Doug Price remembers arriving in Colorado Springs in 2011 when streetlights were dark, parks were not being watered and the city was struggling to pay its utility bill. Fifteen years later, Colorado Springs has built a national identity as Olympic City USA and the Pikes Peak region welcomes more than 25 million visitors a year. In this episode of the Colorado Business Podcast, Visit COS President & CEO Doug Price explains how tourism, civic leadership and coordinated investment helped transform Colorado Springs. Doug shares lessons from a 52-year hospitality career, the creation of City for Champions, the development of the Olympic City USA identity and the business impact of attracting visitors throughout the year. The conversation also explores destination marketing, downtown and regional growth, the local sports and live-music ecosystems, Labor Day Lift Off, Fountain Creek, smart growth and the leadership required to keep building a city where people want to visit, work and raise a family. FEATURED GUEST Doug Price President & CEO, Visit Colorado Springs https://www.visitcos.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-price-889aba34/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Colorado Springs: Then, Now and Next 01:06 Colorado Business Podcast Intro 01:16 Doug Price's 52-Year Tourism Career 03:24 Arriving in Colorado Springs in 2011 06:03 What Visit COS Actually Does 08:33 Building City for Champions 17:59 Diamond Sponsor and Sponsor Read 22:02 Creating Olympic City USA 27:54 More Than 25 Million Visitors 33:22 Growing Tourism Beyond Summer 36:18 Conventions, Downtown and Regional Growth 41:14 The Economic Impact of Tourism 44:18 Live Music, Neighborhoods and Local Pride 51:51 Sponsor Read 54:55 Andrew's Tiny House Festival Story 57:22 Sports and Labor Day Lift Off 59:23 Planning a Colorado Springs Visit 1:02:17 The Next 10 Years and Fountain Creek 1:04:28 Leadership, Government and Smart Growth 1:09:42 Community Collaboration and Legacy 1:14:02 Doug's Plans for Retirement 1:19:33 Visit COS and Closing Thoughts 1:21:39 Outro ABOUT THE COLORADO BUSINESS PODCAST The Colorado Business Podcast features entrepreneurs, founders, builders and leaders shaping Colorado's business community. Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coloradobusinesspodcast Explore more episodes: https://coloradobusinesspodcast.com/