Tonight, we'r taking you all across Colorado from a new speakeasy celebrating African heritage to new holiday lights that are representing Colorado's wildlife.

Plus, a look at Colorado broadcasting legend Harry Hof and his legacy that spans decades.

So whether you're tuning in for food, culture, history or holiday fun, we've got something special for you.

Studio 12 starts right now from the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Hi, I'm Bob Kainani, and I'm Ryan Harris.

Welcome to studio 12.

Tonight we're taking you somewhere extraordinary.

A place where food, community, and culture blend together beautifully.

We're talking about the new tribal African speakeasy in downtown Denver.

We sat down with the owners to hear their story, sample delicious cuisine, and explor the authentic African art that fills the space.

So we are tribal, and this is a homage to Africa.

I'm a tribal.

I'm from Douala in Cameroon.

And Douala is basically the economic capital of Cameroon.

I'm from Cameroon which is the political capital.

I used to do a lot of Afrobeats events, big African parties in Denver and other cities, as well as started feeling a little homesick like I was away from my family and I wasn't really seeing any corner cultural establishment that made me feel like I was reconnecting with home.

So then I started doing the parties, and then from the parties I was like, hey, like this.

Actually, a lot of people seeking culture here.

My crowd was kind of outgrowing the party in the nightclubs scene a little bit.

They still wanted a way to enjoy African culture, and that's how I came up with the idea of opening a speakeasy.

It's much more than a speakeasy in a restaurant.

It's a whole lot of culture that is tied to, you know, how we grew up, what we saw growing up.

Africa is so misrepresented away from Africa.

It takes art sometimes peopl to go to Africa to be like, wow.

Like nothing I've known about Africa my whole life is even the case.

We wanted to build a space where we actually control the narrative and what people are saying about African culture.

Let's start off the door, right?

You guys have a QR code.

When he came up with the idea of the learning pass that you got to learn something.

I was like, yeah, we do.

We have to do this because, you know, you might never have known anything about Africa, but you know, that one second you take to answer a question of like, here was a capital of diesel.

Where is this located?

Then, you know, you kind of like the next thing is like, maybe I should look this up o our website, there's a button.

When you click on that, it takes you to a standalone page, which is basically giving you a lesson about a random fact about Africa.

It changes all the time.

So you actually read that simple fact in less than a minute and answer one quiz question, which would generate a QR code for you.

And that's the QR code that we scan for you to come in, basically unlocking entry for you into the speakeasy.

We're not trying to check people's knowledge.

We're trying to help them learn something.

Know.

But I did it.

I mean, initially when w started this, being a speakeasy where you didn't intend to b a fully established restaurant, we wanted to have African food bites.

If you think about i the Spanish culture tap House.

Right.

We wanted to just kind o be that, but we also felt like there might be some people her that might be a little hungry.

So we introduced the model and plate that you saw, which is kind of the plate that is shaped as the African continent.

That's been the most sold plate since we opened, and is doing numbers and everybody is on me.

I thought it was going to be a portion of people are hungry but everybody comes in here and they want everything.

A little variation of plates.

We have our beef.

So y'all we have our chicken suya.

Then we have our Motherland Plate, which is a combination of everything that we do.

So you have jollof rice plantains are roasted potatoes, veggies, chicken or beef or shrimp.

And then we also obviously have our so y'all powder African tradition and the rim a sauce that we made housemade as well.

Oh my gosh that sauce is amazing.

When we started this you know the goal was we want to represent all the counties.

Just want to make sure everyone feel represented.

But you know, it's easier said than done.

Sometimes you have to start somewhere.

The amazing part of this concept is not just that we're offering food to others, but it's also the discovery and the learning experience that we are having about other countries in Africa as well, so we could properly bring it to the people.

I'm making for you today.

Travels espresso martini here.

We like to specialize in using things particular to Africa.

That's no different than what this martini here.

And then we have it all at, well, little secret spice.

And that is all there is to it.

Let's go ahead and get you a sip of that.

The art I really take it to heart because, you know, I remember being a kid in the streets of Douala, Cameroon, going to the market with my mo at the entrance of the market.

You see a lot of people on the street that are very artistic because they're not getting a lot of spaces inside because it's too expensive.

So they're just on the street with a lot of the artwork.

The paintings and a lot of pieces.

Right.

So when we build this space, I wanted to create a shelf space for them where they basically get visibility into, you know, and people seeing the work that they have been doing.

Now we're able to buy art fro them at a premium and switch it every couple of months and sell it back here.

So these guys no are very encouraged in Africa, to continue to exercise on the talent because they know they have a space overseas that is really showcasing the work, even if locally they're not getting a lot of recognition.

But we do have like artists that are in Denver, data in Colorado, Fort Collins, wherever that are Africans that are like, you know, dude, that can represent Africa in some way.

For example, the mural on the wall, it's a Denver based artist that we want people to be able to soak in all of those different things because, as he said, all of those little pieces, the album message, you access anything.

There's a story behind it.

Like anything that was installed in here or that was built in here.

You know how the story and there's a reason why he said the lights, because most flags, they have like just three stripes.

These slides are divided into three columns.

They represent encounters.

