EDIE Awards

Economic Development Achievement

Frank Gray | President & CEO | Castle Rock EDC

Frank has worked in Economic Development for 15 years. He has been the President & CEO of Castle Rock EDC for the past 10 years. He is a huge proponent of economic development in Colorado. He has served as the board chair for EDCC, Arapahoe Community College, Colorado Lending Source, and the founding member of Colorado Companies to Watch.

Frank has mentored countless Economic Development professionals and volunteers annually to provide Economic Development assistance to rural regions of Colorado.

Projects that he has touched:

Instrumental in the vision of ACC Castle Rock Collaboration Campus

• Partnership between Arapahoe Community College, Colorado State University and the Douglas County School District.
• Representing a first of its kind higher education facility
• Consists of two 50,000SF buildings

Influential in the Riverwalk Redevelopment

• Signature mixed use development project in Downtown Castle Rock
• 13,715SF of Retail
• 34,520SF of Office
• 228 Residential Units
• 320 Structured Parking Spaces

Successfully Negotiated Agreement with Miller’s Landing

• 65-Acre, 900,000SF Mixed Use Project
• Redevelopment and clean-up of a former municipal landfill
• 250-Room, Full-Service Hotel & Conference Center
• 450,000SF of Office
• 200,000SF of Retail

Small Community of the Year

City of Wheat Ridge

The City of Wheat Ridge has been extremely active in Economic Development over the past 36-months with much activity culminating in 2018. Here is a highlight of just some of the Economic Development projects that has occurred:

• Wheat Ridge Corners – 80,000 square feet of retail, including Denver’s first Lucky’s Market along with 231 units of Market Rate Apartments (breaking ground September 2018). The site is utilizing $6.2 in public financing through the Urban Renewal Authority.
• West End 38 – Broke ground July 2018- Will feature 165 market rate apartments and 8,000 sq. ft. of retail along West 38th Avenue in the heart of the downtown district. The project is a public/private financing deal utilizing$4.7 in Urban Renewal Tax Increment Financing.
• The Urban Renewal Authority has utilized excess revenues to enhance infrastructure throughout the City. The Authority has paid for two traffic signals; improving traffic movement, traffic calming, and public safety. It has also granted $36,000 toward the reconstruction of an old Circle K Convenience Store and Fueling station. The funds are being used for the consolidation of access points between the Circle K and its neighbor.
• Basecamp at the Gold Line – In 2018, the team prepared for the opening of the RTD Gold Line that begins in Wheat Ridge. The Economic Development Division was part of the team to create a vision for the station area which includes the attraction of the Outdoor Industry and branding the station as “Basecamp Wheat Ridge” and a moniker of “Adventure begins at the end of the line.”

Large Community of the Year

Castle Rock

The Town of Castle Rock over the past year has demonstrated strong Economic Development vision and execution. Below are some examples of how the community has demonstrated its commitment to invest in Economic Development:

• Downtown: Two $60+ million-dollar mixed use projects in Downtown Castle Rock that will add 1000 public parking spaces, 250 rental units, 125 for-sale condo’s and 50,000 sq. ft. of office space and 30,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
• Castle Rock Collaboration Campus: 100,00 sq. ft., $45M seamless Collaboration Campus. Partnership between Colorado State University, Arapahoe Community College, the Douglas County School District and the Town of Castle Rock. The Town has invested $3M of Economic Development funds into the project.
• Millers Landing: 68 Acre URA site with Brownfield remediation will include a 250-room resort/hotel and 500,000 sq. ft. of Office with over $300M in capital investment.

Company of the Year

Comcast

Since 2011, Comcast has invested $2.3 billion in Colorado’s technology and infrastructure, to offer multi-gig speeds to keep our communities competitive and our businesses running beyond fast. They are also committed to our communities and contributed more than $14 million financial and in-kind resources to community organizations just this past year.

