The last few years have been difficult for our local businesses: the pandemic, forest fires and landslides have turned everyone’s expectations upside down. And then there are the chronic challenges of the ever-increasing cost of living and finding employees.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, local partners including the City, Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, Downtown Development Authority, Visit Glenwood, Post Independent, Colorado Workforce Center and local businesses have come together to help ensure Glenwood Springs’ economic resilience. These partners have developed and implemented creative solutions such as Glenwood Gold, local grants, outdoor dining, etc.
Great efforts were made through mutual cooperation during difficult times, including the closure of Glenwood Canyon. Our organizations and businesses have come together to collaborate on messaging, marketing strategies and advocate for our community with state agencies like the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Today, this partnership has evolved into a formal entity known as Prosper Glenwood.
Prosper Glenwood is dedicated to improving the economic viability and vibrancy of Glenwood Springs through community partnerships. Our goal is to focus on the most pressing business needs including but not limited to the employee shortage, housing, climate change, machine learning, inflation, the I-70 closure and more. A more important focus is equipping companies with the right resources to thrive through these challenges.
To maintain this momentum, Prosper Glenwood engaged businesses in August 2022 through one-on-one conversations meeting local business owners and managers on their doorstep. We collected feedback to better understand today’s business challenges, needs and how to address gaps.
One of the discoveries was the need for greater communication with our business community. This column is our first step in bridging the communication gap. Prosper Glenwood plans to write a monthly “Help Desk” column that will provide information related to the needs of our business today from all partners at Prosper Glenwood. In particular, this column will contain useful information including new and existing local, regional and state resources and policy changes. We will also share success stories from our local businesses.
In the meantime, visit the Prosper Glenwood website, bit.ly/ProsperGlenwoodor additional information about this group, how to participate, and the resources available to you. Most importantly, contact us. We are here to support you!