Bullish on Colorado.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn

Merrill Lynch is bullish on Colorado -- opening new offices across the state to cash in on the vast amounts of wealth either pouring into the state or being created here.

As part of the new gold rush, the financial management company is adding portfolio managers and other staff; building up its freshly minted trust department and going after the high net-worth clients who settle here.

"We have made a big commitment to Colorado by opening six new offices here," said Guy Williams, district director of Merrill Lynch's Mountain District. "This is as an appealing an economy as we hope to find anywhere in the U.S."

Williams saw the sheen of a vibrant economy before, when he headed Merrill Lynch offices in San Diego. But two years ago, he and his district office relocated to Denver in response to its thriving economy.

"Nothing that I saw in San Diego compares with the growth here," he said, declining to break out specific numbers for Merrill Lynch's Colorado operations. He emphasized, however, that, "Our services here are very high end."

Merrill Lynch indeed is going where the high end is. Earlier this year, the...