AS THE CROWE FLIES.

• Author: WOELFLEIN, MIKE
• Position: Level 3 CEO Jim Crowe speaks at technology conference - Brief Article

Feeling blue about the economic slowdown? Maybe you're worried about your job at a once-hot tech company, or dismayed with the state of your once-proud portfolio.

Jim Crowe, who lost more than a billion "on-paper" dollars in the last year, offers some simple advice. Perk up.

The Level 3 CEO headlined a State of the State of Technology conference held in Westminster in late April. While the newspapers seem to bring a daily dose of layoffs to the attention of readers, Crowe and other conference speakers remain bullish in these bearish times.

Mark Holtzman, the state's technology czar, spoke first. Holtzman talked about Colorado's efforts to prepare a tech educational program that will make its labor pool a must-swim for future generations of employers.

Economist Jeff Thredgold was next, with a hopeful and seemingly assured take on the economy. He said Colorado was as poised as any state to make hay in the coming years, even if things remain unsettled elsewhere.

And," he added, "I'm not just saying that because I'm in Colorado."

Then came Crowe.

He joked about the "special sale" running on Level 3 stock, which dropped...