Background

The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce (SMDCC) has a very optimistic view of the future for the economies of the Denver Metro area, Colorado and U.S.  This optimism is based on the following indicators:

1. The south Denver Metro counties are the 2nd fastest growing population centers and possess the 2nd highest average household incomes in the nation! 
2. Population and immigration growth in Colorado, the region and the nation.  This will fuel increases in job growth and consumerism.
3. Demographical changes in Baby-Boomers, Gen-X,-Y,-Z and Millennials will explode the number of buyers with incomes to support alternative energy vehicle and power system purchases starting in 2008.
4. Colorado has been and is continuing to become a technology center for the U.S., if not the world.  With the most highly educated workforce in the country the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, is growing as a center for:

1. Military and space technology,
1. Buckley Air Force Base
2. Peterson Air Force Base Complex
1. Shriever Air Force Base
2. Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station
3. Air Force Space Command
4. North American Aerospace Defense Command
5. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
6. Joint National Integration Center
7. Space Innovation and Development Center
3. Fort Carson
1. Home to the Army’s 3rd Mechanized Division, the most technologically advanced military division in the world
4. Air Force Academy
2. Aerospace research, development and manufacturing,
1. University of Colorado
1. Boulder – top 10 Astrophysics program in the world!
2. Colorado Springs
2. Lockheed-Martin - #1 Aerospace Company in the world!
3. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp.
4. Raytheon Co.
5. Northrop-Grumann
6. Boeing Co. - #1 Commercial Jet Manufacturer in the world!
7. United Launch Alliance
8. ITT Corp.
9. DigitalGlobe
10. Adam Aircraft
3. Computer, information technology and software research, development and manufacturing,
1. Storage Technologies
2. Intel
3. HP
4. Sun Microsystems
4. Biotechnology / Biomedical research, development and manufacturing,
1. University of Colorado – mainly mammalian research
1. Boulder - #3 Molecular Biology program in the U.S.
2. Denver
3. Fitzsimmons
2. Colorado State University – mainly agricultural research
1. #2 Veterinary School in the U.S.!
3. National Jewish Medical Research Center – mainly human research
1. #1 Respiratory Hospital & Research Center in the world!
4. Over 400 bioscience companies in Colorado including
1. Amgen
2. Altrix
3. Pharmion
4. Replidyne
5. Telecommunications,
1. Qwest
2. MCI/Sprint
3. Lucent
4. Avaya
5. Comcast - #1 Cable Company in the world!
6. Liberty Media - #6 Cable Company in the world!
7. Level 3
8. DirecTV - #1 Satellite Company in the world!
9. EchoStar - #2 Satellite Company in the world!
6. Agricultural, veterinary and environmental r&d, management and law
1. Colorado State University
1. #1 Veterinary Research Program in the U.S.!
2. University of Colorado
1. Boulder - #1 Environmental Engineering and Law Programs in the U.S.!
3. CH2M Hill - #1 Environmental Management Company in the world!
7. Education and workforce development and support
1. Universities
1. University of Colorado
1. Boulder
2. Denver
3. Colorado Springs
2. Colorado State University
3. Colorado School of Mines
4. University of Northern Colorado
5. University of Denver
1. Daniels School of Business in top 10 in U.S.
6. Regis University
7. Metro State College
2. Community colleges
1. Arapahoe Community College – aerospace and automotive programs
2. Aurora Community College
3. Red Rocks Community College
4. Denver Community College
3. High Schools / Vocational Schools
1. Denver School of Science & Technology
2. ThunderRidge High School
3. MountainView High School
4. School Districts
1. Douglas County School District – F-Pod Program
5. Organizations
1. Metro Denver Wired
2. SMDCC
3. Colorado Workforce Development Council
4. National Science Foundation

