Persistent Systems, a New York-based defense technology company, cut the ribbon on a new regional headquarters in Fort Collins Thursday, marking its latest expansion after acquiring a 30,600-square-foot office building near some of northern Colorado's biggest tech employers. The company's leaders say the move could support more than 100 jobs as it deepens its roots in the city.
A Permanent Home Near Precision Drive
The ceremony, held with Senator John Hickenlooper, celebrated Persistent Systems' purchase of the Fuse Building at 3528 Precision Drive, according to a release from prnewswire.com. The acquisition was financed by J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking, and the Class A office facility will now house the company's field service, customer support, program management and engineering staff. As reported by Denver7, the expansion could ultimately support more than 100 jobs in the area.
Hickenlooper said the move will benefit Colorado, according to Denver7's reporting, adding that the state excels at building interconnected companies working on complex missions. Persistent Systems develops advanced communication and networking equipment used by the U.S. military, law enforcement and other government agencies, with its work centered on keeping military personnel and other forces connected in the field, per the same outlet's account.
Supporting Air Force and Army Missions
The new building will serve as a permanent base for teams supporting U.S. Air Force missions and the 4th Infantry Division, according to the prnewswire.com release. Herbert Rubens of Persistent Systems said the new facility will let the company put down roots and continue growing in Fort Collins, per Denver7, and added that the company works with law enforcement, the Coast Guard and federal agencies.
Persistent Systems has been engineering secure Mobile Ad Hoc Networking, or MANET, solutions since 2007, the company said in the prnewswire.com release. The firm leased its first Fort Collins office back in 2015, and its local team has more than doubled in size since then. Company leaders said owning the building now gives Persistent Systems the space and stability to keep expanding its Colorado teams as its Army and Air Force work grows.
Why Fort Collins Won the Expansion
Rubens described Fort Collins as a college town with substantial young talent, according to Denver7, pointing to the company's access to graduates from Colorado State University and employees drawn from local technology companies. Persistent Systems also identified Intel and Broadcom as major technology companies already anchoring the area; a separate company release notes its office sits near neighbors including Intel, HP, AMD and Broadcom in northern Colorado's technical sector.
Ann Hutchison, CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, said the city's highly educated workforce makes it attractive to companies like Persistent Systems, according to Denver7. Hutchison noted that nearly 25% of the Fort Collins population holds a graduate degree or higher, with another 35% holding a bachelor's degree.
A Growing Research and Jobs Pipeline
That talent pool traces in part to Colorado State University, which added $1.233 billion to Colorado's economy during the 2024 fiscal year, according to a report from source.colostate.edu. In Larimer County alone, CSU Fort Collins supports 12,800 jobs and contributes $1.3 billion in value added to the local economy, the same report found. Since 1980, more than 194,000 students have graduated from CSU Fort Collins, with 61% remaining in Colorado, and the university's tech transfer entity, CSU STRATA, has facilitated the creation of 69 startup companies since 1997.
Persistent Systems' footprint has grown in stages since that first 2015 lease. A 2019 office expansion increased the company's regional capacity in system engineering, contracting, field support, project management and application development, according to shephardmedia.com. A separate company announcement tied to that expansion said rising demand for its Wave Relay MANET technology and related hardware, including uses in artificial intelligence, cyber operations, autonomous systems and C4ISR, was projected to grow the Fort Collins employee count to some 65 people at the time.
Defense Contracts Keep Stacking Up
The Fort Collins investment comes as Persistent Systems' defense work has expanded on multiple fronts nationally. The U.S. Navy awarded the company an exclusive contract to expand tactical networking equipment at its weapons and armaments research facility in the Mojave Desert, according to sdxcentral.com. That followed a $1.3 million Navy contract in 2024 for antennas and mobile ad-hoc networking radios, and the company was also one of roughly 90 firms selected for a $982.1 million effort supporting data links for unmanned surface vessels, per the same report.
Persistent Systems' Wave Relay MANET technology also backs the Fourth Infantry Division and the Army's Next Generation Command and Control effort, according to defensenews.com. With its own building now secured on Precision Drive, the company's Fort Collins team is positioned to keep supporting that national defense work from a permanent home base in northern Colorado.
