November 4-November 17, 2015 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— Page 15AA
The Colorado Springs Regional
Business Alliance announced it
appointed two individuals to its
remaining leadership positions,
which will round out the execu-
tive team for the organization.
More than 250 individuals
applied for the two positions.
Hannah Parsons was named
chief community development
officer for the
Regional Busi-
ness Alliance.
Parsons has
been active in
the Colorado
Springs com-
munity since
her arrival in
2004. Entre-
preneurial by
nature, Par-
sons has owned her own busi-
ness for many years working in
real estate, consulting and proj-
ect management. In an effort to
bolster the entrepreneurial com-
munity, she and business partner
Lisa Tessarowicz co-founded Epi-
central Coworking, a member-
ship-based, creative workspace
in downtown Colorado Springs
in late 2011.
A strong community advocate,
Parsons serves as board chair for
Downtown Partnership, board
member with the Regional Busi-
ness Alliance and board presi-
dent of Ormao Dance Co. She
serves on the advisory board of
the state’s Business Intelligence
Center, which works to achieve
open data policies on a state-
wide basis through events such
as GoCode Colorado.
Parsons earned her Bachelor
of Science in business adminis-
tration from Missouri Southern
State University and her Master
of Business Administration from
Georgia State University.
Dirk “Doc” R. Hobbs was
named senior
vice
presi-
dent of mar-
keting and
communica-
tions. Hobbs
has spent the
vast majority
of his career
as a senior
m a r k e t i n g
executive and
entrepreneur,
specifically
as a strategist and most recently
as founder/chief marketing offi-
cer of Healthy Coloradan Media
Group, which produces news
and entertainment around the
health and active-lifestyle assets
and people of Colorado through
print, digital, WebTV and radio.
He remains on the board of his
company while he serves CSRBA
in his new role.
He served the state’s medical
community on multiple advisory
boards and as an advocate for
physicians and health systems
for 10 years as publisher of M.D.
News. He was appointed CMO
for NovaTech Sciences Corp. –
a former pre-IPO, digital health
and bio-informatics company
in Greensboro, North Carolina,
after several years in sports mar-
keting and sponsorship procure-
ment within various NASCAR
and NHRA motorsports pro-
grams. He is a graduate of the
University of Mississippi.
“I’m very pleased that Hannah
and Dirk will be joining our staff.
Both are successful entrepre-
neurs and understand business
extremely well. Hannah’s expe-
rience and acumen as an entre-
preneur immediately provide
the Business Alliance with direct
insights and strong relationships
in our small-business ecosystem.
Dirk’s expertise as a marketing
and program strategist are key
to fulfilling our organizational
objectives. Both individuals
have extensive entrepreneurial
experience in our local market
and bring firsthand understand-
ing of the needs of our member
investors,” said Dirk D. Draper,
CSRBApresident and CEO.
s
The Colorado Economic Devel-
opment Commission approved
a new North Metro Enterprise
Zone, giving Longmont Enter-
prise Zone designation to quali-
fying strategic portions of the city.
Portions of Lafayette and Broom-
field also are included in the new
North Metro zone. Colorado's
Enterprise Zone program pro-
vides tax incentives to encourage
businesses to locate and expand
in designated economically dis-
tressed areas of the state – those
having a high unemployment
rate, low per capita income or a
low population growth rate.
In Longmont, the new enter-
prise zone area will include the
Village at Twin Peaks, significant
portions of the St. Vrain Valley
Blueprint area, 1st & Main rede-
velopment area and Southeast
Longmont Urban Renewal Area.
The new zone will take effect Jan.
1, and between now and then the
Longmont Area Economic Coun-
cil, city of Longmont and Long-
mont Downtown Development
Association will reach out to all
business and property owners in
the area to educate them about
the benefits and how tomake use
of the enterprise zone program.
Business and property owners
wishing to inquire about whether
they are located within the zone
should contact the Longmont
Area Economic Council. For
more information, visit http://
-
Advantages/NMEZ.aspx.
