MyHealthFunds, Inc., a consumer directed healthcare company, has announced its decision to establish a new corporate headquarters at 7222 Commerce Center Drive. The company plans to hire 200 employees over the next five years. Click here for more details.

BuyWell International, a Fair Trade Organic coffee company started by Jess Arnsteen and Kyle Cureau, two former Colorado College students, has launched operations at its headquarters at 4850 Northpark Drive in Colorado Springs. “The goal is two-fold,” according to Cureau. “One, is to give 25 million coffee farming families world-wide access to U.S. markets and access to health, education, and opportunity. Two, is to take mainstream coffee and make it the new wine." The company expects to hire over 30 employees. Click here for more details.

The USA National Karate-do Federation has announced that it has relocated its national office to Colorado Springs from St. Albans, West Virginia. The Olympic presence, The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation and El Pomar Foundation were cited by the leadership of the Federation as integral to the decision to relocate to Colorado Springs. EDC also provided assistance to the Federation.

The Excellence in Local Industry Awards Reception will be held in cooperation with Celebrate Technology on Wednesday, November 14, at The BRO^ADMOOR . Dr. Ron Sega, former NASA astronaut and most recently Under Secretary for the U.S. Air Force, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Sega has returned to Colorado as Vice President, Applied Research, Colorado State University Research Foundation. Thanks to The BRO^ADMOOR and the other event sponsors there is no cost to attend this event. Reservations for the reception may be made online. Click here to make reservations.

Over 20 companies will be honored at EDC’s luncheon for new and expanded companies on November 29 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in the Colorado Ballroom. To date, jobs announced by EDC assisted companies number 2,087. Reservations may be made online. Click here to make a reservation for this event.

Colorado Springs and EDC continue to aggressively target aerospace as a key industry for the region. EDC partnered with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak in hosting a booth at the Space Foundation’s Strategic Space Conference in Omaha from October 9-11, 2007. EDC, the Chamber and Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak attended the conference to help aerospace companies understand the advantages of doing business in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs team met with hundreds of conference attendees encouraging them to invest in the Pikes Peak Region with jobs and facilities. Colorado’s aerospace economy has moved to the nation’s number two position for private aerospace employment with 26,650 people employed in aerospace throughout the state.

The Eleventh Annual 2007-2008 Southern Colorado Economic Forum was held October 11. Forum leaders predict modest growth in the local economy during 2008. The Forum cites five key factors on which the future of the local economy appears to rest: improved job and income growth from basic industry employers; reduced interest rates; an end to the spiraling problem in foreclosures; a rebound in residential construction and the arrival of BRAC05 troops at Fort Carson. Click here to access the Forum report.

Colorado Springs living costs were 6 percent below the national average during the second quarter, according to a quarterly survey by the Virginia-based Council for Community and Economic Research. This compares to 6.9 percent below the national average during the first quarter. The change is attributed to rising housing and gasoline prices. Home-energy costs totaled $116 a month, seventh-lowest among the 290 cities surveyed. (Source: The Gazette.)

EDC has launched a Business-to-Business program to increase the visibility of the services of investor businesses both locally and to companies planning to relocate or expand in the Pikes Peak Region. A printed directory has been published and will be distributed on an ongoing basis. An electronic Business-to-Business Directory is available on the homepage of EDC’s website (www.coloradosprings.org). Major investors have a direct click through to their website on the directory index. Click here to go to the Business-to-Business Directory webpage.