This quarter, we are highlighting Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development and their role in Climate Smart Future Ready (CSFR). Find out more through the below Q&A with Adam Crowe, an Economic Development Manager.

What is Economic and Workforce Development and your role there?

The mission of Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) is to connect people to meaningful work and businesses to talent and resources, improving our community’s economic well being. In pursuit of this mission our department provides services to help community members find quality employment and support the growth, relocation and retention of businesses, as well as house the Larimer County Conservation Corps and Veterans Services Office. My role on our economic development team is to understand the needs of local businesses and connect them with needed resources and services. 

Why is EWD involved with CSFR?

Businesses, individuals and families are all profoundly impacted by the challenges of affordability, climate change and economic inclusion. We work with many businesses struggle with increased costs and the inability to find and keep workers because of high housing prices. Inversely, we also work with people that need to find employment that allows them to support their family in Larimer County. CSFR recognizes these challenges and has included goals and actions that target the intersections of climate, inclusion and affordability. For this reason, our department is supporting two CSFR goals; one that identifies critical climate related that lack clear and accessible career pathways and another goal that provides cost savings to local businesses through individualized energy and water efficiency guidance.

What is your team already successfully working on/achieving and what will be enhanced and added through the CSFR actions?

EWD is already very good at helping individuals access career pathways into careers that provide higher wages, benefits and the potential for professional development. Through CSFR we hope to identify additional in-demand careers that support the County's climate goals and also provide great career opportunities for community members. Additionally, our department has developed strong relationships with local businesses through our work to understand their needs and provide connections to recourses that meet those needs. In this vein, and with the support of CSFR we recently partnered with the City of Fort Collins and the Monarca Group to expand the NoCOBiz Connect sustainable business program into two smaller communities. We have high hopes that this program will show that businesses can save money by increasing their water and electrical efficiency. 

What action are you and your committee tackling first?

We recently worked with a CSFR action team that identified HVAC technicians as a critical occupation to the County's energy reduction goals. As is usually the case, there are other organizations, such as community colleges and chambers of commerce, that have also identified this occupation as one in need of a clearer and more supported career pathway. So, as a first step we have begun working with these other organizations to understand the specific workforce challenges faced by HVAC businesses. Our goal is to create short-term training that prepare workers for a career in the HVAC industry. Additionally, through the expansion of NoCO Biz Connect we plan to provide individualized support to businesses that will help them reduce costs as well as energy and water usage. 

What partners are you planning to work with this year?

It takes a village to support a skilled workforce and a dynamic businesses community. We are fortunate have great partners like our local municipalities, educational institutions, power providers, utilities, likeminded organizations such as Monarca Group, chambers of commerce, other County departments, and many other related organizations in Northern Colorado. 

What are your hopes for CSFR work?

We hope to support the goals of CSFR by helping to align/create career pathways into critical climate related occupations and by helping businesses reduce costs through energy and water saving practices.