Tech Industry Expands In Grand Junction

Page Tucker is the first to admit that Grand Junction “probably was not the ideal place to start a tech company” when he envisioned and launched ProStar, which maps above- and below-ground infrastructure, in 2014. Afterall, he started his first geographic information system (GIS) company in Silicon Valley. But, he wanted to move close to his entrepreneurial dad, who lived in Grand Junction, so Tucker took the plunge and started ProStar.

“My goal was to help Grand Junction turn into a technological hub,” Tucker says. “Everyone thought I was crazy. Once we got here, it was evident that there was not much technology here. But over time, we have gotten to a critical point where we can leverage resources that can benefit tech companies. Now, it’s an ideal environment for small tech companies.”

THE FOUNDATION: EDUCATION

Normally, rural areas like the Western Slope present significant challenges for small tech upstarts due to the lack of skilled employees. But in the last several years, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) has made a concerted effort to meet the demands of employers through its professional certificates and minors in cybersecurity, as well as its bachelor’s degrees in computer science.

The cybersecurity program ramped up in 2019, with expanded course offerings and a new lab with its own hardware, software and network resources to help students engage in hands-on cybersecurity research. The programs have helped connect businesses with students through internships, senior design projects and testing curriculum.“

Photos courtesy of ProStar

Enrollment in computer science and cybersecurity has increased with the advancement of new class offerings,” says Tom Benton, director of CMU’s Maverick Innovation & Cyber Security Center. “As the number of programs at CMU have expanded, so have businesses who use these graduates. Recent employment growth at local businesses like Coorstek, West Star Aviation, ProStar Geocorp and the Kaart Group are all tied to advancements in technology. Moreover, the area has seen new arrivals such as Pax8 and Cloudrise, along with Rural Jump Start companies seeking to tie into the talent pool at CMU, as these are students who moved to Grand Junction for their education and wish to remain when they graduate.”

ProStar was the first company to create a paid internship for CMU students. Upon graduation, Tucker often hires them. “If you’re going to be a tech company, you have to continuously have a pool of resources to tap into,” Tucker says. “Otherwise, you have to recruit them, and that can be expensive.”

And, “CMU interns have been world-class,”says Rob Eggebrecht, co-founder and CEO of Cloudrise. The fact that tech companies pay a bit more than the average Western Slope company also helps attract and retain employees, Tucker adds.

“We’re doing our part to turn Grand Junction into a tech hub,” he says, adding that ProStar was the first company on the Western Slope to go public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. “We were one of the pioneers, but it takes a village.”

ProStar was also the first to receive Colorado’s Rural Jump-Start Program incentives, which provides grants and tax relief amounts up to $40,000 for new businesses and up to $5,000 per new hire, depending on location.

“CMU’s investment in educational programs around technology has helped all of our businesses locally, but perhaps the new companies who have chosen to move to Grand Junction through the Rural Jump Start Program have benefitted the most as they have had a direct tie to CMU through their internship programs,”

Benton says. “The benefits go both ways, as most of these companies offer a type of business that did not exist in Colorado before they moved into Mesa County.”

THE GLUE: LIFESTYLE

As an avid mountain biker, Eggebrecht used to blow by Grand Junction on his way to Moab from Avon or the Front Range. Eventually, he took time to explore areas like the Redlands, Palisade and Colorado National Monument, and that’s when he decided to call it home. Now, he loves that his commute only takes 12 minutes, and 10 minutes later, he’s biking or on the river.“

There are a lot of hidden gems here,” Eggebrecht says, referring to both the recreation and the residents. “One of the benefits is the quality of people here, not just the students. There’s a lot of diversity here.”

After eight years in Avon and even more on the Front Range, Eggebrecht grew tired of I-70 traffic, housing costs and a degrading sense of community. “[The Western Slope] just doesn’t have the pressure that a lot of us got tired of, living and growing up on the Front Range,” Eggebrecht explains. “This is a breath of fresh air. People are pouring out of the Front Range, Eagle County and the Roaring Fork Valley, because it’s too expensive to raise kids, and there’s no sense of community. People who live and work here really want to be here.”

