The Greeley Chamber of Commerce is in Weld County, Colorado.  They are a WOW town, a lifeline for business and help companies think outside the box.  There key messages include fostering a strong local economy, Greeley Chamber of Commerce promoting the community, providing business connections and visibility opportunities, representing the interests of business with government and building community leadership and development programs.

ICOSA spoke with Kim Barbour, Public Affairs Director at the Greeley Chamber of Commerce since 2007; LeeAnn Sterling, Visit Greeley Director and Sarah MacQuiddy, President of the Greeley Chamber of Commerce.  They discussed the agri-business in Greeley.  In fact 30 percent of business in Weld County is related to agriculture.  Making the Greeley and surrounding area the eighth largest community supplying food sources in the nation.

The full cycle of agri-business is looked at by the Greeley Chamber of Commerce from education of agriculture, to immigration, to water.  The Greeley Chamber hosts tours illustrating various subjects in agriculture.  The tours are one day and focus on subjects such as water and livestock in the area.

LeAnn Sterling of the Visit Greeley Program shared that the community has visitors to the range of 30,000 in three days that bring in about seven million dollars.  A few of the events that bring in the large dollar amounts are ones such as Greeley Jazz, The Greeley Blues Jam and The Greeley Stampede.

Agri-business is big business in Greeley.  They are also a university town.  Greeley is also home of the University of Northern Colorado which brings in an educational component to the agri-business as well as other disciplines for example nursing and liberal arts studies.

The Regional Leadership Program that the Greeley Chamber of Commerce hosts creates dialog in the region including the Fort Collins and Loveland communities.  They focus on the economy, employment, education and healthcare both regionally and nationally.

For more information on the Greeley Chamber of Commerce, visit; www.greeleychamber.com or call 970-352-3566.

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JoAnn Winks

Johann Winks is the Assistant Port Director of Trade with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Area Port of Denver at Denver International Airport.  Winks recently meet with ICOSA and shared the following information and resources.

The department is responsible for guarding nearly 7000 miles of land border shared with Canada and Mexico.  Along with guarding nearly 2000 miles of coastal waters, as well as 9500 miles of maritime border in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard.  They also secure and facilitate trade and travel.

Import specialists at customs can assist companies with understanding laws, regulations, quota restrictions and reduced rates of duty.  The U.S. Customs and Border Protection daily ensure U.S. regulations and laws.  The following list of four services/resources they offer is worth consideration.

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classifies everything that comes into the United States.  HTC is a global classification system that is able to describe most comedies across the world.  It applies tariff rates and specific statistical categories to all merchandise coming into the United States.  More detailed information is provided at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s website; http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/duty_rates/.

The Generalized System of Preferences is a U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing duty free entry.  It covers 4800 products and benefits 129 countries and territories.  A list of these products can be found at; http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/international_agreements/special_trade_programs/gsp_gen_system/.

Formal entry forms must be filed if merchandise coming into the U.S. is valued over $2,000 and a customs agent or airline should fill it out.  This form and several others can be found at; http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/forms/.

Go to the local Customs and Border Protection office to find out what items are restricted to bring into the U.S. such as animals, animal bi-products, firearms, plants and embargoed items including artifacts from other countries, toys and children items.  Contact information can be found at; http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/.

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Alexandra Mitchell

Community service industries such as Pathfinder Solutions are preparing to show a new work force how to get into the civil service/non-profit field of work.  This industry anticipates job opportunities will continue to open as the baby boomer generation retires.  Pathfinder Solutions is building a bridge to connect the right talent with the civil service industry.

Alexandra Mitchell is co-founder and president of Pathfinder Solutions.  Pathfinder Solutions principle goal is cultivating a diverse civil service workforce.  Mitchell related to ICOSA that 1.5 million people work in the civil service industry which is about 10 percent of the national workforce.

