The transformation of the Pepsi Center is well underway, and it’s time to recognize some of the people making it happen – our hardworking construction teams. Today you’ll hear from Turner Construction Superintendent Jake Coykendall, who helps oversee much of the work done by our local construction crews.

From cabling to electrical services to tent construction, Colorado-based companies are taking part in every aspect of the Pepsi Center renovation. With just 26 days to go – construction progress is right on track and the team isn’t showing any sign of letting up.

Unfortunately I don’t quite have the same technical understanding as Jake, so I’ll let you hear directly from him. Listen in -- Jake will show you the ropes:

Making the Democratic Convention accessible to as many people as possible has been a constant goal in Convention planning. And yesterday, with the help of Comcast and Entravision, further inroads were made in expanding national Spanish-language coverage of the four-day event.

Comcast has already partnered with the DNCC to provide online streaming of the Convention -- in Spanish -- at www.DemConvention.com, and they are offering additional Spanish-language content through Comcast’s Video-On-Demand service. 

After two hours of discussion, the group gathered at Stacey Crease’s home near City Park decided that the Democratic Party’s platform should include a focus on education. And this year, the Democratic Party is listening. With 1,400 such meetings taking place across the country, Stacey and her group took part in the party’s effort to open up the Convention process by inviting people to meet locally and submit their ideas to the national platform drafting committee.  People across the country participated in this massive effort -- read more about the platform meetings here.

With 50,000 people converging upon Denver at the end of August, the Convention team has enlisted some help. Training is underway to prepare the more than 10,000 volunteers to welcome visitors to the Mile High City. Focusing on enthusiasm and accuracy in the current trainings, volunteers will be assigned specific roles in the coming weeks -- click here to learn more.

With the deadline to the DNCC YouTube contest approaching -- last call is August 1st -- we wanted to share two very special entries. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Obama for America Co-Chair and former Denver Mayor Federico Peña wanted a chance to let voters know why they are Democrats in 2008. Take a look --

Gov. Richardson:

Each week, we’ll be providing an inside look at the Convention straight from the people putting the event together. Check back here weekly or visit the Huffington Post to learn more about how the many pieces of planning are coming together as the Convention approaches.

Today’s feature is from Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Relations.

Sky Gallegos is a Denver native who has spent her career focusing on Democratic politics in the West. She’s been working for more than a year now to help plan her Party’s Convention in her home town. With just 30 days to go until her personal and professional stories converge with the opening gavel of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Sky shares her thoughts from inside the DNCC in this video blog.

With the start of the 2008 Convention just one month away, two Colorado tribes performed a Native American blessing at the Pepsi Center yesterday. Paying homage to the region’s rich Native American heritage, the Convention team was honored to take part in the ceremony led by members of the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian tribes.

While the Convention seeks to engage people across the nation, it’s also important to step back and take in the unique setting of this year’s Convention -- Denver, Colorado. Although this Convention will prove to be historic for many reasons, here’s one more to add to the list – it’s been 100 years since Colorado last hosted a Democratic Convention.

A few stats for week two of Construction at the Pepsi Center –

15,000: Members of the media expected at the Convention
600: Construction workers handling two shifts per day
120+: Blogs that will occupy the Blogger Lounge in the former Nuggets weight room
4: Pepsi Center suites completely “white boxed” (read more to find out what that means!)
3: Cable bridges, 16 feet high, to connect cables from the arena to the media pavilions and satellite trucks
2: Weeks of construction
1: fully erected media pavilion, complete with plywood flooring, a roof, and exterior walls

…And that’s just the beginning. Touring the Pepsi Center today, it was absolutely incredible to see the dramatic transformation that has happened in just two short weeks.

As the entries to the DNCC YouTube contest pour in, it’s clear that people from across America -- of all backgrounds -- are standing strong for Democrats in 2008.

With the chance of winning a trip to the Democratic National Convention in Denver come August – why don’t you give it a shot? Just submit a short video here explaining why you are a Democrat in 2008. Not only will your video be shown to the Convention audience including elected officials and delegates, but you will also get to travel with Senator Obama’s campaign for a day, documenting life on the campaign trail.

In a profile of DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry, the New York Times revealed that Leah’s deep conviction in her faith runs parallel to her passion for the success of the Democratic Party. Leah, who spends many Sundays as a Pentecostal preacher, has made it her mission to incorporate people of faith into the Democratic Party. Having been tasked with orchestrating the Convention in August, Leah is responsible for making sure that “everything runs right…that the millions watching the convention on TV are captivated and inspired by the four-day-long show.” But for Leah, leading the Convention as well as expanding the reach of the Democratic Party “is, as she sees it, her way of fulfilling a generations-old family covenant with God.”

Each week, we’ll be providing an inside look at the Convention straight from the people putting the event together. Check back here weekly or visit the Huffington Post to learn more about how the many pieces of planning are coming together as the Convention approaches.

Today’s feature is from Cameron Moody, the Deputy CEO for Operations.