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By Ed Ed Sealover
Denver Business Journal, Oct 6, 2016

Campaign leaders for the proposed minimum-wage hike on Thursday unveiled a list of nearly 200 businesses — mostly smaller — that support their effort, hoping to put a dent in the pervading storyline that Amendment 70 pits the business community against the labor community. ...

“I think it’s important because most of the people will recognize the names of the endorsers as places they frequent or makers of products they purchase,” said Debra Brown, campaign manager for the group Colorado Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. “I think it’s important for voters to see that the businesses that matter to them are supporting Amendment 70.”

The list, which numbered 195 companies as of early Thursday, includes companies ranging from automotive-repair shops, to small restaurants, to retired attorneys. It spans the state from Fort Collins to Durango.

Judy Amabile, co-founder of Boulder-based water-bottle manufacturer Product Architects, said she chose to support Amendment 70 after her [50]-employee company decided to raise its floor wage from $8 per hour to $12 per hour in 2011 because officials felt it was necessary to pay what it considered a living wage. Though expenses rose, Amabile found that per-unit production costs actually dropped because there was less turnover and less absenteeism, as workers had the money to get their cars repaired and go to the doctor when they were sick.

“We eliminated turnover. Our employees were much more enthusiastic about their jobs,” Amabile said. ...

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