And the whole thing is very, very intentional.

Even the lights, like it was important that it was hand.

Those lights are handmade.

The lady makes it one at a time, which kind of gives homage to like the artisans in Afric that do a lot with very little.

We want to really put everything to build a unique spot because this has never been done before.

African culture is a very inviting culture.

If you guys ever get the chance to go to Africa, and I hope you do, people are going to want to fee you like they want you to eat.

They want you to drink, they want you to dance.

They want you to have fun.

We just want people to feel lik this is a home away from home.

On behalf of African culture, the part that I take to heart the most is I want people to understan that this was built by Africans, but brought to everyone and anyone.

So I want when people they leave you, they want to feel like, wow I truly had a unique experience.

I want to tell everybody about it.

This is an African en establishment that is run by Africans but is being brought to everyone and anyone.

It was important that people come in here.

They are able to respect the culture but also enjoy it.

What a cool space!

Can' wait to see the inside myself.

Our PBS 12 crew said they truly felt like they were inside a place rich in heritage and full of heart too.

You can tell by those two gentlemen they said they can't wait to go back.

I can't wait to check it out.

To find out more abou their menu and upcoming events, you can head to their website, tribal speakeasy.com and try a taste of something different.

Holiday lights are up and sparkling all across Colorado this time of year and some of the brightest ones of the season are bac at Chatfield Farms in Littleton.

PBS Twelve's Erica McLart bundled up and took her family to find out what's new this year at the Trail of Lights.

At Denve Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms, the holidays arrive in a blaze of color.

This Deer Valley landscape is transformed into a magical outdoor wonderland.

Welcome to the Trail of Lights.

It's a mile long adventure with sparkling tunnels, twinkling trees and there's some new surprises.

This year.

It's incredible that for 15 years this landscape has lit up, but it didn't nearly start as big as it is today.

The beginning days were not near as spectacular as they are now, but we opened in 2008 on a very, very snowy evening, and we didn't have enough parking cleared because people showed up in droves.

The event now draws tens of thousands of visitors, and that number keeps rising.

I mean, last year we had over 47,000 people.

And I think we'll easily top that this year and probably a lot more.

What makes this holiday experience different?

For Larry, it's the setting, a valley that glows like a storybook scene without the crowds.

So common at other holiday attractions.

One of the most interestin things about this show is it's down here in the Deer Creek Valley, and this whole valley is just lit up, kind of like this enchanted place.

It's never crowded out here.

Each year, transformation takes almost an entire year of planning, and one creative mind needs the look and feel of trail of lights.

My Associate Director, Twin Towers is the amazing creative force behind this.

She has this amazing hyper color, her signature tree this year is very abstract and very colorful, which is very unique so she doesn't stick to just traditional Christmas colors.

The event has also become far more energy efficient.

A full switch to LEDs ha dramatically reduced power use.

It's made it a much more greener experience for everybody.

This year, one of the most ambitious additions yet, a Colorado wildlife seen glowing across the theater, it has a flowing river that comes off the slope of the amphitheater, and it has all these different Colorado wildlife arranged around i a moose bear, a bighorn sheep, a porcupine, beaver and we even have trout jumping out of the screen.

And you can hear the rushing water as it comes down for Chatfield Farm's Trail of Lights does more than celebrate the holidays.

It introduces new visitors to a place full of gardens, wildlife and year round beauty.

I think it's an opportunity that to discover someplace you didn't really maybe know was even here.

So we put up big, flashy light shows to get you to come in.

I love to watch local look, I first walked into there and their whole life, their face lights up, not off.

Reflection.

What?

It's this from here.

It's.

What do you think of the whole place?

I think it's nice when you hear the music in the lake.

Lights play a lot.

Yeah.

Is that your favorite part?

Yeah, it's really cool.

I think that it' just very spacious, very nice.

It's like it's all over crowded.

I like how prett it is, the lights and the trees, and it's just so nice and warm.

The people are nic and they give you hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate, which is great.

Now, what would you say to someone that's on the fence about coming?

Not sure.

What would you say?

I'd be like, go, go, go now.

It's worth it.

It's definitely worth a year.

Now we're grandparents of raised grandkids and they remember coming here with their kids.

So it's it's amazingly rewarding for me having been here so long.

Larry has worked here for two decades and says the land and the people drawn to it are the reason he stays.

Well.

I grew up in agriculture so I've always been very rooted in the land.

We do restoration of habitat and things on the property, and so it speaks to me.

I could not imagine doing anything else.

From its humble beginnings to a glowing tradition for more than 60,000 people, Trail of Lights continues to grow and evolve, with new displays every year and a landscap that invites wonder every day.

And it remains one of our family's most enchanting holiday traditions.

Happy holidays!

Indeed, it does look like the holidays are off to a great start for the McLaren family, and everybody was having fun.

But Erica said she made one big mistake her only regret she didn't bring gloves and her hands were freezing.

So remember your gloves?

And if not, Erica was able to hold a cup of hot cider as a hand warmer.

A good solution trail of light runs through the holiday season at Denver Botanic Gardens, Chatfield Farms.

For more information, go to Denver Botanic gardens.org.

