Skiing in Colorado is pretty expensive these days, but even the priciest day on the slopes isn’t nearly as expensive as skiing with Sen. Cory Gardner’s family and friends.
For $2,500 per person or $3,000 per family ($5,000 for corporate PACs), lobbyists and political consultants could bring partners and kids to join the Senator, his family and his staff at the Ritz Carlton hotel, slope-side at Beaver Creek, one of Colorado’s fanciest ski destinations. This year was Gardner campaign’s fifth annual ski trip fundraiser.
Unfortunately for the guests, Gardner himself was unable to be there in person. According to one attendee, lobbyist Travis Brown, impeachment hearings kept Gardner “chained to his desk” over the weekend. His campaign spokesman did not return an email asking to confirm the reason for his absence.
In his absence, attendees were able to mingle and chat with Gardner family members, campaign staff and, of course, each other. Over 70 people (not counting partners and children) are listed on a guest list obtained by the Colorado Times Recorder.
In addition to household names like Coca-Cola, Facebook, FedEx and MillerCoors, representatives from the energy and health care industries comprised the largest portions of the event attendance list. Companies included Koch Industries, BP America, Duke Energy, Xcel Energy, Next Era Energy (the nation’s largest electric utility holding company).
United Health, Humana, and the Federation of American Hospitals were among the members of the for-profit health care industry. A lobbyist for America’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade association for companies with health plans governed by Medicare and Medicaid, was also on the list. AHIP is a co-founder of the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, the advocacy group behind a six-figure ad campaign opposing a proposal to add a state option to Colorado health insurance exchange.
Another notable name on the guest list: Facebook’s Director of Public Policy and chief Senate lobbyist Myriah Jordan, who in 2016 signed a public letter opposing the possibility of then-candidate Trump’s presidency calling him “fundamentally dishonest” and predicting he would “use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe.” Jordan did not immediately respond to a Facebook message asking to confirm her attendance.
The Beaver Creek weekend fundraiser was paid for by Gardner For Colorado, a joint fundraising committee comprising the Gardner campaign and his leadership political action committee, Project West PAC. Four of the top ten combined contributors to Gardner’s 2020 campaign and Project West PAC were on the guest list: DISH Network ($77,000), NextERA Energy ($56,500), Xcel Energy ($52,150), and Deloitte, LLC ($46,250).
A phone call to Gardner campaign fundraiser Katie Behnke was not immediately returned.
Here’s the full attendance list, grouped roughly by industry:
Tom Craig, Duke Energy Corporation
Martin Doern, Xcel Energy
Whitney Drew, NextEra Energy Inc.
Downey Magallanes, BP America
Joe Ellis, BP America
Catherine Haggett, Koch Companies Public Sector
Stan Dempsey, Colorado Mining Association
Laura Henry, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Assn.
Patrick Velliky, Federation of American Hospitals
Katie Allen Velliky, America’s Health Insurance Plans
Sarah Schmidt, CVS Health
Doug Stoss, Humana
Kara Smith, UnitedHealth
Nick Magallanes, PhRMA
Emily Mueller, Pfizer
Brenda Becker, Boston Scientific Corporation
Jordan Layson, Amgen
Henry Hanscom, American Trucking Association
Tom Jensen, UPS
Paul McKernan, FedEx Corporation
Cindy Hayden, Altria Client Services
Joe Augustus, Swisher International
Joe Heaton, Beer Institute
Will Kinzel, MillerCoors
Steve Rebillot, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America
Kathleen Black, Coca-Cola
Frank Cavaliere, Microsoft Corporation
Brendan McGuire, Vail Resorts
Grant Colvin, Vail Resorts
Lizzy Simmons, National Retail Federation
Tori Barnes, U.S. Travel Association
Robert Dibblee, Nareit
John McClelland, American Rental Association
Beth Hoff Blackmer, American Rental Association
Booth Jameson, American Chemistry Council
Myriah Jordan, Facebook
Brooks Brunson-Pitts, Verizon Communications
Paula Timmons, T-Mobile
Nicole Gustafson, National Association of Broadcasters
Cort Bush, NBC Universal
Peter Lewis, DISH Network
Jordan Stoick, National Association of Manufacturers
Ian Musselman, LKQ Corporation
Curt Magleby, Ford Motor Company
Carolyn Mayle, Air Methods Corporation
Rory Maynard, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Lesley Kalan, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Meghan Allen, Sierra Nevada Corporation
Louis Dupart, The Normandy Group/FAA Managers Association
Brian Baker
Natalie Farr, Team Subject Matter
Guy Harrison, OnMessage, Inc.
Matt Dempsey, FTI Consulting
Travis Brown, FirstRule
Andrew Handel, FirstRule
Pam Brewster, Orange Strategies
Scott O’Reilly, Spider Strategies
Steve Perry, Perry Bayliss Government Relations
Stephen Replogle, Cove Strategies
Jim Rowland, Rowland Strategy Group, LLC
John Timmons, The Cormac Group
Jason Van Pelt, Crossroads Strategies
Justin Rzepka, BGR Group
Missy Edwards, MME Strategies
Clay Heil, Ice Miller Strategies
Brian Wild, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Brendan Dunn, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Bill Womack, Deloitte, LLC
Jim Stanard, [TigerRisk Partners]
Kate Bonner, Capital One Financial Corporation
Mark Peterson, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Senator Cory Gardner, [unable to attend]
Chris Hansen, Gardner for Senate
Curtis Swager, Office of Senator Gardner
Alex Siciliano, Office of Senator Gardner
Casey Contreas, Gardner for Senate
Katie Behnke, [Gardner for Senate]
Amy Ford Bradley, Gardner for Colorado
Magda Patrick, Gardner for Colorado