Accelerate Colorado conducted its sixth annual business mission, D.C. 2011, to our nation’s capital on May 23 – 25, comprised of 100 statewide business and civic leaders, elected officials, and targeted industry executives. The constituents in attendance included the mayors of Aurora, Glendale, Lone Tree and Lakewood; a number of county commissioners and city council members from around the state; and numerous other leaders in economic development, banking, education, aerospace, bioscience, energy, transportation and business from around the state.
While in Washington, the constituents held meetings with Colorado’s Congressional delegation as well as Representative John Duncan Jr. (R-Tennessee), and a number of federal leaders. The group was able to lobby for pro-business public policy issues such as reforming the SBA 504 loan program, supporting funding for the National Institutes of Health and rallying support for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), all to support the best interests Colorado’s top industries. Accelerate Colorado’s efforts have proven to be influential on issues such as passing the America Invents Act, a major step in an on-going patent reform process. Other successes include the salvation of the Orion program’s Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, helping RTD to win a Full Funding Grant Agreement for the Eagle P3 project, reforming the US Patent and Trademark system, and minimizing the 1099 reporting burden on small businesses. Accelerate Colorado will continue to work diligently on the issues most crucial to the state’s economic development.