Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GREELEY MSA RANKS #1 IN THE UNITED STATES FOR PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH

Date: March 24, 2008

Contact: Larry Burkhardt

356-4565

In a study released by Forbes Magazine last week, the Greeley, Colorado Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked as the #1 area in the country for five-year income growth.

This is extremely good news for our area, and validates the finding of several other recent studies that indicate that Weld County's economy is out-performing most of the country, said Larry Burkhardt, President/CEO of Upstate Colorado Economic Development.

The Forbes ranking dealt with the chief goal of economic development that of raising the standard of living for local residents.

Weld County has recently achieved high rankings in other national studies looking at economic performance. In November, for example, the Milken Institute identified the area as #29 on its list of the county's 200 largest metros Best Performing Cities, including #10 for one-year job growth.