News & Deals

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Charles Schwab named "2009 Deal of the Year"

The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation named Charles Schwab the "Deal of the Year" award winner at its Annual Report to Investors and Awards Luncheon on June 11, 2009, recognizing the company for its significant economic impact to the region through new job creation and capital investment.

Based in San Francisco, Charles Schwab announced in January 2009 that it will significantly expand its Colorado operations, bringing 500 new jobs to Douglas County. The company will phase in the new jobs over the next three years, beginning in mid-2009. The jobs will be primarily technology positions, paying an average salary of $75,000. The expansion of tech jobs to the state is part of Charles Schwab's "long-term geographic strategy" according to company officials. The expansion provides an overall economic benefit to the state of $157.3 million a year.

2010 Major Relocations and Expansions

(by date of announcement - most recent first)

Lockheed Martin Corp. opened a new 25,000-square-foot cybersecurity intelligence center for the federal government in Denver in March 2010. The $17 million facility features large open space for collaborative cybersecurity work by Lockheed, its partners, NASA, and other federal agencies.
Raytheon Company, based in Aurora, received a $887 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a new element of the Global Positioning System. The company will add 300 high-paying jobs--100 new employees this year at its 2,200-employee Aurora campus--where work focuses primarily on software development, and another 200 workers added in 2011.
Anheuser-Busch Inc., parent of Budweiser and the nation's largest beermaker, is adding a regional sales offices in Denver as part of major organizational changes to its sales and marketing functions. The company already has a significant Colorado presence, including a major brewery in Fort Collins.
The University of Colorado Hospital announced it will create 150 jobs on the Anschutz Medical Campus as part of a $67 million project to implement an integrated, patient-centered electronic medical record across all clinical areas. The average salary of staff working on the implementation is $74,000 a year.
Scottrade, a leading branch-supported online investing firm purchased a 204,000-square-foot office building in the Westmoor Technology Park in Westminster. The building will serve as a secondary business operations center. The company plans to hire 285 people in the next five years.
Centura Health announced in January 2010 plans for a $23.6 million, 40,000-square-foot medical office building and 20,000-square-foot emergency room in Castle Rock. The new facility is slated to break ground in summer 2010.
General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, opened an enterprise data center in January 2010 in Westminster to support a project with the Department of Homeland Security. When fully staffed, the unit will employ 100 workers at its new LEED-certified facility.
Kidrobot, a premier creator of limited edition art toys and apparel, announced in January 2010 its decision to move the company's corporate headquarters from New York to Boulder. The company plans to be operational in Boulder by April 2010 and will move half its New York staff and plans to create 20-25 new jobs locally.
Mywedding.com will locate its corporate headquarters in Castle Rock, adding 20 high-paying jobs. The company, with offices in Seattle and Portland, is adding this location to facilitate its continued growth. The company offers easy-to-use local guides, free wedding Web sites, and online tools.

2009 Major Relocations and Expansions

(by date of announcement - most recent first)

