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Longmont Economic Development Partnership leads a comprehensive approach to building an economic ecosystem that not only supports, but champions, businesses and their owners.
Longmont EDP is a public/private partnership, governed by a Board of Directors made up of representatives from primary employers, the City of Longmont, and the business community at large.
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Lyons Gaddis Law Firm
Cameron Grant is Managing Shareholder of the Lyons Gaddis law firm, a primary employer in Longmont with offices in Louisville and Ft. Collins. Cameron represents real estate developers, property owners, and investors in all aspects of real estate and land use, as well as businesses and individuals with entity formation and other transactional matters. Cameron also manages the family land and real estate business. Cameron is a 4th generation Longmont native. He graduated from Colorado College in 1991 and, in 1995, from the University of Colorado School of Law, where he met his wife, Erika. They now have three sons, Caden who attends Georgetown Law School, Nicholas who studies engineering at C.U., and Connor, a Senior at Niwot High. Cameron is currently the Vice-Chair of the Longmont Housing Authority and has served on the boards of various non-profit entities, including the Longmont United Hospital Foundation, Longmont Council for the Arts, and the Imagine Foundation. In his free time, Cameron is an avid skier and an occasional classical singer.
Left Hand Brewing Company
Eric graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1984, served 8 years as a communications officer, and started Left Hand Brewing Company in 1993. Left Hand is one of the country’s most award-winning independent craft brewers and strives to “do the right thing”. Eric is a past chair of the Brewers Association Board and won their F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award in April 2009. He’s also past chair of the Colorado Brewers Guild Board, was inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame in 2012 and named an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Mountain Desert Region in 2014. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Longmont Economic Development Partnership and is a huge fan of Longmont.
Eric has been married to his wife Cinzia since 1992, moved to Longmont in 1993 and they have raised their three children here.
High Plains Bank
John is the CEO of High Plains Bank, a community bank serving five Colorado markets with 6 branches. In addition to serving on the Longmont Economic Development Partnership Board of Directors, he also serves on the Boards of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority; the Education Foundation for the St. Vrain Valley, and the Imagine! Foundation. He is past president of the St. Vrain Valley Board of Education. John and his wife, Joni, have called Longmont home since 2001, where they raised their children Emma, Joe and Ada Grace – all of whom are proud Jayhawks. John is a graduate of Kansas University and Harvard’s Kennedy School.
Bestall Collaborative is focused on creating development value in varying market, community and geographic settings for a range of project types.
Jack Bestall, principal, is expert in formulating plans and policies, creating strategies & obtaining project approvals in challenging regulatory environments. The firm provides services in development feasibility, planning, representation, and project management.
Humbled by his faith and enjoys his family: Pam, Jack’s wife, former director Forney Transportation Museum in Downtown Denver, 17 year old daughter adopted out of China senior at Evergreen High, 41 year old son – retired Sergeant Major Army – consulting military in Baltimore area, his wife and 18 year old grandson, 32 year old son – mortgage broker in Littleton, 30 year old daughter – physician’s assistant in New London Connecticut.
Jack enjoys hiking with his Vizsla – Remi; off-road exploration and rock-crawling, remote camping and glamping, reading and exploration in archaeology, architecture and photography, still dabbling in architectural & landscape design – house and yard remodel, travel, Netflix.
Pam Hora is the Operations Manager of the Longmont office of Tetra Tech. Pam has worked for Tetra Tech (or its predecessor, Rocky Mountain Consultants) since 1994 where she has provided land use permitting consultant services to clients pursuing new projects in Longmont as well as other communities in Colorado and neighboring states.
Pam is a third generation Colorado native who was born in Greeley, lived in Albuquerque, NM for most of her formative years, and then returned to Colorado during high school where she graduated from Longmont High School. She attended the University of Colorado, Boulder where she earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design with an emphasis in Planning. Since 2000, Pam has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Pam and her husband, Scott, have been married for 23 years, reside in Longmont, and have two daughters: Addysen, who graduated from Silver Creek High School in 2020 and is now living and working in Boulder; and, Ellery, a Junior at Silver Creek High School. Through the years, Pam has been actively involved in volunteering in her daughters’ schools and with their extracurricular activities, served as the President of her church’s Parish Council, and, for about the last 10 years, has led her Tetra Tech office team in volunteering for activities in support of Boulder County Parks and Open Space; Longmont Parks, Open Space, and Trails; and other local non-profit organizations.
Pam is currently a member of the Design Advisory Committee responsible for reviewing sign variance requests submitted to the Longmont Downtown Development Authority.
Steve is the founder and Principal Architect of BASIS Architecture and Design. Founded in 1999, the design firm has locations in Longmont and Estes Park, primarily serving commercial and multi-family clients along the Front Range. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. After moving from his native Massachusetts to Denver in 1993, he was involved with many of the first loft renovation projects in Lower Downtown, sparking his interest in revitalizing communities.
