Upper Rio Grande Economic Development is the organization that unifies Rio Grande County and the western side of the San Luis Valley.  We are here to make Rio Grande County the most attractive Rocky Mountain destination to start up and expand your business. We are here to provide top line business support and to foster a vibrant rural economy.  Our long-term vision is to increase job opportunities, population and tax base, and to help our businesses grow while maximizing a superior quality of life.

Forrest Neuerburg, Monte Vista City Manager
Bernadette Martinez, Del Norte Town Administrator
Dan Hicks, South Fork Town Administrator
Tricia Slater, Rio Grande County Administrator

• Area Contractors & Engineers
• Utilities & Transportation
• Economic Development Incentives
• Financial Assistance
• Key Industries
• Education & Training
• Healthcare
• Outdoor Recreation
• Attractions

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development, with a customer-focused approach, is your first stop for doing business in Rio Grande County. We offer services designed to make your relocation, growth or start-up as smooth as possible.  We do this by:

• Providing general and custom data and demographics reports
• Assisting with site selection
• Anticipating and coordinating meetings with stakeholders
• Expediting development plan review and permitting by coordinating and attending meetings with governmental departments such as zoning, planning, and licensing
• Coordinating build-to-suit projects and assist with roadblocks to site possession
• Marketing Rio Grande County to businesses and attracting businesses
• Identifying relevant incentive, grant and workforce training programs
• Introducing business to financial contacts, services, and strategic partners

URGED is a registered name of the Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council (URGEDC), which is a 501 (c) (6) non-profit organization formed in 2004 to help with economic development in the upper Rio Grande drainage.

A downloadable PDF version of the bylaws is available here.

The Board convenes a monthly breakfast meeting open to all its members and prides itself in being the place to be for monthly networking for private businesses, elected officials, and public agencies.  Each municipality, county, economic development organization, and the URGED give monthly reports to all members.  This allows the diverse membership to learn about the latest economic information from community and business leaders.  The disbursement of information and sharing of challenges and successes is just another way our collaboration sets us apart in Rio Grande County and the San Luis Valley.

Click here to view minutes from past meetings.

• Creating jobs and attracting business to the upper Rio Grande region
• Assisting existing businesses to thrive and expand
• Becoming the communication hub of economic development activities
• Assisting with creating infrastructure and recreation ventures
• Encouraging growth in our Agribusiness
• Establishing a database containing contact information for services to be used for proactive development and a tool for new industry
• Partnering for planned growth

The URGED Board consists of eight elected directors. Each member of the Board is a leader within the community, representing both the private and public sector. In 2014 they invited public and private entities to invest in a 3-year program to kick-start long-term economic development in Rio Grande County to benefit the future economic stability and growth county-wide via a single source, one-stop-shop.  The funding campaign was overwhelmingly successful and the final investment provided the monies to engage two professionals to set up a one-stop-shop, the offices of the Upper Rio Grande Economic Development (URGED).  The Council’s Board of Directors oversees the URGED co-director consultants via a report at the Board of Directors’ monthly meeting.  And at the regular monthly membership breakfast meeting, the investors receive a summary of activity from the URGED as well.

• Forrest Neuerburg, President; City Manager, City of Monte Vista 

• Kathy Woods, Vice President; Director of Economic Development, City of Alamosa
• Traci Holmes, Secretary/Treasurer; Senior Vice President, Del Norte Bank
• Shon Davis, Director; President & CEO, Rio Grande Savings and Loan Association
• Bernadette Martinez, Director; Town Administrator/Clerk, Town of Del Norte
• Tom Slade, Director; Manager, Rio Grande Water Company
• Jennifer Alonzo, Director; Marketing/Sales Coordinator, San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative

• Rio Grande County
• San Luis Valley Rural Electric Co-op
• City of Monte Vista
• Rio Grande Tourism Board
• Town of Del Norte
• Del Norte Bank
• Del Norte Chamber of Commerce

• Farm Credit of Southern Colorado ACA
• First Southwest Bank
• Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce
• Monte Vista Co-op
• Rio Grande Hospital
• Rio Grande Savings and Loan
• San Luis Valley Federal Bank
• Wilbur-Ellis Company

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development
560 Columbia Avenue
P.O. Box 6
Del Norte, CO  81132
Phone:  (719) 850-0909