IBM is expanding its operations in Boulder and will be hiring around 500 customer service positions, in addition to the 2,800 people who already work at the Boulder location. The City of Boulder approved IBM's flexible rebate application, authorizing up to $35,000 in rebates for sales and use taxes. IBM will also get training funds from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Sierra Nevada, a Nevada-based, woman-owned firm specializing in the engineering and development of high-tech electronics, communications systems, and space technology, is expanding its operations in Centennial, adding 200 new jobs.
SolarCity specializes in solar financing, design, installation, monitoring and related services. The company expects to hire 30-40 new employees in Colorado initially, and also plans to open a separate operations facility in Metro Denver, with solar installations expected to begin this spring. SolarLease will initially be available to Colorado homeowners served by Xcel Energy in the region.
PMC Technology A/S of Denmark has leased 43,320 square feet in the Coors Technology Center in Golden for its first U.S. operation and its parent company's North American headquarters. The company is part of the PMC Group AB of Sweden, a manufacturer of hydraulic components for wind turbines and other industrial uses. PMC chose the Colorado location to be close to one of its largest customers, Vestas. The company expects to employ 40 people.
SGB USA, Inc., a leading manufacturer of industrial transformers, will open its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Wheat Ridge. SGB’s parent company, Starkstrom - Geratebau GmbH (SGB), is based in Regensburg, Germany. SGB USA, Inc., will create $1.4 million in new capital investment and six new manufacturing jobs.
Spokespeople for Denver-based software publisher Quark Inc. say the company’s new product – Quark Promote, a software platform created to help small businesses develop marketing materials – could support up to 500 local jobs over the next several years.
Germany-based SMA Solar Technology announced in October 2009 that it will open its first North American manufacturing plant in Denver. The facility will be the largest solar inverter production facility in the U.S. and SMA’s first manufacturing plant outside of Germany. Production is expected to start in 2010 with 300 employees and a capacity to expand to 700. The plant is located at Enterprise Park at Stapleton.
The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory’s Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) broke ground in October 2009 at the Aurora Campus for Renewable Energy. Spokespeople say the 74-acre facility for solar testing will be one of the largest of its kind nationwide.
Tridaq, Inc., a leading reseller of 3D CAD software, Solidworks, announced the location of a new facility in Englewood in October 2009. The company chose the location to serve new manufacturing customers in the Rocky Mountain region.
Nanopartz, the world's largest producer of shaped gold nanoparticle products, announced in October 2009 that it will locate a wet chemistry lab in Loveland. The company plans to expand to 51 employees within five years, building a new facility in the third year. Salaries range from $50,000 to $75,000.
SunRun became a member of Colorado's New Energy Economy in October 2009. The California-based company offers homeowners the opportunity to lease solar power systems, providing another way for consumers to save energy costs and access clean energy. SunRun is expanding its business to Colorado as a direct outgrowth of the passage of Senate Bill 51 allowing solar companies to build rooftop systems that homeowners can lease instead of own, dramatically reducing upfront costs for consumers and creating a new marketplace and job expansion for solar installers.
Denmark-based Bach Composite Industry announced in September 2009 that it will locate its first North American manufacturing plant in Fort Lupton. Bach’s new facility will utilize a highly sophisticated manufacturing process to produce premium-quality composite products for wind energy customers in Colorado and North America such as Brighton-based Vestas Nacelles America Inc. Bach will employ 100 to 150 workers at full production, which is scheduled to begin in early 2010.
REpower USA Corp., the wholly-owned subsidiary of German wind energy manufacturer REpower Systems AG, announced in August 2009 that it would move its U.S. headquarters from Portland, OR to Denver. The heaquarters will include all administrative, sales, and project management functions.
Intuit announced plans in August 2009 to expand its call center in south Denver by hiring 100 new staff over the next 12 months. A company spokesperson says Denver was selected for the call center originally because of the region's "deep talent pool" and its relatively low operating costs compared with a similar facility in Silicon Valley.
Hosting.com, a leader in hosting and colocation solutions, announced in July 2009 that it is expanding by opening a 30,000-square-foot datacenter and moving its corporate headquarters to Denver from Kentucky. The company opened a 13,000- square-foot corporate complex in Denver in late August 2009. Company owners Art Zeile and Joel Daly have operated three successful high-tech firms, all headquartered in Denver, including InFlow, Inc., sold to Sungard in 2005.
DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services based in El Segundo, CA, announced in May 2009 that it will locate its corporate headquarters in Denver. Since DaVita started in 1999, it has grown to become a FORTUNE 500(R) company with nearly $6 billion in annual revenues.
Lightning Hybrids announced in mid-2009 that it will create 50 primary jobs in Loveland. The hybrid vehicle startup projects it will employ 17 R&D professionals by year-end 2009, and will add 51 manufacturing jobs by mid-2010 with the potential to grow to 300 by 2013. The company projects an output of 6,000 cars by 2013.
Abound Solar opened a new manufacturing facility in Longmont (Unincorporated Weld County) in April 2009. The company produces next-generation, thin-film photovoltaic modules and has 200 employees, with plans to hire 200-300 more.
Vestas Wind Systems, the world's leading manufacturer of wind turbines, broke ground in March 2009 on two manufacturing plants in Brighton for blades and nacelles. With a capital investment of $290 million, Vestas will employ 1,350 people at the facilities.
Ascent Solar opened its new world headquarters in March 2009 in Thornton. A developer of state-of-the-art, thin-film photovoltaic modules, Ascent will employ 300 people at the 145,000-square-foot plant, with plans to add an additional 200 employees in two years.
Enterprise-Rent-A-Car announced on February 23, 2009 that it will create 100 jobs at its new Western U.S. Claims Center in Fort Collins.
CoorsTek held a ribbon-cutting on February 17, 2009 for its 75,000-square-foot factory in Golden where it will manufacture armor for tanks and other military vehicles.
Hexcel Corporation, a Connecticut-based manufacturer, held a groundbreaking ceremony in February 2009 for its new plant in Windsor. Hexcel, a producer of carbon fiber and other advanced composite materials, is a supplier to Vestas Wind Systems and will build its new facility near Vestas' blade-manufacturing plant in Windsor.
DigitalGlobe, the world’s leading provider of high resolution commercial imagery, expanded its corporate headquarters in Longmont in early 2009. The company signed a lease for 30,710 square feet.
GE Energy's Control Solutions division, a provider of products and services for turbines, generators, compressors, and controllers for hydroelectric and nuclear power plants, celebrated the grand opening of a new facility with 180 employees, also in Longmont.
Creative Foam, a designer and manufacturer of foams and plastics for the automotive, medical, and composite markets, announced in January 2009 that it is leasing 70,000 square feet in Longmont. The Michigan-based company is expanding in Colorado to service Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems, which opened its first North American manufacturing facility in Windsor in 2008 and is further expanding in the state with other facilities planned in Brighton and Pueblo (see below in 2008 announcements).
PrimeStar Solar, a developer and manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaic modules for large-scale commercial applications expanded to 106,000 square feet of new space in Arvada. Headquartered in Golden, PrimeStar is scaling up its proprietary semiconductor technology for low-cost high-volume manufacturing at the facility. GE Energy is a major shareholder in PrimeStar.
Pulte Mortgage is bringing its national headquarters to Arapahoe County, constructing a 95,000-square-foot building in the Inverness Business Park, which will be complete in late 2009. Pulte has an existing presence in the region and will consolidate all operations to the building, with space for 500 employees.

