Colorado’s business community has been relentlessly focused on supporting small business owners, strengthening the economic success of our communities and ensuring the expansion of good job opportunities. The rapid diversification of our economy is a prime example of our progress to date.

Navigating the pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for small and large businesses alike, and many worried about what our economy would look like on the other side. But thanks to a fighting spirit and the ability to rapidly digitalize our small business economy, we made it. Though many are still getting up off the mat, our resilience is demonstrated in the booming economic growth that we never could’ve anticipated as the world closed it’s doors back in March of 2020.

All credit goes to the amazing business community in Jefferson County. The adaptability and quick thinking of local entrepreneurs is what allowed them to turn the negative aspects of the pandemic, particularly sheltering in place, into an opportunity.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the capabilities that our businesses had through digital platforms and online tools. Although it took a minute for businesses to get their bearings, we saw the response to transition to bring our operational environments to new levels in record time as companies worked to cater to the customer needs. This rapid evolution of work from home took open mindedness, creative problem solving and the much-appreciated assistance of added services.

But these services, particularly digital tools and platforms, wouldn’t be effective if they didn’t come at a price that was affordable for the smallest one-person startup to a more established corporation. Because technology companies have invested in the growth of small businesses, the tools and services businesses need are readily available and easy for any entrepreneur to get their hands on.

Beyond the positive impacts that technology had during the pandemic, it is the continued tangible investments of the companies that provide these tools that are helping our economic growth to be steady and strong right here in Colorado.

In the recently released Economic Impact Report from Google, it became even clearer how much our businesses use the partnerships provided by tech companies. With more than 425,000 local businesses using Google products in 2021 to help build and maintain their business, it’s obvious that these resources are what allow strong development to continue. And in a year like 2021 that fluctuated frequently when it came to economic stability. The $9.23 billion of economic activity driven by Google in our state could not have been more important.

Of course, the impacts of the tech sector go far beyond just one company, as we all work to foster a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that welcomes investments from tech companies of all sizes.

We are all glad to see the hold of the pandemic having loosened, because our businesses are positioned to thrive even more in the coming months and years. With continued partnerships from technology, the sky is the limit on how far we will go.

But that comes with an assurance that the tools and services businesses need will remain available. Recent antitrust and tech-regulatory efforts in Congress are begging to do the opposite. Though likely well-intended in theory but highly misguided, lawmakers are proposing policies that will restrict the very resources that allow businesses to succeed. They are targeting companies that have leveled the playing field for businesses – small and large – across our community through affordable and accessible tools. They also threaten the innovation that has yielded such significant investments in Colorado.

We need elected officials to be mindful about how their efforts will truly impact the businesses they are meant to support and protect. Combative antitrust policy toward the tech sector will not bring the change or equity sought for Colorado’s economic development, rather it will artificially prohibit our businesses from achieving their growth potential.

It’s my hope that our elected officials step back and have more conversations with these small business owners and users who have built their livelihood on these critical tools. I hope in these conversations they reassess their commitment to these policies and instead focus on how they can drive creativity, entrepreneurship and positive change for our local economies.

Jansen Tidmore is the President and CEO of the Jefferson County EDC and West Metro Chamber of Commerce.