Jefferson County Commissioner Libby Szabo was named the Elected Official of the Year at Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation’s (Jeffco EDC) 11th Annual Luncheon.
Commissioner Szabo was the first Latina female to be elected to a House leadership position, as the Assistant Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. In 2016, she was elected to her first four-year term as Jefferson County Commissioner, and is currently the Chairman. She also serves on many boards, including the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Colorado Counties Inc., Jeffco Law Enforcement Authority, and the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory was named Community Partner of the Year at the luncheon. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in Golden, is the nation’s primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficient research and development. For the past 40 years, NREL has remained a strong economic driver for Jefferson County, with an annual economic impact of $275 million, and $872 million nationally. Today, NREL is one of the county’s largest employers, having 1,700 employees, with 400 early-career researchers and scientists. NREL’s leadership and its employees contributed more than $460,000 to charitable organizations last year.
Jeffco EDC’s Annual Luncheon was keynoted by Luis Benitez. In 2015, he was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper to be the state’s first Director for the newly created Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.
Event sponsors included: Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC, Brookfield Residential, Citywide Banks, Denver West Business Park, FirstBank, Johns Manville, Kaiser Permanente, Metro West Housing Solutions, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, MillerCoors, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sheraton Denver West Hotel and Xcel Energy.
About Jeffco EDC:
Jeffco EDC is the oldest economic development organization in Colorado. The organization concentrates on creating, expanding, and retaining high-paying primary jobs that fuel the economic health and vitality of Jefferson County. Jeffco EDC is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of local business leaders and elected officials. For more information please call 303.202.2965 or visit www.jeffcoedc.org