Denver is labeled a “bounce-back” case. The region experienced tepid performance in the 1980s, and then turned around to show outcomes on both growth and equity (compared with the Western census region) in the 1990s. This “comeback” may seem typical of boom–bust Western economies that are dependent on natural resources but the turnaround can also be explained by major infrastructure investments in the 1990s in an airport, a convention center, and other regional attractions and a growing sense of collaboration amongst business and private sector leadership in the region as well as between the central city and the suburbs (including suburban support for a new light rail system). Unfortunately, this did not eliminate the boom–bust cycle: between 2000 and 2007, Denver’s employment growth was slightly worse than the census region median and its performance on poverty reduction and income inequality was among the worst in its census region. As for the Great Recession, it actually weathered the economic storm much better than other metros in the Western United States. Apparently, it continues to just bounce back and forth, not finding a sustainable path.
Thank you to everyone in Denver who generously shared their time, ideas and insights with us:
Terri Bailey, Senior Research Officer
Matt Barry, Research Officer
The Piton Foundation
Elaine DeLott Baker, Director Center for Workforce Initiatives,
Community College of Denver
Lisa Durán, Executive Director
Rights for All People
Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, Executive Director
Vic Smith, Controller, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (MDEDC/WIRED)
Paula Gomez Farrell, Director
Bobbie Smith, Manager of Operations
Elizabeth Abeyta, Business Development Associate
Division of Business Development, Denver Office of Economic Development
Carol Hedges, Senior Policy Analyst
Colorado Fiscal Policy Center
Irene Ibarra, President and CEO
The Colorado Trust
Peter Kenney, Principal and Co-founder
Civic Results
Jim Kirchheimer, Senior Director of Economic Development
Downtown Denver Partnership
Mike Kromrey, Executive Director
Metro Organizations for People
Karen Lado, Vice President
Enterprise Community Partners
Leslie Moody, Executive Director
Partnership for Working Families
Carmen Rhodes, Executive Director
Robin Kniech, Program Director and Staff Attorney
The Front Range Economic Strategy Center, FRESC
Tony Robinson, Associate Professor
Department of Political Science, University of Colorado, Denver
Mike Roque, Director Office of Strategic Partnership
Jaime Van Leeuwen, Executive Director
Denver’s Road Home
Just Growth 