In Colorado, top businesses include hospitals, telecommunications and aerospace.
Depending on what's important to you, different Colorado companies rank as top businesses. Colorado boasts emerging "green" technologies in fields like renewable energy, as well as family-owned businesses that go back to the 19th century wild west. There are companies that pride themselves on helping employees achieve balance with work and families, others that emphasize earning potential and some that stress cutting-edge technological careers.
Largest Employers and Industries
Colorado's largest employers include banks, Information Technology (IT) service companies, hardware and software businesses, telecommunications corporations, defense contractors, and sports businesses. Colorado.gov reports that the state has the highest concentration of high-tech workers in the U.S., and that its top industries include aerospace and satellite, agriculture, bioscience, clean and technologies, financial services and manufacturing. . Growing Colorado industries gaining strong profitability include biotech, homeland security and renewable energy.
Top Family-Owned Businesses
In 2010, Coloradobiz magazine reported the top 50 family-owned businesses in Colorado, ranked by number of employees. For example, the number one ranked company, American Furniture Warehouse, has been in business 35 years and boasted a 2010 revenue of $300,000; and the number two company was Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc., which has been in business 55 years and reported a 2010 revenue of $226, 911. The oldest business is Johnson Storage & Moving Company, founded in 1899.
Best Businesses for Working Families
Parenthood.com conducted a survey in 2006 for the best Colorado companies for working families, with an emphasis on business procedures and practices that supported employees' work and family lives. The website categorized the results by company size and non-profit companies. The best companies in the large-, medium- and small-size categories were HealthOne, OSI Pharmaceuticals and The North Highland Company, respectively. The top non-profit business was Kaiser Permanente Colorado.
A Top State for Business
In 2008, CNBC conducted a survey for the top states for business in the U.S., using 40 areas of publicly available assessments and then classifying the results into 10 broad categories, which included cost of doing business, workforce, economy, the friendliness of the business, quality of life and ease of access to the state capital in Denver. Last, business groups, including the National Association of Manufactures, provided input. Out of 50 states, Colorado ranked number five.
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