Dr. Jeff Pryor

Dr. Jeff Pryor, co-founder and CEO of Pathfinder Solutions has decades of experience in philanthropy.  Pryor served for 20 years as the Executive Director of the Anschutz Family Foundation.  Both Pryor and Mitchell believe civil service organizations need to equally spend time developing and inviting talented individual into the industry.

Pathfinder Solutions is a 15 member, team based consulting firm.  They work on projects, with each member bringing their unique skill-sets.  At the forefront is the Talent Develop Inititive Project in Colorado which inspires individuals to consider working in the civil service industry.  Other states are invited to participate in this project.  Currently Pathfinder Solutions is partnering with the National Council on Nonprofits.  People interested should contact their state nonprofit association and mention the Talent Develop Inititive.

Another Pathfinder Solutions project is with the University of Mongolia in China.  They have asked Pathfinder Solutions to develop a non-profit degree program which will offer a certificate or master’s degree.  A symposium has also been proposed for companies, funders and non-profits focusing on non-profits within China.

For more information, visit; www.pathfindersolutions.org or email Jeff@pathfindersolutions.org or Alex@pathfindersolutions.org.

http://www.theicosamagazine.com/looking-for-jane-goodall

Western Energy Alliance is a non-profit trade association representing more than 400 companies across the West connected by the similar interest of environmentally responsible exploration and production of oil and natural gas.

Companies within the intermountain west are represented six ways. 

1. Regionally and nationally represented in the areas of government access to lands for exploration and production, federal agency permitting, air and water quality, reform of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Endangered Species Act (ESA), wildlife conservation, health and safety, taxation, and other issues.
2. Western Energy Alliance has established relationships with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. enabling meetings with Congress and the Administration.
3. Western Energy Alliance is viewed as a valuable resource by policymakers on oil and natural gas.
4. Current issues are addressed with speaking events
5. They publish the Wildcatter Weekly focusing on natural gas and oil.
6. They provide networking opportunities.

Technology and geologic improvements have increased the locations natural gas can be drilled from making it a clean and secure energy source.  It reduces pollution by 50 percent in comparison to traditional energy sources.  This is measured in the reduced amount of mercury burned and the absence of sulfur dioxide emission.

One-third of all natural gas is produced in the west said, Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of Western Energy Alliance.  Sgamma also said a conservative estimate is that six states can produce an equal amount of all oil imported however the areas are oil drilling restricted.

Natural gas is highly regulated.  Sgamma and Kelly de la Torre seemingly agree that regulatory agencies overlap in regulations and are inconsistent.  Kelly de la Torre is an attorney at the Anton Law Group and practices environmental law.  Current regulations implemented by the E.P.A. have little environmental benefit compared to the cost it takes to abide the regulation.

Western Energy Alliance advocates for balance between environmental safety and production of natural gas and oil.  To contact the Western Energy Alliance visit their website at; www.westernenergyalliance.org.

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Accion brings small business loans to micro-entrepreneurs.  The loan model they use is profitable, expanding and viable.  Small loans range from $200 to $10,000.  Most $200 loans are for small inventory build-up or to build credit.  Accion has been a micro-financing firm for about 17 years.  Forty-five percent of their funding comes from revenue they bring in from interest rates and the remainder comes from donations, government and bank entities.

Accion also provides mentors, workshops and community networks.  Accion is a micro-lender that can work with FICO scores of 500 and above.  International micro loans are much smaller, based on trust and range from $20 to $500.  Accion has a 92 percent international micro-finance loans repayment rate.

The collateral is 100 percent due to the risk involved with low credit scores.  Several items can be used as collateral such as car titles and manufacturing equipment.

The mentorship program provides networking for similar industry companies.  Workshops are a more formal and traditional method of increasing business acumen.

Social capital is a way to offer loans to international businesses with no collateral.  For example a group of people may apply for a loan and each must pay back their share in order to take out another loan.  The group shares in the responsibility.

Any small business can apply from trucking companies, service providers or janitorial.

Entrepreneurs who come in with an idea they have wanted to do for some time are better than those with several ideas.  Passion and character piece play a role into lending.

To start the process contact Accion at www.accionusa,org.

