Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper gave his State of the State speech in January. He especially addressed the need for the state to help spur the growth of entrepreneurship and to create and attract new business. Mayor Hickenlooper makes the point that Colorado small business and entrepreneurs thrive in proximity to large corporations and that they depend on each other. It only makes sense that large corporations are attracted to a state with a pro-business environment.  That they “want to be in states where partisanship gives way to partnership.”

As a business attorney in Colorado, and an entrepreneur, I support any positive move that Colorado can make to attract and nurture business, large and small. As a matter of fact, 2011 was a pretty good year for big business in Colorado:

• DaVita, which  offers a range of dialysis treatments and support services, moved its headquarters to the Denver area from California in 2009, and appeared on the Fortune 500 list as a Colorado company for the first time in 2011
• The multi-billion dollar Arrow Electronics announce in 2011 that it would move its headquarters from New York to Colorado. The company plans to add 1,250 positions over the next five years to the 1,000 people it now employs at the Inverness business park.
• In October 2011, Level 3 and Global Crossing closed on their merger. This brought jobs and made Level 3 Communications a Fortune 500 company overnight.

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