Scaling the Future: Technology, Aerospace, and Advanced Manufacturing in Mesa County, CO

By Curtis Englehart, CEcD, Executive Director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership

(Originally published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, July 18, 2026)

If our community wants to remain competitive, supporting regional growth in emerging industries isn’t optional. In recent years, national economic development policy has sharpened its focus on supporting business investment into key areas that strengthen national security and critical infrastructure, facilitate job creation, and diversify local economies.

Through federal legislation, including the CHIPS and Science Act and the reauthorization of Opportunity Zones, the ability to unlock new investment opportunities throughout the United States is expanding beyond traditional tech hubs into new geographic areas and more rural markets. Growing opportunities span industry sectors including advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience, electronics, energy and natural resources, infrastructure engineering, and technology and information.

For communities like Mesa County, proactively leveraging existing assets to attract, retain, and support the expansion of these industries will be definitive in facilitating primary job creation, economic diversification, and long-term community vitality.

How Grand Junction Is Driving Regional Momentum In Advanced Industries

Earlier this year at the Western Colorado Economic Summit, we heard from several industry leaders operating in advanced industries, gaining insight into the current challenges and opportunities facing this sector with key themes emerging around advanced manufacturing, automated supply chains, and securing national critical infrastructure.

Among the panelists, SG Aerospace & Gas highlighted the growing opportunities for advanced manufacturing and aerospace-focused companies operating within our region. As a supplier for Lockheed Martin and contributor to NASA’s Artemis project, SG Aerospace & Gas has been able to leverage Grand Junction’s existing resources through workforce partnerships with Colorado Mesa University as well as grant opportunities through the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) to attend international trade shows. Their success proves that western Colorado can anchor high-precision and mission-critical global supply chains.

Local leaders also shared insight into how technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are disrupting traditional workflows and how Grand Junction based companies are adapting and finding opportunities within this realm. Companies including ExoPower are on the forefront of this high-tech frontier, gaining national traction by manufacturing in-motion capacitive wireless charging systems for industrial mobile robots and warehouse automation infrastructure. And Grand Junction companies including The Confluencial and Sky Peak Technologies shed light on how software development, automations, and AI agents are being used to support quality management, manufacturing, and efficiency across sectors, accelerating growth in key industries by aligning people, processes, and technology.

Each of these growing businesses headquartered in Grand Junction demonstrates how our regional economy is already embedding itself in vital supply chains that create ripple effects beyond Mesa County, pioneering new technology and demonstrating that businesses in this sector no longer need to be located in a major metro in order to compete for resources and scale.

Momentum also continues around the RAPIDS Tech Hub initiative, where partners have advanced strategic planning and feasibility efforts aimed at strengthening innovation and workforce development to secure national critical infrastructure, such as the Colorado River, through bolstering cybersecurity and water management efforts. Through $412,000 in grant funding awarded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, RAPIDS will be anchored at the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center at Colorado Mesa University, supporting cybersecurity workforce initiatives and helping build our region’s technology ecosystem. This shift in our region’s economic strategy is positioning our community to further withstand macroeconomic shifts and economic downturns.

Key Challenges Facing Tech, Manufacturing, and Aerospace Growth in Mesa County

While our community is proactively positioning itself to attract growth in the advanced industries, several challenges still exist. To compete for these primary, high-wage jobs, we must be proactive in addressing regional friction points, including talent attraction and development, infrastructure, and access to capital.

Advanced manufacturing and tech companies require a different level of specialized, multidisciplinary talent. Often, roles within these emerging industries require a blend of both traditional skills and high-tech digital literacy which can be applied to supporting supply chain resilience, manufacturing automations, cybersecurity, and product development.

Early career exposure through hands on STEM experiences and manufacturing exposure at the K-12 level and into the technical and graduate levels can support the talent pipeline, with Mesa County School District 51, CMU Tech, and The Maverick Innovation Center already implementing partnerships and mobile learning opportunities. These local institutions are proactively building the next generation of talent needed to support industry growth, providing a strong pathway for entry-level workforce and upskilling.

On the flip side, many companies are requiring established senior level talent, emphasizing regional needs to bring new talent to our community. With many senior tech and engineering professionals actively leaving high-cost metro areas in search of a better quality of life, the Grand Junction area offers an appealing proposition through established industry hubs, an outdoor lifestyle, and comparatively lower overhead. Developing resources to support specialized talent attraction and streamlining regional networks to ensure skilled talent and their families can successfully integrate into our community will be essential.

Additionally, continued investment into broadband and transportation infrastructure to ensure that companies competing at a global level have the accessibility needed to operate their business from Grand Junction will support our community’s competitive advantage. Access to capital, particularly for early-stage companies within the tech and advanced manufacturing space, remains a friction point due to high initial capital expenditures required for physical scaling and structural mismatches between long product development lifecycles and standard venture capital timelines. The need for additional, flexible funding mechanisms designed specifically with the needs of these industries in mind will be crucial in supporting long-term growth.

State and Local Incentives Accelerating Business Growth in Western Colorado

While challenges and room for improvement exist, Colorado and Mesa County offer a variety of resources well-suited to support industry growth in these sectors.

The Rural Jump Start Program remains a powerful tool for business recruitment and expansion. By partnering with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and Colorado Mesa University, GJEP has been able to utilize this program to provide companies with substantial state and local tax relief and cash grants that allow businesses committed to creating high-wage, primary jobs that do not compete with local businesses, to startup or scale in Mesa County.

Colorado’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program also offers several grants, tax credits, and regular opportunities for businesses to exhibit alongside the state. Resources like the Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant help businesses receive up to $250,000 to commercialize advanced technologies developed or manufactured in Colorado.

Complimenting these incentives, partners including CMU’s Maverick Innovation Center and The Business Incubator Center (BIC) offer businesses robust ecosystem support that brings cutting edge ideas to life through specialized workspaces, shared equipment, innovation labs, and business consulting. Additionally, many businesses have been able to leverage BIC’s revolving loan fund, helping bridge gaps between traditional financing and improving financial readiness for many entities.

The region’s biggest regional asset, though, continues to be alignment, both at the state and local levels. When our educational institutions, private sector, public leaders, and economic development partners pull in the same direction, we can transform complex economic challenges into shared community wins.

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership and the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) will be hosting the Advanced Industries Rural Roadshow on Thursday, July 23rd at 10:00 AM at OakStar Bank to discuss available state resources. Learn more and register by visiting gjep.org/advanced-industries.