IN THE GAME 2025: From Challenge Communities to Celebration in Greeley
Downtown Colorado, Inc.’s 2025 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event brought the heat (and the ice!) to Greeley this April with three days of dynamic workshops, immersive tours, and inspiring conversations—all rooted in turning community challenges into thriving opportunities.
The event kicked off on April 1 with the Colorado Challenge Accelerator Workshop, where participants dove into the journey of transforming brownfields and under-resourced towns using Challenge Tools developed in partnership with Kansas State University Technical Assistance for Brownfields. The afternoon shifted into data-powered storytelling—helping communities use real metrics to boost their proposals and tell their unique stories more impactfully.
Attendees then split between creative brainstorming at the Challenge Café of Ideas and a cool tour of the Ice Haus and Greeley History Museum before wrapping up with a high-energy evening session on making Colorado [even] more fun—exploring the role of creatives, downtowns, and experience-based economies in shaping the state’s future.
Day two brought an energizing start with Greeley’s downtown journey, talks on capital access, inclusive downtowns, and four rapid-fire How-To Talks. From there, folks explored Greeley via walking tours, mobile excursions, and over lunch at Dine Around Sessions, where discussions ranged from public-private partnerships to retail attraction and modular design for public spaces.
By Wednesday evening, the community spirit was on full display with a happy hour, a behind-the-scenes tour of Greeley’s arts scene, and a celebration of grassroots initiatives like the WeldWalls Mural Festival. Three dinners kept the conversations flowing—from URA strategy to commercial district management.
Thursday kept the momentum going with a deep dive into Return on Emotion (ROE©), downtown leadership, and more interactive How-To Talks. Participants fanned out across Greeley for one last round of walking and mobile tours before gathering at the Moxi Theater for the Downtown Excellence Awards—honoring the people and places making Colorado stronger, one district at a time.
🏆 Celebrating Excellence Across Colorado
A true highlight of the event was the Colorado Downtown Excellence Awards, presented annually at IN THE GAME. Since 2003, these awards have recognized the heart and hustle behind Colorado’s most inspiring downtown initiatives—from bold pop-ups and people-first design to game-changing partnerships.
This year, we honored 12 communities and two exceptional individuals who have demonstrated vision, creativity, and impact in their local work. Whether you’re from a bustling city or a rural gem, the 2025 award winners prove that innovation and passion know no boundaries.
🎖 Meet the 2025 Colorado Downtown Excellence Award Winners
(Drumroll, please…)
🏙️ Best Partnership: Downtown Englewood + CitySpark
🌄 Best Partnership: City of Montrose – Historic Potato Growers Building
🌳 Best Place: Arvada Urban Renewal Authority – Garrison Garden Paseo
🌻 Best Place: Town of Basalt – Midland Streetscape Project
📈 Best Plan: City of Wheat Ridge – Wheat Ridge Prosperity Plan
🛠️ Best Plan: Fraser Downtown Development Authority – Plan of Development
🎨 Best Pop-up: Downtown Colorado Springs – Revel Urban Arts Party
💐 Best Pop-up: Downtown Englewood – Flower Pop
🎭 Best Project: Downtown Greeley – WeldWalls Mural Festival
🌆 Best Project: City of Louisville – Downtown Vision Plan
🏅 Colorado Choice Award: City & County of Denver – DDA Plan of Development
🏅 Colorado Choice Award: Town of Windsor – Windsor Downtown Master Plan
🌈 Colorful Colorado Choice Award: Town of San Luis – San Luis Civic Plaza
🌟 Vicki Mattox Downtowner of the Year
The Vicki Mattox Downtowner of the Year Award honors individuals who go above and beyond to uplift their community. This year, we celebrated two remarkable leaders:
👏 Bianca Fisher, Greeley DDA
With over 15 years of dedication, Bianca has championed resilience, inclusivity, and innovation in Greeley’s downtown. Her community work spans economic development, public art, and housing—rooted in a spirit of service and deep connection.
👏 Maureen Phair, Arvada Urban Renewal Authority
After 22 years of visionary leadership, Maureen has left a legacy of transformation—from Olde Town to Ralston Creek. Her work has brought over $900 million in private investment and elevated Arvada as a model for people-first redevelopment.
We closed things out Friday with a final half-day focused on the future: branding as economic development with Ryan Short, and harnessing AI to create more vibrant, connected communities with Nichole Sterling.
🔮 What’s Next?
Mark your calendars! The 2026 IN THE GAME Vibrant Downtown Event will take place March 31 – April 3, 2026 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue shaping places that people love!
Until then, help us make future IN THE GAME events even better by sharing your thoughts:
📋 Complete the 2025 Event Evaluation →
From all of us at DCI—thank you for playing IN THE GAME with us. Here’s to 25 years of impact and the bright road ahead!
Thanks to everyone who joined us in Greeley. We came together to solve problems, share stories, and celebrate the heart of Colorado’s communities—and we can’t wait to do it again next year.