HiViz Shooting Systems, a company that creates and markets luminescent sites for handguns, rifles, and shotguns in Ft. Collins, is the first company to announce its new, out of state location in response to anti-business laws passed by democrats in the state legislature and signed by Governor Hickenlooper this year.
HiViz employs 200 and is headquartered in Ft. Collins. The company announced that it will relocate its operations to Laramie, WY, and management believes that most of its employees will remain with the company. Laramie is approximately 60 miles from Ft. Collins. With Colorado’s persistently high unemployment under Governor Hickenlooper, many HiViz employees would be hard pressed to find new work in the state in the case that they did not want to make the out of state move with the company. According to the press release from the Wyoming Governor’s office:
“According to Howe, HiViz leadership selected Laramie because of its strong support of shooting sports manufacturing and supply chain industries and also because of its close proximity to the present HiViz facility. This proximity provides existing employees the opportunity for a manageable commute while they evaluate relocation options.”
In addition to the benefit of operating in a state that values its relationship with the outdoors industry, Wyoming has no individual state income tax, and was ranked #1 in the nation in the Tax Foundation’s 2013 Business Tax Climate Index.
According to a press release, Wyoming’s Governor Mead and the economic development folks in Laramie are thrilled:
“We are happy to welcome HiViz to Wyoming. Our culture and people make Wyoming a great fit for the company. I thank Phil Howe and all of the employees of HiViz for choosing Wyoming as their next home,” Governor Mead said. “I believe this state has so much to offer all citizens and businesses, but moving is never easy. I want to assure HiViz and its customers that we will work diligently to make sure this transition is a smooth one.”
Good thing Coloradans are all safer for having driven from the state yet another business. Oh wait, they’re not? Nevermind.
Well, look at the upside, we can now order from HiViz and not have to pay sales tax. Wait, you mean no sales tax from them means the democrats will not get money they think they deserve? I thought this #COLeg was for small businesses……
Hickenlooper's aspirations are bigger than Colorado so jobs lost as result of the gun legislation have little meaning for him. I figure after being courted by Biden, Bloomberg and Obama, he's got his eye on the bigger prized outside the state and this will all be a distant memory for him. Too bad those of us who live here get to live with the consequences.
Every business driven from this state is a massive embarrassment for the real people that live and work here. Shame on the Democrats for these ineffective pieces of garbage they call 'laws'.