West Colfax Lately Luncheon

Tributes to Award Recipients:

For Cindy Baroway - West Colfax LEGEND Award Honoree:
Cindy Baroway has been an active member of the Lakewood and West Colfax community for more than three decades.  (She clearly started her civic activities as a teenager!)  To say that Cindy is active in her community is an understatement--serving on more boards than we name—here’s just a few: Colorado Gives Foundation, Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee, CASA of Jeffco/Gilpin Counties, West Colfax Community Association, and the 1st Judicial District Performance Commission. She also has been a Junior Achievement volunteer for over 30 years, receiving their Golden Apple Award in 2016. In addition to her service in the community, Cindy has been recognized in her career for leadership in Higher Education and the Risk Management Industry, receiving numerous awards, including the University of Colorado Denver Business School’s Community Impact Award and the RMI Leadership Award. Most everyone knows she served as a Lakewood City Councilor from 2007 to 2015 and is currently serving as a commissioner on the Lakewood Reinvestment Authority. As a sitting City Councilor in 2014-15, along with the local business improvement district, she led a group of 20+ West Colfax Ambassadors to create the West Colfax Vision 2040 Action Plan that was formally adopted by the city in 2015. On behalf of the community--Thank you, Cindy!  Please join us in congratulating Cindy Baroway as this year’s West Colfax LEGEND Award winner! 

For Scott West, Prestige Imports - West Colfax MOMENTUM Award Winner:
Scott West is the GM at Prestige Imports, the oldest Porsche and Audi dealer in the Rocky Mountain Region—located on West Colfax since 1984. Under Scott’s leadership—despite many opportunities to relocate and too many challenges to list in the planning and construction process—he led the charge to keep this flagship dealership on West Colfax. We’re grateful for that!  That decision by the Ownership Group and Scott kept 160+ jobs here and led to the investment of tens of millions of dollars in the new, state-of-the-art Porsche Dealership you see on the corner of Garrison & Colfax—that’s sure to become an iconic landmark on West Colfax! Scott and Prestige Imports are longtime members of 40 West Arts and WCCA—and even allowed 40 West to host its Gala in his showroom—free of charge! Scott also serves on the Lakewood-W. Colfax BID board of directors and has presented at WCCA’s meeting numerous times. If you him—you know his energy and passion for this community is contagious! We are truly grateful for Scott’s vision, resolve, and tenacity. For their leadership and commitment to our West Colfax corridor, please join us in honoring Scott West and Prestige Imports with this 2024 West Colfax Momentum Award!

For Marti Winer, GM, and Dana “Loca” Rodriguez, Culinary Director - Casa Bonita - West Colfax MOMENTUM Award Winner:
For more than 50 years—Casa Bonita has been a West Colfax mainstay—among the most visited destination in Lakewood. The pandemic nearly killed it. If not for the new owners, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, it would have died. It was not just suffering from closures associated with the pandemic, but also profound deferred maintenance needs. Where others would have abandoned the project—they stuck with it . . . investing what they said in a New York Times article was an “infinite” amount of money to restore the beloved destination to better than the original!  “Change nothing, improve everything” was their mantra. And they achieved just that—and so much more!

They hired artisans and craftsmen to restore every fixture and replace every pipe and wire in the building.
They paid existing employees during construction to volunteer at local nonprofits, such as the Action Center.
They brought in a NEW Team who embraced the West Colfax revitalization, sparked by the emergence 40 West Arts District.
They held community “meet & greet” meetings at WestFax Brewing Co.
They brought on an award-winning new chef to dramatically improve its culinary experience.
They helped 40 West Summer Youth Camps by hosting campers and teachers at Casa Bonita for lunch, all the shows and games, and giving each child a gift to take home to remember the day.

There is so much more to this story . . . but after a two-year journey, Casa Bonita reopened in May 2023 . . . reportedly nearly a million people have signed-up on their new reservation platform. Like those who have signed up to see the remarkable restoration of this much-loved Mexican-themed restaurant—we want to say “Thank You” to Matt & Trey and their New Team! Thank you for continuing the tradition of allowing us to make “forever” memories. For restoring this iconic West Colfax destination and for their “infinite” investment in our community, please join us in welcoming the GM Marti Winer and Chef Dana “Loca” Rodriguez to the stage to honor Casa Bonita with our 2024 West Colfax MOMENTUM Award!

Thank you to our 2024 Sponsors!

Thank You to Our Tables Sponsors

Lakewood Economic Development
Lakewood Comprehensive Planning
40 West Arts
Lakewood-West Colfax BID
Rocky Mountain College and Art + Design
Office Evolution
Metro West Housing Solutions
Seigneur Gustafson LLP
Calahan Construction Services
LaDawn Sperling - Caldwell Banker Realty
Banner Signs

Images of 2024 Event

Images from 2023 Event:

Congratulation once again to 2023 Award Winners!