When a guy who owned three Domino's franchises was elected to a vacant seat in the legislature, there was some snickering about tipping the pizza delivery man.

But Republicans quickly made Rep. Brian DelGrosso of Loveland one of their go-to guys on financial issues, whether that meant taking on former Gov. Bill Ritter in 2010 about the so-called "Dirty Dozen" tax measures or Gov. John Hickenlooper this session on a renewable energy measure critics said would hurt rural Colorado.

The 41-year-old lawmaker has a knack for taking complicated issues and talking about them in practical terms, his colleagues say. House Republicans are expected to elect DelGrosso to lead their caucus at a meeting Thursday at the state Capitol.

"It's a huge honor," DelGrosso said.

And it's an unusual career trajectory for someone who dropped out of college and turned a part-time job of delivering pizzas into a full-time career. He owns two Domino's franchises in Loveland and one in Windsor.

"I had somebody tell me when I was first in the legislature, 'Geez, we have a pizza guy here. That seems kind of odd,' " DelGrosso recalled.


"But whether you're selling pizzas, cars, buildings, steel, whatever it is, business is business. You have to meet a bottom line. Being a small business, I'm the guy paying all of the bills. I see every penny coming in and out. And I have to watch those dollars like a hawk."

DelGrosso will succeed House Minority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, who is resigning his leadership post at the caucus meeting. Waller is running for the GOP nomination for attorney general.

Democrats and Republicans alike praise DelGrosso.

"Although we have disagreed on things, Brian's a rational, thoughtful type of person," said House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver. "He definitely is seen as someone who has a history of working across the aisle, although he is a strong, partisan Republican."

One of those areas of disagreement: civil unions.

DelGrosso, who has a gay uncle, was considered a swing vote when Ferrandino's civil unions bill was introduced in the 2011 and 2012 sessions. But DelGrosso voted "no," saying he thought Colorado law already provided protections for same-sex couples. The bill died in the Republican-controlled House. Democrats, who won back the majority after 2012, passed civil unions this year, still without DelGrosso's support.

Democrats currently have a 37-28 majority in the House and a 20-15 edge in the Senate. The 2014 session is expected to be a battlefield as Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is up for re-election and control of the legislature is at stake.

DelGrosso was born in Cheyenne and later served in the Air Force and the Wyoming National Guard. He and his wife, Amber, who moved to Colorado eight years ago, have three children: Andara, 17, Bransen, 15, and Breeley, 14.

DelGrosso's political career began in 2009 when Ritter, a Democrat, tapped Republican state Rep. Don Marostica to serve as the state's economic development director. DelGrosso was one of five Republicans who ran for Marostica's House seat; he was elected by a vacancy committee in the second round of balloting.

"The first day I stepped foot in the Capitol was the day I was sworn in," DelGrosso recalled. "I had to buy a suit for that."

As the minority leader, DelGrosso said he'll continue to push for the same goal he strives for in business: customer service. He admitted that can be difficult in such a politically charged atmosphere.

"I try to listen to both sides to try to find a solution," he said. "That's what helped me be successful."
