Berthoud, Xcel Energy partner to promote development site

BERTHOUD — The town of Berthoud and Xcel Energy (Nasdaq: XEL)  will begin marketing the 1,600 acres of land that makes up Wilson Ranch to potential site selectors and developers, the two organizations announced Monday.

The property in southeast Berthoud at the Interstate 25/Berthoud exchange has been certified by Xcel Energy to accommodate development.

The Xcel Site Certification Program focuses on establishing real estate options within its eight-state service territory for business-expansion projects. The certification process involves the collection of property attributes ranging from geotechnical assessments to utility and infrastructure capacities.

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“We are very pleased to have our site approved and included in Xcel’s Site Certification Program,” said Jason Henderson, an executive with Wilson Ranch. “This designation will greatly assist our efforts in attracting quality development to the site.”

As part of Xcel Energy’s certified site program inventory, the Wilson Ranch site will be marketed to site selectors, business executives, commercial brokers and others throughout the country.

Walt Elish, Berthoud’s business-development manager, said Xcel’s involvement will elevate the profile of Berthoud to a wider, national marketplace.

“Xcel Energy is now actively promoting Berthoud and Wilson Ranch’s development capabilities to a much wider audience, which extends our reach considerably,” Elish said. “Because Xcel Energy’s database of certified sites provides the necessary information for site selectors and others looking for sites, the Wilson Ranch site has the potential to be a prime location for expanding businesses.”

Currently there is no state certification standard for industrial sites, making the Xcel Energy Certified Site Program a first of its kind. The company hired site selector Phil Schneider, president of Wisconsin-based Schneider Strategy Consulting LLC, to certify sites in its program.

Stephanie Dybsky, corporate economic-development manager for Xcel Energy in Denver, said site selectors accessing the Xcel Energy database will find information on dozens of site characteristics, including information on the capacity of power sources, access to transportation and communication networks and other site criteria designed to increase speed to market.

“Certification of the Wilson Ranch site will help Berthoud be more competitive in the marketplace by making it faster and easier for developers and site selectors to consider real estate for their client,” Dybsky said.