In 2018, Comcast approved $20,080,316 in expanding Comcast’s infrastructure in Colorado. Comcast plans to serve an additional 4064 businesses in Colorado that previously weren’t serviceable by Comcast Business.

In 2018, Comcast approved $2,097,284 in Douglas County alone and will impact 466 businesses. An example of a project that was brought to Comcast by NW Douglas County EDC: Titan Industrial, was approved for $323,003. Soon, 67 other businesses will be able to receive all of our Comcast Products and services.

Comcast works closely with the following EDCs: PEDCO, Castle Rock EDC, NW Douglas County EDC, Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, Jefferson County EDC, Metro Denver EDC, Arvada EDA, Littleton Economic Development, Wheat Ridge Economic Development, Lakewood Economic Development, Westminster Economic Development, Broomfield Economic Development, Boulder Economic Council and Vail Valley Partnership

Comcast has been a great partner in Castle Rock too. Four years ago, Castle Rock sat down with all the major carriers in Colorado to ask them a question about how Castle Rock brings 21st century connectivity to Castle Rock. All of the major carriers EXCEPT Comcast said, “your market is not ready.”

Comcast however understood the importance of building this vital infrastructure in Castle Rock. A deal was struck, if Castle Rock EDC could deliver real fiber users to them and demonstrate demand, Comcast would invest in Castle Rock to “proactively” build-out the last mile of infrastructure. When over 100 businesses showed up to the library to confirm their support for a fiber and coaxial solution in Castle Rock a great partnership was formed.

Comcast delivered on their promise and proactively built out and retro-fitted all of Castle Rock’s business and industrial areas with no cost to the building owners. Since this commitment, Castle Rock has been able to effectively attract primary employers and help our existing employers grow. Comcast’s partnership with Castle Rock EDC and all of the communities in Colorado that they support make them a Colorado Company of the Year. Special thanks to Shawn Adamson, Jed Kenzy, Mike Trede and Gary Amella who were critical in making this investment a reality in Castle Rock.

Partnership of the Year

Castle Rock Collaboration Campus

The Castle Rock Collaboration Campus is a partnership between the Town of Castle Rock, Arapahoe Community College, Colorado State University, Douglas County School District to create the $45M, 100,000 sq. ft., first of its kind integrated campus programming, Collaboration Campus.

Additionally, the partnership includes Innosphere, Arapahoe Douglas Workforce Development and the 3D Printing Lab. It is a shining example of how collaborative Economic Development should work to build educational and workforce infrastructure for its community.

The Campus will open in fall of 2019 and is capable of enrollment up to 1500 students. The campus will deliver 21st Century education in a completely seamless process to the students and offer concurrent enrollment options that could deliver a 4-year path from Douglas County HS through ACC and CSU at 1/3 of the cost.

It will be a valuable business attraction and retention tool for the Castle Rock and Douglas County Community and a center piece of the community’s educational infrastructure and objective to help retain its youth in the community where they live. This is a great story of how one piece of vacant land turned into $400,000, then into an ACC deal and now a first-class innovative collaboration campus over the past 8 years. It is a great story of how Town Council’s vision and little bit of support became a $45M Educational Campus.

CHAIRMAN’S CHOICE AWARD

Governor John Hickenlooper

Over the past eight years, Governor John Hickenlooper has demonstrated a persistent commitment to making Colorado a great place for business. Governor Hickenlooper actively participated in championing the Colorado Blueprint, has supported rural broadband and the Rural Economic Development Initiative, all to make Colorado economically resilient. The Governor has advanced renewable energy initiatives, while also protecting the oil & gas industry against initiatives that go beyond regulation of the industry and effectively would ban new oil & gas development in much of Colorado.

For Estes Park, the Governor’s leadership since 2013 of the statewide flood recovery was essential to our region’s economic health and infrastructure resiliency. As a champion of economic resiliency, Governor Hickenlooper has led efforts to not only growth the Colorado economy, but strengthen communities throughout Colorado.