The Most Powerful People in Denver

April 1, 2014 Posted In

By: Luc Hatlestad & Natasha Gardner

5280 listed the movers and shakers who are shaping the Mile High City – now.
Influence. Clout. Juice. These synonyms for “power” are all things one can find inside the Capitol and City Hall, in the law firms on 17th Street, and in the boardrooms of international corporations. But that is perhaps a too-narrow definition of power—of what it takes to incite change, to move our city forward in tangible (and intangible) ways, to make our lives as residents of the Mile High City richer. Here, we present the people doing just that, from—yes—the mayor and the governor, to artistic masterminds and restaurateurs, to a guy you may have heard of named Elway.

#6 UNION STATION TEAM

When the Union Station redevelopment project is finished this summer, the two-plus-decade transformation of LoDo will be nearly complete. Not only will we have a vastly improved train station and transit hub, but the city will also welcome an entirely new neighborhood that is poised to become one of the hottest in Denver.
The people and companies behind this massive makeover are among our city’s best-known names: Sage Hospitality (led by Walter Isenberg, Peter Karpinski, and Zachary Neumeyer) is developing the Crawford Hotel, so named to honor the de facto First Lady of LoDo, Dana Crawford. Union Station’s retail operations will be helmed by Larimer Associates. Brothers Chad and Troy McWhinney are the master developers for the project, and the firm Milender White Construction Co. and others are overseeing the renovation of the station itself and related buildings.
The impact this project will have is difficult to overstate. Our rejuvenated downtown is a primary reason the Mile High City has graduated from Western outpost to an internationally recognized community of arts, culture, sports, food, and drink. The new Union Station takes an existing, beloved historic landmark and upgrades it with 21st-century amenities while also creating—from what once was little more than unsightly rail yards—an unprecedented Cole.Evansction of residential, commercial, and recreational properties.
By bridging the gap between Highland and the rest of downtown, these developers will have helped turn our city’s center into one of the most visually appealing and efficiently functional urban landscapes in the nation. Isenberg has called this the “most prominent renovation project in Colorado history,” and we’re inclined to agree.
Click here, to read about 5280’s Top 50 powerful and influential people in Denver.