Hewlett-Packard Co.

It’s arguable that Hewlett-Packard Co. is the single most influential private company on the Northern Colorado landscape – even the entire Front Range.

That influence comes not just from the sheer size of its footprint – with major facilities in Fort Collins, Loveland, Colorado Springs and some 5,000 employees statewide – but its role as a pioneer in the state’s high-tech sector.

The California-based technology giant built its first plant outside of California in Loveland.

As the story goes, when HP was looking for sites for expansion beyond Palo Alto, setting parameters involved a compass and a U.S. map. First drawn was a…