Recently in Economic Impact Category

For the Love of the Game

By Heather Owens on April 7, 2010 11:10 AM

On Friday, April 2nd, the 50 for Colorado leadership participants learned about Sports & Recreation in Colorado.  They started out in the morning at Invesco Field and the participants heard from CU Athletics, Kroenke Sports, Denver Broncos and Além International (Olympic Torch Race) and then they toured Invesco Field.

In the afternoon the group headed over to Coors Field and heard from more speakers, including representatives from Colorado Rockies and USA Rugby.  Afterwards they toured the stadium and had a chance to check out the Rockies' locker room, which isn't open to the public.

Even if the participants weren't major sports fans, it gave them a great overview of the economic impact sports has in Colorado and why so many people in this state love the variety of sports and recreation opportunities here. 

As an employee at CU, we hear from a lot of students that part of the reason they attend school here is the proximity to recreational activities.  With that in mind, the Leeds School of Business created the Business of Sports program for college juniors and seniors-which you may have read about in earlier posts.  Application and registration forms are due on April 9, so if you know of any students who would be interested in this program, let them know soon (it will also be held in the Summer 2011).  We are looking forward to meeting those students who really have a love of the game. 

Rockies Locker Room-50 for CO.JPG


 

Economic Outlook Update and Link

By Executive Education Team on December 15, 2009 10:27 AM

Even with the very "lovely" weather, over 600 people attended the 45th Annual Economic Outlook on December 7th. 

Please check out the Business Research Division (BRD)'s blog for a quick summary in addition to downloading their presentation. 

 

BRD Blog

 

Economic Outlook Presentation

 

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: COLORADO BUSINESS ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FORUM 2010

By Executive Education Team on December 2, 2009 11:09 AM

 

We are excited to announce that we will be attending the 2010 Economic Outlook Forum on Monday, December 7, 2009! The event is being hosted at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1750 Walton Street in Denver by the Business Research Division (Leeds), Leeds School of Business and BBVA Compass.

 

The event is going to inform Colorado's business professionals about the economic changes we'll observe in specific counties and regions across the state, as well as an annual forecast for state wide labor, trade, population and growth trends. Also, the session concludes with the opportunity to participate in a discussion session on state budgets, real estate, and alternative energies. For the past 45 years the forum has been on the mark of economic trend direction.

 

The best part? Anyone is invited to come! The event starts at 1:00 PM - We are looking forward to meeting you there!

 

More info?

Event Site

Exec Ed Info

Business Research Division Info

Leeds School of Business Info

BBVA Comapss Info

It's not easy being green...

By Executive Education Team on November 19, 2009 10:51 AM | 4 Comments

Recently I went to see WICKED and one of the thoughts that came to mind is that it's not easy being green.  A lot of us have this perception that Galinda/Glinda was the good witch and Elphaba was the evil, green witch, but watching the performance, their roles are actually reversed.  Who we think is good is actually more 'evil' than the wicked witch and voilà-our perception of Life in Oz is switched around. 

Which then led me to wonder...what are some ways that people can save green while being green?  Granted in a lot of university communities the green lifestyle is strongly encouraged and buying green products can be less expensive than buying products conventionally made.  I'm fortunate to work and live in a place where being green is very much the lifestyle and there's a myriad of choices!  This is especially beneficial to me, since I have a very restricted diet in addition to buying majority of food and skin products that are better for the environment and for my health.  Because of this, I have learned that most of my groceries are actually much cheaper (at least 20%) at places like farmer's market, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, etc. than buying at a conventional store.  In addition, I stock up whenever non-perishable items are on sale-especially gluten-free products!

So what can you do if you don't live in an eco-conscious place and still save money while doing some good...especially with the winter holidays around the corner?  Keep in mind who you are buying for...quality is much better than quantity.  Don't purchase or make a gift unless you know the person would use it-most people still put unwanted items in the trash instead of thinking of donating it.  Think of long-term value or an experience (annual membership or tickets) that will stay with them for a while versus one-time use.   

Buy locally when you can.  Extra bonus points if you purchase free-trade or sustainably made products.  If you do buy from a big chain, then support those that contribute to their community.  If you buy gift cards, look into the company and see if they will still be around in a year or two (or encourage the person to use them right away!). 

If you want something tangible to give to someone-think of purchasing them a reusable drinking container ($8-20).  This is equal to at least 8 bottles of water purchased at a convenience store or 2-3 cases of water (it takes quite a bit of water just to make a one-time use plastic bottle).  If they are a coffee or tea drinker-buy them a machine for their office and give them a mixture of fair-trade coffee or tea and put it in a reusable shopping bag.  

But most importantly, think of organizations where you can give a donation in someone's name instead of a gift.  Non-profit organizations are receiving a lot less money.  Think of donating to Toys for Tots, shelters, your local food bank (cash goes a lot further than you purchasing meals), local cultural organizations, and international aid organizations (i.e. solar stoves, water purification systems.  In developing countries, water usage averages a few gallons per person-while in the US we each use about 75 gallons a day). 

If you have children, install in them the importance of giving back.  Pick out a toy together for a child that needs it more. 

While 'wrapping' up these gift ideas, think of ways you can cut back on wrapping paper.  Use reusable shopping bags, comics, articles/ads from their favorite magazines, or fabric to wrap up the gifts.  Or at the minimum-don't use ribbons or bows and use wrapping paper that can be easily recycled.  Have a wonderful holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by. 

-Heather

 

Cultural Connection-The Art of Business (part 2):

By Executive Education Team on November 12, 2009 1:13 PM | 1 Comment

Now you may have learned something new about culture in Colorado-but what does it mean in economic terms?  Every other year, the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA -www.cbca.org) works with SCFD on collecting information from over 90% of SCFD grant recipients.  Deloitte and DualDraw then analyze and interpret the data in terms of economic impact.  Here are some key findings from the 2008 study (based on 2007 figures): 

·         Denver's arts and cultural community created $1.69 billion in total economic activity in 2007 up 19% from 2005.

·         $330 million was generated from cultural tourism.

·         Metro Denver cultural and scientific organizations enjoyed attendance of over 16.4 million in 2007, an increase of 17% over 2005.

o    This includes 3.5 million contacts with school children in 2007.

·         Combined payroll, seat and sales taxes paid in 2007 by arts, cultural and scientific nonprofits were $21.3 million, up 31% over 2005.

·         40,000 people contributed their time and talent by volunteering in arts, cultural and scientific nonprofits.

I could go on and on about the importance of culture-but I don't want to bore you.  If you would like to have a list of more resources, please e-mail me at Heather.Owens@colorado.edu. 

Thanks for reading.

-Heather

I have to provide a disclaimer...I love culture-especially art-related.  Since living in Colorado (fall 2007-present) my volunteer work includes being on the Denver Art Museum's junior board (CultureHaus) and Boulder 2140 social & cultural committee.  I'm a member of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kirkland Museum, and a few art associations of the Denver Art Museum along with being an alumni of Leadership Arts which is organized by CBCA.  When I lived in Chicago, I volunteered and worked for the Art Institute for more than 5 years and was very active on the cultural scene as a member of various young professionals groups.  I have also been very fortunate to travel extensively and have visited at least 100 museums in North America, Europe and Japan.  The art medium I work with is photography. 

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