A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown

Sundyne featuring CEO Mary Zappone

Mary Zappone is CEO of Sundyne, one of the few companies that design & manufacture both pumps and compressors.  Through organic & inorganic growth, Sundyne has assembled industry-leading brands that provide customers with a wide range of fluid and gas handling services and solutions. 

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Mary shares her own professional journey, the insights and advice she gained along the way, and what opportunities and challenges face a company like Sundyne. The episode touches on issues of energy security, geopolitics, workforce development, and Sundyne's impressive global footprint. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Colorado’s Office of New Americans featuring Dee Daniels Scriven

Dee Daniels Scriven is the Director of The Office of New Americans serves as the point of contact for state agencies, private sector organizations, and the public to advance the integration and inclusion of immigrants and refugees in Colorado communities. The office falls under the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. In recognition of New Americans’ significant economic, cultural, and civic contributions to Colorado, on June 25, 2021, Governor Jared Polis signed HB 21-1150, creating an Office of New Americans in Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment. The bill expands the work of the New American Integration Initiative, which launched in November of 2019. The bill also requires that the office implement a statewide strategy to facilitate economic stability and promote successful economic, social, linguistic, and cultural integration by investing in the success of immigrants in Colorado.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Dee Daniels Scriven talks about her career journey that led to her taking the helm of this new department in Colorado. They talk about the immigrant journey, the roadblocks and obstacles that exist for New Americans, how the office helps to overcome those, and much more in a stimulating and informative chat. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

BOK Financial featuring Bill Sullivan and Marisa Famariss

BOK Financial is a top 25 U.S.-based bank, offering sophisticated wealth, commercial and consumer products and services. For more than ten years, Bill Sullivan has led BOK Financial’s Colorado Market as President and Chief Executive Officer. In his role, Bill works to strengthen the community – by investing in our community’s greatest needs or funneling capital into growing companies and the local economy. Marisa Famariss joined BOK Financial in 2008. She has more than 30 years of Treasury experience from both regional and money center financial institutions. Marisa’s primary focus throughout her career involves educating companies on emerging technologies and the benefits they deliver. 

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Bill and Marisa share their own personal journeys into their current roles, how BOK Financial maintains solid relationships during economic times both good and bad, how they work to make a positive impact on the Colorado community and much more. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

UNC’s College of Osteopathic Medicine featuring Andy Feinstein and Beth Longenecker

The University of Northern Colorado is creating a College of Osteopathic Medicine – a project that will expand the program offerings in the health sciences and position the university to better meet the workforce needs of the state and region. A College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNC will greatly enhance the strength, health and prosperity of our people and our communities.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Debbie welcomes UNC President Andy Feinstein and Founding Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Beth Longenecker, DO, MS, FACOEP, FACEP. They discuss the current state of healthcare, workforce development in Colorado, how much of an employment driver healthcare is, and why osteopathic medicine is the right course of UNC. It's the intersection of many issues pertinent to Colorado business - education, healthcare, and workforce development.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

 

The Evolution of Wireless Infrastructure featuring Crown Castle

We live in a time where broadband access is no longer a luxury, but a critical tool – connectivity is essential for individuals and businesses. Colorado set an ambitious goal to connect 99% of Colorado households to high-speed broadband by the end of 2027. While there are many methods for broadband expansion, microtrenching is a minimally invasive, rapid, cost efficient, and environmentally-friendly method to deploy fiber infrastructure across the state. Over the last few years Crown Castle has been updating wireless infrastructure in several Colorado communities with fiber and small cell builds.

Scott Harry is the Government Affairs Manager at Crown Castle, the nation's largest provider of shared communications infrastructure - cell towers, small cells, fiber - which connects businesses to the data, technology, and wireless services we all rely on every day. The company's comprehensive infrastructure portfolio consists of more than 40,000 cell towers, approximately 70,000 on-air or under-contract small cell nodes, and approximately 80,000 route miles of fiber.

Mark Guillen an external affairs leader specializing in Public Affairs, Government Relations for Telecommunications, Healthcare, Municipal Water and Energy Recovery Management. Experienced in building partnerships and coalitions that drive corporate goals across multiple states in the western region of the United States. Mark currently directs Public Affairs efforts in the 13 Western states for Crown Castle Inc.

