Five Southwest Colorado Companies named as Colorado Companies to Watch

DURANGO, Colo. – The Colorado Companies to Watch program has chosen 50 companies in the State as Colorado Companies to Watch, and five of the companies are from Southwest Colorado. 

StoneAge, Inc, Open Sky Wilderness, Performance Pet Nutrition dba Zukes, Osprey Packs, Inc. and Hydro-X LLC were chosen as second-stage growth companies that are developing valuable products and services, creating quality jobs, enriching communities and creating new industries throughout the state.

Four of the companies are actively involved in the Southwest Colorado Growth Company Initiative (GCI). The GCI supports local emerging growth companies that bring added value to the region through economic diversification and high quality job creation. There are currently 26 members of the CEO Network, a part of the Growth Company Initiative, and these companies employ over 883 people with 73 percent of the jobs paying above the annual average wage. 

A major focus of the GCI is to nurture the strong entrepreneurial environment in SW Colorado. The GCI program is a partnership of the Region 9 Economic Development District, the Fort Lewis College School of Business, the Small Business Development Center and the county-level economic development groups.

Region 9 and the La Plata Economic Development Action Partnership LEAD are also sponsors of the Colorado Companies to Watch Program. This is a national program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation.

All 50 companies will be announced at the June 25th awards event to be held in Denver.

Visit the Colorado Companies to Watch website to learn more about becoming a sponsor of the program or for information on attending the awards event, http://companiestowatch.org/index.ctw?page=home&aff=Colorado&-session=ctw:4276D2FE0a5a9203C2lws20EA100.

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