RADIANCE BLOG

Category: Chronicling Corona

Chronicling Corona, Denver Metro, Stuff We Like

GoodBusiness – The State of Corporate Philanthropy in Colorado

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We were very excited to work with B:CIVIC, the Denver Chamber, DaVita, TIAA and the University of Denver to collect data about how businesses in Colorado are engaging with and giving to their communities. It was great to see that businesses of all sizes across Colorado are engaging in corporate philanthropy, especially at the local level. It was also interesting to see that in addition to cash donations, many businesses are offering support for their employees to donate time and money.

The report can be found here.

Chronicling Corona, Denver Metro

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Do Denver residents see themselves in arts, cultural and creative organizations?

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At our I2020 presentation last week, we had a lot of great discussion about the data. One topic we discussed was representation in arts, culture and creativity. While a large majority of Denver residents in our survey believed that people like them participate in arts, culture and creativity, African American and especially Latinx residents were more likely to doubt that people like them participated. Even a small difference can be important, though, since people might use representation to infer other things about an organization and its events, such as whether an event is welcoming, whether they have the right background knowledge for an event, and whether an organization is relevant to them. Also, representation is important because it’s something that organizations have some control over, especially representation within their boards and staff.

Quantitative research is really useful for understanding the “what” of a topic. To get to the “why” though, you really need qualitative research that gives people space to explain things in their own words. We hope the results from this I2020 survey inspire Denver organizations to start digging into the “why”.

To view the presentation, click here (PDF). To learn more about Imagine 2020, including additional research, click here.

 

Chronicling Corona, Denver Metro

Imagine 2020 Data Snack

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Today, Kate Darwent, PhD, spoke to an audience of over 100 arts leaders about the need to increase opportunities for Denver residents, especially African American and Latinx residents, who are hungry to participate more in arts, cultural and creative activities. The city conducted a one-of-a-kind statistically valid survey of its residents in 2017 to learn what they value about the arts, what motivates them to engage, and the barriers they face. Interestingly, residents with a strong desire to participate more face a complex web of barriers including: lack of opportunities in their immediate neighborhood, less satisfaction with the amount of information they receive, and more uncertainty about whether people like them participate in arts, culture and creativity.

The 2017 survey was a mid-point check on IMAGINE 2020: Denver’s Cultural Plan.

Chronicling Corona

Corona 2017 Promotions

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As we end 2017, Corona Insights would like to offer recognition to our team members who have been promoted this year. We were pleased to witness the promotions of Matt Bruce and Kate Darwent, PhD, to the position of Director, and Gregory Hornback to the position of Senior Associate.

Matt has been with Corona Insights since 2012, and has been involved in numerous projects related to natural resources, utilities, recreation, and other areas of interest. He is a leader in ensuring that the company uses sound methodologies and embraces new ones as needed.

Kate also joined Corona Insights in 2012, and she has played a key role on many Corona projects in the areas of research, strategy, and evaluation. Some of her key contributions have come in the role of advancing our work in survey research and market segmentation, with particularly strong roles in our health, arts, higher education, and philanthropy practices.

Greg joined the firm in 2015, and has been a great “swing player”, bringing his versatile skills to bear in our strategy practice, quantitative research, and qualitative research realms.

We’re always pleased to offer promotions, because they affirm many positive things. First and foremost, they mean that our team members have proven themselves at meeting our clients’ needs, and that they are providing the high quality of insights and counsel that our clients expect. Second, it means that they are continuing to make great progress in their careers, continuing to build and display their skills and assume more responsibilities. And finally, it’s an affirmation of our company and our culture that we are successfully hiring the right people, and that those people choose to stay with Corona Insights as they crystallize their personal brands and professional reputations.

So please join us in congratulating Matt, Kate, and Greg on their accomplishments, and we hope that you will see plenty more of them in coming years!

Chronicling Corona

New Case Study: Summit County Health

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We are excited to share a new case study about our work with Summit County, CO. This case study in particular is great for us to share as it showcases the research, and resulting use of the findings, to inform public information campaigns. Furthermore, the topic of the research, marijuana use and safety, is a relatively new area for public health research as legalization in various forms expands. Corona is proud to be a leader in this space, and more importantly, to be informing so many public campaigns.

You can view the case study here.

This research was also recently presented at the APHA Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Chronicling Corona, Stuff We Like

Researching things that go boom

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OK, so there may not be a lot of actual research going on in this post, but we at Corona have a wide variety of interests and sometimes like to show those off too!  One such interest is that I have been shooting professional fireworks shows for over 20 years.  I got my start in helping out my dad back when I was in high school (and when the regulations for the minimum age for helping on a show were more…loosely enforced).  Since then, it’s been a summer hobby of mine for years.

Though everyone knows what fireworks are like when they explode, I have found over the years that very few people have any idea what it takes to put on a good show!  Even for a relatively small show (I was in charge of the show in Lafayette, Colorado for 5 years), it takes a crew of at least 5-6 people an entire day to get ready for the big event.  Here’s a quick overview of the steps involved!

