If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that business owners must be resilient.
We’ve navigated inflation, workforce shortages, supply chain disruptions, rising insurance costs and shifting consumer behavior. Just as conditions begin to stabilize, new economic headwinds emerge.
Business owners need the ability to pivot staffing models, manage pricing pressures, respond to regulatory changes, and adapt to real-time, often unpredictable, economic conditions. Policy decisions made by our elected officials can either preserve that flexibility or unintentionally restrict it.
That’s where advocacy comes in.
What works in Denver doesn’t always translate to rural communities like Durango, Pagosa Springs, Ignacio, Bayfield or Mancos.
Our economy is different.
We rely heavily on tourism, which accounts for roughly one-third of our regional economic viability. We operate in seasonal cycles. We face rural transportation limitations. Workforce housing constraints look different here than along the Front Range. Supply chains stretch longer because of our remote location. Labor pools are smaller. Infrastructure costs are often higher.
A policy that may seem manageable in a metro area can have outsized impacts in a rural, seasonal economy.
In past conversations about collaboration, celebrations and partnerships, we’ve emphasized that long-term success cannot happen in isolation. The same is true for advocacy. When Chambers, municipalities, nonprofits and business leaders across Southwest Colorado align around shared priorities, our influence multiplies.
That’s why the Durango Chamber coordinated Southwest Day at the Capitol in early March.
We’re proud that leaders from Pagosa Springs, Ignacio and Mancos joined Durango’s business and civic leaders to ensure Southwest Colorado is represented. Our economies are interconnected. When we show up together, we strengthen the entire region.
In February, the Durango Chamber surveyed regional employers to clarify legislative priorities across Southwest Colorado. Seventy-five businesses responded, representing many within our small business community.
The message was direct:
1. Attainable housing is the defining constraint:
- Sixty-eight percent identified housing as a top legislative priority. It is no longer just a community conversation, it is a workforce issue, a health care access issue and a business expansion issue.
2. Health care affordability followed closely.
- Fifty-seven percent selected health care costs and access as a top concern.
- It ranked #1 as the area to protect if state spending is reduced. For rural Colorado, health care premium support is foundational to business sustainability.
3. Other priorities reinforce the pressure points:
- Forty-seven percent cited skilled workforce shortages, particularly in the trades.
- Forty-four percent identified child care access as a top issue.
Small businesses are carrying the weight of rising housing costs, health care premiums, insurance, utilities and labor, often without the pricing power of larger corporations.
Business owners are focused on running their companies and have limited capacity to track complex, ongoing policy discussions. The Chamber’s role is to translate policy into practical impact and ensure decision-makers understand what proposed changes mean for a manufacturer in Bodo Park or a retailer on Main Avenue.
Our advocacy is not partisan. It is practical, fact-based and rooted in the real-world experience of local employers.
If you want to stay informed or join us for next year’s Southwest Colorado Day at the Capitol, we invite you to engage. Visit durangobusiness.org to learn more.
Jeff Dupont is CEO of Durango Chamber of Commerce.
