The Community Money Machine

Primary employers are a big net benefit to the community. That should be self-evident, but apparently that is not the case based on some of the comments made recently during the City Council deliberations about the so-called ‘incentive package’ to retain Woodward in Fort Collins

To begin, primary employers are companies that produce a product or service in excess of what can be consumed locally. Half or more of that product / service is sold outside the area with the revenue flowing back into and circulating around the community. In short, primary employers are the key to community prosperity.

In the case of Woodward, 85 percent of the $23.5 million ‘incentive package’ is actually paid for by the Woodward expansion itself. Literally, for pennies on the dollar, city government is able to help retain the community’s most prominent private sector employer. And even those pennies spent upfront comeback many times over as the company prospers and grows in the future.

To help people grasp all this, the Chamber has launched Fort Collins Works. To see a short video and read a 1 ½ page brief on the importance of primary (also called ‘base’) employers, go here.