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.

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: CaridianBCT, 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.