Huntington Beach, Calif. – In this sunny oceanside city south of Los Angeles, hundreds of Boeing Co. employees are weighing whether to take the well-worn path of migration from California to Colorado.
But first, they want to know how cold it gets.
A team of Denver officials sought to reassure them at an open house Saturday that drew hundreds of workers and their families to the Boeing facility in Huntington Beach. The aerospace company is asking its nearly 1,000 employees who work in program management, engineering and administration for the development of Boeing’s Delta rockets to consider moving to Denver.
“The winters are a lot milder than you might think,” Rich Kline, director of relocation for the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, told Boeing employees. “We like having four seasons.”
The way Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. executive vice president Tom Clark put it was, “Our quality of life in climate is oftentimes misunderstood.”
In Huntington Beach, palm trees dot the sky along the oceanside, and surfers carry their boards down the streets. But one of Clark’s pitches for Colorado is “you can ski in the morning and play golf in the afternoon.”
The reason behind Boeing’s transfer of employees to Colorado is a partnership announced in May with Lockheed Martin for development of rockets. Those Boeing employees who move will work for a new company called the United Launch Alliance, a Denver-based joint venture of the two companies for rocket production.
Boeing, the largest employer in Huntington Beach with about 6,200 workers, organized the open house, the second it has held since the announcement. The company is trying to encourage as many people as possible to move to Colorado.
“We have a lot of employees here that have a lot of very critical skills and expertise,” said Boeing spokesman Robert Villanueva. “We’re trying to retain that rather than having to hire people fresh off the street.”
For those who can’t or don’t want to go, “we’ll do everything we can” to find them other positions at Boeing, Boeing spokeswoman Paula Shawa said.
Representatives from Colorado schools, hospitals and other organizations staffed booths at the open house on transportation, real estate, education, recreation, weather, cultural attractions, shopping, employment, health care, child care and relocation.
The event at Boeing is one of the largest of its kind that the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. has conducted. But the Boeing move is far from unique. California is the largest source of migrants into Colorado.
The Boeing employees and their families asked about everything from what kind of housing Colorado offers to how to winterize their cars. They want to know what kind of malls, churches and children’s activities the Denver area offers.
“These are big changes to them,” Shawa said.
Boeing’s Delta program has been in Huntington Beach since the 1970s, and some employees have worked for the company for decades.
Perhaps the biggest selling points for Denver are a cost of living about 50 percent lower than what workers now spend, the possibility for a shorter commute and houses that cost half as much.
“I like it,” said one Boeing employee, who was impressed by Colorado’s open space. Denver promoters were heartened by questions about where to live, which they said showed many were considering the move.
Once the United Launch Alliance joint venture receives regulatory approval, employees will move in a transition that could take up to two years. As part of the joint venture, Lockheed will move its rocket production from its Waterton plant outside of Denver to Decatur, Ala. Officials expect a net inflow of jobs into Denver, particularly higher-paying jobs.
In Huntington Beach, some are concerned about the impact the transfer of hundreds of Boeing employees to Colorado could have.
Shawa said the company will work to bring new business to the Huntington Beach site.
But at nearby Charlie’s Cocktails, where the clientele include Boeing workers who come in after work for get-togethers, bartender Patty Hoback expects there could be a drop in business if some Boeing workers leave. Business at Charlie’s has dropped significantly over the years as aerospace companies have cut back.
“I just say ‘Goodbye, nice knowing ya’. Come back and visit us if you’re in town again,”‘ she said. “Times change.”
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at kyamanouchi@denverpost.com or 303-820-1488.
