Trimble initially opened its Colorado location in October 2000 with 43 employees at the Church Ranch Office Center in Westminster, occupying approximately 29,000 sq ft.

Today, Trimble leases approximately 98,000 sq ft in Westminster’s Westmoor Technology Park, with more than 400 employees who primarily focus on marketing, testing and applications engineering in the construction, surveying, agriculture and mapping and geographic information system markets.

Many of Trimble’s own technologies will be used during construction of the new campus, including survey, site-prep, excavation and estimating to 3D design and building information modeling, project management and construction layout. Trimble’s Connected Site solutions enable an integrated and seamless workflow to reduce re-work and improve productivity on a construction jobsite.

Denver’s JE Dunn Construction is the general contractor, OZ Architecture of Boulder designed the building and Cresa Partners of Denver served as the real estate broker. The project is pursuing LEED-Gold certification, with completion expected in May 2013.

The groundbreaking was attended by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Colorado CIO-Secretary of Technology Kristin Russell, Jefferson County Commissioners Faye Griffin and John Odom, and Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally. Trimble CEO Steve Berglund, JE Dunn CEO Terry Dunn, and JE Dunn Western Region President Steve Hamline were also present.

“Trimble has been in Colorado since 2000, and Westminster has proven to be an excellent location for our Trimble Rockies office because of its access to a high-technology workforce, business-friendly environment and diverse and cost-effective lifestyle choices for employees,” Berglund said. “In addition, the project will provide us with an opportunity to showcase our broad portfolio of office-to-field Connected Site solutions during planning, construction and operational phases of the new campus,” he said.

“We are committed to being the best state in the nation to do business. We want to welcome Trimble and congratulate them on expanding their operations in Colorado,” said Hickenlooper. “Trimble demonstrates that our state’s high-tech workforce and innovative business climate is where businesses can succeed.”

Berglund said Trimble’s revenues will reach $2 billion this year, as the firm expands its services and technology to “dozens of industries.”

Hickenlooper touted the company’s growth as “representating the core values of how we are trying to define Colorado, a place where collaboration is the new competition,” he said.

“Trimble is a leading provider of technology to the engineering and construction industry, so we see this as a very unique opportunity,” said Vince Stellino, JE Dunn project manager.

During the groundbreaking, the governor used a GPS-guided locator tool,  the Trimble Robotic Total Station, attached to his ceremonial shovel to help target the precise location of the building site.

“Even a former geologist like me can do geography if he has the right equipment,” the governor quipped.