A Call To Action

OPPORTUNITY ZONES BEST PRACTICES
opportunityzones.hud.gov/sites/opportunityzones.hud.gov/files/documents/OZ_Best_Practices_Report.pdf
ENGAGING EMPLOYERS 
EARN AND LEARN 
SMART CHOICES 
MEASUREMENT MATTERS 
STEPPING STONE 
OPENING DOORS 
PARTNERSHIPS

 Simkus Development & Gunnison Valley Properties
continue to explore a partnership on the development of Gunnison Rising

As an example of matching resources through regional partnerships Simkus Development and Gunnison Valley Properties entered into an agreement to partner in making Gunnison Rising  one of the best Renewable Energy Communities in the Western United States on a scale of Innovation that is unmatched.

Over the past two years Simkus Development and Gunnison Valley Properties have been exploring collaborative opportunities in Gunnison Colorado. Due to changes in the banking interest rates the project has been delayed in 2023 but is anticipated to commence in 2024/25.
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​Simkus Development advocates stakeholder community collaboration through its non profit sister agency Social Equity Economic Development for Sustainability (SEEDS). SEEDS (the non profit) will continue on its mission to serve as a catalyst in merging common interest between local institutions such as the ColdHarbour Institute in Gunnison Colorado, the University of Colorado/Western Colorado University, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) , and other academic institutions, federal agencies and philanthropic investors.

The SEEDS COLLABORATIVE by Simkus Development will continue to engage and leverage the strengths of community stakeholders that offer a symbiotic relationship with Gunnison Rising demonstrating "the whole being greater than the sum of its parts."

Job-driven education and training programs should increase their focus on earning credentials based on demonstrated skills rather than simply time spent in a classroom. Higher education is strongly associated with higher earnings, but most adults in America are not in a position to attend classes full-time for years. Finding ways to finance self-paced “competency-based” education or training with Pell grants or student loans would expand and validate these more flexible programs, opening up new opportunities to upskill over 25 million low-wage workers, rapidly retool over 30 million Americans with “some college” but no degree into high demand technical or professional jobs, let millions of veterans earn educational credit for all they have learned in our nation’s service, and enable millions of parents who take time off to raise children to re-enter the workforce with fresh credentials without starting over. The SEEDS Collaborative will endeavour to develop buildings that achieve the Department of Energy Builders Challenge Zero Energy Ready Home and the  Living Building Challenge.


SEEDS offers service learning experiences to students and veterans in:

Auto CAD Design, Land Planning, Engineering, Architecture, 
Environmental Design, Renewable Energy, Construction Management
Marketing, Economics, Business, Sustainability, Sociology, Physical Science

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Above photo depicts geothermal drilling for a Net Zero Energy 
​Below Scott Simkus constructs a Net Zero Energy Accessory Dwelling in June 2020

Below photos depict Boulder County Housing Authority & Workforce Boulder County - Paradigm Pilot Project 
Work commenced to develop three homes in 2008
Planning/Comprehensive Plan Amendment & Construction completed in under ten months!

Information learned in the above Paradigm Pilot informed decisions to use Ground Source Heap Pump technology at scale below