“Even though the cost of living is increasing, it’s still significantly lower, and the services to support a business are not the same burden of overhead costs [as in large cities],” Tucker continues.

The Western Slope historically relied on gas and oil economically, but with changing policies, it’s essential for the area to diversify its business economy. “Because Western Colorado is a great place to live, we need to have jobs that use advanced science to attract cutting-edge companies and sharp minds to keep our economy growing,” Benton says. “Some of us remember the dark days when a dominant industry for the region caught a cold, and we all became economically sick. With this type of diversity, the chances of experiencing another recession are much less likely, and that bodes well for our families and friends who call the Grand Valley home.”

SNAPSHOT OF WESTERN SLOPE TECH COMPANIES

ProStar Geocorp

A world leader in developing Precision Mapping Solutions® to manage critical infrastructure, such as utility lines above and below the Earth’s surface. It is currently working with the city of Grand Junction to develop a Smart City, which uses technology to function more efficiently.prostarcorp.com

Cloudrise

Elevating data protection, privacy and cloud security programs. The company recently acquired CyberOrchard, an information security managed services company in the United Kingdom, allowing global expansion. Within a year of moving to Grand Junction, Cloudrise opened a space inside the Bonsai Building on the Riverfront at Las Colonias Park, and “we continue to scale to meet demand,” says Robert McLean, sales and marketing operations specialist. cloudrise.com

Coorstek

A “great place to work-certified company” in 2021 that manufactures technical ceramics for aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical, semiconductor and many other industries.coorstek.com

West Star Aviation

Provides business aircraft maintenance, modifications and more, as well as FlightSafety and SimuFlite trained technicians. weststaraviation.com

Kaart Group

Providing current global geographic data to power the world’s most advanced navigation devices. kaart.com

GROWL

Specializes in inbound marketing to evolve brands and drive leads and revenue. “Outside of the office, we’re engaged with economic and community development. From leading Chamber of Commerce events to volunteering with local non-profits, our community is our home and our passion,” states the website.growlagency.com

Pax 8

A cloud technologycompany with a remote workhub in Grand Junction. “(Pax8)has identified Grand Junctionas a great place to live and do business and as a place with highly qualified talent,” states Mara Hardy, business development manager at the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, on builtincolorado.com. pax8.com

THE PANDEMIC EFFECT

The influx of CEOs and remote workers began before COVID-19 hit. Then, pandemic shutdowns opened up a Pandora’s Box of people moving where they always wanted to live — like Colorado — because the office no longer tied them down. The old corporate model of everyone working on a large campus disintegrated, and a whole new world of remote employees emerged.“

They thought productivity would decrease, but it didn’t,” Tucker shares. “A lightbulb went off. It opened up a pool to hire outside the geographic area and pay them as well as they do in big cities, which is sometimes a 40% to 50% increase ... which allows people to buy bigger houses, get married, have kids and create an ecosystem of a technological hub.”

He encourages more tech companies to start on the Western Slope, stating that ProStar is proof that innovation can occur anywhere.

“I encourage it 100%, because the landscape becomes more competitive, which increases the average pay, which attracts more people from other areas ... and gives us more resources to select from. It won’t take long before we go from a dozen tech companies to three dozen to 50 companies. Then, they’ll feed off each other. The reason it will happen here in Grand Junction is based on the cost of living and the lifestyle that we’re familiar with; it’s just familiarizing other people with it,” Tucker believes.

“We’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg of tech companies opening headquarters or opening up a satellite office. There’s just as much opportunity to start a tech company in Grand Junction than there is in any other region. In fact, it’s far greater because of the ecosystem the community has built and is continuing to build and expand.”

Originally published in the Summer 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.