Chamber recalibrates Boulder Together program to address COVID challenges

BOULDER — When the Boulder Chamber launched its Boulder Together initiative — a program aimed at improving conditions related to housing affordability, traffic and workforce development — in 2018, the world was a much different place.

The region was riding a nearly decade-long streak of historically low unemployment and the word “corona” conjured up images of cerveza rather than disease. 

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber is recalibrating Boulder Together to prioritize economic and community recovery. 

“The original Boulder Together program has been enormously successful,” Boulder Chamber CEO John Tayer said. 

But “there are a number of issues that we have, as a community, kicked the can down the road on,” he said. “We can no longer tolerate that and need to take action.”

Specifically, the updated Boulder Together program includes a new focus on improved high-speed internet access — an issue highlighted during the pandemic when many employees began working from home — as well as more flexibility for business owners seeking certain permits and approvals from the city,  and ensuring Boulder’s workforce has skills that align with the post-pandemic economy. 

“We recognize that there is great talent available to our businesses, which can fuel our economy,” Colorado Group president and Boulder Together co-chairman Scott Reichenberg said in a prepared statement. “Unfortunately, inequities in access to training, high-speed internet services and open employment positions have created barriers to connecting with those opportunities. Boulder Together will help bridge the divide between economic opportunity for individuals and business needs.”

The initiative “represents business leadership in addressing the most significant issues of concern for our economy and community,” Tayer said. “We will be working together with our community collaborators to ensure we’re responsive to the conditions that are going to make the community more resilient and maintain our vitality going into the future.”

While housing affordability, mobility and traditional workforce development remain important goals of Boulder Together, the recalibration highlights the importance of fostering a  “strong and expedited recovery that’s inclusive of all of our community,” he said. “… We cannot leave anybody behind as we build back better for our future.”

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