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Blockbuster announcements put Colorado in international spotlight
 Arrow Electronics, Inc.,
a global provider of products, services, and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions, announced in October that its Colorado operations in Englewood will become the company's global headquarters, effective Nov. 15. Arrow Electronics currently employs approximately 1,000 workers in Colorado.
Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 140 company, serves customers in 52 countries and had 2010 sales of $18.7 billion. The company's global corporate headquarters was located in Melville, N.Y.
"This change puts Arrow Electronics firmly in the heart of this country's epicenter for innovation," said Michael J. Long, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Arrow Electronics. "We want our global corporate headquarters located in a state that's committed to supporting business growth and is collaborative in spirit. Colorado is that place. As we embark on the next phase of our company's history, we look forward to Colorado being the global headquarters for the 52 countries that we serve."
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News release
GE announced in October its plans to build the nation's largest solar panel manufacturing facility in Aurora. Colorado edged out several other states for one of this year's most coveted economic development projects.
When completed, the advanced manufacturing facility will create 355 jobs over the next three to five years. Colorado already is home to GE Energy's thin film solar pilot line, where joint technology advancements from GE's Global Research Center and PrimeStar Solar have been validated and tested. GE completed the acquisition of Colorado-based PrimeStar earlier this year. Solar panels produced in GE's new Colorado factory will also be more efficient, lighter weight, and larger than conventional thin film panels.
"The Colorado location will allow us to deliver our technology roadmap faster and commercialize industry-leading panel efficiencies sooner. We also look forward to continuing to build our relationships with Colorado's local, state, and federal officials who have been extremely helpful as we moved through the site selection process," said Victor Abate, vice president of GE's Renewable Energy business.
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News Release
Learn more:
» News and Deals on metrodenver.org
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Efforts to land Asia nonstop continue
 Denver's efforts to attract a nonstop flight to Asia continue to gain momentum.
Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Denver International Airport Aviation Manager Kim Day, and Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation CEO Tom Clark returned late last week from a three-day trip to Tokyo, where they met with officials from All Nippon Airways (ANA) on the prospect of direct service from Denver.
ANA recently flew its inaugural flight of the highly anticipated Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Experts say the energy-efficient plane would be perfect for flying a fully loaded nonstop to Denver.
"The 787 is the 'best fit' aircraft for a nonstop from Denver to Tokyo," explained Clark. "For the past three years, we have been actively recruiting ANA to open service to Denver. The 280-passenger 787 works well for the route. It is small enough to ensure profitability for the airline and its vastly improved fuel efficiency allows it to serve smaller markets at greater distances."
While in Tokyo, the group hosted a reception for Japanese companies, met with the U.S. Embassy, and toured the city of Narita, a model for cutting-edge aviation development and expansion.
A nonstop to Asia is the crucial piece in the region's and state's long-term global strategy, expressed Clark.
"With the help of our business community, we are developing a ticket bank to show ANA that we have demand for the flight. Our recent successes in recruiting GE and Arrow Electronics were of high interest to them as well," explained Clark.
DIA's most recent success in recruiting a new international nonstop is Icelandair, which will begin year-round,
nonstop service from Denver to Reykjavik in May 2012. This new flight will connect the Mile High City to more than 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
Learn more:
» International Flights - metrodenver.org
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Gov. Hickenlooper releases updated economic development plan
 Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper released in late October an updated version of the
statewide economic development plan created earlier this year to spur Colorado's economy, help businesses grow, and attract new jobs to the state.
"Colorado is already seeing the benefits of taking a bottom-up, collaborative approach to economic development," Hickenlooper said. "Earlier this month Arrow Electronics announced it will locate its global headquarters in Colorado and GE committed to building the largest solar manufacturing facility in the country here. We want to thank the thousands of Coloradans who continue to contribute to the bottom-up economic development plan. We know that through a comprehensive and collaborative approach to economic development our state will reap the benefits of new jobs and a strong recovery."
The Colorado Blueprint: A bottom-up approach to economic development
was released for public comment at the end of the summer after an unprecedented effort that engaged every county in Colorado on how best to improve the state's economy.
The latest version of the plan includes more explicit details, clarified leadership roles and accountability, tighter timelines, and more specific measureable outcomes on the 24 tactics outlined in the document. One notable change is the identification of a three-dimensional strategy that will align resources and strategies on a state, regional, and industry cluster level.
Learn more:
» Colorado Blueprint
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