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In a wide-ranging Fireside Chat moderated by Julie Gibson, Sherman R. Miller Executive Director of the Klump Center for Real Estate, Leeds’ 2026 Civic Leader-in-Residence Mowa Haile spoke to a full audience in Koelbel on Sept. 25, sharing a key theme that ties together his career and business philosophy: “Be generous.”

As community leader and founder of , Mowa Haile shared his family’s immigrant story from Eritrea to the United States. At age 9, he experienced the importance of community as people helped his family settle into their new life in Fort Collins. He also watched his parents focus on what they could build, he said. “They lost everything. They never lived as victims.”

Through running, Haile developed confidence, discipline, structure and perseverance, earning a scholarship to Colorado State University. “One season of cross-country changed what I believed was possible,” he told students.

Building a business around values

Haile thought he was headed to law school but instead discovered that he loved business. As a student, he said he was taught that a company’s major responsibility was “profit, profit, profit—and nothing else mattered.” His experiences taught him otherwise. After stints in high-tech roles, he launched Sky Blue Builders with the mission: Be Good, Do Great & Inspire.

Haile saw opportunity in the 2008 financial crisis. “Recession is the best time to start a business,” he explained, noting that the downturn meant fewer competitors in the industry.

The pandemic prompted new ways of thinking as Haile worked to sustain his employees, take calculated risks and revise project bids. He was also asked by the mayor to serve on the City of Denver’s Economic Relief and Recovery Council.

“We used the opportunity to streamline processes,” Haile explained. “We came up with many creative ideas, and improved so many things,” he said, sharing examples such as conducting inspections virtually, a practice that now remains. The experience solidified Haile’s understanding that a CEO’s top priority is to always be thinking ahead. “That’s the No. 1 job of a CEO. We have to see what’s coming in advance, looking at the next 3–5 years out.”

Building Sky Blue Builders required long workdays, navigating growing pains, and even refinancing his home, Haile shared. He also relied on community: “Mentors and the Colorado business community helped me with tough situations, building the team and judgment to survive growth.”

“Success means building something for others.”

—Mowa Haile, CEO of Sky Blue Builders

Sharing success and ownership

In 2023, Haile had the opportunity to either sell the business or transition to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). He chose the latter. The only disadvantage he sees to the model is the debt required to finance the transition, which the business must pay back within five years. Beyond that, he sees employee ownership as all upside.

“It was the right thing to do,” said Haile, explaining that the transition matched his values and those of his employees. Employees perform better and are deeply invested in the success of the business, he said. Put simply, he said, “They care—a lot.” He also pointed to tax advantages, noting that once debt is repaid, ESOPs are cash rich.

And the decision has paid off. The last two years were Sky Blue Builders’ best ever, Haile said, with revenue reaching $85 million in 2025. The ESOP model also changed decision-making. A six-member committee signs off on major decisions, and 30 of the company’s 60 employee owners applied for committee slots—a testament to their interest in being involved. It’s an “elevated culture,” he said. “People pitch in to help each other,” he added.

Building something for others

For Haile, “Success means building something for others.” He pointed to his work with Denver International Airport to launch the this year, the first of its kind in the country. For him, the center exemplifies broader efforts around inclusion and diversity by opening doors and creating opportunities for minority business owners and leaders in more fields.

That focus on creating opportunity also shapes how Haile thinks about the future of business. He sees a need for shifts in Colorado regulations, too many of which, he believes, hinder businesses from coming to and staying in the state. He hopes business leaders and legislators can increasingly work together to avoid unintended negative consequences for Colorado businesses and communities.

Looking ahead also requires creativity, something Haile prizes. While the AI-powered future remains uncertain, he advocates for optimism over pessimism. He also sees the market beginning to understand the need to course-correct by prioritizing the sharing of wealth over greed.

“A people-centered culture is a great business decision,” said Haile.

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When Leadership Tests You

Mowa Haile shared practical tips for “choosing to overcome”:

• Build communities that build people.
• Mentor someone who cannot see their potential yet.
• Create opportunity where it does not exist.
• And when that moment comes—the moment when leadership truly tests you:
  • Choose the harder path.
  • Choose perseverance.
  • Choose courage.
  • Choose generosity.��

Pictured right, Birdie Reznicek, associate director for culture and community at Leeds, left, Mowa Haile, and Julie Gibson, Sherman R. Miller Executive Director of the Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate