A CEO’s Insights

Let’s not kid ourselves. Luck plays an important element in a region’s successful economic development. When it comes to luck, Metro Denver has had its share. For example, the Cold War set the stage for Colorado’s key role in aerospace when the Department of Defense needed a safe location out of…

Tom was recently interviewed by The Villager about the 2016 Industry Cluster Study and what we can expect for the year. The following article, by Jan Wondra, highlights Tom’s take on affordable housing and employment growth: “We are highly encouraged with the momentum we see in our industry…

The beginning of 2016 is a bit of a shock. National and international stock markets shudder with China’s pending recession. The Saudis continue to pump oil at prices like the 1970s, resulting in U.S. job losses just as we stand on the precipice of becoming both the No. 1 producer of natural gas AND…

In the early 90s, Metro Denver voters approved the Metropolitan Stadium District (MSD) as part of an effort to recruit Major League Baseball. The region had spent almost 20 years beseeching baseball’s owners for a team that would fill a fan void in the Rocky Mountain West. Metro voters, suspicious…

Site selectors are consultants to companies looking to expand or relocate facilities on behalf of their clients, often Fortune 100 companies. This week, September 16–20 is the Metro Denver EDC’s annual Site Selection Conference. Each year, the Metro Denver EDC invites 8-9 nationally known…

For many companies seeking a new location, a right-to-work state is often in the top-criteria. This is increasingly common among foreign companies, who, saddled with often onerous work rules in their countries, are seeking a labor environment where the companies have greater flexibility in job…

Recently, Forbes magazine ranked Metro Denver No. 1 in its annual “Best Places for Businesses and Careers” list. Four other cities landed in the top 40. Fort Collins ranked 10th along with Boulder, Greeley, and Colorado Springs at 26, 33, and 37 respectively.  We often call Colorado “a place where…

On Wednesday, June 3, Adams County, Commerce City, Aurora, and Denver concluded two years of negotiations, resulting in a new development agreement for land on and off Denver International Airport. The agreement lays out how revenues will be shared and how the Airport environs will be marketed.…

By 2022, China is expected to have over 630 million middle class citizens, spending $3.4 trillion annually according to Dominic Martin for The Diplomat. This new demographic already buys more flat panel TVs than most of the other prominent Asian economies combined. As China increasingly opens its…

The Metro Denver EDC’s Annual Meeting was a celebration of economic success.  For those present, the parody of yours truly as “Metro Denver’s Most Interesting Man” was a clearly a spoof of the Dos Equis Man, all designed to bring humor and fun to an event that can be leaden. Subsequent media…

Colorado’s renowned quality of life long has offered its residents almost limitless possibilities. Now, for many of us, one very important thing is missing — the American dream of owning a home. You’ve seen the disturbing headlines: A growing number of Coloradans are being priced out of…

Metro Denver is the epicenter of the "fly-over zone" – beautiful mountains, verdant plains, and few people. As the editor of the Times of London once wrote in the late 1990s, "Denver has no reason to exist. Perhaps that's why its inhabitants engage in such superlatives." He had flown here, non-…