Denver’s Ready: Effort to Welcome Employees Back to Downtown Denver Launches
Community, Business, and City Leaders come together to re-energize downtown
DENVER (May 5, 2021) – The Downtown Denver Partnership, Gary Community Investments, COVIDCheck Colorado, the City and County of Denver, and RTD are proud to announce Denver’s Ready, ready to welcome employees back to their Denver offices safely and responsibly. The coalition behind Denver’s Ready currently includes more than 135 companies – a number that is growing each day.
The Denver’s Ready campaign invites employers to join the coalition and pledge the employer’s plans to begin their transition back to their Denver offices by May 10. By joining the Coalition, employers become connected with valuable resources from industry leaders including downtown access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, recommended workplace protocols, a CEO Playbook, and employee communication templates.
“We want to make sure Denver’s economic recovery serves everyone, and that means each of us doing our part to responsibly return to Downtown Denver to help our critical workers do the all-important jobs that can’t be done by video,” said Mike Johnston, CEO of Gary Community Investments and Chairman of COVIDCheck Colorado.
With rising downtown pedestrian traffic, widening vaccine and testing availability, and increasing immunization rates, Denver’s Ready to emerge from the shadow of COVID-19 and re-energize our businesses and the center city. Over the course of the pandemic and increasingly so in recent months and weeks, partners in the Denver’s Ready campaign have been working diligently to ensure a safe, welcoming downtown for employees to return to. The Downtown Denver Partnership and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District have continued to keep downtown’s streets safe and clean; Gary Community Investments and COVIDCheck Colorado have made testing and vaccines more accessible; and downtown businesses – including restaurants and retailers – have been diligent in implementing health and safety protocols.
“Downtown Denver is the economic hub of the Rocky Mountain west and one of the most innovative, resilient urban cores in the nation,” said Tami Door, President and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, “Not only are we ready to continue to welcome employers and employees back to downtown, we’re ready to ‘wow’ them. The Partnership – in collaboration with partner organizations, restaurants and retailers – has been hard at work over the last year, bringing more vibrancy through creative placemaking, public art, and street activation.”
Watch the full press conference here.
Denver’s Ready Assets – including logos and imagery – can be found here.
About the Downtown Denver Partnership
The Downtown Denver Partnership partners with public, private and non-profit entities to implement high-impact strategies, outlined in the organization’s long-term strategy the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, to support its vision for an economically healthy, growing and vital Downtown Denver. For more information, visit downtowndenver.com.
About Gary Community Investments
Gary Community Investments, which includes The Piton Foundation, invests in for-profit and philanthropic solutions for Colorado’s low-income children and their families. It was founded by Denver oilman Sam Gary with the belief that business and philanthropy can—and should—work together to create opportunities for those who need it most. Gary Community Investments is committed to investing in quality early childhood and youth development systems, expanding sustainable economic opportunities, and developing and supporting programs that create healthy family and community environments. By aligning all of our assets with our mission, we make creative investments that not only yield a financial return, but can also improve the lives of Colorado’s children.
About COVIDCheck Colorado
COVIDCheck Colorado is a social benefit enterprise of Gary Community Investments. COVIDCheck Colorado’s mission is to provide the most proactive and equitable response to COVID-19 in the country. COVIDCheck Colorado complements organizations’ strategies to reopen by providing access to accurate and affordable COVID-19 testing and vaccines to help Coloradans safely return to school, work and daily life. COVIDCheck Colorado works in accordance with guidelines from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as well as an advisory board of public health leaders and HIPAA-compliant partners.