While Colorado household are busy managing their budgets this holiday season, spending is being cut back at the state level as well.

Governor Polis says there's no wiggle roo in order to balance the budget.

Let's check in now with Kyle Dyer and the Colorado Inside Out team.

Hi, Bosa and Ryan.

You know the month of December is not starting off easily for Governor Polis as he now has had to extend a halt on state spending for several more months.

The previous round of spending has expired at the end of November, but Colorado needs more time without new spending in order to balance the budget.

It is a lot to take in th severity of the fiscal picture, the uncertainty, the ripple effects.

Fortunately, our insiders on Colorado inside out are breaking it all down.

Let's check in now.

We have talked a lot about the fiscal challenges facing Colorado, and they're serious enough that Governor Polis has now extended the current spending cuts through the end of February to free up another $265 million to balance the budget.

And what happens after the end of February?

It seems like there will be even tougher choices down the road that and cut that will still need to be made.

I mean, there are a lot of tough choices coming up.

Emmons not forget we're following a $1.2 billion, budget shortfall from last year with an $800 million budget shortfall this year.

And, a lot of what Polis is doing here is trying to cut around the edges.

For example, one of the cuts is extended with his executive order is, he's rolling back 1.6% increases in reimbursemen for Medicaid providers to flat.

And then that's what he's planning for again next year in the budget he's presented.

And these are interesting choices.

We talk a lot, especially on the national level about Medicaid and cutting fat and cutting waste out of Medicaid.

But at the same point I've been very interested to see that the reaction to policies, Medicaid spending pull backs, which includes 334 million in pulling back on Medicaid spending, proposed for next year by doing things like limiting the amount of benefits, you could get or limiting reimbursements to certain providers.

These are alarming hospitals.

And the reason they're alarming them is they're saying, look, more people are coming in on Medicaid these days, and if they don't have Medicaid, you know, we're not going to be abl to, to get any money from them.

And they said, particularly if you're cutting back on reimbursements for Medicaid you're going to have providers that are not going to provide for Medicaid anymore.

And those providers don't just treat Medicaid patients, they treat everyone.

And suddenly we could see services disappearing because of lack of providers.

I don't have an answer for you.

I just want to frame how difficult this conversation is going to be in the budget this year.

Okay.

All right.

Chris.

Well, one area that we likely won't see cuts is in the wolf reintroduction program.

And I hate to be a one trick wonder but I am going to bring this up.

This governor sees this as his legacy to bring wolves, put them on the ground in Colorado because he says that's what the voters wanted.

The vote was not a mandate by any means.

It was a very narrowly passed measure.

But in October, after we had had a special session to address budget shortfalls, we found out that the state had entered a contract with British Columbia to obtain 15 wolves for $400,000.

Now the feds steppe in.

They put the kibosh on that.

So it would not surprise m if Governor Polis does still try to broker an agreement with British Columbia, since they do have wolves they're willing to give despite the feds intervention.

We will see.

I don't know how that would would, transpire.

This comes at a time when C.P.

W is having a lot of changes and they're not good ones.

We've seen, Jef Davis was, asked to step down.

It there's been learned he stepped down, but it was at a request.

And he's taken a new role within the Department of Natural Resources.

And then yesterday, it is rumored, and I believe, confirmed that one of the Colorado Parks and Wildlif commissioners, Murphy Robinson, is stepping down.

And he i somebody who has pushed back on wolf reintroduction has asked thoughtful questions.

And that leaves his seat open for another governor appointment.

And it probably will be on that favors wolf reintroduction.

So really concerned, I think in 2026, we are going to see this governor double down on wildlife issues, not just wolves, but other species that i believed, such as prairie dogs that they believ require protection for prairie dogs have gotten protection and for a long time.

But I'm going to leave them alone for now.

It is interesting.

I thought we were under a state freeze.

There weren't supposed to be any new jobs, and here's a new job created for Jeff Davis, who was ordered basically to leave.

And they created this job for him.

But no matter how you what I was trying to be.

No, no, no matter how you feel abou the Wolf introduction program, no one is cryin wolf about the budget problems.

There is no question it is going to be so difficult at the legislature this year.

And pinnacle, which was kind of like the big solution, doesn't look like it's going to be the solution anymore.

Certainly these Medicaid cuts are so challenging, especially for rural hospitals.

It's not like they're doing boutique medical treatment.

They are dealing with peopl who have no options out there.

There's so few places to go.

And with more people unable to afford health care of any kind, given what's going on right now as people try to find providers, there will be more people trying to go to hospitals to the emergency rooms for care.

So it's tough.

And then you know I think health care is probably the most difficult aspect of this budget problem because the reality is is we all get sick, we all get injured and no one's going to go untreated.

They're going to go somewhere.

The question is ho do you compensate the providers?

Colorado has historically had a problem where we don't have enough doctors and or nurse to cover our entire geography, just because of the challenges of distances and population density and everything.

This just makes a bad situation even worse.

Ed said 850 850 million was the hole.

I was told yesterday it was 1,000,000,000W, 250 million for it somewhere.

Yeah.

It's not good.

And the federal act, the, the big bill, cost the state about $700 million.

