Meet Jo Taylor | Owner and Editor of Colorado Public Works Journal

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jo Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jo, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am originally from the UK and initially worked for a small start up company selling office furniture. As the company grew, so did my skills and I worked my way up in the company over the 20 years that I was there, This allowed me to learn all aspects of the business, giving me a plethora of skills that could be applied to future jobs and the ability to hone in on areas that I enjoyed most. It was a great foundation for my career path that followed in the USA.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Taking over the publication Colorado Public Works Journal in 2016 was a huge challenge. I had worked for the journal for 18month’s prior, working in a sales and marketing role selling advertising space, gaining brand awareness, increasing their subscribers and cirulation. However, to manage the entire production; design, layout, content, photography, distribution and social media was a big step. My husband was very supportive initially, given that he had his own publishing company for many years.
I was also fortunate to connect with many of the leaders in the infrastructure industry in Colorado whom gave me guidance and advice. This allowed me to enhance the CPWJ brand to what our readers wanted, rather than continuing to repeat the previous formula. I want CPWJ to be a valuble resource for the infrastructure community, connecting people and businesses and I have the tenacity to make things happen and follow through with what we say we will do. Our customers recognise this and it has led us to some great connections in the industry.
We are proud to be the media partner of Transportation and Construction GIRL. We are the publishing partner for Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association and the Colorado Chapter of American Public Works Association, We also work with several other leading associations in the state. I am very active in the construction community and I am one of the founding board members of Women of Asphalt Colorado

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start with an early morning hike in the foothills of Colorado which happens to be where I live and is stunningly beautiful, where we would likely see deer, elk and possibly a bear along the way.

Lunch would be in Morrison or Golden both are lovely small historic towns which are great for wandering through and browsing in the quaint shops.

A concert at Red Rocks is a must and maybe dinner at the Fort, which has amazing views to downtown Denver.

Although, equally lovely is just sitting on our back deck and enjoying the sunsets. We are extremely lucky to have found this place after the years of the hustle and bustle of London.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had many mentors in my life, the first being my father who instilled upon me the imporatnce of looking after the customer. My parents had a hospitallity business in London and looking after the customer was their first priority. Early in my career at the start up company, I worked as a secretary to the sales director who I worked alongside for many years. His knowledge helped shape my values and management of handling customer relations; doing what you say you are going to do, following up to keep the realtionship alive, ensuring quality of service etc. This eventually put me into a managemnt role at the same company, where I was then training other customer service and sales representatives for the company. Still to this day I use these skills that are now a part of my mantra. I am always eager to learn new things and now being in the construction world where there is a lot to learn, I ask questions at every opportunity.

Website: www.coloradopublicworksjournal.com

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