A Longmont resident since 2010, Steve currently serves on Longmont’s Historic Preservation Commission, completed the Chamber’s Leadership Longmont program in 2018, was a steering committee member for Longmont’s Downtown Master Plan update in 2016 and has served on various planning and building code adoption committees in the past. Additional volunteer efforts include working with Habitat for Humanity of the St Vrain Valley and as a former member of the Estes Valley Planning Commission. With thirty years of experience in the architectural field, Steve has deep knowledge of building and construction, development and municipal planning and code requirements for multiple municipalities.
Outside of work, Steve’s passions include getting outside, away from man-made structures; exploring culinary creativity; playing hockey; and spending time with family: his wife Amy, son Ian and daughter Morgan.
Michael Mercier is the Director of Talent Acquisition for Seagate Technology and is responsible for leading Seagate recruiting teams in the Americas and EMEA.
Michael earned an MS from Central Michigan University in 1992 and a BS from the US Air Force Academy in 1986. After graduation from the Academy, he served 20 years (Active Duty & Air Force Reserve) with assignments in Space, Missile Operations, and USAFA Admissions. Prior to joining Seagate, Michael was an Executive Senior Partner at an executive search firm for 27 years. At Seagate, Michael leads global recruiting teams that recruit and hire in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and the Middle East.
Michael, and his wife Susan, returned to Colorado in 2007 from Orange County, California. They raised their two children in Boulder County.
Sun Construction & Facility Services Inc.
Andy Welch is the President of Sun Construction & Facility Services, Inc. where he has worked since 1998. Andy has started several companies in Longmont including, Auction Genius and Insight Automotive which he later sold. Andy’s passion remains with construction and development, as he owns and develops various real estate along the Front Range. Andy was raised on his family’s farm near Yoder, Wyoming, and moved to Colorado in high school attending Skyline High, which is where he met his wife Jenny, and they share two daughters. Andy is involved with and supports several non-profits in the area.
Darrin Anson is an Executive Vice President in the Boulder County Market for FirstBank, and he has worked for the bank since 1998. In this role, he has extensive experience in many areas of real estate lending, including commercial projects in the multi-family, office, industrial, and retail sectors, plus development, construction and renovation.
His other lending experience also includes commercial and industrial sectors, SBA, consumer lending, mortgages, and home equity, etc. In additional to the Longmont Branch management role, Darrin also manages 1031 Corporation.
Darrin currently serves as Treasurer of the OUR Center while a member of the Executive and Finance Sub-Committees. He also serves on the Longmont Economic Development Partnership in support roles on the Lending and Advocacy Committees.
In addition to his current community involvement, Darrin has over two decades of community support through various organizations including Board Member of Archdiocesan Housing-Denver Catholic Charities, Past Board Chair of the Longmont Housing Authority, Past Longmont Housing Authority Commissioner, Former President of Funding Partners, Former Funding Partners Trustee, Former Treasurer Longmont Housing and Human Services Advisory Board Member, Former Rotary Club Treasurer, Active Youth Wrestling and Baseball Coach, Habitat for Humanity Volunteer, and Junior Achievement Volunteer.
Darrin received his BS degree in 1998 from the University of Nebraska in Kearney in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. Since joining FirstBank, he has graduated from the University of Wisconsin Banking School in Madison, WI.
Gust Family Enterprises Inc./Ace Hardware
Dan Gust along with his wife, Karen, and daughter, Kirsten Pellicer, are founders and owners of Gust Family Enterprises, Inc., a company founded in 1990 primarily to own and operate Ace Hardware locations. Dan holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University and an MBA from Texas Tech University. Prior to starting the family business he held engineering and executive positions with Winnebago Industries, Texas Instruments and MiniScribe Corporation. He also served on the Ace Hardware Corporation Board of Directors from 1998 through 2007. Dan has been actively involved in the Longmont community serving as Chair of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce and the Longmont United Hospital Board. He is Past President of the Longmont Rotary Club and has served on many other boards including the YMCA, EDAL, the Longmont Industrial Park Board, FNB, Front Range State Bank, Wells Fargo Boulder County Community Board and the Skyline Education Foundation.
Dr. Don Haddad is the Superintendent of St. Vrain Valley Schools and has been successfully involved in an educational career for 37 years. During this time, he has benefited from a broad range of experiences in several school districts while working in various teaching, coaching and administrative positions at every level, PK-12. Currently he participates in numerous professional organizations and educationally focused activities.
In St. Vrain, he has held the positions of Principal at Niwot High School, Executive Director of Secondary Instruction, Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services, and Deputy Superintendent. He assumed the position of Superintendent of Schools for the St. Vrain Valley School District in July 2009.
