1. The first LEX trip was to Seattle in 1990 – and we returned there in 2003.
  2. In Seattle we learned about metropolitan cooperation – the spark for the regionalism that metro Denver is known for today.
  3. A lot has changed since 1990: the downtown area has seen revitalization, most recently with Denver Union Station. Denver International Airport opened and was named the best U.S. airport in 2019 by Skytrax (based on traveler surveys). Our economy has diversified, and we now have nine major industries. We’ve seen investments in the arts, sports and tourism. And, often our LEX delegates have been engaged in this work to strengthen our community.
  4. LEX was the second program of the Leadership Foundation – the oldest program is Leadership Denver, which celebrated its 45th class in 2019.
  5. In 30 years we’ve traveled 36,169 miles, spanning North America and Europe. With all those trips we’ve circled the globe almost one and a half times.
  6. We love to learn – and that includes the language of the places we visit. We’ve spoken Spanish, French and German on our journeys.
  7. Our furthest trip was to Munich, Germany – our first intercontinental trip in 2017.
  8. Our trips are normally three days and two nights, but with the distance, our Munich trip grew to five days.
  9. While in Munich, we learned more about their apprenticeship model and how it can be applied to our education system. Did you know? Colorado is building the most educated workforce in the country – with 74 percent of jobs in 2020 requiring some education after high school.
  10. Our closest trip? To Salt Lake City in 2016.
  11. Our first LEX took more than 80 business leaders – today we welcome 160 business and community leaders.
  12. More than 3,000 leaders have travelled as delegates on LEX.
  13. And, they learned from more than 900 leaders, who shared their expertise on these trips.
  14. Former Gov. John Hickenlooper gave a shout-out to LEX in his memoir The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics, highlighting his attendance on LEX: Atlanta in 2002, when he was considering his run for mayor of Denver.
  15. So nice we visited twice? There are nine communities that we’ve returned to as we continue our learning: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis- St. Paul, San Diego, Seattle and Vancouver.
  16. Visiting a high-tech high school in San Diego was the precursor to the founding of the Denver Schools of Science and Technology, which now serves 6,000 students across nine middle schools and six high schools in Denver and Aurora.
  17. Trips to Toronto and Atlanta showed us what was possible when developing a transit system and placemaking along that system – important context in advance of the FasTracks, the 122-mile rail and 18-mile bus rapid transit system approved by voters in 2004.
  18. A tour of Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center on LEX: Pittsburgh sparked a partnership between Comcast and University of Colorado Denver to create the Comcast Media and Technology Center. Opened in 2017 on the CU Denver campus, it brings together students from across disciplines with the aim to inspire innovation, creativity and research.
  19. Seeing the work done by Chicago Public Schools to use data to identify students who were veering off track and providing support, a version was adapted for Colorado in 2016 – the Colorado Readiness Report.
  20. A tour of the Other Side Academy in Salt Lake City had an impact on a number of LEX delegates, who witnessed the transformative power of the two-year mentoring program on those who have previously been incarcerated or dealt with substance abuse. Inspired by the opportunity, a group of delegates led by Andrew Schmidt raised nearly $3 million and partnered with TOSA: Salt Lake to open a Denver campus in 2019.
  21. For his work leading TOSA: Denver, Andrew Schmidt was a 2019 9NEWS Leader of the Year finalists. Watch more about him here.
  22. Our Executive Director Dan Lewis first attended as a delegate of LEX to Vancouver in 2008. He joined the Leadership Foundation in 2015 and traveled with us to Chicago as the organization’s leader – and he’s been on 11 LEXs in total as a business leader and as our leader.
  23. LEX is invitation-only to reflect our business community and those who have expertise in the areas we’re discussing, but did you know that you can submit a nomination to attend LEX? Learn more here.
  24. We also provide scholarships to attend LEX or any of the programs our Leadership Foundation offers to ensure we open the door to more leaders with diverse viewpoints and backgrounds. Learn more about our Leading Colorado Scholarship Fund, and how you can support leaders on their journey.
  25. To celebrate our 30th trip, poet Theo Wilson shared what the experience is like, based on his experience on LEX: San Diego. You can hear his poem, set video, here.
  26. Speaking of San Diego, when we visited in 2018, we learned about a project they’ve taken on with Brookings Institution to understand disparity in their community. We want to better understand this in our community as well, and how we can help more people access economic opportunities we’ve worked so hard to create. We are leading these efforts as Prosper Colorado, thanks to the support of 31 organizations from across sectors and critical research partners in Brookings and City Center at University of Colorado Denver.
  27. Did you know we have 30 pieces of flair? We create a pin for each trip, which we give to our delegates.
  28. Our LEX Program Director Kirsten Vermulen has planned seven of our LEXs – that’s more than one-fifth of all LEX trips planned.
  29. Our 30th trip is to Dallas, where we’re focused on building strong talent and how businesses can lead the way in investing in a community and its success.
  30. What will we learn from Dallas? Follow #LEX19 to find out.

Sara Crocker is the communications manager for the Denver Metro Chamber.