So one thing that we as Coloradans are to realize, it's not just the governor and the legislature who have made mistakes there are other factors impacting the budget.

The governor has done some temporary things.

Most of them cannot last because the governor's abilit to affect spending is limited.

It has to be done in law by the legislature.

And so it's going to be interesting to see what the tradeoffs are.

There's a lot of bill that are going to get introduced that are going to be killed in the first committee, because there's no money.

Yeah that was just one of the topics we spoke about on the lates edition of Colorado Inside Out.

You can watch the entire episode on YouTube, the PBS passport app, or listen to i on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

And make sure to catch our next episode coming u this Friday on PBS 12 at 8:00.

If you're looking for another Colorado holiday tradition packed with lots of festive fun, the Denver Chris Kindle Market is a beloved stop for many families.

One of my favorite holiday traditions, PBS's Twelve's Erica McLarty, visited the market with her kids, meeting the artists behind some of the handmade gifts, sampling traditiona treats, and exploring what's new this season.

A little bit of Europe popped up right here for the holidays.

It's the Christmas candle market.

They're at a new locatio for their 25th year anniversary, which means more room for more traditions.

So this is actually a great space because it's a lot bigger.

So we have a lot more space for people to walk around when it gets crowded.

You know, I think it's going to feel really comfortable here.

The Tivoli building, that' the backdrop of the market here.

I'm actually has a German architect that built it.

So we kind of feel right at home with that piece of history.

Think so.

We start setting up this even for two weeks prior to opening.

So it's a long process.

Part of that is, you know we have the actual wooden huts that you will see a European Christmas markets, and that takes time to set up and build them.

And then all the vendors, we have over 45 vendors, they need to move in.

That's a lot of logistics.

You know, I think what makes us really special and this event specialists how authentic it is.

There' lots of German traditions here.

You can have a lot of German food, German music.

You come here you shop, you get unique gifts that are either imported from Germany, or you have local artisans tha are making handcrafted things.

And then we have obviously a lot of fun lights around.

And the military that visit Denver puts on.

It's kind of like this winte wonderland where you can shop, you can have a good time, you meet your family, you build traditions for your own.

And for me personally, honestly, I'm from Germany, so I just fully embrace it.

I told my family we're putting up Christmas decorations the second that we start to build up so that I can get in the mindset.

And so, yeah, pretty much beginning of November is when Christmas season starts new this year and hard to miss.

A fully restored 42ft tall carousel featuring hand-carved horses and vintage charm.

The Queen.

Made.

Some.

At nail Polish recently create.

Personally, I think a big part of the authenticity of this event is you walk in and oftentimes you get this smell of cinnamon and sugar, and most people go to search where they find it.

And it's the roaste almonds from Bob's Roasted Nuts.

They're one of my favorites because you can find them at any German Christmas market.

And they're really, really delicious.

And then I'm also really excited about the newer things we have.

So we have, for example, like a food vendor that makes a German street food, which is called donut.

It's like a donor kabob.

So it's like a kebab and a loa of bread with some fresh salad.

And that's really delicious.

That's just as much German culture as, you know, a traditional.

And that cool.

My kids favorite stop lean turkey crate.

They are Russian styl crepes, both sweet and savory.

My son went for the Pacific, which had smoked salmon, cream cheese and pesto.

My daughter the sweet with the chocolate and powdered sugar.

These are all small businesses that rely heavily on their Christmas sales, and we're really happy to support them.

Most of our vendors either make something very German or European.

A lot of them are immigrants from Europe.

We have, you know, Germans, Ukrainians, Polish, Russians, lots of nationalities come together here.

And it's always a really nice synergy.

And I think everyone have really some unique craf that they bring to this event.

Being sort of an ambassador for what we do I think that's really special.

And I speak German a lot at the market because a lot of vendors do.

You know, in Deutsch, we have something for a vinyl owner.

And luckily his knowledge is young.

My first year was 2009, in Denver, and I have many, many people comes every year and only just for me.

And she looks and you say, oh, it's nice.

And what is new one?

This is only for Christmas.

And we make this in East German and it's a traditional product, the products that are carried here.

It's a good intersection between German and local.

You do get to see some traditional pieces, but then you get to se something a little more modern and, something in between.

So we fit into that, like Santa's tool, which has sort of like having us make the product.

And we are a woodworking company having something that is handcrafted by us and being able to talk about and explain it and explain why it's cool and all the little details, that is super rewarding.

Three years ago I did this market and that was able to launch me to at least a financial point to open up three stores.

This market makes up almost half of our revenue for the entire year.

I love talking to people directly.

It just adds an element of humanity to each one of our products.

The great thing is, you know, in true German tradition, the Kimball market is free to the public.

There's no entrance fee, so anyone can enjoy it and trea your kids to do something fun.

But you don't have to spend a lot of money if you don't want to.

And you know, in this economy, I think it's good to have flexibility.

And we're really happy that entertainment, all the live music, everything's free.

I know it's a big thing to actually go to Europe and visit all the Christmas markets.

So, you know, not everyone has that option.

That's quite expensive.

So it's fun to like bring it to Denver.

It's a fun cultural immersion.

And if you have no touch points with it, it's still fun.

