June 1-June 14, 2016
—
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— Page 13B
T
he Metro Denver
region, which includes
the seven-county
Metro Denver and two-county
Northern Colorado area, has all
the things expanding or relocating
companies needs to flourish,
including a young, healthy, and
highly educated workforce,
affordable business costs, and a
multimodal transit system that will
support us years into the future.
With a dynamic and diversified
economy, the region is the center
of commerce and industry for the
Rocky Mountain West. It’s easy to
attract highly skilled employees
and expand your operations in
Metro Denver and Northern
Colorado.
The area is a magnet for young,
diverse, and well-educated workers.
Colorado was the fourth-fastest
growing state from 2013 to 2014.
The region’s population increased
at a rate of 1.5 percent per year
between 2010 and 2014. More
than 42 percent of our residents
have a bachelor’s degree or better.
While Metro Denver attracts
workers from all over the world, it
is also growing its own energetic
minds. A robust educational
system – from preschool to post-
doctorate – prepares a workforce
that’s well matched to the evolving
needs of today’s workplace.
The qualities that make Metro
Denver a great place to live also
make it the perfect location for
business. Colorado continues to
outpace much of the country in
the economic recovery. In 2015,
the Denver area ranked as Forbes’
best place for business and careers
and Fort Collins ranked 10th.
According to the report, Denver
is a top place to recruit a talented
workforce and has business
costs that are below the national
average.
Nine major industry clusters
drive economic growth in Metro
Denver and Northern Colorado:
•
Aerospace –
With 19,520
private aerospace workers, the
region ranked first in absolute
aerospace employment and
second out of the 50 largest
metro areas for private aerospace
employment concentration.
•
Aviation –
Denver
International Airport (DEN)
and the surrounding regional
airports contribute more than $28
billion to the region’s economy
annually. With approximately
16,880 aviation employees, the
region ranked 11th in absolute
employment.
•
BeverageProduction –
With
a broad range of beverage
producers including malt
beverages, wines, distilled liquors,
bottled drinks, and ice products,
the Metro Denver and Northern
Colorado region ranked third
among the 50 largest metro areas
for employment concentration.
The nine-county region’s 8,640
employees and 180 companies
contribute to the region’s cultural
depth and economic growth.
•
Bioscience –
The bioscience
cluster offers numerous
opportunities in both academic
and clinical discovery with
more than 15,230 bioscience
workers in 670 companies. The
region’s research universities
and numerous innovation assets
support industry growth.
•
Broadcasting&
Telecommunications –
With
41,970 broadcasting and
telecommunications workers,
the region had the nation’s
sixth-highest employment
concentration. The region is the
largest in the United States to
offer one-bounce satellite uplinks
due to its unique location in the
Mountain Time Zone.
•
Energy –
The region is a
world-class energy hub with
54,720 energy workers in 3,140
companies. Ranking fifth in
the nation for employment
concentration, the cleantech
subcluster grew nearly 24 percent
from 2010 to 2015, compared
with almost 20 percent growth
nationally. The fossil fuels
subcluster ranked fourth in
the nation for employment
concentration.
•
Financial Services –
Financial
services is one of Metro Denver’s
largest industry clusters with
96,960 employees in banking
and finance, investments, and
insurance. Metro Denver ranked
10th in banking and finance
and 12th for investments in
employment concentration, and is
the major financial center between
Los Angeles and Chicago.
•
HealthCare&Wellness –
Employment in the health care
and wellness cluster has grown
every year in the last decade.
With more than 202,550 health
care and wellness workers in
about 19,450 companies, the
region ranked 13th in absolute
employment.
•
InformationTechnology-
Software –
The region is a
global hub of innovation and
entrepreneurship for information
technology companies. Software
firms employed 48,610 workers,
2.5 percent of the region’s total
employment base compared
with 2.1 percent employment
concentration nationwide.
A center for innovation, the
Metro Denver region is home
to one of four U.S. Patent and
Trademark satellite offices located
throughout the United States.
The office opened in downtown
Denver in 2014, and houses 20
patent judges to handle appeals.
The site added 120 jobs in its first
year of operation and is expected
to generate an economic impact
of $440 million in the first five
years of operation.
The Metro Denver region’s
central location and growing
economy combine to make the
area one of the country’s most
important transportation hubs.
The region’s transportation
system is among the best in the
country—with a modern and
efficient airport, an expanding
multimodal infrastructure, and
long-established rail service.
Denver International Airport
(DEN), one of the world’s most
modern and efficient airports, is
23 miles from downtown Denver.
DEN continually implements
its vision of a modern, globally
connected airport and recently
opened the 519-roomWestin
Denver International Airport
Hotel and Conference Center
and the University of Colorado A
line commuter rail line to Denver
Union Station.
Tom Clark
CEO, Metro Denver Economic
Development Corporation
Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.
