A veteran-owned cybersecurity and technology company is going to expand its operations in Colorado Springs and expects to add 130 new jobs.
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade said Thursday that Invictus International Consulting said the company chose Colorado Springs over Reston, Va.,and San Antonio. Invictus is based in Alexandria, Va., and has 300 employees, 65 of whom are in Colorado.
State officials said Invictus is a market leader in full-spectrum cyber technology, infrastructure and communications solutions designed to protect the security of the U.S. global defense information technology infrastructure.
“Colorado is a leader in cybersecurity, and we are thrilled to welcome Invictus to our great state,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
Jim Kelly, CEO of Invictus, said the expansion in Colorado Springs will allow the company “to collaborate more closely with our military partners, leverage the talent pool in the region, and continue delivering exceptional solutions to our clients.”
Invictus expects to create 130 net new jobs at an average annual wage of $168,923, which is 280% of the average annual wage in El Paso County. The positions will include administrators, analysts, engineers, managers and technicians.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved up to approximately $2 million in performance-based job growth incentive tax credits for the company over eight years. The incentives are contingent upon Invictus meeting requirements for job creation and salaries.
The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, working with the city of Colorado Springs and El Paso County, provided an incentive package valued at $370,493.
“Colorado Springs is at the forefront of cybersecurity technology with a large concentration of industry leaders calling this region home,” Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president & CEO of Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, said in a statement.
The aerospace and defense industry accounts for more than 40% of the Colorado Springs economy with more than 200 space, aerospace, cybersecurity and defense companies employing 111,000 people, according to the chamber’s website. The industry’s economic impact in 2022 was about $10.2 billion.
Colorado’s aerospace industry is the country’s second-largest, behind California’s. More than 500 companies and suppliers provide space-related products and services in the state, according to a 2023 report by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The companies’ clients include NASA, the military and private companies.
Colorado is first in the U.S. for its concentration of private aerospace jobs, with more than 37,000 private positions and $12.7 billion in total annual output, Metro Denver EDC reported. The state’s aerospace employment grew by 32.5% from 2017 to 2022.
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