Scott and Mark join A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown to discuss microtrenching technology and upcoming legislation that would be conducive to Crown Castle and other companies speeding up broadband deployment in the state. They also discuss how the pandemic highlighted the vital importance of having access to reliable broadband internet, what opportunities they see ahead, and the general state of our country's infrastructure, and more. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

The Future of Business and Higher Education featuring Dr. Mordecai Brownlee

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee proudly serves as the sixth President of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado. In addition, Dr. Mordecai publishes frequently, including serving as a columnist for EdSurge. He also teaches for Lamar University within the College of Education & Human Development and serves as an international keynote speaker. Dr. Mordecai has been featured on a number of local, state, and national platforms including the American Association of Community Colleges Community College Journal, NASPA Leadership Exchange, EdUp Experience, and EdTech Magazine. This year, Dr. Mordecai was named 40 Under 40 by the prestigious Denver Business Journal and the Community Leader of the Year by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, he was featured by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine as a “New School” leader representing the next generation of college presidents.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Debbie Brown welcomes Dr. Brownlee to discuss his personal and professional journey to becoming the President of the Community College of Aurora. The two met and hit it off at a gathering of business and higher education leaders as they discuss how higher education can evolve to meet the needs and challenges of growing and developing a robust workforce in Colorado. Dr. Brownlee is someone with bold ideas, a tireless work ethic, and a hunger for creative partnerships which makes this a dynamite conversation.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

CAP Logistics and ESG featuring Richard Goering

Richard Goering is Chief Operating Officer for CAP Logistics. Since 1982, CAP Logistics has specialized in providing freight solutions to industries that cannot afford expensive downtime. Our business began with a focus on 24/7/365 emergency air freight and expedited truck shipments. While these services continue to be core competencies, CAP’s service offering has expanded to include truckload, LTL, managed transportation, and air charter services. 

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Richard shares why CAP Logistics has undertaken an ESG program, worked to track its carbon footprint, and install solar panels on its warehouses not only to benefit the environment, but their neighbors as well. He discusses how CAP does what it does, why being a good neighbor is good business and a lot more. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

 

Straight Talk About ESG featuring Carrie Johnson and Jason Downs

Few topics in the business community are more hotly debated than Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG). On this edition of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Debbie welcomes Carrie Johnson, Shareholder at Brownstein in their Denver office, and Jason Downs, Shareholder at Brownstein in their Washington, DC office. They have a frank discussion about the risks, benefits and future of ESG. This topic is not going away, so it behooves business leaders to understand ESG from a variety of angles, and Carrie and Jason provide vital insight, analysis and commentary on the state of affairs.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Carrie Johnson focuses on litigation related to complex contract, corporate governance, fiduciary duty, fraud and securities issues. In particular, she has extensive expertise in managing both internal and external crises for businesses and their owners, using her business acumen and proven instincts to create and execute multifaceted strategies.

Jason Downs taps into his experience managing one of the premier AG offices in the country and his reputation as a top-notch trial attorney to help clients engage with government enforcement agencies. As co-chair of both the State Attorneys General practice group and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) group, he serves as lead counsel for clients facing enforcement action, takes a creative approach to educating the state AG community on behalf of clients and helps businesses understand the authority of state attorneys general.

The Affordable Housing Challenge featuring Evelyn Lim and Peter LiFari

Affordable housing is on the minds of every Coloradan from elected officials to business owners to citizens. Where we call home is an existential question, no matter what part of the country you're in. But what do we do about it? 

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Debbie Brown welcomes the Housing Fellows from Common Sense Institute, Evelyn Lim and Peter LiFari, to discuss the issue in depth. How did we get here? What is the best path forward? How do we need to completely reinvent and rethink our approach to housing in this country and in this state? In a spirited and feisty conversation, Peter and Evelyn share their insights from years of working in this space in a multitude of roles both within and outside government, and discuss elements from their CSI report "Voters Approved Creation of the State's First Affordable Housing Fund: What's Next?" This issue is crucial for Coloradans, so be sure to tune in! Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Colorado Community College System featuring Chancellor Joe Garcia

Joe Garcia is the Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System. As CCCS Chancellor, Garcia leads the state’s largest system of higher education, which serves over 113,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 35+ locations across Colorado. From 2011 to 2016, he served as the Lt. Governor of Colorado and as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. During his time as Lt. Governor, Garcia focused on increasing equity in outcomes for all students, particularly those from low income backgrounds and communities of color. For nearly a decade, Garcia served as President at both a four-year and two-year institution.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Joe shares insights about the changing nature of higher education due to declining populations, perpetually challenging funding environments, changes necessitated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and evolving needs of the business community. Joe has a passion for higher education, an unparalleled background, and exceptional leadership skills. The conversation contained in this episode promises a multitude of insights.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

Rate, review and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher.

For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.