One of the fastest-growing companies in Colorado in recent years is a
credit-card processing firm that has posted triple-digit growth three
straight years and serves about 10,000 merchants nationwide.
But what s most notable about Mercury Payment Systems isn t the growth or
the technology-driven business model developed by CEO Marc Katz and his
brother Jeffrey. It s that this 5-year-old firm is tucked away in the
southwest corner of the state in Durango – a 6½ hour drive from Denver under
ideal driving conditions and a good four hours from the nearest sizable
city – Albuquerque to the south.
With 160 employees, Mercury Payment Systems already is one of Durango s
largest private employers, and recently the firm opened a second office in
the Denver Tech Center with 10 employees and plans to hire more.
Technology, particularly the Internet and related telecommunications, has
opened up new business possibilities for remote but desirable Colorado
locales. And for outdoor enthusiasts it doesn t get more ideal than Durango,
where the desert meets the San Juan mountains and you get 300 days of
sunshine a year. Recently the mountain-biking and skiing mecca was named by
Outside magazine one of the country s best places to live.
Still, building a business here presents a challenge. “Durango is peculiar
in that we are not completely a resort town, yet we are not entirely a
working town,” says Bobby Lieb, executive director of the Durango Chamber of
Commerce. But Lieb agrees that technology is helping to level the playing
field.
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