Accion is also looking for workshop leaders, volunteer hours, mentors, donations and can be contacted at www.accionusa.org or Jesse Golland through, www.accionnm.org.

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Phil Lawson

Phil Lawson is the founder and CEO of Spherit Inc. Spherit is a company that looks at the whole of a complex issue and makes sense of it.   Through an online questioner system a chart is created that reports the shape and pattern of a company.  One element the chart produces is staff ability for example is an employee ability being fully used.   The application that does this is called Sphere and it has countless applications.  It can also be used in the areas of health, personal relationships and individual career goals.  The purpose of the application is to assist in navigating to the best possible outcome.

Lawson is also the author.  Being Spherical — Reshaping Our Lives and Our World for the 21st Century is a book about navigating through change.  Lawson co-authored, It’s Going to be OK (but not like we thought), “A story about absolute certainty, confounding bewilderment and an inescapable transformation,” says Lawson.

For more information, visit; www.engagesphere.com

Kelly de la Torre

Kelly de la Torre is an attorney with ALG | Attorneys in Colorado, a Denver-based law firm founded in 2008. The attorneys at ALG believe in collaborative implementation. They work together to blend insights, innovation, and expertise to leverage the team’s goal-oriented strategy for the benefit of the firm’s business clients. The ALG strategic approach lets the attorneys be a more powerful partner in service of business growth and momentum.

De la Torre has a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and a Master of Science in chemistry. During graduate school, she worked as a research fellow in the Fuel Science Department at Sandia National Laboratories designing biomimetic catalysts for CO2 activation. The goal of the project was to design a catalyst to convert CO2 to a reusable fuel source. So began de la Torre’s interest in energy and energy systems.

While assessing the ultimate goal of her research, Kelly wondered, “What if emerging technology could be developed that would reduce U.S. oil consumption? What would that do to the world’s politics?” It was then that de la Torre read The Prize, Daniel Yergin’s 1992 Pulitzer Prize winning book about the history of oil; she then and took her first steps into the world of energy policy.

She attended Rutgers-Camden School of Law in Camden, New Jersey. While in law school, she worked as a technical advisor on patent litigation cases. After graduation, she moved to Denver and landed her first job as an attorney working with the McIntosh Group. The group focused on commercialization of energy technologies primarily in the energy space including, innovations in electrical power cable technology and wind and solar technologies.

De la Torre has a true admiration for inventors and the challenges that they face in bringing their products to market. Some of these barriers can be addressed through policies designed to create demand for the product and others through creative partnerships and consumer education. She uses her technical background and these strategies to assist companies in overcoming barriers to market penetration.

Energy influences every part of our lives. It is a complex landscape of integrated and moving parts where the equilibrium is constantly challenged by emerging energy needs and policy changes. It is the intersection between business, law and policy that de la Torre finds most intriguing, and it is this intersection that can be used to engage the energy consumer. Consumers should understand that they can influence policy; however, this influence should be informed influence because good energy policies can lead to efficient and cost effective energy initiatives and decisions. This is why when asked to participate in the “Connect and Collaborate with ICOSA” radio show, she jumped at the chance to start the recurring segment entitled Energy 101. Jan Mazotti, ICOSA editor and de la Torre use the show to discuss energy from the perspective of the consumer.

In her law practice, de la Torre advocates on behalf of her clients for statutory and regulatory changes to support emerging business models in the energy sector. This type of effective advocacy however, requires a broad understanding of how business, law and policy intersect across the energy spectrum. To help facilitate a better understanding of this intersection, she tracks emerging regulatory and statutory changes on her blog, the “Rocky Mountain Energy Blog” which can be found at http://rmenergyblog.blogspot.com.

Complex issues further require collaboration. To provide a forum to facilitate discussion amongst women in the energy industry, she co-founded Women in Energy, a networking group for women. In addition, since its inception, de la Torre has been actively involved with the annual Global New Energy Summit, an event that highlights the energy spectrum in the states of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.  The event brings together the key elements that facilitate energy development, specifically science and technology, finance, industry and policy.  Coordinating the leadership across these disciplines encourages collaboration that is necessary to address the changing energy landscape in the region and the nation and is a key goal supported by her and the summit. 