  1. Place and secure the mortars. Nearly all aerial fireworks are shot out of mortars (tubes), so the first step is to distribute large racks of mortars and secure them using braces, sand bags, or even burying them.  Professional fireworks are really powerful, and failing to properly secure the mortars to ensure safe operation can lead to disastrous results.
  2. Distribute and load the fireworks. This is possibly the easiest part of the process to understand, but it is also one of the most dangerous steps.  Crew members distribute the shells according to the plan and carefully drop them into their assigned mortar.  While every precaution is taken to ensure that devices are safe during this process, it’s not unheard of for a shell to ignite while being dropped into a mortar, so it’s important to keep body parts away from the top of a mortar!
  3. Wire everything up. Though it is possible to ignite a professional firework device by hand, a vast majority of shows are set off electronically.  That doesn’t necessarily mean computerized, but it means that an electric match is inserted into the fuse of the firework so that it can be lit from a safe distance.  (If you’ve ever fired off a model rocket, it’s the same concept.)  Once the e-matches are inserted, each is wired to a “rail” with a designated ID number so that we can set off that shell exactly when we want to.
  4. Connect the firing board and test everything out. I often describe the function of a firing board as being like a big kids’ version of the game of Operation.  There is a stylus with a metal tip and a wire coming off of it, and when you touch the stylus to a terminal, it completes the circuit, igniting the e-match and sending the shell airborne.  Before we do that, however, we always test everything out to make sure that our wiring is in good shape to shoot the show.
  5. If everything goes well, everything will be loaded, wired, and tested with plenty of time to spare (since weather or other issues sometimes cause delays).  Most of the time, though, there is time to sit, relax, and enjoy a nice, summer evening.
  6. Shoot the show! This part is just as fun for the crew as it is for the audience.  All of our hard work in the hot sun pays off for 20-30 minutes as we get to satisfy our inner pyromaniacs and blow up a ton of stuff in a short time!  It’s always a blast (pun intended).
  7. Clean it up and go home! You’d be surprised at how much work goes into cleaning up after a fireworks show.  Not only do we have to haul all of the equipment back into a truck that same night, we also have to safely inspect the shoot site to ensure that no fireworks are left in mortars and that there aren’t any “dud” shells that came down in the area.  It’s not the most glamorous part of the show and usually takes at least 2-3 hours, so the crew usually doesn’t leave until well after midnight.

Fireworks shows are a lot of fun for both the audience and the crew, but it is definitely a ton of work that requires a special type of worker to enjoy.  (Spoiler alert: fireworks crews aren’t paid like kings.)  I hope that this inside look will help you to appreciate all of the work that went into making your 4th of July holiday memorable!

Chronicling Corona

Corona presents on marijuana research at upcoming conference

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We are pleased to announce that our research supporting Summit County’s (Colorado) safety program for youth marijuana access has been accepted for a poster presentation at the annual APHA (American Public Health Association) conference in November.  If you plan to attend, please stop by and learn about our work.  Our project abstract is shown below.

Learning Areas

Summit County, Colorado, is located among the high peaks of the Colorado Rockies, immediately west of the Continental Divide. Our elevation ranges from a low of 7,947 feet above sea level up to 14,270 feet at Gray’s Peak. Included within the county are six municipalities, four major ski areas, and major wilderness areas. About 80% of the land in the county is federal public land.

Whereas Colorado leads the nation in developing marijuana policy, Summit County leads Colorado. As a major recreation area and larger mountain community, youth in the area are exposed to a marijuana-friendly and marijuana-tolerant culture. No fewer than five retail marijuana dispensaries do business in this tourism-oriented community of 30,000 permanent residents. So how does one prevent marijuana use among youth in such an environment? While marijuana remains illegal for people under 21, it is now easy and legal for adults to possess marijuana, and easy access among adults may lead to easier access (knowingly or illicitly) among youth.

Summit County decided that a campaign aimed at preventing youth access to marijuana would be a good start. But to do this, we needed to know how adults viewed the risks of marijuana use in a number of contexts, to help enlist their participation in this cause. Via surveys, we learned from parents, young adults, and others about how they viewed marijuana risks both for adults and for youth. We examined several facets of risk and safety, including comparisons of marijuana to other legal and illegal drugs, safety in a recreational context (e.g. while hiking, biking, driving, skiing, etc.), and opinions about the safe storage and disposal of marijuana products to prevent unintended exposure of youth to them.

The results will inform a campaign aimed at recruiting adults into a movement to help limit access to youth.

Learning Areas

  • Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
  • Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
  • Program planning
  • Public health or related education
  • Public health or related research
  • Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives

Formulate a strategy for a public campaign to educate about risks of marijuana. Formulate a strategy for a public campaign to promote safe management of marijuana use where it occurs. Define what safe usage means in the minds of users and develop education strategies for areas where public perceptions of risk may differ from known risks. Compare perceptions of safe marijuana use against those of other legal and illegal drugs.

Chronicling Corona, Denver Metro, Government, Market Research, Stuff We Like, Trends and News

State of Our Cities and Towns – 2017

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For many years, Corona has partnered with the Colorado Municipal League to conduct the research that is the foundation of their annual State of Our Cities and Towns report. CML produced the following short video, specifically for municipal officials, about the importance of investing in quality of life:

Learn more, view the full report, and watch additional videos on the State of Our Cities website.