Adams County Regional Economic Partnership recently hosted its annual State of the Region luncheon in Westminster. Stakeholders and elected officials, including Governor Polis, were in attendance to highlight the economic growth, demographic trends, and achievements of local businesses and communities within the Greater Adams County region. One common theme was an overwhelming optimism about the region’s direction and future opportunities.

Adams County is evolving into a premier location for vital strategic industries—from life sciences to advanced manufacturing to next-generation energy solutions. American technological innovation and digital tools have unlocked efficiencies and contributed to the diversification of the Colorado economy in ways that would have been unfathomable even ten years ago. Today, every industry or company is an IT-dependent operation. This evolution also provides excellent career opportunities for our young workforce in Adams County. By harnessing the latest technology in local business operations, Adams County will be an economic powerhouse for generations.

Technology and innovation have certainly played an invaluable role in transforming the Colorado economy. We have witnessed how proactive stakeholder engagement with emerging industries at the state and local levels promotes a healthy business environment. Alternatively, we’ve seen what happens when industry experts are ignored or left out of policy conversations and the detrimental impacts that can have on individual industry sector growth. We need to avoid pitfalls that could reverse technology's gains in bolstering growth in certain sectors of the Adams County economy. We believe our region will see continued success if we can remove barriers to entry for new technological advancements and be mindful of regulations that impede innovation and development. Misguided efforts by officials at the state and federal level could stifle the innovation underpinning so much of our region’s—and state’s— success.

The state of the Greater Adams County region is strong. We need support from our public officials and continued leadership from the local business community to ensure that it stays that way. As leaders look towards future regulations and legislation, AC-REP stands ready to convene stakeholders and develop solutions that keep our technology economy solid and successful.