Welcome to Our Colorado Chapter

Founded: 2022

Territory: State of Colorado

Executive Director: Rob Mancey, CEO AvenueWest Denver, President & Chairman Canada Colorado Association

Partners: Canada Colorado Association, Colorado Business Roundtable, Consulate General of Canada in Colorado, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, International Business Circle, U.S. Commercial Service, World Trade Center Denver.

Background: In our eighth year since founding MAPLE Business Council, we are excited to launch our newest chapter in Colorado based in Denver.

Importance of Canada to Colorado

  • Canada is the #1 export market for the state of Colorado’s goods.

  • Estimated number of Colorado jobs that depend on trade with Canada: 131,000 (2013)

  •  314 Canadian-owned businesses employ 23,079 workers in Colorado

  •  Colorado exports $1.6 billion in goods to Canada annually

  •  Canada buys 15 percent of the goods the state sells to the world, including nearly a quarter of its meat exports and a large share of medical device exports.

  •  Canada, in turn, is a key supplier of crude oil, lumber, various other wood products, turbo propellers, plus technology and software. Energy products make up more than half of goods imports, worth $1.6 billion.

  •  Colorado exports $1.0 billion in services to Canada annually

  •  Canadian-owned companies employed 19,500 workers in the state in 2018. Among them: Nutrien, Calfrac Well Services, Suncor Energy, CGI, PCL Construction, WSP, Royal Bank of Canada, Open Text, Air Canada and WestJet.

  • Calgary-based Suncor’s Commerce City refinery complex in Denver is a major energy supplier to the state, producing 98,000 barrels a day of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

  •  9,800 workers employed by companies based in Canada

  •  Top sources of FDI in Colorado among 237 announced greenfield projects)

    • UK : 18%

    • Canada: 14%

    • Germany: 7%

    • Australia: 7%

    • Switzerland: 7%

    • Other: 47%

Importance of Colorado to Canada

  • A sizable market. Population: 5.6 million (2017)

  • Gross domestic product (GDP): US$342.7 billion (2017)

  • Best States for Economy ranking: 1st among the 50 U.S. states (2018)

  • Colorado’s diverse economy includes significant mining, agriculture ,and oil-and-gas industries in addition to thriving financial services, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life science, and high-tech sectors.

  • Denver is ranked as the 10th strongest tech market in Canada/U.S. in the 2022 CBRE Scoring Tech Talent Report

  •  Canada sells more to Colorado than it sells to Belgium

  • Colorado imports $4.9 billion in goods from Canada annually

    •  Crude petroleum: $2.9 billion

    • Wood & semi-finished wood products: $358 million

    • Softwood lumber: $187 million

    • Furniture & bedding: $96 million

    • Optical, medical & precision instruments: $85 million

    • Plastics & plastic articles: $68 million

    • Iron & steel tubes, pipes & sheets: $65 million

    • Animal meats: $64 million

    • Pasta, breads & cereal preparations: $56 million

    • Explosives & pyrotechnics: $52 million


  • Colorado imports from Canada by industry:

    • Agriculture: 6%

    • Energy: 60%

    • Equipment & machinery: 8%

    • Forest products: 12%

    • Minerals & metals: 3%

    • Transportation: 4%

    • Other: 7%