By Scot Kersgaard, JVA Consulting

The Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA) has announced that its 2015 annual Summit will be held in Denver next September 16-18, 2015.

Summit planning committee co-chair Janine Vanderburg, president and CEO of JVA Consulting, and other Colorado SEA members pitched Denver to SEA President and CEO Kevin Lynch while attending the 2014 Summit in Nashville.

“Denver brings a lot to the table for the Social Enterprise Alliance,” Vanderburg said. She said the combination of several universities with strong social enterprise programs, the city’s popularity with Millennials, and the fact that Denver is itself home to many strong social enterprises makes Denver the perfect location for the national conference.

Catherine Henry, executive director of Work Options for Women, and Tamra Ryan, CEO of The Women’s Bean Project are serving as co-chairs with Vanderburg. All three women run successful social enterprises.

Other important social enterprises calling Denver home include VSA Access Gallery, Bayaud Industries, Blue Star Recyclers, SAME (So All May Eat) Café, ARC Thrift Stores and Hope Tank, among many others.

JVA Consulting and Vanderburg have helped hundreds of organizations launch social enterprise-based earned income streams, and she and JVA Senior Associate Sarah Hidey two years ago created Social Enterprise BaseCamp, a four-day training for people planning to build social enterprises. Janine and Sarah were presenters at this year’s Summit in Nashville.

Lynch said Denver is the perfect city for next year’s Summit, as the very things that attract Millennials to Denver–a vibrant downtown, a transportation infrastructure that makes it easy to get around without a car, and many socially conscious businesses–also make it attractive to Summit attendees including SEA members and others interested in developing or expanding social enterprises.

“We’re very excited about coming to Denver,” Lynch said. “I know that working with Janine, Tamra and Catherine, we will develop our most compelling Summit yet. Combine that with the natural draw of Denver and the Rocky Mountains and we expect record attendance.”

Sponsorship opportunities begin at $2,500. For more information, contact Janine Vanderburg at 303. 477.4896 or Janine@jvaconsulting.com.