Lynn Myers, Senior Vice President, Denver South Economic Development Partnership
A CCTW original Community Partner dedicated to the growth of the program and 2nd Stage companies
The first experience that Lynn Myers had as a Community Partner with Colorado Companies to Watch in 2009 was a positive one.
“The first year that I participated, one of the companies that I personally nominated, Gevo, ended up winning,” said Myers, Senior Vice President of the Denver South Economic Development Partnership. “It was very exciting!”
The Denver South Economic DevelopmentPartnership has been a Community and Supporting Partner with CCTW for all 10 years of the program, thanks to Myers. The Partnership is an economic development entity that supports businesses and business development on the South I-25 corridor from the north end of the Denver Tech Center down through Lone Tree in Douglass County.
As a Community Partner, Myers and her teamwork to nominate local, 2nd Stage companies to be CCTW Winners during the program’s annual nomination season, from October to the end of January. She said that during the very beginning of the CCTW program, there weren’t as many self-nominating companies, so the nomination process for Community Partners was incredibly important.
“In the early years, I was really looking for ways to get involved in the economic development community in what I thought were meaningful projects that could help business owners in this region,” Myers said. “CCTW was perfect. We have always been a community partner. We have always attended the Galas, and the program has helped us get to know many of the companies very well.
In 10 years, Myers has helped facilitate and has attended dozens of CCTW Winner Celebrations following the annual Gala Awards season.
“We’ve had champagne and balloons and big parties and small, intimate announcements,” she said. “It’s nice to help these businesses showcase their success with their customers, their community and their families.”
For Myers, the larger CCTW mission of highlighting and supporting 2nd Stage companies in Colorado is equally valuable.
“It’s estimated that 30 percent of job growth will be from these 2nd Stage companies,” she said. “Those also happen to be companies that we don’t have as much interaction with. We work with a lot of bigger companies when they’re looking to expand of move into the area, but the organic growth that comes from 2nd Stage companies is something we haven’t had as much interaction with until we began working with CCTW.”
Being involved with CCTW for so long has allowed the Partnership to have stronger relationships with those 2nd Stage leaders in the south metro community.
“Many of them are very high-tech and very skilled, we love being able to interface with them through CCTW and have them be part of our bigger community, too,” Myers said. “One of our previous Winners, Bye Aerospace just flew their electric airplanes in April of this year. They had been working on that for 8 or 9 years. It’s amazing to watch these incredible stories of growth and to be part of that journey.”