In addition to his work in education, Dr. Haddad has served on the Board of Directors for the Longmont Chamber of Commerce, the Carbon Valley Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Longmont Area Economic Council Board of Directors, as well as having memberships in various service-oriented organizations. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Business Roundtable. He has led the Longmont Chamber of Commerce Leadership Longmont program for nine years and has successfully spearheaded two mill levy overrides and two bond elections in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Dr. Haddad has been invited to speak at numerous education and business related events throughout Colorado and beyond.
Dr. Haddad has been honored with the 2010 Communicator of the Year Award from the Colorado School Public Relations Association and the 2011 Technology Administrator of the Year Award from the Colorado Association of Leaders in Educational Technology. He was also featured in the Fall 2011 Education Executive Magazine, a national publication, was named the 2013 Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS), and has served as the Chair of the NASS Executive Committee.
Dr. Haddad was one of 100 superintendents nation-wide invited to participate in the Future Ready Superintendent Summit at the White House in November 2014 and was selected as one of the 16 “2015 Leaders To Learn From” by Education Week, a prominent national publication.
Longmont City Mayor
“I grew up in Yuma, Arizona on the San Luis, Mexico border. I am the 7th sibling of 12. There was always a lot of work to do, but time for fun too. Having 8 brothers made playing baseball a must. We spent a lot of time with friends on both sides of the border. My father was a carpenter and learned Spanish from his peers. They brought culture and music into our home.
In 1971, I drove to Boulder, Colorado from Flagstaff, Arizona after graduating from Northern Arizona University. My degree was in Computer Science but my heart was in skiing.
Weekends were spent on the slopes of Summit County but weekdays I was at United Bank of Boulder, where I held many positions over a six year span which included teller, teller manager, commercial loan department and collections. Weekday evenings I spent programing code for a small startup.
After a short stint in Littleton, Colorado working for United Bank, our little family moved to Longmont in 1977. Family life was fast paced with working for the St. Vrain Valley School District for thirteen years, then owning a home daycare business. I could not find before and after school care for my kindergartner or reliable care for our baby, so I opened my own licensed day care. Once my children were grown, I worked seven years at IBM in server support and back-up and recovery. After retirement, I returned to St. Vrain Valley School District as a substitute teacher.” After a second at-large term on Longmont City Council, Joan is now currently serving as Longmont City Mayor.
Longmont City Council
Tim Waters, EdD, represents Ward 1 on Longmont’s the City Council. Tim was elected initially in February 2018 and was re-elected in November 2019.
Prior to election to Longmont’s City Council, Tim served as President and CEO of McREL International from April 7, 1995 until September 30, 2014. He joined McREL in 1993 following 23 years in K-12 education as a teacher, assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, education policy advisor to Arizona’s Governor, and Superintendent of the Greeley/Evans School District #6. During his tenure at McREL, Dr. Waters served on a variety of national boards and commissions. He was appointed by Governor Roy Romer to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education on which he served from 1993 – 2001.
During his 44+ year career in the field of education, Tim authored numerous articles on the topic of education leadership. He co-authored School Leadership That Works; from research to results (ASCD 2005), and District Leadership That Works; striking the right balance, (Solution Tree Pres 2009).
Tim earned a BA from the University of Denver, with Masters and Doctoral degrees from Arizona State University.
City Manager
As provided for by City Charter, the City Manager is the chief administrative officer of the City and is responsible for the efficient administration of all affairs of the City. The City Manager directs the work of all City departments and subsidiary divisions.
The City Manager’s office is part of the Department of Administration and is responsible for: assisting citizens, tracking legislation, providing public information services, providing administrative support for the Sister Cities program, providing intergovernmental support and services, leading customer service efforts for the City, administration and development of the city’s web site, developing city-wide policies and procedures, resolving complaints, coordinating community activities, planning coordination of City Council agendas, and providing staff support to the Mayor, City Council members, and other City departments.
Executive Director, NextLight at City of Longmont
Valerie Dodd is a customer-focused and results-driven marketing and operations executive with 25 years of experience in the telecom industry. She started her telecom career in 1995 with Windstream (formerly Alltel) creating and marketing wireless rate plans. In 1998 she helped launch one of the first internet broadband offerings. She left Windstream to work for a start-up CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) and later landed at CenturyLink (now Lumen) where she spent eighteen years in marketing and operations leadership promoting and provisioning broadband and other telecom services.
Dodd brought her private-industry telecom experience to the City of Longmont in 2019 to serve as the Executive Director of NextLight, responsible for the resident-owned and city-run gigabit fiber internet enterprise launched over seven years ago. She is thrilled to be part of such a successful endeavor with a 100% fiber network that provides fiber-fast internet to over 24,000 households and businesses. She is focused on ensuring that ALL of Longmont has the opportunity to connect to a world of possibilities via gigabit fiber internet.