As profiled in a recent article in ColoradoBiz, Colorado PERA’s investment in a Boulder-based broadband company named Zayo paid off for the Colorado economy and investors. PERA invests $43 billion in trust fund assets wherever it believes it can generate the greatest return while managing risk.
Rand Lewis, managing director of Centennial Ventures and co-founder/managing director of Delta-v Capital writes:
“Zayo was one of those Colorado-based opportunities where PERA was able to meet its dual goals of serving its members while also investing in the state.
PERA invested $6 million in venture capital firms who in turn invested in Zayo. PERA’s initial investment returned more than 10 times that amount to the PERA trusts, and these returns were reinvested to support the retirements of Colorado’s public employees. Such a high return is welcome although not common and PERA’s diversified portfolio seeks to earn strong returns over many decades.”
Read more about how this “virtuous circle” of prudently investing PERA members’ assets benefits more than just PERA.
Trust fundA fund in which money and/or other assets are held and managed by trustees on behalf of plan participants. PERA maintains trust funds for each of its Defined Benefit Plan divisions (State, Local Government, School, Denver Public Schools, and Judicial).
