Microsoft joins a robust technical community in Longmont and they are no strangers to Colorado with a presence in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and now Longmont.

Welcome Microsoft Corporation to Longmont!

Is your company considering relocation to Colorado or elsewhere? Check out our data center moving resources including our free data center moving guide.

John has over 25 years of economic experience with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, a Certified Economic Developer (CED), and prior experience in Louisiana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Q1.You work with Primary Employers and Longmont has seen some interesting industry clusters develop in the area. What is an industry cluster and how long do they take to develop? What are the main industry clusters and the emerging clusters now developing?

Industry Clusters are basically concentrations of companies in a geographic region within a specific industry classification.  The term was popularized by Michael Porter in his book “The Competitive Advantage of Nations”.  In a classic sense they represent an industry group that is integrated on both a vertical and horizontal basis.  However, outside the classic definition, “clusters” are used to define concentrations of employment that are multiples of the national average.

In that regard, Longmont has four identified clusters: Data Storage, Biotech, Software and Semiconductor Design.  Each of these “clusters” has a high concentration in the Longmont area.  We are also seeing the emergence of possible clusters in the aerospace and renewable energy industries.  In a larger sense, Advanced Technology, as a group of industries, represents more than half of the primary employment in Longmont.  This is many times the national average.

In recent years we have also seen the rise of data centers in Longmont, due to our low cost and availability of electricity and because we are located in a relatively “disaster free area”.  While data centers are not specific to a given industry, we are beginning to see a concentration of these facilities.  So far, American Honda, Xilinx, West Corporation and Ongoing operations are here in Longmont.

Q2.Are there any industry clusters Longmont currently hasn’t developed that would be a good fit for the area?

No, not really.  Business, like water, tends to seek its own level.  We look for a presence in the region as evidence that an industry likes this area and then we determine if that industry is poised to grow and how effectively we can compete for expansions and relocations.

Q3.Awareness is a problem for many regions. What kind of outreach are you doing outside of Colorado to highlight the business benefits of Longmont?

As a small community (87,000 population) we rely on two primary vehicles for getting our word out.  First, we work with our regional and state partners to promote this part of Colorado, recognizing we will compete best when this region is selected as a good location by a prospective company.  We participate in trade shows, site selection conferences, trade missions and national marketing efforts by these groups to get the word out about the Denver metro region.

We then begin the process of “coopitition” to try and attract a given prospect that is looking for a community like Longmont.  Second, we use our web page, which has become the standard for initial stages of the site selection process.

In addition to information (demographics, incentives, community profile, industry profile, etc.) we also maintain a comprehensive real estate database that is searchable online and which is maintained completely by our organization.  We are the only organization in Colorado to do this.

Q4.I’m often surprised by Longmont Primary Employers who are unaware of each other. What kind of events does the LAEC sponsor so these companies learn about each other?

We promote our companies in a variety of ways including:  two industry recognition events that have a 10 year history in Longmont, promotion on our web page and quarterly newsletter, promotion through our quarterly supplement in the Boulder County Business Report and news items that are included in our weekly updates to investors.

In addition, we periodically bring together companies that have common issues to facilitate discussion.  Topics have included government procurement, employment law, lean manufacturing, telecommunications, etc.

Q5.What have you found is the best-kept-secret of Longmont that businesses are surprised to learn when you engage with them?

With the advent of the Internet, secrets have become mostly a thing of the past.  What I do notice is that people seem surprised about the caliber of companies we have based on the size of our community.  Names like Seagate, Amgen, DigitalGlobe and Intrado locally and IBM, Ball Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft in Boulder County are usually reserved for much larger populated areas.

Our competitive advantages include the quality of our workforce, the cost of doing business (especially for advanced technology companies), and a business friendly local government are usually uncovered before we talk with them.

Q6.What advice can you give Longmont Primary Employers who are interested in seeing their particular industry cluster develop or grow?

Obviously, no one is better at growing their companies than they are.  What we want companies to know is that when they are ready to grow, Longmont has the right talent, the right tools and the right business environment to contribute to their success.

Q7.Is there anything you’d like to add about LAEC, Longmont, or business development?

Just that the site selection process is complex because there are so many factors to be considered.  Our office has over 50 years of experience in working with companies to find a location and a process that meets their needs.  Not every community is a good fit for every company.

We can facilitate a company’s needs in finding the best location and in the time frame that matches their needs to be operational.  Longmont is a great community for the right company and we want them to know they have an ally in the Economic Council and the City of Longmont.

