The Colorado Chamber of Commerce is in the solutions business. We believe a strong business environment equals a strong and thriving economy. We advocate for industry growth and pro-business policies to support and improve the cost of doing business; the quantity of educated skilled workers; and Colorado’s critical infrastructure, which include roads, telecommunications, water and energy. 

We also work across our great state to support and partner with local chambers as they do the same. This includes your local voice of business, the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. We’ve grown to know Grand Junction’s chamber as a grounded champion and bold leader on emerging issues, which has helped us multiply our voice and impact when policymakers move forward with initiatives that could have unintended and adverse implications for business owners.

As we work together today to make sense of complex public policies that have passed, such as the new state-run family and medical leave insurance program (FAMLI), we feel privileged to work with your new president and chief executive officer, Candace Carnahan.

Our rich partnership with the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce has allowed us to work together on numerous issues with your leadership over the years. During the pandemic, we were able to magnify the work being done at the local level with Mesa County’s 5-Star Program to expand that across the state to help navigate the complexities of keeping our communities safe and businesses open. Again, that effort required bold leadership common to the Grand Junction chamber.

Most recently and notably, the Colorado Chamber had the privilege of building a broad and powerful coalition of unique chamber and business voices, which included Grand Junction chamber support, to replenish the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund (UITF). This fund was depleted during the pandemic, leaving employers in a vulnerable position with looming increased unemployment insurance state and federal payroll taxes forecast in the millions. Because of the broad coalition we convened and countless months of negotiations, we were able to reach a bipartisan compromise and infuse $600 million into the state’s drained UITF, saving employers and ensuring they would be able to continue to operate within Colorado. We couldn’t have been successful without the numerous voices that weighed in across the state to support us and ensure negotiations were considered.

When the Colorado Chamber of Commerce actively works to advocate on policy that will help Colorado’s business climate or proactively works against an issue that will hurt it, we’ve always been able to reach out to your chamber for support, trusting that business priorities will always come first.

Under Candace Carnahan’s leadership and with the support of her board and local membership, we’re confident the Grand Junction chamber will continue to be a strong, unwavering voice for business interests and a thriving economy.

Bold leadership will be increasingly important as we prepare for emerging issues of tomorrow and champion policy that will support the businesses across Colorado we serve today.

But we couldn’t be successful without partnerships across the state, like the one we have with the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce.

Loren Furman is president and chief executive officer of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. Prior to becoming president, she served as senior vice president of state and federal relations and led chamber engagement on state and federal government issues that affect businesses across Colorado. Learn more about the Colorado Chamber of Commerce at https://cochamber.com.