Fremont County Grace Quereau Elijah Shrader Beza Tafari

Fremont County Grace Quereau, Elijah Shrader, Beza Tafari

Recommendation: Reallocation of Resources Expand tech development to improve telehealth Increase school funding in STEM Provide support for tech development

Introduction to Fremont County

Location

Prisons Local 1 Facility 490 beds Federal State 11 Facilities beds 6, 231 3 Facilities 2, 800 beds Fremont County has the largest percentage of incarcerated people in the state of Colorado, making up 19. 90% of the county’s population.

Local Attractions Royal Gorge Bridge & Park ● Royal Rush Skycoaster ● Cloudscraper Zip Line ● Aerial gondolas Additional services ● Helicopter tours ● Train rides ● Whitewater rafting

Local Attractions Arkansas River ● Runs adjacent to downtown Cañon City and through Centennial Park ● River restoration project made improvements to Whitewater Kayak and Recreation Park

Local Attractions The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey ● Built by six monks in 1925 ● Monastery and school in use through 1985 ● Winery established in 2001 and has become a major attraction ever since

Foundation: Base Analysis and Assets

Population Fremont County: 47, 839 ● ● Cañon City: 16, 750 Florence: 3, 956 Penrose: 3, 582 Lincoln Park: 3, 546 The population density is 30 people per square mile in Fremont County compared to El Paso’s 300 people per square mile.

Base Analysis Overview ● 17, 905 people employed ● Greater number of basic jobs implies more money being recycled within Fremont than leaking out ○ 40 commuters in 2019 ● Fremont’s multiplier is just above Colorado’s average of 1. 36 2019 Fremont % Total Indirect Basic Employment Direct Basic Employment Worker Local Resident Service Employment Total Employment El Paso % Total 1, 924 10. 75% 63, 244 16. 34% 13, 083 73. 07% 208, 125 53. 77% 2, 898 16. 19% 115, 666 29. 89% 17, 905 100. 00% 387, 036 100. 00% 1. 37 1. 86 1 1 IB/DB (Recycle $ thru local suppliers) 0. 15 0. 3 LRS/DB (Recycle $ thru local worker spending) 0. 22 0. 56 Multiplier = Total/Direct Basic DB/DB (Original Basic Bang)

2019 Fremont % Total Base Industries Economic Drivers Total Employment % Total 387, 036 842 4. 70% 3, 800 0. 98% 3, 564 19. 91% 56, 139 14. 50% 469 2. 62% 9, 950 2. 57% 50 7, 625 0. 28% 42. 59% 68 175, 894 0. 02% 45. 45% 40 0. 53% 2, 634 1. 50% 3, 593 47. 13% 28, 847 16. 40% HHD Other Household Income (Div/Interest/Rent) 418 5. 48% 14, 415 8. 20% HHD Other Household Employment (Public Assistance) 675 8. 85% 14, 332 8. 15% HHS Local Resident Services 2, 898 38. 01% 115, 666 65. 76% Regional Center/National Services TOTAL (Base) 1, 859 10. 38% 60, 642 15. 67% 169 9. 10% 3, 422 5. 64% 9 0. 50% 2, 236 3. 69% 1, 332 71. 65% 23, 998 39. 57% RCNS Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 30 1. 63% 4, 116 6. 79% RCNS Trade and Transportation 174 9. 34% 6, 328 10. 43% Agribusiness (Base) Government (Base) Manufacturing (Base) Mining (Base) Households TOTAL (Base) HHD Commuters ● Retirees: serve as a buffer against recessions ● Government: makes up a larger percent of Fremont’s economy than it does in El Paso ● Education & Health Services: five of Fremont’s top eight biggest employers fall under education and health services 17, 905 El Paso HHD Retirees RCNS Communication RCNS Construction RCNS Education & Health Services

Wage and Employment incentives of Tech Colorado Average Wage: $61, 819 Fremont County Average Wage: $42, 483 Business and Tech services wage Fremont: $52, 139 Business and Tech services wage El Paso: $90, 812 County Establishme nts Jan. Employed Feb. Employed Mar. Employed Qtr. Wage total Weekly Wage Total Fremont 2019 Q 1 131 563 576 6, 680, 670 901 Fremont 2020 Q 1 142 668 669 8, 500, 432 981

Importance of Proprietors ● Proprietors spark new businesses with potential for large growth ● Proprietors make up large % of Prof. and bus. services ● Also a large proportion of health services Industry Prop 01 Prop 09 Prop 19 Prof. and business services 238 321 333 Health Services 239 194 163

