{"id":2826,"date":"2018-01-18T03:51:21","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T03:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/52.10.1.109\/?p=2826"},"modified":"2018-01-20T01:07:23","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T01:07:23","slug":"speaker-katty-kay-calls-for-objectivity-and-optimism-at-denver-south-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/?p=2826","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Katty Kay calls for objectivity and optimism at Denver South event"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BBC\u2019S Katty Kay was the keynote speaker for Denver South.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

SUBMITTED BY DENVER SOUTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

A line has formed outside the Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows. Inside, it\u2019s a packed, cheery house. Aside from a smattering of elected officials (including a surprise appearance by U.S.\u00a0 <\/span>Sen. Cory Gardner), the ballroom teems with business and civic leaders from the City of Lone Tree and RTD to Xcel Energy, Sky Ridge Medical Center and countless others.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s Friday, Nov. 17 and the annual Denver South Economic Development Partnership luncheon is underway. After we find our tables and eye the chocolate cake at each place setting, Lynn Myers, SVP at Denver South Economic Development Partnership, welcomes us. She also boasts, rightfully, about this year\u2019s attendance: Nearly 600 people have gathered to hear the afternoon\u2019s speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

Denver South has international exposure<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Earl Wright, co-founder and chairman of the board for AMG Bank takes the mic. AMG chose to be the luncheon\u2019s presenting sponsor because he\u2019s grateful they have \u201cbuilt a business environment for AMG\u2019s headquarters to thrive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wright then succinctly steers us toward the luncheon\u2019s focus: globalization. As he says, \u201cLike so many businesses in Denver South, [AMG] has international exposure.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Heads nod around the room, because what business doesn\u2019t? Even a robust economy like Denver South\u2019s can never be fully insulated from events taking place a half a world away. And, of course, we wouldn\u2019t want it to be. A global economy presents as many opportunities as it does pitfalls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our decisions have reverberating consequences<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A round of applause follows recognition of platinum sponsor John Madden Company\u2019s pioneering efforts to build net-zero-energy buildings throughout Denver South. In this context, it\u2019s clear Madden\u2019s vision isn\u2019t singularly local. It\u2019s global. Sustainability improves lives here, yes, but it also quite literally improves our entire planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

American values define us<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Wright then introduces the afternoon\u2019s much-anticipated speaker, lead anchor for BBC\u2019s World News America<\/i> and published author and advocate for women Katty Kay. Her background gives her unique ability to speak about globalization, current events and the profound optimism still motivating American voters \u2013despite the division we see on the news.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kay takes us first through her vision of the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe last century was clearly the American century,\u201d she said. \u201cMy question is whether this century will also be the American century.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Kay looks unflinching on the challenges facing the entire country, from the balance of power to populism and nationalism to the growing pains we\u2019re all experiencing in the new global economy. She invites us to question whether this global economic model will endure through the century in the face of major threats such as China\u2019s increasing power, Russia\u2019s subterfuge and instability in the Middle East.<\/span><\/p>\n

All these threats, Kay implores, put stress on our American values. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, everyone in the room gets it. We are not just building powerful businesses, we\u2019re taking part in the larger American experience\u2014an experience affected, for better or worse, by global events, politics, economies and conflicts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pursue policy guided by principles<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Kay\u2019s message, though, is positive. Those American values, she believes, are strong enough to weather these changes. She asserts America\u2019s foreign policy has been so effective over the last century because it is driven by principles, not by transactional relationships. And she encourages everyone in the room to lean into objectivity, to avoid retreating from the world, and to allow facts to drive the conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also applauds Denver South. She\u2019s spoken at many business organization events, but she\u2019s never seen more women in the room than she sees here today. It\u2019s these choices, made by Denver South every day, that can positively shape our future as citizens\u2014of Denver South, of America and of the world at large.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colorado as a model for compromise<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Kay ends her speech with a Q&A, and we laugh as she shares with us emails or tweets ala Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s popular late-night segment, \u201cCelebrities Reading Mean Tweets.\u201d She also encourages us to pursue compromise and to look to Colorado\u2019s history of centrist politicians reaching across the aisle as a model for government and politics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every year, Denver South Economic Development Partnership puts out a call: Join us for lunch, take time to connect with the leaders doing business next door and hear a new perspective. It\u2019s a worthwhile endeavor, and this year was no different. Kay\u2019s powerful message will surely have Denver South thinking about its own role in the world for time to come.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  SUBMITTED BY DENVER SOUTH A line has formed outside the Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows. Inside, it\u2019s a packed, cheery house. Aside from a smattering of elected officials (including a surprise appearance by U.S.\u00a0 Sen. Cory Gardner), the ballroom teems with business and civic leaders from the City of Lone Tree and RTD …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","category-news","category-south-metro-partners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloradostatesman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}