2008 Major Relocations and Expansions

(alphabetically)

ABSL Space Products, a manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for the aerospace industry, expanded in early 2008 in Longmont. Company officials plan to employ 35 to 50 people at the new site. ABSL, which also has an office in Boulder, is a supplier to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boeing, and the U.S. Air Force.
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer of state-of-the-art, thinfilm photovoltaic modules, announced in February 2008 the purchase of a large-scale manufacturing facility to house the company’s new world headquarters and commercial manufacturing operations in Thornton. The plant has 120,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space. The expansion is expected to create approximately 300 manufacturing jobs.
Atkins Nutritionals moved its headquarters to Denver in early 2008 from Melville, N.Y. Atkins, which was bought by East Coast private-equity firm North Castle Partners, moved into 22,000 square feet in downtown Denver. The Denver Atkins office employs about 25 people, and the company plans to hire 10 more, including staff in finance and marketing.
Abound Solar, (formerly AVA Solar) a Colorado State University-created startup, announced plans in early 2008 to open a facility in Longmont (Unincorporated Weld County) 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.
Berry Petroleum announced in March 2008 that it will relocate its corporate headquarters to Denver from Bakersfield, CA. Company officials say the move is the result of increased activity in the Rockies and the fact that Denver is a recognized center for energy companies.
Clear Skies Solar, Inc., a leading developer of solar energy products and a full-service solar power integration provider, announced in April 2008 that it would open a new office in Golden to provide operations in the entire Colorado region and ultimately deliver engineering support to accommodate its growth in the Southwest.
Cochlear Americas, the world’s leader in advanced hearing solutions, signed a long-term lease agreement in early 2008 to relocate its U.S. headquarters to Centennial. Cochlear Americas will occupy more than 74,000 square feet of space, consolidating the company's two separate Englewood facilities and moving 200 corporate executive and operations employees into one location by the end of June 2008.
The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory announced in April 2008 the creation of the Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion (CRSP) to find ways to directly convert the sun's energy to low-cost electricity and fuels. CRSP will be dedicated to basic and applied research at the Collaboratory's four member institutions, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Constant Contact, Inc., a leading provider of e-mail marketing and online surveys for small organizations, announced in June 2008 plans to open a second office in Loveland, which marks the company’s first expansion beyond its current corporate headquarters in Waltham, MA. By the end of 2008, the company expects to grow the Colorado office to 50 customer operations personnel. Constant Contact will begin its operations in temporary offices in July before moving to a newly constructed 50,000 square-foot office building in the first half of 2009.
Covidien Ltd. – formerly Tyco Healthcare – broke ground in May 2008 on an expansion of its Boulder campus. The 55,000-square-foot addition will house some of Covidien’s 1,437-person staff plus a new facility where surgeons can test the company’s medical devices and supplies. Covidien consolidated its Valleylab and Nellcor Puritan Bennett divisions under one name last year.
GE Energy, a supplier of power generation and energy delivery technologies, announced in late 2008 that it is expanding in Longmont at a 152,218-square-foot office building that will serve as its global Control Solutions headquarters. The building will house 180-full time employees and allows for future expansion.
Google expanded its presence in Boulder in early 2008 with its relocation to the former Noodles & Company headquarters building in Boulder. An estimated 75 employees work at the 23,000-square-foot building.
IBM Corp. opened an $86 million, 80,000-square-foot expansion at its Boulder campus in 2008 that serves as a major hub for its global services division and as an energy-efficient, "green" computing hub. IBM's Boulder 300,000-square-foot campus employs 3,400, making it one of IBM’s largest data center operations in the world.
IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, announced September 10, 2008 plans for a store that would increase the Swedish retailer’s presence in the western United States. Located in Centennial, 15 miles south of Downtown Denver, the 400,000-square-foot proposed store would be built on 13.5 acres in the Park Meadows area.