Pueblo Community College ● Recognized by NSA for CIS and cyber security programs ● Heavy focus and increased funding in STEM programs ● 5, 592 current students enrolled ● Potential source of recent graduates to stay and work in Fremont County ● Boosts skill-level and education-level up within the county

Business Professional and Technical Programs Degree & Certificate Program Award Applied Technology AAS Business Management AA, AAS, Certificate, Mini-certificate Computer Information Systems AAS, AGS, Certificate *Cyber Security AAS, Certificate Health Information Technology AAS, Certificate HIT Management and Support Certificate HIT Network Security Certificate *Secure Software Development BAS Software Development & Security AAS Web Design & Development AAS, Certificate

Tech. START & Well. START ● ● ● Tech. START est. in 2018 Well. START est. in 2020 in response to Covid-19 Tech. START: Building sustainable development to establish steady employment in Fremont’s growing tech sector ○ ○ ● Help increase number of tech proprietors Match PCC students with work through internships Well. START: Works to expand rural telehealth services and access to wellness options

Emergent Campus ● ● Locations in Florence and Canon City Collaborative campus for tech businesses Currently used as a rural test for a large tech company Potential to house large companies to test further rural expansion

Bridging

School Funding in STEM Remove focus on prisons by allocating funding to schools. ● Higher quality education will lead to more technical and higher paying jobs later in life ● Education in STEM will prepare students for local jobs Education United States Incarceration $12, 201 - Colorado $9, 809 $39, 000 Fremont $7, 716 -

Jobs in Technology Increase funding in FEDC’s Tech. START program to introduce more innovation, entrepreneurship, businesses, and jobs ● Fremont County named Colorado’s second largest tech sector ● Expected growth through the next decades ● Combined with available space and low real estate costs, there is large potential for housing, offices, and warehouses Top 10 Location Quotients in 2019 Job Name LQ Health Services 5. 37158 Professional and technical services 2. 84987 Construction 1. 83613 Finance activities 1. 82197 Food services and drinking places 1. 54146 Special trade contractors 1. 43530 Manufacturing 1. 42070 Government 1. 40832 Ambulatory health care services 1. 18815 Real estate 1. 08104

Jobs in Health Increase funding in the FEDC’s Well. START program. ● Combine health services and professional & technical services to push telehealth services ● Benefits Fremont County’s two most prevalent populations: retirees and incarcerated individuals Top 10 Location Quotients in 2019 Job Name LQ Health Services 5. 37158 Professional and technical services 2. 84987 Construction 1. 83613 Finance activities 1. 82197 Food services and drinking places 1. 54146 Special trade contractors 1. 43530 Manufacturing 1. 42070 Government 1. 40832 Ambulatory health care services 1. 18815 Real estate 1. 08104

Telehealth and Retirees Fremont had 7. 41% more retiree aged residents than Colorado’s average in 2019

COVID impacts ● Only one hospital in Fremont County ● High risk of ICU / bed overload ● Large at-risk population given number of retirees and incarcerated individuals ● Almost 7% of the population has contracted Covid-19 ● Well. START established to address issues with healthcare access during the pandemic

Telehealth and Incarcerated Individuals 18. 28% 42% Are serving time for drug related offenses Are imprisoned for nonviolent offenses 27% Higher unemployment rate formerly incarcerated individuals 50% Recidivism rate Colorado in

Implications

Future Plans? ● Fremont has seen a 28. 85% increase in professional, scientific, and technical services ● Data processing has also seen an increase from one job in 2001 to 11 jobs in 2019 ● Fremont is expected to see a 38. 07% increase in the number of 30 -34 year olds in the county from 2021 to 2030, the prime working age for these tech jobs

Percent Change in Population Forecast 2021 -2030

Conclusion ● Fremont County has given itself a clear opportunity to grow its economy with the emergence of tech based businesses ● Offering more affordable lifestyles for those in the professional and business service industry ● Close to the Front Range while still providing natural amenities ● We suggest that Fremont invests in educating and training students at all levels in STEM fields ● Boost funding to Tech. START and Well. START to build sustained economic growth in telehealth and technical service sectors

