Arrow Electronics CEO says Colorado is cool because it's where "could be" meets "can be"

Denver is the coolest city in the country, according to William Frey of the Brookings Institute, who parsed three years of stats -- from 2008 through 2010 -- to determine that more young adults are moving to the Denver metro area than any other city. Because we're cool. Find Westword's...

By Patricia Calhoun

November 23, 2011

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Denver is the coolest city in the country, according to William Frey of the Brookings Institute, who parsed three years of stats -- from 2008 through 2010 -- to determine that more young adults are moving to the Denver metro area than any other city. Because we're cool. Find Westword's list of fifteen reasons why this state should be renamed Coolorado.

One more cool reason: Because Arrow Electronics just relocated its headquarters to metro Denver from New York. Why?

Here's CEO Mike Long's explanation:

What's cool about Colorado, and relevant to our headquarters, is that Colorado is a place where what COULD BE meets with what CAN BE. Where a kid who grew up on a farm and worked security for rock bands could one day be welcomed as a CEO. Where great people come together to do amazing things. Where celebrities like Peter Boyles will ride motorcycles with friends, where ski areas are named "Mary Jane," and where Longs Peak is a place we can look while trying to summit to our offices daily. It's a place where everyone is created equal and that means innovative ideas happen. That is why we are here.

For more from Long (no relation to Longs Peak, by the way), read his explanation of Arrow's relocation from the Denver Post.

And, read about why Denver is The manliest, drunkest, business-iest, happiest, safe-sex-having-ist city in America.

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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