Metro Denver employment growth outpaced the nation in 2005 and for the first five months of 2006, after suffering from a severe recession in 2001 which severely affected the tourism, telecommunications and high tech sectors for several years. As the economy began to recover, however, it became increasingly clear to public officials, business and community leaders that, without intervention, our current K-12, Higher Education and workforce systems could not deliver the skilled workforce needed by companies in our fastest-growing industry sectors. For too long Colorado has relied on an imported workforce - from other states and other countries - to fill some of the highest-paying jobs generated by our economy. Yet, even this strategy may not be a choice in a future expected to bring severe labor shortages, with baby boomers retiring and the numbers of individuals entering the workforce declining. Additionally, more restrictive immigration laws since 9-11 have made it increasingly difficult to hire foreign technical talent. Attracting the best talent from other states and from around the world, when available, will always be a good economic development strategy, but ignoring the power of a highly skilled, home-grown workforce is not in Metro Denver's best economic interest.
A study recently released by Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (EDC, Towards a Competitive Colorado, documents the looming workforce shortage in our region. Metro Denver EDC identified nine industry clusters that are important to the region's economic base and concluded that the following five industry clusters have the greatest growth opportunities, coupled with the largest potential for labor shortages and are ripe for national recruitment efforts to grow and expand: aerospace, bioscience, information technology, financial services and energy. A number of these industries, however, are already experiencing severe labor shortages, with the energy sector having the greatest need. The study also raises concerns that the region's competitive position might erode as a result of declining high school graduation rates and the low percentage of students who goes to college.
In addition, the SMDCC has identified automotive and construction/fabrication clusters as significant contributors to the economic health of the Metro Denver’s future.  Going forward these clusters share many if not all of the same educational and technical requirements for the workforce as the five clusters above.
The (Metro Denver) WIRED Initiative, the SMDCC STEM Taskforce and the SMDCC Alternative Energy Taskforce, were designed and established to support Metro Denver’s economic growth industry clusters and to build a pipeline of workers for high-demand occupations, has come at a very opportune time for the Metro Denver region, and, as such, has received widespread support from public officials, and from leaders in economic development, workforce and education. SMDCC is targeting the following industry clusters - aerospace, energy, automotive and construction/fabrication - as having the greatest growth opportunities, coupled with the largest potential for labor shortages.
A common element to occupations in these industries is that they all but one require higher-level math and science; therefore, the SMDCC will emphasize improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills for the pipeline of workers at all levels. Emphasizing STEM skills, however, does not preclude working on improving reading and writing skills of the workforce. In fact, improved literacy skills must be part of any curriculum to prepare individuals for high-skill, high-pay occupations. Furthermore, emphasizing STEM skills does not begin in vocational, college or even high school but in elementary and middle school.  Therefore, comprehensive development and coordination of the appropriate curricula must be made between school districts (K-12) and higher education (13-20), even to the extent of incorporating more traditional vocational / technical / trade school coursework into high school programs with dual high school and college degrees at graduation. (http://www.metrodenver.org/wired, 2007)

1. Natural resource reserves
1. Oil shale
1. Green River Valley in CO, UT, WY possesses 50% of world’s proven reserves
1. More than all the proven oil reserves in Saudi Arabia
2. Shell Oil Company is principal investigator of these reserves (RMN, 2/3/07)
3. CSM - #3 Petroleum Engineering Program in the U.S.!
2. Geothermal
1. 4th highest potential in U.S. (Denver Post, March 25, 2007)
2. Ground source heat pumps – proven technology, implementable TODAY!
3. Wind
1. 11th highest potential in U.S. (Denver Post, March 25, 2007)
4. Solar – active & passive
1. 6th highest potential in U.S. (Denver Post, March 25, 2007)
2. Sun shines 300 days of the year on average – “Tis a privilege to live in Colorado!”
3. More solar energy captured at higher altitude
5. Low-sulfur coal
1. CSM - #1 Mining Engineering Program in the U.S.!
6. Water
1. Colorado is the source of 50% of southwestern U.S. water supply
2. CSU - #1 Hydrology Engineering Program in the world!
7. Land - expansive agricultural land for crop production
1. Corn
2. Wheat
3. Sugar beets
4. Production grasses
5. Wood
2. Alternative energy research and development
1. XCEL Energy
2. Colorado “Collaboratory”
1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
2. CSU
3. CU
4. Colorado School of Mines (CSM)

The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory will work with public agencies, private enterprise, nonprofit institutions and all of Colorado’s universities and colleges, to strive to:

1. Increase the production and use of energy from renewable resources;
2. Support economic growth in Colorado and the Nation with renewable energy industries;
3. Build a renewable energy economy in rural Colorado and rural America.
4. Establish Colorado as America’s leading center of energy research and production; and
5. Educate our nation’s finest energy researchers, technicians and work force.

In June of last year, Governor Owens signed House Bill 1322 to provide funding to the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory.  Under the legislation the Collaboratory will receive up to $2 million per year for three years, beginning in fiscal year 2007. These monies can be used only as matching funds to enable the Collaboratory to qualify for federal and private research projects.  NREL and the universities will pay for all overhead costs of the Collaboratory from their existing budgets.  In addition, the legislation requires that, if the Collaboratory uses any state monies as matching funds, those monies must be repaid to the state as the Collaboratory earns income from technologies developed and transferred to private industry.
A significant reason for this technology growth is the wholesome, pristine environment of our natural surroundings, in which people want to live, and good weather with lots of sunshine.  Colorado has also structured one of the most “technology-friendly” environments for new companies with the highest tax credit and incentive programs in the U.S.!  Combine all these factors with a new Colorado State administration, elected on “The Colorado Promise” platform of pushing forward all reasonable alternative energy programs to make “Colorado - The Alternative Energy Capital of the U.S.”, and they uniquely support the growth of a new alternative energy industry of research, development and manufacturing also.

Contact Brian Bartony at BBartony@bestchamber.com or at 303-795-0142.