On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, the Northern Colorado Hospitality Sector Partnership hosted its quarterly All Partner Meeting at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. A total of 39 partners attended, representing a wide range of hospitality stakeholders including restaurant and brewery owners, hotel directors, retail business owners, economic development professionals, educators, and local and state representatives.
This quarter’s focus was on Hospitality Financial Success, featuring a panel of four local business leaders: Carl Pratt (The Elizabeth Hotel), Berenice Longoria (The Taco Stop), Jennifer Johnson (The Light Center), and Becky Ezzell (Keep Smart Books Academy). Panelists shared insights on budgeting, financial decision-making, labor costs, and strategies for long-term sustainability.
Partners then split into subcommittee discussion groups: Food & Beverage, Retail, Hotels and Entertainment.
- Retail: Discussed foot traffic challenges, inflation, tariffs, and property taxes. Solutions included community engagement, K–12 outreach, event hosting, AI-driven marketing, and policy advocacy.
- Hotels & Entertainment: Focused on ICE raid preparedness, language barriers, labor costs, and online reviews. Shared best practices for staff readiness, professional review responses, and rewarding positive customer feedback. The EN GEN ESL workforce program was highlighted as a resource.
- Food & Beverage: Explored managing credit card fees, labor cost variation, and food service at breweries. Discussed the impact of Colorado’s Big Beautiful Bill and using PIF (Public Improvement Fees) to support infrastructure.
Special thanks to New Belgium Brewery for donating the Community Room, and to Efficiency Works and Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development for hosting resource booths.