Every day, across Colorado, small businesses are developing new technologies and services that boost their communities and the state. The Rural Jump-Start program, launched in 2015 in partnership with rural communities, encourages economic growth and job creation across Colorado by supporting business growth and job creation. Here, we take a closer look at some of the companies that have chosen rural Colorado. From luxury tiny homes to AI-driven recycling services, they are strengthening their communities and Colorado’s economy.
- Brush: Hammer Lane Truck Wash is a large vehicle automatic wash company that will run laser equipment in a three-bay facility in Brush, Colorado. The company serves local semi-trucks, buses, and agricultural equipment, and large vehicle traffic from I-76.
- Cañon City: Mytikas Manufacturing, a producer of sustainable, high-efficiency galvanized steel components and zero-waste tiny homes, has become the first Fremont County business to join the Rural Jump-Start program. The company utilizes high tech extrusion equipment and is projected to create 170 new jobs in Fremont County while delivering cost-efficient, durable, and eco-friendly housing solutions.
- Craig: Harmonie House is a home health care agency that serves individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families. Headquartered in Craig, the business has a Class A Home Care Agency license and serves nine counties across Northwest Colorado. The company provides individual residential services and supports, including personal care, respite, homemaker, mentorship, and community connector services.
- Durango: InnerFrame is a media technology company expanding in La Plata County and focused on personal development and mental well-being. This innovative company leverages artificial intelligence to transform digital media into a tool for personal growth and mental wellness, drawing from neuroscience and behavioral psychology to deliver highly personalized content. Innerframe expects to create up to 20 new jobs in the local community.
- Grand Junction: Bruin Waste Management is launching a new, independent division focused on advanced recycling and materials sortation to better serve western Colorado. The new division will provide services previously available to the region only in Utah, reducing transportation costs for western Colorado communities and expecting to create up to 30 new jobs. State-of-the-art sortation technology, including AI-driven systems, will improve recycling efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and shorten regional supply chain costs. Plans for the facility also include an on-site viewing room to educate students, residents, and stakeholders about modern recycling practices and environmental responsibility.
- Grand Junction: ExoPower manufactures wireless charging systems for robots. The company has developed an in-motion capacitive wireless charging system for industrial mobile robots, from small picking robots and autonomous forklifts to larger electric vehicles. The company will manufacture charging components to be incorporated into both robots and integrated into warehouse infrastructures for wireless charging. This technology enables these vehicles to charge while they work and move, eliminating the need to stop for recharging.
- Lincoln County: BHV Adventures, LLC, specializes in the design, creation and sales of affordable and luxury tiny homes. The first Lincoln County company to join the Rural Jump-Start program, BHV Adventures manufactures tiny homes on wheels in both bumper pull and fifth wheel options.
- Moffat County: High Altitude Geothermal, LLC, is a family-run business bringing geothermal heating and cooling to northwest Colorado. The first Moffat County business and the first geothermal business to join the Rural Jump-Start program, High Altitude Geothermal specializes in drilling, designing and installing geothermal ground source exchange systems and heat pumps. Founders Kristine and Matt Cooper and their family were also featured in Canary Media.
- Montrose: Artisanal pasta manufacturer Italian Food Emporium is setting up shop in Montrose, where the company plans to open a storefront and manufacturing space to produce fresh and dried pasta using time-honored Italian pasta-making techniques. Products will be sold on-site, at farmers' markets, and wholesale to grocery stores and restaurants across Colorado and beyond.
- Pagosa Springs: Lifting Up is a growing Software as a Service (SaaS) company with a focus on education technology and trauma-informed care. The company automates the national Handle With Care notification process, enabling real-time communication between first responders and schools. The company's automated process increases the volume and consistency of alerts compared to an officer-initiated notification process. This ensures key school staff are made aware when a student has been impacted by trauma, allowing schools to better support students and improve academic and behavioral outcomes.
- Rifle: Rifle Climbing Center is a rock climbing gym and hub for traveling climbers. The business brings rock climbers into downtown from Rifle Mountain Park, a significant tourist destination for rock climbers from both inside and outside of Colorado. Rifle Climbing Center includes a retail space for purchasing climbing gear, showers, laundry, and internet access for remote work.
- Steamboat Springs: Mica Creek Capital is an asset management firm specializing in commercial real estate debt across public and private markets. The business seeks to generate high current and total return opportunities in distressed and dislocated commercial real estate debt through primary origination and secondary securities trading.
- Steamboat Springs: Nice Ice is a wholesale manufacturer that supplies custom-cut purified ice for premium cocktails. Nice Ice distributes to restaurants, bars, country clubs, and catering operations in the Yampa Valley.
- Sterling: The School of Reps plans to open an indoor athletic training facility for youth and families in Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick and Washington counties, as well as the Nebraska Panhandle. The facility will provide AI-enhanced skill development, batting cage rentals, team practice space, strength and conditioning programs, camps, and community-based classes.
To learn more about the Rural Jump-Start program, please contact Quina Weber-Shirk.