Colorado's Economic Development Alignment Vision CO|Align has Launched!

Welcome to Colorado's Economic Development alignment initiative, Colorado Align (CO|Align), where collaboration and communication are at the heart of our vision and victory statements. Statewide economic development organizations aim to foster a cohesive framework that connects Economic Development Districts (EDDs), governmental and non-governmental agencies, and other economic development stakeholders to propel Colorado's economic growth forward.

Our vision is to establish and promote a robust framework that aims to:

Enhance Communication and Collaboration: Facilitate better alignment of economic development strategies and actions across Colorado by connecting Economic Development Districts (EDDs), governments, non-governmental agencies, and other stakeholders.
Foster Strategic Partnerships: Build strong, collaborative relationships among EDDs, governmental agencies, NGOs, and key workforce development stakeholders. These partnerships are vital for resource sharing, innovation, and collective problem-solving, addressing complex economic challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities.
Influence Statewide Priorities: Create a framework that serves as a critical touchpoint for any statewide initiative that would impact local economic development. By participating, you can influence statewide policies to reflect the needs of local communities and support sustainable, inclusive economic growth.

Join us as we embark on this journey to unify Colorado's economic development strategies. Together, we can create a future where collaboration knows no bounds, and prosperity reaches every corner of our state. Together, we can turn vision into victory.

How It Started

Colorado has a distinct opportunity to boost its economic competitiveness through better communication, collaboration, and alignment of economic development strategies. Our goal is to reduce redundancies and build capacity among communities across the state. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in communication and inefficiencies when mobilizing programs, policies, and funding to different parts of the state. Communities without organized economic development programs missed out on unique opportunities, while those with robust programs thrived.

To address these challenges, economic development peers across the state have discussed the need for alignment between state, regional, and local programs. This alignment can help create programs and policies that "rise the tide that lifts all boats" and offer Colorado's greatest opportunity.

As the State of Colorado initiates its inaugural statewide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), the development of an alignment strategy became imperative - aiming to establish clear guidelines for the mindful alignment of state goals, priorities, and policies. We recognize the inherent diversity in capacity and economic development among local communities. Therefore, advocating for tactics that are sensitive to the unique needs and challenges of each locality will significantly enhance the impact of the CEDS implementation. Through concerted efforts from government officials to ensure alignment with local realities, the CEDS can effectively foster economic growth and prosperity across the state of Colorado.

Our Action Plan

Our Victory Statement:

Ideally, the regional CEDS advises the state CEDS to better align strategies and inform program development. A shared framework would exist across the state and regions with ongoing two-way communication and awareness across both workforce and economic development players. This framework would serve as a critical touchpoint for legislation affecting local economic development and create a model for other states to emulate.

Our Action Plan:

We have established three working committees charged with:

Developing an internal and external communication strategy including network mapping to leverage existing relationships.
Identify resources needed to amplify and sustain these efforts for now and well into the future.
Develop an MOU between economic development organizations to identify and leverage strengths, create efficiencies, and increase collaboration

The CORE and HOME Teams have accomplished a lot in this past year, as noted in our timeline of events and tasks achieved. We have committed to an ambitious timeline of activities, moving forward, that will help us achieve our short- and long-term goals including:

We already established a meeting cadence between the Core/Home Teams to carry out the objectives and activities set forth by the Home Team.
The celebration of the work that has been done so far by announcing phase 2 of this initiative.
Enhance our new brand CO|Align.
Secure Visible Network Labs to identify all the players in the economic development ecosystem in Colorado.
Build consensus among top state cabinet leadership.
Secure funding for one FTE to help drive the objectives and activities of the initiatives.

What does this mean to you?

What Does This Mean for Your Organization, Municipality, or County?

Local Needs Incorporated: Your local priorities are embedded in the regional CEDS.
Alignment of Priorities: The regional CEDS informs the state CEDS, ensuring that state programs, policies, and incentives align with local needs.
Equitable Funding: State and federal funding will be more equitably distributed across the state, reflecting local priorities.
Collaboration for Greater Impact: Regional collaboration will help secure larger funding opportunities, enhancing the impact of economic development efforts and avoiding competition for the same resources.
Strategic Partnerships: Encourages collaboration across municipalities, counties, and regions to address complex challenges and create more robust economic development initiatives.

Why should you sign the MOU?

Support Statewide Alignment: Demonstrate solidarity in supporting a unified statewide economic strategy—a crucial advantage for Colorado’s economic competitiveness.
Build a Sustainable Framework: Help create a lasting framework that withstands government transitions and ensures continued success.
Peer-Led Initiative: This initiative is driven by the collective input of Economic and Workforce peers across the state.
Support Equitable Funding: Signing the MOU shows your commitment to ensuring local capacity-building and fair distribution of economic development resources across Colorado.