We have so many people thoug that are like, I did a DNA test and I'm 12% German so now I'm here and it's like, cool, like whatever it takes, you know, like explore it and just have fun with it.

So whether you're here for the food, the gift or just a little holiday spirit, the Kris Kringle Market has something for everyone.

Happy holidays for PBS 12 I'm Eric, I'm Clarity.

Erica also wanted to highlight this year they're offering ornament glassblowing workshops hosted by Master Glass blowing artists.

For more information about those workshops and other events, go to Chris Kindle Market, denver.com.

Tonight, we're honoring a Colorado broadcaster whose influence spans from the 1940s an all the way into the modern era.

Harry Horvath helped shape radio and television in southern Colorado from his early days at Credo to helping launch CDot TV, championing local service and even serving as mayor of Colorado Springs.

Dave Rose share memories of Harry's life, legacy and enduring impact, and Harry's daughter Patti accepted the honor on his behalf.

Here's more.

So I'm Dave Rose, and I'm here tonight for our first inductee.

From the 1940s to well into the 2000s.

Harry Holes left.

I lack a long lasting legacy.

Lasting, indelible mark on broadcasting in Colorado.

So our first inductee tonigh is the one and only Harry hole.

Harry Holes was a member of the Greatest Generation, a World War Two marine.

After the war, Harry took advantage of the GI Bill to attend Colorado College.

And cardio Radi was broadcasting just off campus from the studios in the Alta Vista Hotel.

Harry landed a part time job at the radio station, and for the next 55 years, he would continue to make an indelible mark on Colorado broadcasting.

The Chamber of Commerce, the city Council and the businessmen didn't want another radio station.

That was when we first went on the air.

We said we were going to show you that we're part of this community.

In 1952, Harry persuaded the radio station to expand into television, and Kdka-tv began broadcastin with the World Series in 1953.

Over time, Harry advanced to president and then owner of Colorado Radio and Television.

In the 1960s, cardio FM wa added to Pikes Peak Broadcasting and K-j seat TV and Grand Junction was added in the 1980s.

Audio and CT cameras and microphones were live for everything from the Pikes Peak Hill Climb to the Pikes Peak.

Robust Rodeo High School and Air Force Academy football games, Colorado college hockey, and even square dance programs in the studio.

He understoo the important responsibilities that local broadcasters have to provide accurate, timely information especially in times of crisis, to support and promote community organizations and activities, and keep the lines o communication open among people with differing opinions and concerns.

Harry Hall served as mayor of Colorado Springs from 1963 to 1967.

He was twice named Colorado Broadcaster of the year.

He served as chairman of the ABC Affiliates Council, chaired a committee to establish an update, standards for requirements for the Emergency Broadcast System, and every year, Colorado broadcaster from all over the state submit the best examples of the work they've done in hopes of winning the Colorado Broadcasters Association.

Harry W Host Community Service award.

We think you have to put something back into the community that you're working.

And our job is to serve the community, and we're working in that area.

We are here to make the community a better place in which to live.

And that's what it's all about.

So tonight, we are proud to induct Harry W Hulse into the inaugural class of the Colorado and Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Harry's daughter, Patty Hove, is here to accept the award tonight.

Harry, I should say Patti and I started working at Kdl both at the age of 18.

Long time ago.

Thank you very much for honoring my father.

When we celebrated his 90th birthday the family handed out coasters that read the One and Only Harry Holmes.

I'm honored to be here tonight at Patty's invitation to share a few highlights from his broadcast life.

Harry was a little older than most of the student on the Colorado College campus.

He was a marine in World War Two.

Tom Brokaw referred to those folk as the Greatest Generation when he joined the CC student body after the war on the GI Bill.

A favorite hangout for CC students in the late 1940s was the lounge at the AltaVista hotel, just off campus.

Hey audio 1240 radio on the dial had its studios in the Alta Vista Hotel, and it wasn't long before Harry began working at the station.

He helped primaril with promotions and marketing, but of course, he did what all of us did in the early days of radio.

Whatever was needed to be done now, it should be noted that during the war, the FCC had imposed a freeze on new television station licenses.

Engineers and broadcast Manufac plants were needed for the war effort, but when the FCC was a freeze was lifted in 1952.

Harry persuaded the radio station owners to build a television station.

One thing led to another.

The radio station studio were moved, and the television station was built at 399 South eighth Street, just southwest of downtown Colorado Springs.

I'm told that investors in the risky new Radio with pictures business wanted to make sure that the real estate they chose would retain its value.

If the risky TV station business didn't work out so the building retained its functionality as a Hudson dealership just in case.

Of course, that was neve Harry's Plan B, and Colorado TV is still broadcasting from th never to be Hudson garage today.

In the 1950s, when Harry was just starting to build his caree in the business of broadcasting, he moved his famil into the Bonneville Subdivision.

It was a typical postwar neighborhood.

He quickly became leader in the new neighborhood.

Some of his neighbors called him the Mayor of Bonneville, and as a homeowner and business leader, Harry began to worry about how Colorado Springs was growing.

Primarily, he became concerned that Colorado Springs would not have enough water to grow and prosper.

