DENVER — Included here is a peek at one of Boulder County's last working ranches listed for $4.65 million, news about Southwest Airlines' 1000-job expansion at DIA, a ranking of the best suburbs for commuters and a look at why New Belgium would want to sell to an international brewing conglomerate.
See this week's top stories below.
Residential real estate
According to a new report from Apartment List, only 13 percent of millennial renters across the U.S. are on pace to afford a 20 percent down payment on a home in the next five years. With almost half of millennial renters having no down payment savings, 12.3 percent, on average, expect to rent forever. Here's a look at how Denver stacks up.
Jobs/hiring/layoffs
3) Confirmed: Southwest Airlines to add more than 1,000 jobs at DIA (DBJ subscriber content)
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has chosen Denver International Airport over the airports in Houston and Nashville for a major expansion which will result in up to 1,013 jobs and a $75 million in capital construction projects. Jason Van Eaton, Southwest’s senior vice president of real estate and government affairs, told Denver Business Journal that Southwest’s relationships with local and state government leaders as well as members of the business community set Denver apart.
Each October, Denver Business Journal celebrates the fastest-growing private companies in the region through its Fast 50 awards. The rankings are based on percentage of revenue growth for fiscal years 2016, 2017 and 2018. We asked the companies to share information on current employee headcounts and projected hiring plans for 2020.
HomeAdvisor is closing its Colorado Springs office in an effort to optimize efficiencies, eliminating the positions for 223 employees. The office — which specializes in sales, customer care and operations — will be closed at the end of the year to consolidate the Denver-based company’s footprint to its Golden and RiNo offices.
Transportation
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means spending time making food with family and friends – and also traveling. Everyone knows all too well that Wednesday and Thursday on Thanksgiving week are stressful days on the road, which is why Google Maps analyzed 2018 traffic data to pinpoint the “best and worst time to leave for your Thanksgiving road trip,” including from Denver.
Beer/restaurants
New Belgium does not release sales statistics, but it is safe to say that the fourth-largest brewery in America is, at the very least, facing enormous headwinds as it looks to grow its brand and achieve a substantial return on the investment it made in opening a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina in 2016. And suddenly, the once-unthinkable idea that one of the iconic craft-beer pioneers in this country would sell itself to a multinational brewing conglomerate — assuming that its employee owners approve the transaction later this year — begins to become more understandable.
Health care
In 2017, Colorado providers wrote 25.9 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons. The rate of opioid prescriptions is coming down; however, the rate of deaths is continuing to climb, which means prescription opioids continue to be an issue. There were more than 1 billion prescription pain pills supplied to Colorado from 2006 to 2012, according to data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration made available by The Washington Post. The largest distributor in the state was Walgreens, with nearly 296 million pills over the period.
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