Commons on Champa launches Women on the Rise

The Commons on Champa has kicked off new programming aimed at supporting the success of women entrepreneurs. 

Though the first Women on the Rise event has passed, the program will continue every third Wednesday through October. The breakfast event, sponsored by Noble Energy, is free and open to the public. The talk starts at 8 a.m. and requires a reservation.

“Denver has the fifth-highest percentage of women-owned businesses in the U.S., but we know that women and minorities often face significant barriers, including lack of access to capital, networks and the resources necessary to lead and grow a business,” says Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership and co-founder of The Commons. “It’s more important than ever to connect women entrepreneurs to the right resources so that we begin to see higher rates of success in building and growing successful women-owned businesses right here in our center city.”

Women on the Rise is a collaboration between The Commons and Traci Lounsbury, president and co-founder of Elements, a $66 million workplace furnishings and integrated interiors solutions company in Denver.

“Despite starting businesses at a rate five times faster than our male counterparts, less than 2 percent of women-owned firms reach the million-dollar revenue threshold,” Lounsbury says. “When I heard that statistic, as a member of that 2 percent, I felt a strong responsibility to provide whatever support I could to help other women entrepreneurs break through to the next level.”