conference was to address issues critical to Colorado as part of the federal policy agenda. A few of the major topics that we covered included transportation funding, aerospace & defense, healthcare & bioscience (including the opioid crisis) as well as small business & economic development.
In addition to the riveting discussions and constructive conversations, we were able to meet in some outstanding venues, including the Library of Congress, where we gathered for congressional briefings, the Smithsonian American Art Museum for dinner, and the Decatur House which hosted the opening reception.
An added bonus from a great trip was witnessing the parade to honor the new Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals!
Overall, Accelerate Colorado is outstanding for advocating for the State of Colorado and the Business Mission is a wonderful chance for elected officials and business leaders to gather, network, and discuss what’s most important for our state. I am so pleased that I was able to participate, learn, and represent Denver South EDP.