Betsy Markey, Executive Director of Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, has been named as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. The annual honor from Consultant Connect recognizes economic leaders who are continually fighting for their communities and making a difference through their leadership.
The 2021 class includes a distinguished group of economic development leaders and professionals from across North America. Winners were nominated by economic development professionals and site selectors for their exemplary service.
“Colorado’s dynamic, knowledge-based economy continues to show its strong resilience and powerful potential,” said OEDIT Executive Director Betsy Markey. “I’m grateful for the national recognition of our hard work and I’m equally appreciative of our statewide partners that help us cultivate shared economic prosperity.”
During Markey’s tenure, Colorado has earned multiple awards for its nationally recognized economy and has attracted a dynamic mix of companies to Colorado, bringing tens of thousands of net new jobs to the state.
“I am grateful for the poise, partnership, and experience that Betsy Markey brings to her role at OEDIT – particularly given the challenges our state has faced over the past year,’ said Metro Denver EDC CEO J.J. Ament. “Betsy has shown great dedication responding to the needs of Colorado business during the pandemic and, as we start to recover, we are thankful for all she’s done and the open lines of communication she has maintained with us and our partners throughout the Metro Denver region.”
Betsy has also prioritized a broad-based economic strategy focused on cultivating statewide economic prosperity – a key objective of Governor Jared Polis. Markey’s efforts to engage the entirety of the state has included an internal agency reorganization to create a geographically embedded Rural Prosperity Team tasked with increasing engagement and deal flow. In addition, Markey crafted new State programs to benefit rural Colorado such as the use of tax incentives to create net new jobs within designated rural communities. The Location Neutral Employment program (LONE) has already realized multiple contracted companies committed to hundreds of location neutral jobs.
“Betsy’s foresight to create rural incentives like the LONE program, offer opportunities for western Colorado that were previously unattainable,” said Grand Junction Economic Partnership Executive Director Robin Brown. “We anticipate that the LONE program will be a great way for rural communities to attract new workforce while providing diversification opportunities.”
Consultant Connect is featuring a virtual road trip across North America to feature The Top 50 Economic Developers and their respective community, highlighted by a podcast with each award recipient. Markey’s podcast will be recorded tomorrow and will be aired on America’s Jobs Team Podcast. Airtime will be announced when the program schedule is publicly released.