Boasting some of the nation's top research institutions and a highly educated workforce, Colorado has set its sights on jobs of the future — renewable energy, bioscience and aerospace.

One of Gov. Bill Ritter's four economic development proposals now before the Colorado General Assembly, set to adjourn in May, is to increase by $1.4 million investments by the Colorado Clean Energy Fund in new energy economy companies, projects and jobs. Backed by gaming fees, the fund offers grants to public and private organizations working in emerging-energy technologies. Ritter also proposes expansion of Colorado FIRST workforce-training programs at community colleges, particularly for jobs in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation.

Targeting the renewable-energy sector is something Colorado residents enthusiastically support. In a 2008 citizen survey sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Colorado, 77 percent of respondents strongly agreed and 17 percent somewhat agreed with this statement: “The state of Colorado should support the new energy economy that provides jobs in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power and biofuels.” There's nothing like a mandate.

Ritter is also pushing legislation this year to provide tax-credit incentives for companies that create at least 20 new jobs and to provide small and family-owned businesses with immediate access to capital and credit through a Colorado Credit Reserve Program. Ritter foresees restoring and expanding a state pool guaranty program to encourage lenders to extend credit up to $500,000 to Colorado businesses. By committing $2.5 million to this program at a maximum of 2.5 percent per loan, the state could leverage more than $50 million in new loans.

Jeff Holwell, director of business development for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, characterizes Colorado government as “a lean, mean machine. We're one of the fiscally smaller state governments in the country.” That means a business-friendly regulatory and tax environment, he says, adding, “We have job creation and job training incentives, and I think they do help close deals.”

Industries And Innovations

Demonstrating that Colorado means business when it comes to renewable energy, look no further than Vestas, a wind-energy company based in Denmark, which is making a significant investment in the state. Once the company's new Colorado plants are all in operation, its commitment to the state will represent a $700 million capital investment and 2,450 new jobs.

In March 2008, Colorado celebrated the opening of Vestas' first North American manufacturing plant in Windsor near Fort Collins. The 400,000-square-foot plant employs about 650 people and produces 1,800 giant wind blades a year. Expected to be operational in July 2010 are new Vestas facilities in Brighton, northeast of Denver. Under construction is another blade-manufacturing plant and a factory to produce 1,400 nacelles a year and create 700 new jobs. Nacelles are the units that sit on top of the towers and house components like the gearbox, generator and transformer.

Vestas' fourth Colorado investment is the world's largest wind-tower manufacturing plant, scheduled to open in Pueblo as early as August. The plant will produce up to 900 steel towers annually and employ about 550 workers. Vestas purchased 800 acres in the new 3,000-acre St. Charles Industrial Park, just south of the Pueblo city limits, where short-rail lines are also under construction, says Dan Centa, president, Pueblo Economic Development Corp.

There's also energy in Colorado's biosciences sector, which encompasses biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and agricultural biotechnology. Nearly 400 bioscience companies call Colorado home, employing about 16,000 people and creating another 20,000 indirect jobs.

Flying high is Colorado's aerospace industry, ranked second in the United States for private employment with about 24,700 workers. More than 100 companies are engaged in the research, development and production of products and systems for commercial, military and space applications, ranging from guided missiles and space vehicles to satellite telecommunications and space imaging.

Another successful Colorado sector is tourism, boosted by the scenic beauty of the Rocky Mountains. The state welcomed 28 million overnight domestic visitors in 2007, and those visitors spent a record $9.8 billion.

Talent And Education

Asked what attracted Vestas to Colorado, Holwell says, “It's our workforce. Depending on which ranking you look at, we rate in the top five in almost every one of them in terms of an educated workforce.”

Holwell says the state is looking “holistically” at workforce education. “When I say holistically, it's not just training to get a bachelor's degree. There are lots of jobs out there that require more of a trade education than a university education.” Pueblo Community College's Gorsich Advanced Technology Center is a nationally lauded example of that approach, offering sophisticated training for a broad range of students. Centa said the college was “one of the major reasons” that Vestas chose Pueblo for its tower plant. In fact, the director of the college's Economic and Workforce Development Division, John Vukich, traveled to Denmark to get a first-hand look at Vestas' manufacturing operations. Vestas benefits from the proximity to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Wind Technology Center, which is located south of Boulder and focuses on turbine research and testing of wind applications.

André Pettigrew, executive director of the Denver Office of Economic Development, hails the U.S. Department of Labor's WIRED initiative for helping ensure skilled workers for knowledge-based jobs. WIRED stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, and metropolitan Denver is Colorado's only designated WIRED region, receiving a $15 million research grant to support training in high-tech sectors. Part of that money is funneling directly to Denver-area high schools. “Getting our kids connected in the early years around science, technology, engineering and math is really important,” Pettigrew says. “The WIRED project has allowed us to propagate that message, develop prototype programs and begin to build that pipeline of students and be responsive to these growing industry sector needs.”

Assets

While interstate systems connect Colorado's major cities and the state enjoys an extensive rail system, Denver International Airport is the transportation crown jewel. Opened in 1995, the $4.5 billion airport “has exceeded all expectations,” Pettigrew says. “It's the fifth-busiest airport in the country and the 10th busiest in the world.” In 2007, nearly 137,000 passengers passed through DIA a day. Served by 22 commercial airlines, nonstop service is offered to more than 150 destinations worldwide.

Because DIA still has room to grow, Pettigrew says the airport has an advantage over landlocked airports on both U.S. coasts, and that offers the Rocky Mountain region enviable economic-development opportunities.

Lifestyle

Pettigrew says DIA contributes to Colorado's “quality of place,” a term that he says describes attributes that are developed, such as museums and their art collections, performance halls and their symphonies, ballparks and their teams. Denver certainly has its share of those — Pepsi Center for hockey and basketball, Coors Field for baseball and Invesco Field for football. On the flip side, Pettigrew describes quality-of-life characteristics as “those God-given assets that make a community beautiful. It's the blue sky, it's the mountain backdrops, it's the 300-plus sunny days.” Adding that Colorado is blessed with both, he says, “When you combine quality of life and quality of place, that's the differentiator. That attracts quality companies and quality individuals.”

For complete details on conducting business in Colorado, visit:

www.colorado.gov

www.milehigh.com

www.pedco.org