Who is behind Colorado Citizens Coalition?

You’ve likely been receiving emails from Colorado Citizens Coalition, and perhaps you’re curious about who is behind our non-profit. We thought we would take a minute to introduce you to our founder and president, Gary Gates.

Gary is active in the Crested Butte, Colorado community and local church, Republican clubs, and the Conservative movement. He’s served as a board member for a Pregnancy Resource Center and is a supporter of Crested Butte Adaptive Sports and the Crested Butte Center for the Arts. 

He owns and operates his own business, providing jobs for more than 500 people. With a strong belief in capitalism and a commitment to entrepreneurship, he started and built Gatesco Inc. from the ground up, beginning back in 1986. This business remains today as a family-owned real estate investment company with operations in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. He has extensive experience in the housing industry: he now manages over 7000 apartment units.

Gary lives about half his time in Crested Butte, Colorado. He is currently attempting to build and manage affordable housing there. Hundreds of employees who keep Crested Butte alive and running have been priced out of the town. The lack of workforce housing sends a negative message to the backbone of the town: “you can work here, but you can’t sleep here.” Gary has a free-market solution to the housing crisis—he has a plan to provide housing for locals without using tax dollars. Unfortunately, government is getting in the way. The Crested Butte local government is resisting the free-market solution; instead, they want control of all workforce housing, and they want to fix the problem through substantial taxpayer funds. Nonetheless, Gary is still pushing through the resistance and red tape because he knows housing is one of the most pressing needs in the area, and he wants to make a difference in the community.

Gary is also a loving husband and proud father. He has been married to his wonderful wife, Melissa, for thirty-six years, and together they have thirteen children, eleven of whom are adopted.

Gary started the non-profit Colorado Citizens Coalition because he has a passion for individual liberty and preserving the Constitution, and it’s a fight he’s engaged in with every facet of his life. He believes a coalition is needed because it takes all of us being actively involved to move our state and country forward. Simply voting every two years and sending elected officials to Denver or D.C. is not enough. We as citizens must stay informed because We the People are in charge and must hold government accountable. Gary desires to provide Colorado citizens a free resource to get useful information about state government from a common sense, conservative perspective.

We’d love to hear about you and your involvement in the conservative movement, too! Please feel free to shoot us an email to introduce yourself.

Colorado Citizens Coalition

Gary Gates started the non-profit Colorado Citizens Coalition because he has a passion for individual liberty and preserving the Constitution, and it’s a fight he’s engaged in with every facet of his life. He believes a coalition is needed because it takes all of us being actively involved to move our state and country forward. We as citizens must stay informed because We the People are in charge and must hold government accountable. Gary desires to provide Colorado citizens a free resource to get useful information about state government from a conservative perspective.