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Economic Summit 2008:
Mountain Towns and Micro-Business
REGISTER NOW ON LINE
OR BY MAIL!
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Location:
Silverton’s Historic Town Hall, Silverton, CO
When:
Thursday, October 23 from 4pm-9pm
Pre-Summit Tours (4pm), Networking Dinner
(5:30pm) and Keynote Reception (7pm)
Friday, October 24, 2008 from 8am-4pm
Four Panel Discussions about Mountain Micro-Enterprise &
Employment
Summit Moderators:
Jonathan Thompson, Editor of High Country
News
Anthony Edwards, CO Economic Developer of the Year 2002
and Law Student at University of New Mexico Law School
Sponsors: San
Juan 2000 Development Association (Organizer)
Region 9 Economic Development District
Keynote & Opening Reception Sponsor
Colorado Office of Economic Development & Int’l Trade
Silverton Public Schools
Chaco, Inc.
Osprey Packs, Inc.
San Juan County
High Country News
Town of Silverton
Mountain Boy Sledworks
Silverton Mountain
The Wyman Hotel
More sponsorship opportunities available…
Event Description:
This gathering may be the first-ever dedicated to
mountain town micro-business. We have a lot to learn
from the impressive efforts and successes of small
businesses in Colorado mountain towns. Their owners and
employees are achieving a high quality of life in the
mountains while creating outstanding businesses and
re-spending their earned dollars within their
communities. This event will explore how we might
expand this type of growth in our mountain towns. In
the process, we will hear the dynamic success stories of
a number of mountain micro-businesses, what strategies
have helped them stay in mountain towns, and what they
have learned (and can teach us) from the process.
San Juan 2000 Development Association has a track record
of focusing interest toward the challenges and successes
of small, mountain communities like ours. Last year, we
sponsored a Summit of similar format on affordable,
attainable and workforce housing in tourist mountain
towns, which was attended by 70 people from all over the
state. We hope to apply this format and achieve a
similar success this year.
Goal:
to conduct an insightful discussion about the ways in
which small mountain towns in Colorado (especially those
with seasonal and ski tourism-based economies) can
better understand, attract, recruit, develop, staff,
support and retain micro-business.
Cost to Attend:
Pre-Conference Micro-Business Tour: Free
Pre-Summit Networking Dinner: $15
Summit Opening Reception & Keynote Open to
public at no charge
Summit Panel Sessions: Individual $30
Summit Panel Sessions: Student $25
Summit Panel Sessions: Business/Org. $65 (up
to three attendees)
Registered Media Attendees
no charge
Attendees: We anticipate ~70 attendees including mayors
and elected officials from small Colorado mountain towns
including Silverton, micro-business owners, economic
development stakeholders, aspiring and current
entrepreneurs, business students, and many others.
SUMMIT AGENDA
(Draft-Subject to change)
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
4:00pm-5:15pm (Registration Required)
Pre-Conference Micro-business Tour: Mountain Boy
Sledworks, Venture Snowboards, NA Graphics, Klinke and
Lew
5:30-7pm
Mountain Town Micro-Business Networking Dinner, The
Brown Bear Café
Registration Required
7:00-9:00pmThursday evening, Keynote Address and Q&A,
Opening Reception
Dessert and Beverage Catering by The Pickle Barrel
Restaurant:
Ogden, Utah Mayor Matthew Godfrey
“Economic Strategies and Solutions in Tourism-driven
Mountain Towns”
Recently re-elected
Mayor Godfrey of Ogden, Utah has lead an impressive
economic redevelopment this tourism and ski
industry-driven mountain town. Mayor Godfrey has
displayed impressive leadership ability as he has led
the city to a place where businesses are seeking Ogden,
bringing jobs and prosperity. The positive economic
momentum in Ogden is now greater than it has been in
many years.
Open to the public.
No registration required for this Keynote session.
Friday, October 24th, 2008 (Registration
Required)
8:00am-9:00am: Continental Breakfast:, Silverton Town
Hall
8:30-9am: Welcome, Participant Introductions and Event
Overview
9am-10:30am Mountain Town Mayors Panel and Audience
Participation Discussion
Mayors of Ogden, Crested Butte, Silverton, Leadville,
Paonia.
These mayors will tell us about successful
micro-businesses in their communities, why they are
there and what they are doing to keep them. We will
also discuss why some companies have moved away, and
what challenges communities have faced in developing
micro-business. We will ask what they would do about
economic conditions if they could turn back the clock,
and what strategies have been successful to attract and
retain jobs, better wages, and micro-business. Audience
questions submitted as well.
10:30am-12:00pm Mountain Micro-Business Panel and
Audience-Participation Discussion
Chaco Inc. of Paonia; Moots of Steamboat Springs;
Mountain Boy Sledworks of Silverton; Osprey Packs of
Cortez; Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies of
Silverton, Autumn Teneyl of Pagosa Springs, Venture
Snowboards of Silverton
These impressive mountain and foothill companies will
share their stories of committing to small Colorado
towns, growing their operations, and addressing the
challenges they face in small communities. The panel
will be presented with a series of engaging pre-crafted
questions. We hope to absorb ideas and strategies for
stimulating more micro-business growth and development,
more start-up activity, and to learn what we can do to
support them and keep them in our midst for the long
term in a highly competitive marketplace.
12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch (catered on site by Elevated
Fine Foods, Silverton, CO)
1:00-1:30pm: A Regional Success Story: Mercury
Payment Systems – from micro-enterprise to mountain town
employer and hallowed status as the #1 company in
Colorado to work for! Marc Katz, CEO will speak on
building a company away from urban and suburban centers,
recruiting high quality employees, clearing the hurdles
of high cost of living, and becoming an economic force.
1:30pm-2:30pm: The Mountain Town Owner and Employee (Address and
Panel & Audience Participation Discussion):
Elyse Salazar-Silverton Town Administrator; Kim
White-Silverton School Superintendent; Chaco of Paonia;
Osprey of Cortez; Moots of Steamboat Springs; Barz
Decorative Hardware of Silverton
What are the characteristics of the mountain town
employee, especially the educated and skilled ones? We
know that if they wanted to work 70 hour weeks and make
bucketloads of $$, they would not choose mountain
communities, where the cost of living is high and the
wages tend to be lower. What are the characteristics of
the employees who stay? What can we learn from them?
How do we recruit and keep them?
2:30pm-3:30pm Tea, Coffee and Snack (Catered
by Steam
and Steel
Café)
2:30pm-4:00pm Rolling out Real Benefits to Mountain Town
Business
Region 9 EDD Enterprise Zone and Enhanced Rural
Enterprise Zone Benefits, Colorado Office of Economic
Development and International Trade, USDA Rural
Development, Colorado Housing and Finance
Authority-Commercial Division, Colorado Small Business
Development Centers, San Juan 2000 Development
Association
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