Jackson Life Insurance Company moved its operations in 2008 to the Denver Tech Center to accommodate future growth. The Michigan-based company has grown its local workforce to 650 employees since it began operations in Denver in 1995 and expects to add another 400 local workers over the next several years.
Kaiser Permanente announced plans in June 2008 to bring a national customer service division employing 200 to the region. Currently located in Ft. Worth, TX, Kaiser Permanente’s Consolidated Service Center (CSC) will move a portion of operations to California and the remaining functions will relocate to Colorado.
NetSuite Inc., a San Mateo, Calif.-based vendor of business management software, opened a sales and service office in Centennial in August 2008. Company officials say the site will employ 65 people and that "the information technology sector is growing rapidly in the Greater Denver and Centennial areas, due in no small part to the region's qualified and educated workforce."
Petroleum Development Corp. announced in September 2008 that it will move its corporate headquarters from Bridgeport, West Virginia to Denver. With over 80 percent of the company's production in the Rockies, company officials said "the move is in response to a need for its executive management and key employees to be in Denver near our largest asset base and in a national oil and gas hub."
Quark Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in California, is using $27 million in new funding to grow the clinical development arm of its business and add to its Boulder staff. The company is working on a treatment for macular degeneration and a drug that prevents surgery-related kidney damage. The company says its local workforce could grow to 25 positions by the end of 2008.
Renewable Energy Systems Americas, Inc. (RES-Americas), one of the country's leading wind farm developers, announced plans in March 2008 to move its corporate headquarters from Austin, TX to Broomfield. The company will relocate 70 jobs from Texas in addition to making 70 local hires.
Siemens Energy announced in June 2008 that it will establish its U.S. wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder. The facility is expected to employ an estimated 50 people and will focus on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics, and wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, a British satellite company, opened its new U.S. headquarters in Douglas County in 2008. The company, Surrey Satellite Technology U.S. could eventually employ 250 people according to company officials, who say they chose to locate in Metro Denver because of "its well-developed space industry and military installations."
Vestas Wind Systems opened its first North American manufacturing plant in Windsor in March 2008. The $62 million, 400,000-square-foot facility will produce 1,200 wind turbine blades a year, eventually providing 650 manufacturing jobs in Northern Colorado. Vestas announced plans in August 2008 to significantly expand in Colorado with two new facilities that will employ 1,300 people in Brighton. One facility, a wind turbine blade manufacturing plant, will supplement its existing blade production facility in Windsor. The second factory will assemble nacelles, housings for turbine generators and other sensitive components. The nacelle factory is Vestas' largest and the first such factory in the U.S. The company also announced it will build a $250 million tower factory in Pueblo with 550 employees.
Vixxi Solutions, an enhanced 911 call center technology company, announced in September 2008 that it would relocate its executive team to Greenwood Village, making the city home to the company’s sales, marketing and finance. The 27-employee company has been based in Irving, Texas. Vixxi’s technology operations will remain there, The move brings four Vixxi decision makers to the Denver area and in closer proximity to Broomfield-based Level 3 Communications Inc.
VMware, a Palo Alto, CA-based software company announced in early 2008 that it is expanding its presence in Broomfield with the lease of 50,000 square feet in the Interlocken Business Park. The company anticipates bringing up to 300 new jobs to the site in the next two years. VMware develops software that allows companies to use servers to run operating systems and programs on various PCs.
Woodward Governor of Fort Collins announced in 2008 the addition of 100 new high-paying jobs at a new production line in Northern Colorado for its wind turbine inverter business. Inverters convert a wind turbine's output into electrical power compatible for the grid.
Xcel Energy announced in March 2008 the selection of Boulder to pilot the "SmartGrid City" project, which allows customers to access real-time information on energy prices and peak use periods. Officials hope the information will help customers modify their usage and limit the burden on the city’s power grid. Phase one of the $100 million project began August 2008.