NAIOP Colorado Developing Leaders recently held its fourth annual "Skiing with the Icons" event at Arapahoe Basin, and Bisnow was on hand for the action. Namely, some skiing, along with a panel discussion featuring some of the icons of the business in Denver.

The speakers stressed relationships are important, especially in a market like Denver, where eventually everyone knows everyone else. Relationships are also important with both professionals who are much older and, eventually, much younger than you.

When asked about what they would tell their younger selves 10 or 20 years ago, the speakers said resoundingly, "trust your gut." If something does not feel right, it probably is not. That especially applied to the pre-recession times, when things got a little too good, and too easy. That did not seem or feel right, because it was not.

Looking ahead, the speakers said the markets will eventually soften, but Denver still has a lot to offer and is still in a very good place, both for lifestyle in the mountains and a runway for work in CRE.