Sources Bureau, US Census. “ 2018 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data. ” The United’ States Census Bureau, 14 Apr. 2020, www. census. gov/data/tables/2018/econ/school-finances/secondary-education-finance. html “Canon City Whitewater Park Expands. ” The Pueblo Chieftain, 15 June 2019, www. chieftain. com/news/20190614/canon-citywhitewater-park-expands. Canterbury, Carie, and The Daily Record. “Fremont County Officials Discuss Growing Drug Problem in Area. ” Canon City Daily Record, 15 Apr. 2019, www. canoncitydailyrecord. com/2019/01/18/fremont-county-officials-discuss-growing-drug-problem-in-area/. “Colorado's Correctional Capitol: Fremont County. ” Colorado's Correctional Capitol: Fremont County | Fremont County, Colorado, www. fremontco. com/colorados-correctional-capitol-fremont-county. Eaton, M. Kathleen. “Climate Capital of Colorado. ” Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center, 29 Aug. 2019, museum. canoncity. org/? p=2726. “Financial Transparency. ” Canon City Schools, www. canoncityschools. org/apps/pages/index. jsp? u. REC_ID=481504&type=d&p. REC_ID=963890. “Fremont County, Colorado. ” Prison Information, www. fremontcolorado. com/Home/Prison. Information. aspx. Fremont Economic Development Center. “Congratulations Team Bravrr!!!” Fremont County Economic Development Corporation, 6 June 2019, fremontedc. com/congratulations-team-bravrr/. “Fremont County - Public Health Improvement Plan. ” Fremont CO, www. fremontco. com/file/public-health/phip. pdf.

Sources cont. Goodland, Marianne, and Joey Bunch. “COVER STORY: The Politics of Prisons. ” Colorado Politics, 23 Mar. 2020, www. coloradopolitics. com/legislature/cover-story-the-politics-of-prisons/article_a 4 ab 364 c-475 e-11 ea-9 faf-2 b 50 a 4 d 32078. html. Guidant Financial. “ 2020 Small Business Trends & Statistics. ” Guidant Financial, 2020, www. guidantfinancial. com/small-business-trends/. Harmon, Tracy. “'Shark Tank' like Competition Awards $13, 000 to Entrepreneurs. ” The Pueblo Chieftain, 9 Oct. 2019, https: //www. chieftain. com/news/20191006/shark-tank-like-competition-awards-13000 -to-entrepreneurs “Canon City Whitewater Park Expands. ” The Pueblo Chieftain, 15 June 2019, www. chieftain. com/news/20190614/canon-citywhitewater-park-expands. Kopf, Lucius Couloute and Dan. “Out of Prison & Out of Work. ” Out of Prison & Out of Work | Prison Policy Initiative, www. prisonpolicy. org/reports/outofwork. html. Office, Colorado State Demography. Population by Single Year of Age - County. 2020, demography. dola. colorado. gov/population/data/sya-county/. “PCC Named National Center of Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense Education. ” Pueblo Community College, 1 Sept. 2017, www. pueblocc. edu/News/PCC_named_National_Center_of_Academic_Excellence_for_Cyber_Defense_Education/. Posted on April 11, 2018 by rgb - History. “ 13 Fun & Interesting Facts about the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park in Colorado. ”Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, 5 May 2020, royalgorgebridge. com/13 -fun-facts-about-the-royal-gorge-bridge-park/. Harmon, Tracy.

Sources cont. Rowland, Brad. Canon City High School Awarded the Fourth Pathways in Technology Early College High School (PTECH) Grant in Colorado! 20 Mar. 2018, www. linkedin. com/pulse/canon-city-high-school-awarded-fourth-pathways-early-college-owland/. Rowland, Brad. “Colorado Welcomes Its Second Official Technology Sector. ” Linked. In, 13 Mar. 2018, www. linkedin. com/pulse/colorado-welcomes-its -second-official-technology-sector-brad-rowland/. Rowland, Brad. “Emergent Campus Announced in Fremont County, Colorado. ” Fremont County Economic Development Corporation, 16 Aug. 2019, fremontedc. com/emergent-campus-announced-in-fremont-county-colorado/. “Tech. START - An Innovation Catalyst for Rural Colorado. ” FEDC Tech. START - An Innovation Catalyst for Rural Colorado, 21 Oct. 2020, techstart. fremontedc. com/. “Vera Institute. ” Vera, 30 Oct. 2020, www. vera. org/publications/price-of-prisons-2015 -state-spending-trends/price-of-prisons-2015 -state-spending-trends-prison-spending. Werley, Jensen. “Denver Cloud Tech Co. Pushes Forward with Rural Hiring, Sees Benefits of Its PPP Loan. ” Bizjournals. com, July 2020, www. bizjournals. com/denver/news/2020/07/22/pax 8 -hires-rural-tech-workers-ppp-loan. html? ana=RSS.