Ritter and Buescher Unveil Business-Friendly State Website

Colorado's governor and secretary of state unveiled Thursday a website intended to allow businesses to do "one-stop shopping" for government services and information.

The site, called Colorado Business Express, provides Colorado business owners, for the first time, a single site where they can easily access all the vital information they need to interact with state government. Before Thursday it was necessary to contact each agency separately to get the same information.

“In these tough economic times, it’s more important than ever to keep making Colorado a business-friendly state,” Gov. Bill Ritter said. “With today’s launch today of Colorado Business Express, we underscore our commitment to helping companies grow, prosper and compete in today’s challenging marketplace.”

The new website will allow business owners to register their business entity, get information on how to apply for a state sales tax license from the Department of Revenue, or an unemployment insurance identification number from the Department of Labor and Employment.

The new service also links directly to the Internal Revenue Service’s online system, allowing users to quickly get a Federal Employer Identification Number.

People who use the website will also be linked to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, which will enable them to obtain additional information about doing business in Colorado.

The year-long project was a collaboration of five state departments and Colorado.gov, the state internet portal.

“Colorado Business Express is a major leap forward toward a more streamlined government, with better service and less paperwork for the benefit of Colorado’s new businesses,” Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said.

Cadman is a member of a Senate committee that oversees the state's information technology systems.