By Michael Hancock, President, Denver City Council
& Ryan Frazier, Aurora City Council, At-Large

DENVER--The Rocky Mountain Region is growing, and the opportunities were never better for Colorado's black-owned business owners and professionals. From Denver International Airport to the Fitzsimons Health Sciences City, from Highway 36 to E-470, local business opportunities abound for African Americans.

According to the US Small Business Administration, the number of Black-owned firms in Colorado grew by 43 percent between 1997 and 2002--generating millions in revenues and creating thousands of new jobs for the state's residents.

It helps that the Aurora-Denver metro area remains a viable and attractive location for businesses to grow and/or relocate. The region's business-friendly environment--with its relatively low tax rate, easy access to capital and a tremendous network of public and private resources for budding entrepreneurs and professionals--consistently places the region on the short-list for firms looking for a change of scenery accompanied by new revenue streams.

It helps, too, that the metro area has some of the nation's largest redevelopment projects underway. One need look no further the 578-acre Fitzsimons Medical Campus, home to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center and The Children's Hospital, and future home of a new Veteran's Administration Hospital.

Already luring new businesses everyday to its Colorado Science and Technology Park, Fitzsimons soon will employ some 35,000 people, and create countless opportunities in the medical and bioresearch industries-fields with growing, but still under-represented, numbers of ethnic minority workers. The campus' development also will spur a need for new services and workers near the campus and in surrounding neighborhoods-from new retail to housing.

But if Black imaginations aren't moved by a microscope, their dreams of entrepreneurship can still take flight at Denver International Airport (DIA), which served a record 47.3 million passengers in 2006. As more passengers fly in and out of the world's fifth-busiest airport, the need grows for additional aviation concessionaires and contractors.

And with development finally slated for the parcels that approach the fast-growing airport, small business owners and managers are set to capitalize on a new collection of consumers with whom they can share their latest concept or franchise.

Speaking of significant public projects, African-Americans would be wise to watch the region's transportation sector. With billions behind it, FasTracks has the potential to change the way we commute. Over the next few years, opportunities related to new Transportation Oriented Developments (TOD) near Light Rail Stations, along with those that tap into our growing unease with rising energy costs, will continue to grow throughout the region.

When they're ready to pursue entrepreneurship, African-Americans can find many local resources available to assist them. The Regional Office of the Small Business Administration, for instance, lends or guarantees millions in loans and investments for entrepreneurs. There also are several business assistance centers, including the Aurora Business Development Center. The Aurora Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Aurora Business Association and the Denver Office of Economic Development, that provide a range of loans and training for small business owners and managers.

Corporate climbers also are converging on Colorado-and are likely contributing to the growth of the state's African-American population. Recently released data from the Census Bureau shows that Colorado's African American population grew by 13 percent over the past eight years. Several organizations and programs, including the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, continue to serve this upwardly mobile segment of the population.

Unfortunately, African-American and other minority business owners aren't always informed of the magnitude and possibility of the region's business climate.

That's why they'll want to attend the 3 rd Annual Black Economic Summit, set for June 7-8 at the Colorado Convention Center. Themed Reach for New Altitude, the Mountain Region Black Economic Summit is perfect for young and future professionals on their climb upward, entrepreneurs hoping to land investors or new customers and others seeking a new career opportunity.

Hosted for the first time in Downtown Denver, the one-of-a-kind summit will serve-up a variety of useful business-related seminars for professionals of all persuasions. The summit also will offer helpful networking events, business and career expo, and day-long activities for area youth.

For more information on registration, exhibitor space, advertising opportunities and lodging, call 303-400-5928 or visit www.mrbes.com.