Steamboat Springs, CO is doing

I had a chance to address the Steamboat Springs Economic Summit yesterday. Steamboat is a ski town here in Colorado and heavily dependent on tourism. 9/11 hurt their economy as well as some other
factors.

The interesting thing was that the essence of the conference was about how to build the economy from the inside out….and quite "relying on the kindness of strangers." Amy Horne from the Sierra Business
Council also spoke and talked about Investing for Prosperity and how rural communities have capitalized on location, landscape, livability and entrepreneurial spirit. Delore Zimmerman of CEO Praxis talked
about high performance communities and how economic developers and community leaders can create an entrepreneurial environment.

Some of the more interesting ideas were an Angel’s Network and a business mentorship. I sat in on one session where the owner of Moots mountain bikes talked about why they were located in a town of
10,000. I also had lunch with a young woman who talked about how backpack frames were designed by and made for men and how she was thinking of a frame that had a jell padding along the lower portion
to conform to the body and not rub as much. These are both classic examples of taking local knowledge and expertise (mountain bikes and back packing) as well as their passion and making a business that
could succeed in any size community.

Steamboat is taking a very progressive stance about its future, in my opinion. They are not looking for outsiders to save them but rather are focused on the talent and resources within the community.

The essence of economic gardening is — "It’s about entrepreneurs"

Chris Gibbons
New Economy Project
Littleton, Colorado