Our colleagues in the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship recently posted this blog on social entrepreneurship that I thought you might enjoy.
http://www.cuboulderblogs.com/deming/
I wish more of the media would cover the amazing things that people are doing to help others on this planet. So I would like to ask our readers...which social entrepreneurship organizations do you like to support?
Have a Happy and Safe New Year.
Heather
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.
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!
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.
Purple seems to be the hottest color on the runway, but in business, leaders may tell you that green is on the rise. Green is making its way up in the ranks; this once casual accessory color is becoming a centerpiece in people's lives.
Okay - I'll admit it. The green I am talking about is not in reference to that envious shade between blue and yellow, it's the lifestyle, and it's embracing Boulder stronger than ever. Boulder has always fostered the environmentally conscious lifestyle, but there is a new consumer group in town taking green to heart: students.
CU is currently ranked by Sierra Club as the No. 1 "Cool School" for being "Eco-Enlightened", receiving exemplary points in transportation, waste management and efficiency. Furthermore, the Sierra Club and the Princeton Review acknowledge that students are changing the way they select colleges - 66% (across the nation, not just Boulder) will allow this to change their final decision on where to attend.
As a business person, why would the interests of students matter? After tuition, students spend disposable income on Ramen dinners and maybe a box of Keystone Light on Friday. Rethink: If 2/3 of students use a college's environmental prowess as the deciding factor in enrollment, these kids represent the dynamic "greening" sweeping across the U.S.
This time around, "going-green" isn't just another fad destined for thrift stores; going to college is a significant investment. Many will drop $100,000+ in persuit of an education. Over the next four years these students will graduate, seek jobs, boost their income levels, and make more purchasing decisions. When eco-consciousness plays such a large role in how students are choosing to "invest" in their future, we'll see it make an even bigger impact on smaller purchases.
This trend also indicates that businesses are going to need to do an internal examination and start asking questions. How do I appeal to this developing psychographic? What business activities need to change to meet the shift in needs?
Analysts will tell you there are no profits in being fashionably late in the business world; the time to reevaluate is now.
