Delta lands award for business and job growth.

AuthorKretschman, Bob
Position[ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT]

Years of chipping away at the problem of low wages in Delta County has earned the area the 2007 Small Community Award from the Economic Development Council of Colorado. The honor was given in April.

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"It acknowledges we've been doing the right thing in moving the community forward," said Deana Sheriff, executive director of Delta Area Development Inc., the area's 12-year-old nonprofit economic development organization.

In the past five years, the county has attracted about 45 new businesses, ranging from an oil rig manufacturer to a distillery. The new companies generally bring with them five to 25 new jobs. At the same time, many existing businesses have expanded and added higher-paying jobs for local residents, Sheriff said.

Delta Area Development Inc.'s mission is to help create or attract primary jobs that raise the average wage of the area's workers, said the organization's president, Kelly Cox. As wages rise, Delta County families have more disposable income, and those dollars find their way into the local economy, he said. The effort appears to be working: Sheriff said the Delta area's average household income is just over $25,000 per year, and the average wage of new jobs in the county is $38,000.

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