Article from John W. Hickenlooper, Mayor of the City and County of Denver

For the Colorado-Israel Economic Development Council website

As the newly elected Mayor of the City and County of Denver , Colorado , I welcome you to come discover what the Mile High City has to offer.

Denver has grown from its beginnings as a mining (gold rush) town, to an oil and gas hub, to more recently a telecommunications hub and high tech business community. The vibrant local business climate is enhanced by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and quality services and infrastructure for businesses. Our current and growing industry clusters include ITC, biotechnology and medical devices, business and financial services including venture capital, aerospace, photonics/opto-electronics, nanotechnology, and manufacturing.

Denver is located at the geographic center of the United States . As such, we are an ideal location for companies needing travel accessibility to most other U.S. destinations within two hours. We are also located halfway between Canada and Mexico , our North American Free Trade Agreement partners. Denver International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the country and the tenth busiest in the world. Nevertheless, it is one of the best in the world for on-time performance, and its new 16,000-foot runway allows direct non-stop service to even the most remote locations despite aircraft size or load factors.

Denver is continuously listed in surveys and studies as one of the best cities in the United States in which to do business. Here are a few examples:

• Highest educated city – highest percentage of college graduates in the nation
• American Electronics Association: Highest concentration of high tech workers
• Dun & Bradstreet: Among top 10 cities for small business
• Inc. Magazine: Top city for entrepreneurs
• POV Magazine: Top city for starting a new business
• Money Magazine: One of the most livable cities in the nation
• Fortune Magazine: one of the “Best Cities for Business” six years running

Denver is also well established in the international community. We have trade offices in London and Shanghai , and here in Denver we are home to six full-time consular offices representing Canada, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Peru and the United Kingdom. Our Mountain Time Zone is the only U.S. time zone that allows phone calls to both Tokyo and London in the same business day. Denver ’s scope of international companies has never been stronger. Over 200 companies export their products to Israel , and several Israeli companies have elected to open U.S. headquarters here.

Located just east of the Rocky Mountains, Denver ’s climate is dry and moderate. The city receives only 20 – 38 centimeters of precipitation per year, and records an average of 300 days of sunshine a year – more than San Diego or Miami Beach ! Winters are mild with daily high temperatures of 7 degrees Celcius. Snow occasionally falls, but most snow remains in the nearby mountains for great skiing, while in the city it usually melts quickly. Golf and tennis are played year round here.

Denver is also home to a vibrant arts and cultural community. From the renowned Denver Art Museum , the Denver Center for the Perfoming Arts, and the Red Rocks Ampitheatre to neighborhood theaters, art galleries, and music venues, Denver has entertainment and cultural options to suit any taste.

Between our thriving business community and our unparalleled quality of life, we have seen considerable population growth in recent years. Currently Denver ’s population is 555,000, with the metropolitan area containing a total of 2.4 million.

Denver is open for business. We look forward to working with the Colorado-Israel Economic Development Council to create partnerships that foster the success of both Israeli and Colorado companies.

Lindy Eichenbaum Lent
Communications Director, Mayor John Hickenlooper
720-865-9016
lindy.e..co.us

From the Denver Post, February 24, 2007:

Earlier this month the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. in partnership with Qwest, released its second report on Colorado’s competitive position. Titled “Toward a More Competitive Colorado,” this report examined more than 80 nationally accepted measures of economic vitality and compared Colorado to the rest of the nation and its regional competitors.

Nine “employment clusters” drive metro Denver’s economy: aerospace, energy, bioscience, financial services, information technology-software, air transportation, information technology-hardware, beverages and telecom/broadcasting.

Eight of these clusters are in growing, the exception being telecom/broadcasting. The dot-com crash of 2001 is still being felt in this employment sector, although employment prospects are improving in 2007.

The report found these key statistics about Colorado:

· No. 1 in high-tech employment

· No. 1 in students scoring at the highest levels of ACT and SAT tests

· No. 2 in college-educated adults

· No. 5 in creating new companies

· No. 8 in per capita income

· Fourth lowest in state and local tax burden