BizWest reports that regional business executives are growing more pessimistic about the economy, according to its second-quarter CEO Roundtable Executive Survey. The survey covers C-level leaders in the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado, which means this is not some academic spreadsheet exercise. These are the folks trying to hire, build, finance, lease, expand, and survive while government and global politics keep throwing wrenches into the machinery.
The survey found that 45% of respondents expect business conditions to stay about the same in the second quarter, 21.3% expect improvement, and 33.8% expect conditions to worsen. That is a darker outlook than the prior quarter, when about 28% expected things to get worse. In other words, the business community has not hit the panic button, but it is definitely hovering a finger over it while muttering, “What now?”
The Bullet Point Brief
- BizWest’s CEO Roundtable survey found executives slightly more pessimistic about the economy than they were last quarter. Not exactly “hide in the basement with canned beans,” but definitely not “break out the champagne” either.
- The chart on page 3 shows 45% expect conditions to stay the same, 21.3% expect improvement, and 33.8% expect things to worsen. That pie chart does not scream confidence. It whispers, “Maybe don’t sign that five-year lease just yet.”
- Respondents pointed to economic uncertainty and geopolitical issues as weights on growth. Businesses like predictability. They do not enjoy playing pinball with tariffs, interest rates, global conflict, and policy mood swings.
- More than half of respondents said interest rates, inflation, and geopolitics are affecting their businesses. That is the business version of trying to drive through fog while someone in the passenger seat keeps yanking the steering wheel.
- Housing availability also landed hard, with a majority saying it negatively affects employees. Imagine that. Workers need a place to live near the jobs everyone claims to support. Apparently this remains a shocking revelation in certain policy circles.
My Bottom Line
One thing I have learned through the years is simple: business loves predictability and certainty. Business can handle a tough environment. It can handle competition. It can handle market swings. What it cannot handle is chaos dressed up as leadership.
And frankly, that is the climate right now, both in Colorado and across the nation. Uncertainty. Federal policy is unpredictable. State policy is expensive, restless, and often allergic to common sense. Businesses are trying to make long-term decisions while politicians keep changing the cost, the rules, the timeline, and the sermon.
That is why I view part of my job as a local government leader as creating certainty. In Weld County, that is a goal. Be clear. Be consistent. Be fair. Do not make people guess whether government is going to be a partner, a referee, or a raccoon loose in the ductwork. If someone wants to build, invest, hire, or expand, they should know what the process is and trust that it will not mutate halfway through.
I pray the state does the same, but under Governor Polis, their track record ain’t overly great. Colorado talks a lot about economic growth while piling on costs, delays, mandates, and policy experiments that make growth harder. You cannot build confidence by keeping everybody guessing. Certainty builds investment. Investment builds jobs. Jobs support families. This is not complicated, which of course means government will need another task force to study it.
Source: BizWest
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