by Mark Smiley
The annual Cherry Creek Chamber luncheon was held on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Cherry Creek North. The well attended luncheon had back by popular demand Brian Voight, CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens, as the master of ceremonies, whose quick wit and charm once again enlivened the event.
Walter Isenberg, the CEO and co-founder of Sage Hospitality Resources, was the keynote speaker. He told about his humble beginnings and attending Cornell University where he obtained a degree in hospitality management. He decided he wanted to go to Cornell based on a strong recommendation from a fellow dishwasher who had never even graduated from high school. Today Sage Hospitality operates over 60 hotels and 10 independent restaurants in over 20 different states. Among the hotels it operates is the JW Marriott in Cherry Creek where the event was held.
Isenberg emphasized that in the hospitality business, like many other commercial ventures, the attitude and enthusiasm of the employees is everything. He relayed a story about going into a competing hotel which had a sign above the check-in desk which indicated that the customer was king, but, in fact, the staff treated you like you were an annoyance. He knew from that experience he did not have to worry too much about that hotel as a competitor.
Saying that employee attitude and enthusiasm is key is one thing, Isenberg noted, but actually creating an atmosphere where employees can thrive is another. He stressed that it takes hard work and actually caring about it yourself as CEO, along with others in top management, to help make it happen.
The Sage Hospitality CEO also delved into the fact that the country has had 72 months of growth as modest as it might be and the law of business cycles had not been made obsolete as the 2008 financial crash painfully demonstrated. He also remarked that the hospitality industry is something of a canary in a coal mine in that a downturn in the hospitality business often presages a dramatic downturn in the economy as a whole. After his remarks Isenberg received a standing ovation from 
the appreciative audience.
Another hit was the presentation from Chamber Executive Director Christine Des Enfant who gave a detailed overview of the growth, or some would say overgrowth, of the Cherry Creek North area with information provided by, inter alia, Peter Staab, Senior Managing Director of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank who produces a quarterly Cherry Creek Market Overview. (See detailed map of Cherry Creek Projects Underway on Pages 16-17.) Included in Des Enfant’s presentation, for levity, was an official Cherry Creek Area Monopoly Board.
Des Enfant noted that there are at least three new office buildings being built and three new hotels including the Halcyon at 245 Columbine which will be seven stories high and contain 133 rooms. The hotel is being developed by Insenberg’s Sage Hospitality.
What was amazing to many in the audience was the number of new apartment and condominium buildings being constructed including the 12-story CODA at 100 Steele Street containing 185 units scheduled to be finished this summer.
In the gift bag provided to attendees was a handy color coded “Your Easy Guide to Parking” in Cherry Creek North just in case you were feeling a “perceived lack of parking” in the area.
Capping off the luncheon were the annual awards. Jessica Bachus, founder of Dolls for Daughters accepted the award for Nonprofit of the Year. Dolls for Daughters and Kenzi’s Kidz work to support underprivileged children and their families in Colorado by providing toys, food, and more during the holidays, school supplies and clothing during the scho
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year, and assisting families through community outreach, financial planning and professional support.
Fascination St. Fine Art at 3rd and Detroit took home the hardware for Business of the Year. The gallery features original paintings, sculpture and limited edition artwork by the finest regional, national and international artists.
The Community Leader of the Year went to Cindy Patton, the Parking and Planning Manager of Denver Public Works. An attendee who had been stuck in traffic throughout last summer by Ms. Patton’s handy work in Cherry Creek North, jokingly wondered out loud whether the other nominees for this particular award were Hays Griswold, the EPA’s on-scene coordinator for the Gold King Mine spill, or Lois Lerner of the IRS.
Finally, the Chamber’s Director’s Award went to Anna Spalding from Regus. In an emotional acceptance speech, Spalding lauded the Chamber as an incredible place to network and make long lasting friendships. For more on the Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce, visit www.cherrycreekchamber.org.
The map, above, and legend were reprinted with the permission of Pete Staab, Senior Managing Director of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. It was originally presented as the 4th Quarter 2015 Cherry Creek Market Overview at the Cherry Creek Chamber luncheon.
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, a Global Leader in Commercial Real Estate, is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. They provide a fully integrated platform of services to prominent multinational corporations and institutional investors across the globe, as well as to occupiers, owners and developers of real estate on a local, regional and national level.
Pete Staab’s experience includes Office Leasing and Sales, Landlord and Tenant Representation, New Construction Development, and Corporate Real Estate Services. Mr. Staab can be reached at 303-260-4346, pstaab@ngkf.com, or www.ngkf.com.