Colorado Springs officials celebrated the arrival of the city’s first renewable-energy company Thursday as the owners of Rocky Wind Power announced plans to open a plant to make wind-powered streetlights and rooftop wind-power turbines.
Steve Stultz, Rocky Wind’s chief financial officer, said the company will begin hiring 25 employees Monday through the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and hopes to expand to 140 employees within a year. He said unemployed residents would have the first chance at the company’s jobs because they represent “a very motivated workforce” that helped attract Rocky Wind to the Springs over cities in several other states.
Rocky Wind was heavily recruited by other cities and states, including New Mexico.
The company selected Colorado despite only modest incentives that include tax credits and job-training help totaling $376,000 because “the response from people in Colorado Springs was worth more than what other communities offered,” Stultz said.
Rocky Wind has leased 14,000 square feet of industrial space at 4120 N. Nevada Ave. It plans to launch operations by mid-March.