So the mayor of Bonneville ran for Colorado Springs City Council in 1959, went on to serve as mayor of Colorado Springs from 63 to 67.

Through his years o service, and with his foresight and leadership at City Hall, Colorado Springs planned completed plan for the Homestake Water Project.

It was a big, bold, risky project, without which Colorado Springs would have run out of water.

Decades ago, Harry believed local broadcasters should be champion for the communities they serve.

He was a lifelong cheerleader for the Southern Colorado military installations, including Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy and Loran cradle, and then later CT microphones and cameras.

Crandall chronicled everything from Boy Scout and Girl Scout events to elections, parades, fireworks, pancake breakfasts, fairs, festivals, and all other activities in their community.

Harry was a competitor.

He liked to win.

But when it came t the strengthening of community and to the broadcast industry, Harry was a collaborator.

He understood the important roles of the nationals Association of Broadcasters and the Colorado Broadcasters Association in protecting this unique industry.

This unique industry, which, after all, is licensed to use the public airwaves in the public interest.

He respected and appreciated good broadcasters workin hard to serve their communities.

He worked to preserve the ability of local broadcasters to serve their communities and he would recognize the immense pressures all broadcasters today are experiencin in the face of internet content.

Producers who are not constrained by governmen regulators have no requirement to act responsibly, no stake in any particular community, and in some cases, no moral compass.

On behalf of Patty and the family, I say thank you to the Colorado Broadcasters Association for setting aside a place to share the lasting legac of broadcasters like Harry Hall.

People who commit to strengthening the fabric of the communities they serve, and work to maintain high standards in a noisy and often chaotic business environment.

Thank you again.

Hearts passed away in 2016 and leaves a remarkable legacy.

He truly believed that broadcasters should be champions for their communities.

And as we heard tonight, Harry Hof didn't just shape local media.

He helped shape Colorad Springs itself from supporting military installations to leading the city as mayor.

The Colorado Broadcasters Association called him a true example of high standards in an ever changing industry.

Across the country, companies are still wrestling with the future of work.

Should employees be at home, in the office, or some mix of both?

Here in Colorado, one Denver based tech company has made a deliberate choice about that one they say is strengthening their culture and downtown.

In tonight's The Business of Colorado, Frannie Matthews takes us inside.

I bought his new approach.

And why they're investing in collaboration, connection, and the city's core.

Brian thank you for joining us today.

I am at a body's headquarters in downtown Denver with Brian Leach, the CEO.

Tell us about I bought it, I bought it was born right here in Denver about 13 years ago.

We started out at 18th and Blake and the basement of an old fire station, and we were a direct to consumer cash back app.

So you downloaded a mobile app, you bought things in the grocery store.

You took a picture of your receipt with your app or your phone, and we gave you cash back reward directly on to a PayPal account.

Talk to me about this commitment that you have made to downtow Denver with this office space.

You know, I bought has always been very proud to be a Denver company from the very earliest days when I would fundraise and people would say, why aren't you in California?

Why are you in Boulder?

I would explain to them that I'd rather be in Denver than in either of those places, because it's actually a fantastic place to find talent to build a business, a community that's really inclusive and supportive of each other.

And so when we began, no only where we located in LoDo, but we also made sure that everybody knew we were a Denver company for the first several years when you loaded our mobile app and said, designed and built in Denver, Colorado with the little mountains on it.

I think the thing that you have to think about when you are making a decision, like the one we did to, invest in in a place like this for our employees, when certainly a lot of businesses are making the choice to go fully remote, save on, the overhead of rental expenses, you have to think abou who you are as an organization and what, what are what are the the things that are most important about your culture?

And so sense of place has always been really important to Ibotta, and we've always been a company that highly values the idea of bringing people together to collaborate in person.

We're on the 16th Street Mall, which Denver just completely renovated.

And, you know, it's it's vibrant, right?

And we want to be not only part of that ourselves, but we want to lead a movement back into downtow Denver and lower downtown Denver amongst all the other tech companies that are deciding, well, should we be an office, should we be downtown should we be in the tech center?

We want them to come to the the urban core of Denver and be part of a critical mass of innovation?

Tell me a little bit about your thought process on creating the space for your teams.

Yeah we always want to create a place where we can convert the highest percentage of our teams good ideas into reality.

So one of our values as a company is a good idea can come from anywhere.

And what we first do is create a sense of shared context.

So we want you to understand what our mission is.

Make every purchase rewarding.

We want you to understand what our strategy is, what our metrics are.

And then once you understand that, we want you to boldly suggest ideas, and know that we'll run with the best ideas, even if they're not my ideas, and very often they're not my ideas.

As the founder, we want to create a space where you can tease out those ideas and where we can teach you how to present that as a business case.

And the more unconventional, the better.

Because if it's a conventiona idea, it's already being done.

If it's unconventional, we want to teach you to look for the merit in those possible breakthrough ideas and not, just sort of scuttle the right at the outset by saying, oh, that's already been tried or that'll never work, because so we create spaces that are designed to be those collaborations zones so that people can whiteboard idea or they can riff back and forth.

And we want that to be a place where they can spark off of each other.

There's a term, called accidental collaboration.

Have you seen some accidental collaboratio in the in the environment here?

