The Colorado Chamber of Commerce is moving its office within downtown Denver for the first time in a quarter century.
The organization, which advocates for business interests, expects to move in June to 6,700 square feet on the fifth floor of 1700 Broadway.
The office will replace the chamber’s existing one exactly one block to the south, at 1600 Broadway. The chamber has operated there since 2000 and has about 6,200 square feet.
Loren Furman, who was named the chamber’s CEO in 2022 after holding other roles in the organization, said the organization needed more room and a “more modernized gathering space.”
The chamber’s staff count is now 13. The organization recently added a regulatory affairs adviser, and its communication team now has three people, up from zero several years ago, Furman said.
The chamber wanted to be a short walk from the state Capitol building, where it aims to sway the agenda of lawmakers. And Furman said the organization liked the history of 1700 Broadway, a 23-story building completed in 1956 that is considered Denver’s first modern high-rise.
“We thought that was very fitting for the state’s business organization,” Furman said.
While the building is located in Upper Downtown, the portion of the city’s core that has a higher vacancy rate, Furman said that “it’s still a competitive market” when it comes to finding office space.
“I wouldn’t say we found there were smoking deals in any of the spaces we explored,” she said.
Last year, the chamber released “Vision 2033,” a 10-year plan to improve the state’s business climate.
The chamber has over 1,500 members, including individual companies, trade associations and the membership base of local chambers around the state. The organization said that’s the highest in more than a decade.
“I would attribute that to our vision,” Furman said. “We have a plan for the next 10 years.”
The 1700 Broadway building is owned by Boston-based Beacon Capital, which paid $78 million for it in 2019.
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce is moving its office within downtown Denver for the first time in a quarter century.
The organization, which advocates for business interests, expects to move in June to 6,700 square feet on the fifth floor of 1700 Broadway.
The office will replace the chamber’s existing one exactly one block to the south, at 1600 Broadway. The chamber has operated there since 2000 and has about 6,200 square feet.
Loren Furman, who was named the chamber’s CEO in 2022 after holding other roles in the organization, said the organization needed more room and a “more modernized gathering space.”
The chamber’s staff count is now 13. The organization recently added a regulatory affairs adviser, and its communication team now has three people, up from zero several years ago, Furman said.
The chamber wanted to be a short walk from the state Capitol building, where it aims to sway the agenda of lawmakers. And Furman said the organization liked the history of 1700 Broadway, a 23-story building completed in 1956 that is considered Denver’s first modern high-rise.
“We thought that was very fitting for the state’s business organization,” Furman said.
While the building is located in Upper Downtown, the portion of the city’s core that has a higher vacancy rate, Furman said that “it’s still a competitive market” when it comes to finding office space.
“I wouldn’t say we found there were smoking deals in any of the spaces we explored,” she said.
Last year, the chamber released “Vision 2033,” a 10-year plan to improve the state’s business climate.
The chamber has over 1,500 members, including individual companies, trade associations and the membership base of local chambers around the state. The organization said that’s the highest in more than a decade.
“I would attribute that to our vision,” Furman said. “We have a plan for the next 10 years.”
The 1700 Broadway building is owned by Boston-based Beacon Capital, which paid $78 million for it in 2019.