See these additional LAEC resources if you are considering the Longmont Area for a corporate relocation:

• Online Site Selection Database – http://longmont.org/Site_Selection-Find_a_Location.aspx
• Existing Industries - http://longmont.org/Existing-Industries.aspx
• LAEC Contacts - http://longmont.org/Contact-Us.aspx

You can contact John Cody and Staff at the Longmont Area Economic Council via phone at 303-651-0128.

About the Author:

Blaine Berger is the President of E-Oasis, a business and technology veteran with over 25 years of experience. You can contact Blaine via e-mail at blaine@e-oasis.com or follow @eoasis on Twitter. You may also leave a comment here.

E-Oasis offers complete data center moving services for the  life-cycle of a data center or computer room move. We help you avoid Complexity Blindness in your data center move planning. Additionally, our workshop series addresses all aspects of data center moving.

About republication:  Contact blaine@e-oasis.com with your republication inquiry about this story.

About your Economic Development organization: Send your pitch and information about your organization to be considered for future stories on economic development to blaine@e-oasis.com .

Welcome to Longmont, GE Energy!

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Longmont is already home to some well-known organizations and interest remains high among prospects looking to relocate more than their data centers to the area. We had the pleasure of meeting with John Drossos, chief exectuive officer of Broadband Utilities, during one of his site visits to Longmont. These new data centers will satisfy the pent-up demand as well as benefit from the increased focus on geographic diversity to avoid downtime.

Of course, if you’re planning on relocating your data center, you’ll want to get our data center moving guide.

Chips and Semiconductors

Broadcom Corporation
Fujitsu Computer Products of America
Intelliprop
LSI Storage Peripherals Group
Marvell Semiconductor
National Semiconductor
NUTEK Americas Inc.
STMicorelectronics
Synkera Technologies, Inc.
Texas Instruments
Xilinx

Storage and Peripherals

Conduant Corporation
COPAN Systmes
Data Storage Group
DataPlay
Dot Hill Systems Corporation
Emulex
ExcelStor Technology, Inc.
InPhase Technologies
Mountain Optech, Inc.
MP Tapes, Inc.
Pillar Data Systems
Pineree Peripherals, Inc.
Rebit, Inc.
Seagate Technology
Storage Genetics, Inc.
Western Digital Corporation

Biotech

Alpharma
Amgen
Array BioPharma, Inc.
Cevan Nutritionals
Chemizon
MicroPhage, Inc.
RMC Pharmaceutical Solutions, Inc.

Aerospace

ABSL Space Products
Custom Microwave, Inc.
DigitalGlobe (recently filed for IPO)
Earthmap Solutions (acquired by Monsanto)
Redstone Aerospace

With the increased interest from prospects in relocations, the addition of Intel bodes well for the future of corporate relocations to the area. Our data center moving guide is a great resource for those with a computer room or data center that needs to be moved.

Progress is evident on the eleven acre American Honda Data Center site in Longmont. A review of the City’s permits show The Crosby Group, Inc. filed the application consisting of one building totalling 60,700 square feet on the site to include office space and data center space. The Crosby Group is a Colorado-based architectural firm that also specializes in technical architecture including data centers with an impressive list of clients.

It’s great to see the blogs section. Woody’s World has co-publisher Christopher Wood’s take on topics of interest. Their permalink structure needs some work as I’m certain they could change Woody’s blog from http://www.ncbr.com/blog.asp?bID=1 to http://www.ncbr.com/woodysworld to permit easy linking.
Podcasts are also featured. It makes me wonder how their affiliated sister publication in Boulder got left behind?

Hats are off to the staff at NBCR that made the changes. Maybe Woody’s World might articulate the story behind the changes?

The selection bodes well for other organizations studying the relocation of their data centers or headquarters to Longmont. We offer a free data center relocation guide that can help you no matter where you go. If you are considering a move to Longmont, call us and let us give you the insider tour.

• A Forward Operating Base with telephone and Internet service for key employees prior to the relocation.
• A Technology Plan that answers questions including phone systems, Internet connectivity, circuit provisioning for voice and data, and hardware and software.
• A Move Plan that sequences the origin and destination sites, outlines the responsibilities of key vendors, and establishes the move timeline and milestones.
• Support before, during, and after your relocation.

If you’re moving, let us help you minimize your downtime and avoid costly mistakes.

Contact Blaine Berger via e-mail : blaine@e-oasis.com for more information or visit our web site www.e-oasis.com.

Hurricane Katrina affected businesses that require temporary facilities are encouraged to call 303-415-0777 to discuss their unique circumstances.

Tags: business relocation