Yeah.

I think a funn story is actually, we were just in our little huddle space and chatting about, you know, what's the next biggest thing that we can d for Thanksgiving, for example.

And it turned into, like, an impromptu brainstorm where we just started thinking of new, you know, messaging and creative approaches, and we actually kind of joked around and threw it on the calendar retroactively and said, oh, that was a brainstorm when it was really just a talking up next door desk.

I think when we ar in those collaboration moments in, in person, it it's allowed me to think more strategically about marketin and working more in that space and push me to think a little bit differently.

So now I think that's kind of developed where I want to be and and how I want to grow my career.

And it's through thos conversations and opportunities that I have allowed me to think more strategically.

We are increasing our space by 20% in a time that a lot of a lot of companies are kind of going in the opposite direction.

And part of that was to say, we want to create a space where people are going to come together.

We want to create a space for both our folks here who are hybrid, who work in the office three days a week, can have remote interactions that are productive and, creative and inspiring wit their fully remote colleagues.

And we want a place for a fully remote colleagues want to come into the office.

So whether that's, you know, they come in occasionally, because they live within commuting distance or whether that's because they fly in and spend a week here working with their peers, we wanted it to be an exciting place that drew them kind of into the center and the hub of who we are as an organization.

How have you taken the space?

And also, kind of elevated your mentoring, structure and programs at a border.

So my background is in organizational, improvement and learning and development.

So mentorship i really important to me as well.

And so I think there's tw things from the physical space, it was really important that we create spaces where people feel comfortable having conversations.

And I think that's at the cor of what good mentorship is, is you have to be in a in a relationship where you trust the person.

And the physical space can aid in that.

So a lot of what we've built here is, of course, formal conference rooms, boardrooms, you know, places where you can take private phone calls.

But it was equally important that we create what we call breakaway spaces, kind of soft seating corners where you can kind of be more casual, almost, you know, recreating a coffee shop feel, where you might go and have that conversatio with that mentor about whatever that problem is that you're working on or whatever that wisdom is that you're kind of looking to impart in that next generation of leaders who you might be mentoring.

So, it's reflected in our space.

And then as an organization we invest heavily in mentorship.

So we have mentorship program that we run.

We have, different employee resource groups who are engaged in mentoring.

And, you know, one of the things that we really did when we designed the space was go to our employees and kind of ask them what what are they hoping to get out of it.

And so we hope that, you know, bringing people in, whether it's long term mentoring, relationships, people that they've been mentoring with for a while or, you know, just just the opportunity to run into somebody at our at our water cooler, which we now actually have that people.

I see people there.

But over the last thre mornings, I've seen people there every mornin kind of filling up and talking and, it reminds me that that's that engagement, that interaction, that person to perso communication is really healthy.

I think from a mental health standpoint, you want to feel connected to your team and to the mission of what you're doing.

And so if if you're just a box on the screen with your colleagues and they're just a box on the screen, your investment in them as a person, as a friend as a mentor is just different.

Doesn't mean it's not valuable.

But over the long run, we believe strongly that getting people together physically is critical to creating a a culture that cares about each other.

And there are different forms of mentorship that can't happen online.

So one of the things that happens a lot with young people in their career is they they kind of are working on something and they're not sure they're doing it right.

And they kind of swivel around their chair and they say to their colleague or mentor, could you come look at this?

Am I thinking about this the right way?

Some people call this the is there anything in my teeth for a mentorship?

Right?

Like could you just quickly give me a gut check on this?

You're not going to set up a zoom call just to walk through that, because it occurred to you and you want to keep moving on your project.

I've read several studies that have said, if you just have one friend at work, it it, changes your, point of view on your job and your job satisfaction.

Talk a little bit about wha it's doing for your teammates.

Mental health.

Yeah, I think maybe I've read a similar, a similar study.

And I do think it's it's really important, I think, to think about the fact that as humans, we are social creatures, even even the most.

You know, I'll use the term introverted of us, of which I actually count myself in that group.

You know, we still need that human connection.

And a lot of that can certainly be met through digital tools.

And so I think that that we bridged a lot of those gaps.

But there is really no substitute for kin of the full human interactions.

Yeah, that that is a good point, because one of the things I love about being with people is that collaboration, the magic that happens between humans that you can't recreate on a virtual call.

But the need for, being able to do deep work.

So that's kind of interesting to be able to do it here.

Some are there some architectural and space things that you did specifically for that purpose?

Yeah.

So the most important thing that we did and that, our design company worked with us on is really making sur that we have soundproof spaces.

So we have a couple of different ways, that we're controlling the sound.

One is just through, enhanced doors and walls and, and making sure that there are the physical barriers that hold sound in, the other piece is, just creating enough space for people to kind of hop into a phone booth and close the door and sort of shut out the world, behind them so that they can do that deep work.

I can see all over the integration of technology to actually help humans collaborate.

Can you talk to me a little bit about what you've done with technology to help that collaboration?

Yeah.

So we really tryin to take a look at the old office and coming into the new office here at 16 market and say what works and what do people actually need when they're integrating with tech?

And so the, the biggest pain point that we always want to tr to solve for is the ease of use.

