Business thriving in the heart of it all

As a premier location for business, the city and county of Broomfield continues to see robust growth and is one of the leading economic-development regions in metro Denver.  Located equidistant between Denver and Boulder, Broomfield’s business-friendly attitude, creative edge and built-in market, energetic and highly educated workforce, easy access to major and public transportation corridors and Denver International Airport provide an excellent environment for business opportunities, livability and the Colorado lifestyle.

Consider this; Broomfield is among the top 10 suburbs for families, the ninth fastest growing city in the United States, No. 6 community in a list of Best Denver Suburbs to Retire, top five U.S. counties with the highest number of companies per capita, and top 25 counties for “where the jobs are.” The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield metropolitan statistical area is one of the top 10 nationally for the “Best Big Cities for Jobs” and a “Playful City USA” community.

Broomfield’s 36 Creative Corridor — including Arista, Interlocken, Parkway Circle, the Research and Industrial and Flatiron Districts — is becoming the fastest tech creative market, a hub for aspiring entrepreneurs, advanced manufacturing and entertainment/mixed-use areas in the region and nation. The corridor is home to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, many Fortune 500 companies and international companies including Ball Corp., Oracle, Level 3, Webroot, Vail Resorts, WhiteWave Foods, Gogo Business Aviation, Renewable Energy Systems, MWH Global/Stantec, Staples, Sandoz and Hunter Douglas.

Over the past several years, the 36 Creative Corridor has seen more than 6,500 multi-family units being developed, second only to Lower Downtown Denver, a 40 percent increase of approved and pending hotel rooms that would bring more than 2,400 existing and new rooms to the region.

Several new developments and companies have relocated and expanded in Broomfield, with more to come. They include a new 82,000-square-foot Class A office building and the 52,000-square-foot UCHealth Hospital at Arista. Interlocken and the Research and Industrial District welcomed Viega, LLC’s U.S. headquarters and training center, SCL Health’s corporate headquarters, Zoll’s expansion, Alteryx Inc.’s and Nuventra Pharma Sciences’ new offices, ProCraft Mechanical and Kitchen Coop’s new manufacturing facilities. This resulted in more than 1,500 retained and new jobs to Broomfield.

FlatIron Crossing, the leading retail destination in north metro Denver, recently opened a new Food Court Plaza, welcoming Tokyo Joe’s and Puzzah! just outside the main mall entrance, complete with new seating, a trackless train, sandbox and lawn games. The Plaza is the first of a multi-phase project to bring even more dining, entertainment and retail uses to this thriving 1.4 million-square-foot super-regional shopping center. Other recent additions include Francesca’s, Vera Bradley, Flip Flop Shops, Skechers, Oakley, Taspen’s Organics, and soon-to-open Journeys Kidz and Shoe Palace.

Several new retail, restaurants, breweries and tap rooms have announced and opened in Broomfield including Kevin Taylor’s Hickory and Ash, Scalzetto’s, Modern Market, Blaze Pizza, Costa Vida, Go Fish Sushi, Wonderland, Night Hawk, 4 Noses, Big Choice, Colorado Keg and JAX Mercantile.

The recent launch of “Enhance Broomfield,” a building improvement program designed for small businesses, has seen 11 projects awarded. The state designated three areas in Broomfield as part of the Enterprise Zone program, allowing businesses that are located within a specified area to qualify for up to 10 state tax incentives.

We continue to work with several developers on projects that include the Civic Center, a mixed-use development in a park-like setting; repositioning Flatiron Marketplace into a premier office, multi-family residential and retail development; redeveloping the former Microsemi site into an advanced manufacturing and technology hub; and attracting growth and investment in other districts throughout the community.

The North Interstate 25-Colorado Highway 7 area is home to North Park, Northgate and Broomfield at 7 with plans to build more than 30 million square feet of commercial and mixed-use developments — the Denver-Tech Center of the North.  Recent developments include Children’s Hospital and the National Archives and Records Administration. Future plans include the development of Colorado Science City, an applied research and science park where researchers and companies can connect, collaborate and commercialize new technology.

Visit us at InvestBroomfield.com.

Bo Martinez is economic development director for the city and county of Broomfield.

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