Governor Polis, Lt. Governor Primavera, and the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) formally announced that Zivaro, an information technology company that specializes in serving government and national defense partners, has selected Colorado Springs, Colorado for expansion. There, the company’s new business unit will focus on modernizing legacy systems that serve Space and Command Control Programs operated by and on behalf of the U.S. Government. These more flexible technology solutions will help the Government continue to keep up with the pace of change required in today’s operating environment.
“As the aerospace industry in Colorado continues to boom, we are thrilled cutting-edge companies like Zivaro have chosen to expand here, creating more than 300 new jobs. Colorado is a great place to live, work and do business which is evident as we continue to support business expansion in our state. I look forward to Zivaro’s future growth here and to all that is on the horizon in Colorado’s aerospace industry,” said Governor Polis.
“I am excited that Zivaro has chosen Colorado Springs for its expansion which will further position Colorado as the epicenter for national security space,” said Lt. Governor Primavera and co-chair of the Colorado Space Coalition. “I am proud of the progress the Polis-Primavera administration has achieved in developing the aerospace industry and supporting innovative companies to grow their businesses in our state.”
The Aerospace and Defense industry has experienced a 13% growth rate in jobs from 2016 to 2021 and has a projected growth rate of 10% from 2021 to 2026. Fifty percent of the nation’s Space Force is based in Colorado, and many of the nation’s leading aerospace companies are headquartered in the state and in Colorado Springs. These companies have helped the nation return spacecraft to the moon through the successful completion of the Artemis launch, helped power the James Webb Telescope to see further into space than ever before, and supported national security and defense missions.
Companies like Zivaro provide mission-critical services within that ecosystem. By selecting Colorado Springs for expansion, Zivaro joins more than 250 companies who have also selected the city to provide advanced technologies in national defense, global positioning systems, cybersecurity, and satellite communications.
“Zivaro is a mission-centered company, and we firmly believe in the U.S. government’s vision to modernize the technology and code that supports today’s missions protecting our country. In our view, there is no better place to support these mission domains and capture some of the nation’s top talent than Colorado Springs,” said Greg Byles, Zivaro’s CEO and Co-Founder. “Members of our leadership team also come from Colorado Springs and spent significant time in the military around Space and Command and Control missions in particular. In many ways, this expansion feels like a homecoming and there is no other place we would rather be as we expand.”
Zivaro provides IT strategy, planning, implementation, system integration, and IT operations to a broad spectrum of critical infrastructure industry clients, such as banking and finance, healthcare, oil and gas, and education in addition to federal, state and local government. The company expects to create 304 net new jobs at an average annual wage of $165,076, which is 312.76% percent of the average annual wage in El Paso County. The majority of the positions will be technical engineering roles, but the company also plans to hire a small number of support roles that would be able to work remotely.
“Colorado has the second largest space economy in the U.S. and the state’s aerospace industry alone employs more than 240,000 Coloradans, which is more aerospace employees per capita than any other state,” said Patrick Meyers, OEDIT Executive Director. “By selecting Colorado Springs for expansion, Zivaro will bring more than 300 new jobs to the community and join a growing number of companies that have rightly recognized the state and Colorado Springs as a hub for the aerospace and defense industry.”
“Zivaro’s decision to choose Colorado Springs as the home for their expansion is a testament to the strong cybersecurity talent pool that serves the epicenter of national security space here in Colorado Springs. Zivaro’s innovation and expertise will contribute to our growing cluster of technology and innovation around cybersecurity and defense that protects our nation’s assets and supports the needs of other important industries like healthcare,” said Cecilia Harry, CEcD, Chief Economic Development Officer, Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation.
Zivaro is the first company to benefit from a Colorado Springs Deal Closing Fund recently announced by the City of Colorado Springs and the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC to build on the metro area’s high rate of economic recovery and growth. The fund is a public-private-partnership to incentivize the creation of new, high-paying jobs and capital investment through investment by new and expanding primary employers in Colorado Springs. The company is anticipating City of Colorado Springs incentives as well.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved up to $8,650,396 in performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits over an 8-year period and $57,500 in a performance-based Strategic Fund LONE Worker incentive over a 5-year period, at $2,500 per net new job. These incentives are contingent upon Zivaro, referred to as Project Dinosaur throughout the OEDIT review process, meeting net new job creation and salary requirements.
In addition to Colorado, Zivaro considered Huntsville, Ala. and Omaha, Neb. In addition to Denver and Colorado Springs, the company has smaller teams in Alabama, Virginia, Florida, and California. Of the company’s current 175 employees, 132 are in Colorado.