Jefferson County has a very diversified
industry base. Although the retail and services sectors
continually grow, it is the manufacturing and high-technology
companies that fuel primary employment in the County.
| Jefferson
County Industry Breakdown |
| Industry |
Number of Companies |
Number of Jobs |
| Accomodation, Food Services |
1,101 |
20,301 |
| Administrative, Waste
Services |
1,095 |
13,778 |
| Agriculture/Forestry/Fish/Hunting |
38 |
360 |
| Arts, Entertainment,
Recreation |
228 |
3,115 |
| Construction |
2,367 |
15,354 |
| Educational Services |
247 |
2,402 |
| Financial, Insurance |
1,376 |
8,356 |
| Government |
162 |
33,001 |
| Heathcare, Social Assistance |
1,367 |
19,497 |
| Information |
326 |
4,405 |
| Management of Enterprises |
156 |
2,519 |
| Manufacturing |
574 |
18,667 |
| Mining |
82 |
380 |
| Professional, Technical
Services |
3,409 |
16,146 |
| Real Estate, Rental/Leasing |
978 |
4,004 |
| Retail Trade |
2,083 |
29,641 |
| Transportation, Warehousing |
246 |
2,147 |
| Utilities |
39 |
848 |
| Wholesale Trade |
1,460 |
6,068 |
| Other Services |
1,425 |
6,175 |
| Non-Classifiable |
8 |
14 |
| Total |
18,785 |
207,178 |
Source:
Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, 2006. |
Jefferson County's Manufacturing
and High-Tech Industries
Aerospace and Defense Related Systems
Since Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver (formerly
Martin Marietta) came to Jefferson County in the late
1950s, aerospace and defense-related systems industries
have expanded and become very specialized. In fact,
Lockheed has grown so much that they can now boast of
going beyond global trade. Lockheed Martin was named
a winner in October 2001 in the bid to build the next
generation of fighter jets for the U.S. military. The
$200 billion contract is the largest military contract
in U.S. history. Engineers at Lockheed's aerospace design
facility in Jefferson County will collaborate on the
jet design.
In addition to Lockheed Martin, other aerospace
or defense-related and support companies in Jefferson
County include: Ball Aerospace, Barber Nichols, Pioneer
Astronautics, and TDA Research.
Biomedical
A recent study of Colorado's biomedical industry found
that Jefferson County has a high concentration of biomedical-related
companies, especially companies in the medical-devices
manufacturing sector, including: Gambro, COBE Cardiovascular,
McKinley Medical, CoorsTek, LeBac, and UTI Star Guide
Corp.
The Colorado
Venture Centers is a nonprofit, virtual incubator
of businesses in the biomedical industry. Also, the AMC
Cancer Research Center, a world-renowned cancer research
institution, is located in the city of Lakewood.
Environmental Technology & Services
Colorado has a history rich in the mining and oil and
gas industries. The presence of the Colorado School of
Mines and a high number of federal and state research
facilities like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL)–a world leader in renewable energy technology
development–and national environmental associations
has led to strong growth of this industry in Jefferson
County.
These growing ranks of environmental companies,
federal research facilities and academic institutions
offer some of the world's premier expertise in water technology,
renewable energies, air quality monitoring, hazardous
waste cleanup, and mining remediation.
Information Technology
This industry has had phenomenal growth in the last decade,
making it one of the key industry sectors in Jefferson
County and in the state. In fact, Colorado has the nation's
highest concentration of high-tech workers according to
a study released by the American Electronics Association
in 2003.
The following companies–ACT Teleconferencing,
Mountain Cable Industries, Hi Country Wire & Telephone,
SAS Circuits, Accutronics, and Gateway–are all a
part of this growing industry in Jefferson County.
Manufacturing
Jefferson County has long been a haven for manufacturing
activities, beginning in 1873 when Adolph Coors started
Adolph Coors Company in the city of Golden. Since then,
spin-off companies and other manufacturing operations
have flourished in the County, including Coors Brewing
Company, Graphic Packaging, CoorsTek, Rocky Mountain Bottle
Company, Stephany's Chocolates, and Airwalk International.
The Rocky Mountain Manufacturing Academy
was recently established in Denver to help cultivate a
well-trained workforce for this industry.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the latest science where scientists
work at the microscopic level (one billionth of a meter)
to develop new materials that have applications for many
different industries, including aerospace, and biotechnology.
The federal government is funding the program to the extent
of $2.4 billion over the next several years. JEC is working
hard to position Jefferson County to take full advantage
of this funding. With our existing universities, a highly
educated workforce, and a plethora of federal research
and development facilities in the area, there is a great
opportunity for us to take advantage of this science and
federal funding.
Photonics
Colorado is quickly establishing itself as a photonics
industry leader as more and more products are enlisting
optic technology. Jefferson County has a growing piece
of that industry, most notably because of the presence
of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in
the County. NREL also houses the National Center for Photovoltaics.
The Colorado School of Mines in Golden
also supports the photonics industry through specialized
training programs and through its relationship with the
Colorado Photonics Industry Association.
Companies in this industry that are found
in Jefferson County include Ball Aerospace, UNAXIS, Leybold
Optics, CoorsTek, Lockheed Martin, and Telecommunications
Products Inc.
