Denver’s Northern Tier Counties Poised for Growth
Published Nov 19, 2008
Family-owned Hi Country Wire & Telephone in Arvada specializes in setting up business phone systems.
With a vibrant economy, attractive incentives and desirable location, the Metro North Region is expanding rapidly.
“We’re fortunate, given today’s economic picture around the country, that we’re in the place we are,” says Craig Carlson, chairman of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce and managing member of Carlson Parkhill LLC, a development company. “Colorado in general is a bubble, and Denver’s got a solid community, but Metro North is where all the growth is occurring and going to occur. We really are in the right place at the right time.”
Carlson emphasizes that the region’s success didn’t happen in a vacuum; rather, it is the result of the Metro North Chamber and more than a dozen municipalities, four county governments and economic development entities working together over time.
“It’s taken a lot of team- and coalition-building to bring this about, and the Metro North Chamber has been an integral part of that,” he says. “We’ve worked to bridge the gaps between the communities so that we all speak with one unified voice about our common goals and interests.”
A Lab for the State
State officials like to hear about local cooperation, because it usually means their advice and assistance are being sought, says Jeff Holwell, director of business development for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
“We have programs for technical assistance, site selection assistance, economic incentives, job training incentives and targeted industry programs that suit Metro North very well,” Holwell says. “They have a lot of great infrastructure and access to a growing demographic and market. They also are a full mix of office and industrial space, so we can provide assistance across a broad range.”
Metro North’s business mix allows the state to use the region a bit like a lab, working with the various economic development groups and business associations to determine what programs are working better than others – and then tinker accordingly.
“It’s a very symbiotic relationship,” he says. “They do a very good job with their own programs, and they help us as much as we help them.”
The Convenience Factor
Companies with a longtime presence in the area are capitalizing on the growth around them, expanding their operations to tap into the market’s new players.
“The high-tech industry … really flourished in the 1990s,” says Jim Whitfield, vice president and director of network sales and operations for Hi Country Wire & Telephone Ltd. in Arvada. “Now that we’re past the dot-com bubble, things have stabilized – and we’re seeing a rebirth. This has become a good place for these businesses and things like info-tech and call centers to come in and set up shop.”
On a larger scale there’s MWH Global Inc., a provider of consulting, engineering, construction and management services in water, natural resources and infrastructure, which has its international headquarters in Broomfield. The company opened its local offices in 2001 and has become well established here, says Paul Lonnegren, vice president of corporate communications.
“We’ve got about 7,000 employees across all the continents, so we’re very spread out,” Lonnegren says. “This has been a terrific location for a number of reasons, including proximity to the top engineering talent that’s produced by the schools here, and proximity to Denver International Airport, which is convenient for our executives and other employees who travel.”
“We also think that our location has made recruiting and retaining people for the jobs that we have here in Colorado easier,” he says.
More Insight
Adams County Hub
The building boom in the Metro North Region includes the Adams Crossing development, which will serve as the governmental center for Adams County.
Groundbreaking for the project occurred in September 2008, and construction is expected to be in full swing by spring 2009.
Upon completion, the 685-acre, mixed-use development will house a 450,000-square-foot campus for more than 1,200 county employees.
Adams Crossing is in Brighton, near the intersection of Interstate 76 and E-470.
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Todd Bennett
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