December 9, 2020 – On Wednesday, Chair of the Board of County Commissioners, Mark Waller, delivered El Paso County’s 2020 State of the Region. This year’s theme was “Answering the Call” and the presentation, co-hosted by the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, was delivered virtually via Zoom and Facebook Live to hundreds of El Paso County residents, local partners and community leaders.
This year’s State of the Region presentation kicked off with an introduction from Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC President and CEO, Dirk Draper, who touched on many recent advances in our region, as well as the resiliency and innovation the El Paso County community has showcased this year.
The presentation continued with a feature video, focusing on one way El Paso County “Answered the Call” this year, through the distribution of CARES Act funding. The feature video highlighted stories of those who received CARES Act grants and contributions from El Paso County this year, and how those funds not only affected their businesses, but their lives and livelihoods. In all, the county gave $41 million to help local governments, $13.8 million to help local small businesses, and $2 million to help groups like the enterprise zone, nonprofits, and chambers of commerce.
Finally, Commissioner Waller delivered his annual keynote address, highlighting the tough challenges and celebrating the tremendous accomplishments experienced in our region in 2020. In light of this year’s theme, “Answering the Call”, Commissioner Waller’s speech examined how El Paso County answered in the call in 2020, not only in the response to COVID-19, but also in day-to-day duties. Commissioner Waller outlined the county’s leadership, vision, and impact on shaping a community of the future.
“2020 has been one of the roughest years anyone can imagine, but I know this, we’ll get through, and better days will come,” said Commissioner Waller. “And they’ll come because of the outstanding leaders and individuals dedicated to our County.”
You can watch the full 2020 State of the Region Presentation below…