JERRY PETERSON

After receiving his Bachelors of Science in 1961 and a graduate degree in 1966, both in physics, from the University of Washington, R.J. (Jerry) Peterson was an instructor at Princeton University and part of the research faculty at Yale University.

Jerry’s research interests have covered many arenas of nuclear physics, including nuclear astrophysics, nuclear reactions, nuclear fission, and applications of nuclear reactions to computer memory elements. These experimental studies have used beams from a wide variety of particle accelerators, often involving foreign collaborators. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Copenhagen (Niels Bohr Institute), the University of Tokyo, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He is a Foreign Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Jerry is also a member of the faculty in the UCB Program in International Affairs. His recent teaching has included classes in physics, environmental studies, journalism and international affairs.

Jerry worked as an analyst in the Office of Economic Analysis of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research for the U.S. Department of State, where he focused on energy and the environment with an emphasis on coal and nuclear energy. Based on his research and analyses, he wrote assessments, memos, and papers on the aforementioned issues and presented briefings and seminars to U.S. officials and to the associated intelligence community. Following his fellowship year, he returned to his academic career but remained available to the State Department for short-term projects over a period of five years.

Today, Peterson is a professor in the physics department specializing in the area of nuclear physics. In the past, he was an administrator in the CU-Boulder Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research for six years, including posts as Assistant Vice Chancellor, Associate Vice Chancellor and Interim Vice Chancellor.
He is currently chair of the Boulder Faculty Assembly, the representative body of the CU Boulder Faculty.

You’ll Move Mountains! Get On Your Way!

There are so many definitions for resources.
It could be an economic or productive factor required to accomplish an activity or as means to undertake an enterprise and achieve a desired outcome. The three most basic resources are land, labor, and capital; but other resources include energy, entrepreneurship, information, expertise, management, and time.
Or, you could say that resources are materials and components that can be found within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources. A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as fresh water and air, as well as a living organism such as a fish, or it may exist in an alternate form which must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, oil, and most forms of energy.

This issue is jam packed with stories from academia, business, and community organizations that are using resources to maximize the use of money and talent to accomplish amazing things all over the world. So instead of another boring letter from me, perhaps Dr. Seuss can demonstrate some of the lessons within.
Be a thinker of great things to bend your world in wonderful ways. “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” This is the underlying message of the Canadian Oil Sands story. It is about the collaborative nature of various organizations—friend or foe—who are thinking of new and productive ways to create energy, while sustaining the community and the environment.

Don’t put yourself in a box. Dream it and do it. And, that is exactly what the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts is doing. They found their “collaborative gene” and engaged academia, business, and government to create jobs, build technological capacity, and improving state-wide collaboration. As Seuss says, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.”

“There are so many things you can learn about, but you’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” Denver-based Boyers Coffee proves that focused persistence pays off. Founded in 1965, the company strives to do the right thing for its employees and the community, believing whole-heartedly that sustainability serves as a foundation for their new operational strategies—benefit consumers, benefit the company, and benefit the environment. They know that, “If you read with your eyes shut, you’re likely to find that the place where you’re going is far, far behind. So that’s why I tell you to keep your eyes wide, keep them wide open… at least on one side!”

Whether writing about Cats in Hats, Grinches, Sneeches, Gacks, or Whos, Dr. Seuss always found a way to string together the ridiculous and fun, while sharing moving messages. He was a master storyteller who encouraged us all to have big hairy audacious goals, and to never settle for anything less.

He taught us to “think and wonder, wonder and think.” And considering the world around us, isn’t that what we should all commit ourselves to doing?
Success is a journey, and we all have our own paths, where each voice counts. We must stay focused, and we must recognize that, “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way” in order to make change. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
All the best,

- Jan Mazotti
P.S. – It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.