Persistent Systems has purchased a 30,600-square-foot office building in Fort Collins, turning its local operation from a leased outpost into a permanent regional headquarters. The acquisition places the defense technology company’s Colorado teams in the Fuse Building at 3528 Precision Drive, where employees support military communications programs tied to the U.S. Army and Air Force.
The New York-based company marked the purchase with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo. The transaction was financed through J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking. For Fort Collins, the deal adds another example of how the city’s technology and engineering economy intersects with federal defense work and the broader military presence along Colorado’s Front Range.
A larger base for military technology work
The building will bring together Persistent’s field service, customer support, program management and engineering personnel in Fort Collins. Those teams work on behalf of U.S. Air Force missions and the Army’s 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, supporting the Next Generation Command and Control effort, known as NGC2.
NGC2 is intended to connect military command levels through a single data network, from division headquarters to individual soldiers. Persistent’s personnel regularly travel to Fort Carson to work alongside soldiers as the Army fields the system. That arrangement makes the company’s location in Northern Colorado more than an office decision: It keeps technical staff within reach of the military units using the systems they help deploy.
“Colorado businesses are driving innovation, creating good-paying jobs, and strengthening our national security,” Hickenlooper said. “We're thrilled to see Persistent put down deeper roots in Fort Collins, growing its local workforce while developing technology that helps our servicemembers and keeps our country safe.”
Expansion with potential employment effects
Persistent first leased space in Fort Collins in 2015. The company said its local workforce has since grown to more than twice its earlier size. A report cited by the company’s announcement said the expansion could ultimately support more than 100 jobs in the area, although the release did not provide a detailed hiring schedule or a breakdown of positions.
- Property: Fuse Building, a 30,600-square-foot Class A office facility
- Location: 3528 Precision Drive in Fort Collins
- Local history: Persistent opened its first Fort Collins office in 2015
- Primary work: Support for Air Force missions and the Army’s 4th Infantry Division
- Financing: J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking
Owning the facility gives Persistent control over a larger, consolidated workplace as it develops its Colorado operation. That can provide more stability than expanding through separate leases, while also anchoring specialized engineering and support jobs in Fort Collins. The company’s decision is relevant to the local commercial real estate market as well: A completed purchase places a major office property under the control of an employer that expects its regional presence to continue growing.
Fort Collins connection to a national defense network
Persistent develops secure Mobile Ad Hoc Networking, or MANET, systems. The company says its technology is used by the military, law enforcement, the Coast Guard and other federal agencies. These systems are designed to keep personnel and equipment connected in the field, where conventional communications infrastructure may not be available or sufficient.
For Fort Collins, the headquarters purchase links local economic activity to a national defense supply chain. Engineers and program staff based in the city will support work that extends to military installations and federal missions beyond Larimer County, while the company’s local investment keeps more of that technical capacity rooted in the region. The purchase does not by itself establish how quickly employment will grow, but it confirms Persistent’s intention to make Fort Collins a long-term base for its Army and Air Force programs.
