Outdoor Recreation Industry Office inside the state's Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
The goal of this new office is to both help unify the industry’s voice inside Colorado and to create a more coordinated message in selling the state’s natural beauty beyond its borders.
A press release touts the office as recognition of "the huge impact and importance of the industry to the future prosperity and health of Colorado."
According to the national Outdoor Industry Association, which is headquartered in Boulder, 125,000 Coloradans are directly employed in the outdoor recreation sector.
Governor Hickenlooper has appointed Eagle town councilman Luis Guillermo Benitez to head the office. Benitez is a mountaineering guide and former executive with Vail Resorts. He starts work July 1st.
