Fort Collins Coloradoan

Press Release

Jobs are the key to Colorado's economic recovery and they are coming out of Fort Collins new Rocky Mountain Innosphere, formerly Rocky Mountain Innovation Initiative, or RMI2, said Sen. Michael Bennet Wednesday afternoon as he toured the building.

The tour was part of Bennet's Northern Colorado tour that included a stop in Greeley and his first visit to the Innosphere since it opened. Bennet said the work to support entrepreneurs and innovative new businesses that are boosting Colorado's economy and creating good-paying jobs.

"I've seen these kinds of incubators actually around the country when I was working in the private sec-tor and investing, but I really haven't seen one like this in Colorado," Bennet said. "What is becoming less unique, which is a good thing, is that you are starting to see these kinds of collaborations among our public universities, our state and federal government and the private sector most importantly. And you are staring to see that in other places as well, but Fort Collins, Larimer County and Northern Colorado generally have really led on this and I think we are staring to see the fruits of some of that."

Mark Forsyth, Innosphere chief executive officer, gave Bennet a tour of the new facility introducing him to innovative companies housed in the new building such as WeatherFlow, Wirsol, Spirae and Ridekick.

Wirsol General Manager Putnam Pierman showed off their view of the buildings solar panels mounted on the garage and asked for Bennet's support in terms of feed in tariffs, or a similar type of financial incentive here in the U.S. for solar integration.

Bennet took such an intrest in a new Fort Collins startup company called Ridekick, which produces electric powered bike boosters, that he rode one in the parking lot.

"That is a perfect story," Bennet said of the Ridekick. "That's someone's idea in Colorado leading to job creation and high salaries in Colorado."

Forsyth said the opening of the Innosphere at 320 E. Vine Drive has exceeded all expectations and that they are at 90 percent occupancy with the Northern Colorado French American Chamber of Commerce and Colorado Water Innovation Cluster planning to locate there soon.

Bennet's visit is another example of the collective power the Innosphere has in drawing businesses and political leaders together.

"It is great for entrepreneurs to see support for what they are doing," Forsyth said.

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