High-Tech Haven

Although the argument could be made that it's taking a breather, by several key measures, Colorado's high-tech boom is firmly in place
        AeA, a leading high-tech trade association, reports a net loss in Colorado of only 86 high-tech jobs in 2001 from the previous year's level of 183,600; the state ranks 10th in AeA's report, Cyberstates 2002: A State-by-State Overview of the High Technology Industry. The annual ranking notes that high-tech employment nationally grew one percent in 2001 — the growth rate was 9 percent in 2000.

Denver International Airport's $100-million air cargo expansion project, in cooperation with World Port, is underway. The first phase, the East Multi-Tenant Area, is comprised of three land-side buildings with approximately 215,000 sq. ft. (20,000 sq. m.) of warehouse, distribution and flex space. The South Cargo Area will significantly expand air cargo capacity by adding 10 acres (4 hectares) of new taxiway and four new air-side buildings. When completed in 2004, the project will total over 500,000 sq. ft. (46,500 sq. m.).

        "Two important statistics in this year's report highlight the importance of the technology sector to Colorado's economy," says Tom Edman, AeA Mountain States Council chairperson and president and CEO of Applied Films, Longmont, Colo. "High-tech exports represent 50 percent of all Colorado exports, and we continue to have the highest concentration of tech workers in the country — up to 98 of every 1,000 private-sector workers."
        Colorado was one of only four U.S. states to receive an "A" grade in all three categories measured in the Corporation for Enterprise Development's 2001 Development Report Card — performance, business vitality and development capacity. This is the eighth time in a row Colorado has earned that recognition. The other states were Connecticut, Minnesota and Washington.
        The Progressive Policy Institute's 2002 State New Economy Index, which ranks states in knowledge jobs, globalization, economic dynamism, and the digital economy, ranked Colorado first in the U.S. in the information-technology jobs category, which gauges employment in IT occupations in non-IT industries as a share of total jobs, at 3.3 percent.
        The Stanford Research Institute rated Colorado first in the U.S. in a competitiveness benchmarking re-search project it conducted for Michigan, which ranked 9th. The exercise analyzed the effectiveness of the 50 states' economic and technology foundations using a Competitiveness Foundation Web Model.