Every single use wants the technology to be able to not be a barrier to their workspace, but to actually, propel them forward.

And so we really looked at how can we integrate our technologies in a way that empowers the user to be functional faster?

So we really looked for ways that the conference rooms would be, something as simpl as the schedulers on the outside of every conference room.

So at a quick glance, you can see, hey, this room is availabl or somebody is working in there, you don't have to press your face against the glass to go, oh, I probably shouldn't walk out of that conference room.

Yeah Look, people work differently.

And so some people need to block out time even while they're in the office where they don't have meetings.

And you can do the deep work here from your office.

Some people need quiet spaces in the office where they're not going to be constantly interrupted so they can write the code they need to write.

We need to respect that that needs to exis within the office environment.

And some people want to have a day where they can get caught up on everything for 3 or 4 hours on a Friday afternoon and not have to be pulled into meetings and so should we have a moratorium on meetings in the summe after a certain period of time?

There's a lot of different creative ways to think about accommodating how folks want to work.

I have one more question on the idea of coming back to the office that every leader I hear talk about, which is, there is a pushback, in many organizations because, teammates might feel like it's a, it's a control thing rather than a collaboration thing.

How do you work that into your cultur so people don't feel like it's, I got to do this as, I get to do it.

I mean, I think if we told people before the pandemic we were going to give you the opportunity to to stay at home geographically, you know, for a significant portion of the week that they think we are the most progressive, controlling organization of all time.

Now, the norms shift and they're shifting back.

And so what control is, is relative to what your expectations are when you take a job.

We're very clear with people.

This is how we wor before they sign up to work here and there or signing on to to that way of collaborating.

And I thin you get the best of both worlds.

And I think the kinds of people that want to come work here can't wait to get into the office and collaborate.

They don't view that as a negative or they wouldn't sign up to work here.

There are plenty of fully remote companies out there you can choose to work for.

We're not one of them.

We've always focused o how do we reduce the friction, how do we make the space easy to use?

And then how do we make the moments meaningful so that people who are here are doing things that they couldn't be doing if they were working from home and they were in a remote environment?

We have this lovely collaborative process where we ask employees to nominate, famous people, who embody our values, and they have to tell us why they embody the values.

And then we go through a process of review.

And so you'll find a lot of our conference rooms are named for, yogic which is the room that we're in.

And then we also have a conference room named for, our training room is named fo Ernest Shackleton and our, our we have several conference rooms that are named for poets and artists.

And we really feel that the naming process is something that reflects who we are and also reflects who we aspire to be.

And they are the folks that if they were, if they were working for us in Nevada, we would know what values they represent personally.

What's your favorite?

My favorite is we named a room after, Fred Rogers.

And so that was that was on that I was very, excited to see.

And up on the list, I did not nominate, Mister Rogers, but we were excited to have a room, that we were able to name for him.

Brian thank you so much for spending time with us just today.

And, this is a beautiful space.

And I, look forward to coming back.

Thanks for having me.

I bought a story.

Is part of Denver Story.

It's a company choosing to grow in the heart of the city, investing in people and designing spaces that bring ideas to life.

And it's a reminder that the future of work isn' just about where we do our jobs, but how we stay connected while doing that, as we near the end of tonight's show, we wanted to highlight that today is the last day t donate for Colorado Gives Day.

There are only a few hours left.

Time may be running out but there's still an opportunity to give and also receive a special offer too.

Here's Tom Marsden with more.

Hi there, I'm Tom Austin and I want to tell you about a powerful statewide movement happening right now.

Colorado gives Day Colorado Gives Day is officially on December 9th, but early giving is already underway and people across the state are stepping up to support the nonprofits that help make our state so great.

Colorado Gives Day isn't just a fundraising movement, it's a celebration, generosity, community, and commitment.

It's the largest giving da in the entire state of Colorado.

Thousands of nonprofits benefit from it, and millions of dollars are raised every year to support organizations doing meaningful work.

And PBS 12 is proud to be a media partner for Colorado Gifts Day.

In honor of Colorado gifts that we're running a very exciting contest.

Donors who give $250 or more through Colorado gifts.org any time between now and December 9th, will be automatically entered to win a pair of roundtrip tickets for domestic flights on Southwest Airlines, the official airline of Colorado gives day.

So not only will you be supporting all the great programing offered here on PBS 12, but you also have a chance to win a flight for you and one guest.

Courtesy of Colorado Gifts Foundation and Southwest Airlines.

All you have to d is make a gift of at least $250 through the Colorado Gifts website before December 9th, and you'l automatically be entered to win two gift today.

Go to PBS 12.com/co gifts once again, that's PBS 12.com/co gifts.

That link will take you directly to our station's donation page on Colorado gifts.org.

I'm Tom Austin an from all of us here at PBS 12.

Thank you for supporting Colorado Gifts Day.

Thank you for supporting public media.

And thank you for supporting Colorado stories.

Than you so much, Tom, and thank you all for your generous giving and support of PBS 12.

Be sure to catch us agai here on studio 12 next Tuesday night at eight.

You can also follow us on social media and YouTube.

I'm Ryan here and I'm Bob Kainani.

Thanks for joining us.

Have a great week.