Jefferson County EDC reports surge in investment, highlights workforce and housing challenges

Jansen Tidmore, chief executive officer of the Jefferson Economic Development Corporation (GEFCO EDC), told Wheat Ridge City Council members at a study session in April that Jefferson County is seeing a large upswing in private investment and job creation but is constrained by housing and site availability.

Tidmore said GEFCO worked on 14 projects that produced about $705,000,000 in new investment in 2024 and that the organization has helped generate nearly $5,000,000,000 in new capital over the last five years. "Last year, we brought in $705,000,000 in new investment," he said, and he reported 2,168 jobs created in 2024 and a running tally of about 10,000 jobs since tracking began.

The nut graf: The EDC's message to Wheat Ridge leaders was twofold — Jefferson County is competitive for high‑wage sectors such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace, medical device manufacturing and clean tech, but the county must address housing affordability and a limited supply of buildable, serviced industrial land to convert that economic momentum into local hires.

Tidmore laid out GEFCO's target sectors and local assets. He said Jefferson County is strong in advanced manufacturing and aerospace; it ranks highly in aerospace job density in Colorado and counts Rocky Mountain Metro Airport and Pilatus as local assets. He said bioscience in the county is largely medical device manufacturing and noted GEFCO is "number 1 in the state for medical device manufacturing jobs." He also highlighted cleantech and the role of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which he said accounts for about 3,000 jobs and helps produce a broader clean‑tech cluster he estimated at roughly 13,000 jobs.

Tidmore described GEFCO programs and partnerships that connect employers, education and small business supports. He credited a new director of existing industry, David Carroll, with expanding retention work; said the Small Business Development Center network served about 540 Jefferson County businesses in 2024; and described a Jeffco Slingshot brand to coordinate entrepreneur resources. "SBDC consulting is free for small businesses," he said, and the EDC now conducts more than 200 business visits annually.

Council members asked about Wheat Ridge‑specific engagement. Tidmore said GEFCO works with Local Works, the West Metro Chamber and local chambers and tries not to duplicate chamber territory. He described the EDC's "Develop GEFCO" committee for land‑use and local policy and a separate government affairs committee for state and federal issues.

Housing and workforce repeatedly returned in the Q&A. Tidmore called housing a "housing crisis," described efforts to align K‑12, community college and higher‑education pathways to local industry needs, and said some large announced projects (for example a Quantum campus) should be viewed as opportunities to employ current residents rather than simply import labor.

Council members and the EDC discussed potential joint events and convenings to bring elected officials and private industry together to learn best practices, and Tidmore said GEFCO already hosts board meetings and forums that often draw strong participation from elected officials and industry leaders. He also noted neighborhood‑level engagement pilots, including a South Golden Road mobile‑home park effort that led to weekly community meetings and coordination with Excel and NREL on energy and pipeline operator concerns.

Ending: Tidmore offered to share slides and follow up materials with Wheat Ridge staff. Council members thanked him for the presentation and said they valued GEFCO's role in connecting local planning and workforce partners with incoming employers.