The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) has revealed the 2020 Rural Technical Assistance Program (RTAP) awardees. RTAP is a series of technical assistance initiatives designed to enhance rural economic development strategies across the state. The program links state partnerships and specialized resources to address the economic development goals of rural Colorado.
A team of industry experts, in partnership with OEDIT, determines the annual award recipients. Communities are evaluated on multiple community criteria, including alignment of economic development goals, the potential for success/impact, evidence of previous success in community-driven efforts and demonstration of similar work and subject-matter familiarity.
The RTAP program, formerly known as the Colorado Blueprint 2.0, was launched as a way to serve rural communities’ economic needs around the state and identify opportunities to leverage the state’s resources. Each year this program actively supports the economic development activities of dozens of rural communities throughout Colorado.
2020 RTAP winners
Certified Small Business Community (CSBC)
A Colorado SBDC Network offering that will assist rural communities who want to take their entrepreneurship promotion and retention to the next level and be a standard-bearer for the State. Selected communities will receive a designation of a CSBC to promote a great place to “Work, Live and Play.”
- Town of Hayden
- Southern Ute Indian Tribe
- City of Woodland Park
Creativity Lab
Designed for community leaders who want practical insights into both the process and elements involved in marshaling creative forces to transform and engage communities.
- La Veta
- Ignacio
Grow Your Outdoor Recreation Industry
Partnership with University of Colorado-Boulder’s Masters of the Environment (MENV) and MBA programs that assigns a project team to each community in order to better understand their resources, strengths, and weaknesses. The result is the identification of industry opportunities and assistance in positioning each community in the marketplace to improve reach and impact.
- Main Street Central City
- Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association
Film Festival Production
To plan and organize a niche festival in their region. Organize a kickoff workshop with Colorado film festival experts and provide consultation to determine how regional interests may be parlayed into a successful, annual event.
- Huerfano County Economic Development
- Logan County Economic Development
CRAFT Studio 201
The Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism (CRAFT) is a peer-assistance training program that provides customized support for communities or regions wishing to advance a specific tourism-related goal or strategy.
- Grand County
- Moffat County
- City of La Junta
- City of Brighton
- Town of Palisade
Coworking 101
Partnership with Proximity Space and Startup Colorado in a two-phase initiative to both provide communities with a comprehensive overview of coworking as both a business and community asset, as well as work to identify end-users.
- The Garage - Hugo
- WXSW - Pagosa Springs
Community Placemaking
In partnership with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and Community Builders, engaging the community by identifying local assets, providing instruction on the fundamentals of developing a sense of place, and developing a cohesive vision and strategy based on community assets.
- City of Fountain
- Ignacio