Colorado Ranks Third in Nation for Business
business, rocky mountains, scenery, silicon mountain, technological, workforce,
Colorado reclaimed its spot in the top ten – this time moving up two notches to number three – on CNBC’s annual list of top states for business. The criteria used to judge each state – workforce, education, quality of life, technology and innovation, among many others – are some of the same criteria site selectors use when deciding where to relocate a business. So it’s no wonder Colorado Springs consistently makes the short list of possible locations for some of the country’s top companies.
Happy Workers Mean Big Success
Well‚ for starters‚ they can’t help but be impressed with the scenery. And it’s no secret that lots of people – including some of the best and brightest – like living and working in the midst of towering mountains and recreational opportunities. The region’s scenic location is a natural fit for companies interested in their employees’ well-being.
“Colorado Springs provides the quality of life important to our employees and their families‚” says Todd Meeter‚ local site operations manager for Intel Corp.‚ which came to Colorado Springs in 2000 with the purchase of a vacant semiconductor facility on Garden of the Gods Road.
Making Businesses Feel at Home
Meeter also liked the assistance the company received in locating here. He credits the economic development leaders in Colorado Springs who worked tirelessly to create a welcoming environment for Intel employees. He said the leadership was accessible‚ open and receptive to new ideas and new methods of problem solving.
Keeping relocated companies happy is an important task in Colorado Springs, and one the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce doesn’t take lightly. public policy and legislation advocacy is one of the major thrusts. “We deal with issues at the local‚ state and national levels‚” Temby says. “At the state level‚ we have a registered lobbyist on staff. We’re active in areas such as tort reform‚ business personal property tax reform and health-care legislation.”
Public policy and legislative advocacy‚ workforce development‚ and the strengthening of networking opportunities for small and medium-size businesses are all priorities of the Chamber as is maintaining the strong relationship between the community and the various military installations in the area.
Base of Business
The Pikes Peak region has the third-highest concentration of military retirees – all branches – in the nation. At any given time‚ the Colorado Springs area is home to about 29‚000 military personnel. That doesn’t include military retirees or civilians with military-contracted jobs.
The military’s impact on the local economy is about $2.6 billion annually‚ and a recent study shows that about 35 percent of the local economy is linked in some way to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The U.S. armed forces have maintained a strong presence in Colorado Springs since World War II. Today‚ the city is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy as well as Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases‚ Fort Carson Army Base‚ and the North American Aerospace Defense Command‚ known as NORAD. In 2002‚ the area became headquarters of U.S. Northern Command‚ which plans‚ organizes and executes homeland defense and civil support missions. It is one of nine unified command centers in the nation.
High Tech Headquarters
Overall‚ high-tech industry in Colorado Springs grew by 77 percent between 1993 and 1998‚ giving the area the nickname “Silicon Mountain.” Some of the high-tech operations include Quantum Corp.‚ Digital Equipment Corp.‚ Visteon (formerly Ford Microelectronics Inc.)‚ Oracle Corp.‚ DMJM Systems‚ Compaq and Federal Express.
Customer service centers are another strong sector here‚ including Carnival Cruise Lines‚ Gateway 2000‚ Adelphia Communications‚ Hewlett-Packard Financial Services‚ Bombardier Capital Inc.‚ T. Rowe Price Associates and the Ford Credit Regional Service Center.
Photo by staff