Updates…
n
Several new companies have
opened in Longmont. Linear
Technology Corp. is a sales and
technical office that leased 1,500
square feet at 7102 La Visa Place
and has six employees.
Motherlode Provisions makes
its own barbecue, hot and steak
sauces and is leasing 4,625 sf at
950 S. Sherman St. Also, nSpire
Clinical Trials is a spinoff of
nSpire Health in Longmont. It
opened an office at 1880 Indus-
trial Circle in 5,813 sf and has 28
employees.
PSI Lab is a material science
and product testing lab that has
leased 3,000 sf at 117 S. Sunset
St.
s
Metro Denver continues to
post strong job growth rates,
according to a 2015 Economic
Update report released by the
Metro Denver Economic Devel-
opment Corp.
The 2015 Economic Update
report includes national, state
and regional projections in key
economic indicators such as
employment, unemployment,
retail sales, home sales/costs/
construction and commercial real
estate.
According to Patty Silverstein,
chief economist for the Metro
Denver EDC and author of the
forecast, the metro Denver region
is on target to add 49,500 new
jobs in 2015 for an estimated
3.3 percent growth rate, slightly
higher than Colorado’s estimated
rate of 3 percent and significantly
greater than the U.S. forecasted
rate of 2.1 percent. In Silverstein's
2015 Economic Forecast in Febru-
ary, she estimated 3 percent job
growth for metro Denver in 2015.
“Metro Denver’s healthy
economy and attractive business
environment continue to earn the
region accolades,” said Silver-
stein. She noted Forbes’ recent
ranking of Denver as the best
place for business and careers
due to its diverse economy, high-
ly educated workforce and out-
door recreational opportunities.
Silverstein also highlighted in
the report that Denver has strong
competition nationally for new
jobs and investment, and that
many of its top six competitor
cities for company relocation and
expansion – Atlanta, Austin, Dal-
las, Phoenix, Portland and Salt
Lake City – are also experiencing
rapid economic growth.
“When it comes to recovery
from the Great Recession, Aus-
tin and Dallas had the quickest
economic recoveries, followed
by metro Denver,” explained Sil-
verstein. “But of the competitor
cities, metro Denver ranks the
highest for median household
income.”
While all 11 supersectors
expanded in 2014, the informa-
tion supersector was posting a
4.5 percent decline in employ-
ment through the middle of 2015.
Job growth has been the stron-
gest in natural resources and con-
struction, education and health
services, other services and gov-
ernment (including federal, state
and local government).
The report highlights key fac-
tors at play in Metro Denver’s
economy:
New and expanding compa-
nies in metro Denver are facing
a tight labor market. The labor
force expanded by 1.6 percent in
2014, rising to 1.64 million peo-
ple working or actively seeking
employment. In contrast, labor
force growth has slowed to 0.4
Economic Development News
Hannah Parsons
Dirk “Doc” R.
Hobbs
Adams County Economic Development
Arvada Economic Development Association
Aurora Economic Development Council
Town of Berthoud
Boulder Economic Council
Brighton Economic Development Corporation
City and County of Broomfield
Castle Rock Economic Development Council
City of Centennial
Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance
City of Commerce City
Denver Office of Economic Development
Denver South Economic Development Partnership
Downtown Denver Partnership Inc.
City of Englewood Community Development Dept.
Town of Erie
Federal Heights Redevelopment Agency
Grand Junction Economic Partnership
City of Greenwood Village
Jefferson County Economic Development Corp.
City of Lafayette
Lakewood Economic Development
City of Lone Tree
Longmont Area Economic Council
City of Louisville
Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp.
City of Northglenn
Northwest Douglas County EDC
Town of Parker
Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority
City of Thornton Office of Economic Development
Town of Superior
Westminster Economic Development
City of Wheat Ridge
Wheat Ridge 2020
Town of Windsor
For information regarding appearing in the EDC Profile
Section, please contact Jon Stern at 303.623.1148
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