J. J. Ament

Panelist Profile

Session: ​Ballot Battles –  Lessons Learned

​The oil and natural gas industry in Colorado is no stranger to contending with issues on the Colorado ballot. In a state where the ballot process is accessible to special interests, citizen groups and activists, the industry certainly isn’t the only one subjected to these ballot battles.  Transportation, growth, housing and health care are frequent issues that require the leadership and engagement of the business and civic community.  What lessons can we learn from each other?  This session will dive into the who, what and why that drives these ballot issues, and identify the opportunities for us to support each other going forward.

Chief Executive Officer
Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation

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About J. J. Ament

J. J. Ament is the Chief Executive Officer of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, the largest privately funded and governed economic development organization in Colorado. With experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, J. J. brings a unique combination of expertise to the role. An investment banker for most of his career, he participated in more than $15 billion of transactions for governments and public-private partnerships throughout the U.S. before leaving the industry in 2016.  J. J. has been a member and Chairman of the Colorado Economic Development Commission, where he considered state economic development incentives, grants, and tax credits for business and tourism projects statewide.  As CEO, J. J. is responsible for leading the Metro Denver EDC’s mission to grow and retain primary jobs and promote capital investment in Colorado.  In the last two years, the Metro Denver EDC has helped facilitate the creation of nearly 14,000 new jobs and nearly $800 million of capital investment in the nine-county Metro Denver and Northern Colorado region.

2020 Panelist Profile | Q&A with J. J.

What are you looking forward to at this year’s Energy Summit (aside from your session)?

Looking forward to how we can continue to utilize science and reasonableness as public policy continues to raise barriers to local production.

Why do you think your panel topic is critical in the oil and natural gas industry at this time?

Increasingly, anti-energy advocates are skipping the deliberative process of the legislature, and going straight to the ballot to erect barriers to production or essentially ban it altogether. How we work to keep every decision from being made by sound-bite will be critical for our future.

How would you recommend that someone stays current on these issues if they are interested or want to know more?
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You no longer have the luxury as business leaders in this industry to sit out local and state elections.  And we need to work to be really effective in our outreach.

Any great books or binge-worthy shows to recommend?

Book would be Arthur Brooks: Love Your Enemies 

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