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Year-End 2007/January 2008
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Top deals for 2007 bring significant jobs and investment to region
New business activity is thriving in Metro Denver and Northern Colorado, with several companies announcing the location or expansion of their operations in 2007:
AVA Solar, a Colorado State University-created startup, announced plans to open a facility in Fort Collins where it will mass-produce low-cost, high-efficiency solar panels. AVA's factory, which will transform ordinary window glass into solar panels, will be operational by the end of 2008 and will employ up to 500 people.
Lufthansa launched a new nonstop flight from Denver to Munich in April 2007, with the Metro Denver EDC providing $200,000 to support the flight. With an annual economic impact of $108 million, the international flight will be a catalyst for commerce between the Metro Denver region and Bavaria, and provide the region's companies increased assess to Europe.
United Launch Alliance (ULA), a new 50/50 joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin to combine the companies' expendable launch vehicle business, established its corporate headquarters in Centennial in 2007. The new partnership employs 1,500 people, combining the production, engineering, test, and launch operations associated with U.S. government launches of Boeing Delta and Lockheed Martin Atlas rockets.
Vestas Wind Systems
of Denmark broke ground in June 2007 on its first North American manufacturing plant in Windsor. Vestas initially announced a new $62 million, 200,000-square-foot facility that would produce 1,200 wind turbine blades a year, providing 450 manufacturing jobs in Northern Colorado. In late 2007, the company announced that due to increased product demand, it would expand its original plans for its plant by 50 percent, adding 250 workers and two additional production lines capable of producing 1,800 blades annually.
Read more:
» Site Selection Center on metrodenver.org
»
Business Relocations and Expansions (Excel file)
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New Web sites provide vast site selection capabilities
In 2007, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC) launched two new Web sites, www.metrodenverGIS.org and www.metrodenver.org,
providing site selectors and C-level executives innovative site selection and research tools for the Metro Denver and Northern Colorado region.
Launched at the CoreNet Global Conference which took place in Denver in April 2007, metrodenverGIS.org provides advanced features for searching real estate throughout the region. The site also allows users to create corresponding demographic reports as well as the ability to rapidly tailor maps, aerial photos, and detailed business lists.
In Nov. 2007, the Metro Denver EDC launched a newly redesigned and significantly enhanced metrodenver.org Web site. New features include a
Site Selection Center serving as a one-stop-shop for national site selectors and C-level execs with details on company relocations and expansions, as well as real estate, tax, and incentive information.
Additional new features include a
DataCart for collecting and sharing research, Industry Profiles with data and info on the region's top-six industries, an expanded
Demographics & Communities section, Mile High Advantages features, a
Company database to search over 60,000 regional companies, and a Cost of Living Calculator.
For more information or questions on either site, contact Janet Fritz, director of marketing and technology for the Metro Denver EDC, at 303.620.8039.
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2008 legislative agenda has strong economic development focus
 Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has proposed a significant
economic development package for the 2008 Colorado General Assembly to enhance the competitiveness of Colorado and its top industries.
Major components of the package include:
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Simplifying Colorado's corporate income tax structure through a "single factor" apportionment, allowing companies to pay taxes based solely on their "sales" in the state
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Raising Colorado's Business Personal Property Tax exemption from $2,500 to $7,000 over the next five years
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Eliminating the "Fly Away Tax" on small jets manufactured in Colorado and sold in other states or countries
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Creating a $3.5 million annual fund to support Colorado's burgeoning bioscience industry
In his 2008 State of the State Address, Gov. Ritter called for bi-partisan collaboration to make meaningful progress on complex funding issues for higher education and transportation -- two pillars of Colorado's economy.
Gov. Ritter also shared details on his new Jobs Cabinet to ensure that Colorado's economic development strategies, education programs, and regional workforce needs are aligned and producing a high-quality, 21st century labor force. In addition, Gov. Ritter announced the next phase of his "New Energy Economy" agenda with plans to create a Colorado Carbon Fund, new residential solar and insulation incentives, and tools to help residents and businesses reduce their carbon footprint.
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