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Inspired by “Shark Tank”, contest raised over $17,000 for local nonprofits Centennial, CO. (March 17, 2016 ). The Chamber’s Nonprofit and Business Partnership presented the inaugural The Tank program on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 from 3 – 5:30 PM at the Denver Botanic Gardens. This “Shark Tank” inspired event provided Chamber nonprofits the opportunity to compete for funding awarded by ‘Sharks’ – which were comprised of business leaders and interested community members. The event was a huge success, with over $17,000 donated by the Sharks. “We had a goal for the inaugural event of $15,000,” said Non-Profit and Business Partnership Chairman Steve Bocher, “to exceed that goal in the first event really shows that businesses are committed to supporting our community.” The event was emceed by Brian Vogt, CEO, Denver Botanic Gardens, which was also one of the program sponsors.  The event really accomplished two objectives. First, it provided the non-profits with the opportunity to receive needed funds for their programs. Second, it provided them with a forum to showcase the important work that they are doing for our community. The standing room only crowd of over 90 people were impressed by the passion, enthusiasm and the great work that these non-profits are doing to serve our community. Bocher noted, “You could see people reacting very positively to the presentations and see how touched they were. We are really fortunate to have such quality organizations doing such important work caring for so many different types of people—feeding seniors, supporting developmentally disabled children in schools, helping mentally disabled people return to work, providing mentoring to low income teens, and the need for 3D printers for STEM education are just some of the examples of the programs that were pitched to the Sharks. Participating nonprofits included: LifeSpark Cancer Resources, Best Buddies Colorado, Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network, American Cancer Society, Littleton Public Schools Foundation, TLC Meals on Wheels, South Suburban Park Foundation, Friends First, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado, Audubon Society of Greater Denver, and Colorado/Wyoming Optimists.
A panel of three VIP Sharks (Colbert Callen, Footers Catering; Jeremy Friedman, The Falls Event Center; Justin Vaughn, Vaughn Law Offices) were tasked with asking compelling questions about budgetary needs and clarifying the pitches made by the non-profits. Sharks included: Steve Bocher, Catch Fire Marketing; Colbert Callen, Footers Catering; Bob Golden, South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce; Carla Hamre, Jeni & Louis Hamper; Jeremy Friedman, The Falls Event Center; Kevin Kostoff/Derek Handley, Nova Home Loans; Sarah Lampard, Avalue Insurance; Bill Lindsay, Lockton; Dave Marcus, FirstCal Colorado; Mary McGlone, Curt Merrill, Multisource Document Services; Holly Mullins, Farmers Insurance; Kris Tower American Portfolios Financial Services; Alan Wyngarden, Applewood Our House; Mark Alpert, Brian Vogt, Denver Botanic Gardens. A huge thank you to our sponsors: Denver Botanic Gardens, Footer’s Catering, and Kimberly Alexander. The Non-Profit and Business Partnership mission is to help businesses and non-profits engage together as the Chamber believes that a prosperous community that allows business’ to thrive should also be one were businesses actively support those that are in need. This active group at the chamber has done other events including the B.I.G. Day which is an annual event that allows the business community to serve at various non-profits and quarterly educational events that bring for profit and not-for-profits together. For more information, visit: http://www.bestchamber.com/the-tank.html or call 303.795.0142 The South Metro Denver Chamber provides value to its members and the community through being action-oriented in business transformation, economic development, and public policy, providing members the opportunity for community involvement and a platform to build strategic partnerships and remarkable relationships.
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