Secretary Jena Griswold Appointed Co-Chair of the Business Services Committee for the National Association of Secretaries of State
Denver, August 17, 2022 - Today, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) appointed Secretary Jena Griswold Co-Chair of the Business Services Committee alongside Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston.
The Business Services Committee is responsible for educating and informing NASS members about state practices regarding corporate registrations, electronic business filings, notarizations, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings, and other related services.
“I am honored to serve as Co-Chair of the Business Services Committee for the National Association of Secretaries State with Secretary Thurston and look forward to working with my colleagues to build stronger business communities across the U.S.,” said Secretary Griswold. “While many people are familiar with the work NASS does to strengthen our nation’s elections, we are also focused on supporting the small businesses and entrepreneurs that are critical to a growing and healthy economy.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of our state. That’s why in Colorado we’re committed to making our state a greatest place to start and maintain a business,” continued Secretary Griswold. “From working to eliminate red tape to increasing efficiency through innovation – Secretaries of State can play a major role in ensuring businesses can keep money in their pockets and focus on their day-to-day operations.”
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has long been a valuable resource for businesses throughout the state. From easy, affordable filing to ongoing technological advances designed to enhance efficiency and convenience, the system the Colorado Secretary of State's office utilizes is among the best in the country.
During the 2022 Colorado Legislative Session, Secretary Griswold led legislation to cut the cost of opening a new business to $1, which went into effect on July 1, 2022. Just six weeks after the new licensing fees launched, more than 17,000 LLCs and 5,200 trade names had been successfully filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office.
While nearly all services can be accessed online for easy filing 24 hours a day, the office also provides a call center so businesses can get personal support when they need it. The office also provides free searches for businesses and trade names as well as offers filing for trademarks and trade names.
In order to support businesses in a rapidly evolving technological environment, the office is currently undergoing a significant multi-year system upgrade designed to make business transactions even easier. The latest system improvement is text notifications for business filings. Users can sign up for text notifications to receive reminders when periodic reports are due. Users may also enroll in the existing Secure Business Filing (SBF) service, which helps prevent business identity theft by limiting who can make changes to a business account.
The office also provides a number of free learning resources for those who may have questions about starting a business or the filing process. The eLearning modules available at www.ColoradoSOS.gov include starting a business in Colorado, “What’s Next for My New Business?,” secure business filing, learning about business data, and filing statements of foreign entity authority.
A summary of services offered by the Secretary of State’s office can be found here.