The fertile agricultural lands that stretch outward from the South Platte River to the prime grasslands have made Logan County one of the leading agricultural producers in the state. While the economy is still largely reliant on agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, and business services has emerged as dominant forces. These sectors, combined with the City of Sterling's "retail hub" status, have diversified Logan County's economy and work force. Northeastern Colorado has been an important oil and gas region. Recent discoveries and new technology has generated considerable interest in new exploration. Colorado recently passed a Renewable Energy Standard requiring 30% renewable energy by 2020. The State of Colorado's first commercial ethanol plant is located in Sterling. In addition, as a result of the state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure in Logan County, the City of Sterling is home to Sykes Enterpise, Inc. Two major interstate natural gas pipelines have been completed recently. Goods manufactured in Logan County also include farming tools, oil and gas well drilling equipment, equipment for feeding livestock, scales and weighing machines, truck beds, flatbed trailers and trailers for hauling cars.
It is not surprising that several distributors of industrial equipment and supplies, steel fabricators and machine shops are also located in Logan County. Growth in manufacturing has also attracted the attention of retailers and other service businesses. The City of Sterling is rapidly becoming the commercial and retail hub for the Northeastern Colorado and the Nebraska Panhandle, with a mix of healthy Main Street and new commercial development. A new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in 2000 and a new Home Depot store opened in June 2005 and a new Walgreens store opened in 2007. Several new restaurants and other retail centers have recently been developed while still more are expected to be opened within the next 12 months.
All of this speaks of the high quality of the work force and the attractiveness of the community for people to come live and work in.
Recent Business Openings
Several new businesses have recently located or been developed in Logan County. From big-box retailers to large renewable energy projects, Logan County has seen an increase in diversity of its economic base over the last 3 years and continues to build on this momentum.
The Home Depot - The Home Depot Corporation recently opened its 123,700 square foot home improvement center located on West Main Street in Sterling, Colorado. The grand opening was held in June 2005.
Sterling Ethanol, LLC - The Sterling Ethanol LLC, a $52 million 42 million gallon per year ethanol production facility completed construction and began operations in November 2005. From the start of development to the first shipment of ethanol being sent from the facility was less than 18 months.
NextEra Energy Resources (formerly Florida Power & Light) - NextEra Energy currently has 427 turbines operating in Peetz, Colorado. This 608 megawatt wind farm is the largest in Colorado. Additional development efforts are underway for a larger wind power project and transmission line. There have been 750 permits issued.
Recent Business Expansions
Several existing businesses have recently expanded their operations in Logan County. From fiber optic cable installation by Kentec Corp to a total refurbishment of an old industrial building by Trinidad Benham, Logan County's existing businesses are investing for their futures.
Trinidad Benham - After signing a ten-year lease with the City of Sterling in 2001 on an abandon industrial site, Trindad Benham has invested a significant amount of effort and capital in redesigning and refurbishing the facility. Trinidad Benham expects to relocate and expand its current operations in Sterling, Colorado to this newly redone facility. Consolidation of other facilities into this new operation are under review.
Industrial Welding Services - With the increased activity in the oil and gas industry, Industrial Welding Services has been awarded several long-term contracts for the construction of oil and gas drilling rigs. Industrial Welding has significantly increased its employee base in the last two years and added much needed working space to its manufacturing facility in Logan County.
Kentec Communications - Kentec Communication recently undertook an effort to add fiber optic service to its line of services. With an anchor customer, Kentec installed a significant amount of speculative fiber optic capacity with the expectation that demand would soon follow. The strategy proved to be a good one with the signing of Logan County government to its fiber optic service. Kentec Communications is a great example of the progressiveness of the local entrepreneurial culture of Logan County.