Five Points to Fort Collins and Back Again: CSU Alum and Spangalang Brewery Co-Owner Norman Harris on Returning Home, Reviving Denver's Jazz Legacy, and Building Five Points Into a Modernized Cultural Marketplace

In this episode of The Next 150, President Amy Parsons sits down with CSU alumnus Norman “Norm” Harris ’99 at Spangalang Brewery in one of Denver’s most historic neighborhoods.

A second-generation Ram and fifth-generation Five Points native, Norm shares how transferring to CSU shaped his confidence and direction, and how a 20-year career at Janus led to a bold pivot toward community leadership.

He also shares his work as executive director of the Five Points Business Improvement District and president of Denver's Juneteenth Music Festival— one of the largest in the country.

The conversation explores revitalizing Welton Street into a “modernized cultural marketplace,” reintroducing jazz to a new generation, and collaborating with CSU's College of Health and Human Sciences' Fermentation and Food Science program to create “The Art of Darkness” stout. Norm also shares his advice for students on finding passion, building strong habits, and staying focused.