There’s the potential for what might be called tech and rec to play increasingly important roles in the Grand Valley economy. One thing has everything to do with the other.

Tech firms — including advanced manufacturing and software companies — have grown and earned recognition in the process. Wren Industries constitutes a notable example as the aerospace and electronics manufacturer of the year in the Colorado Manufacturing Awards program as well as a finalist in the Colorado Companies to Watch program. ProStar Geocorp continues to garner attention as well for precision mapping software to manage underground infrastructure. The company was selected as a 2019 Best Leader to Watch by Silicon Review Magazine.

That’s not to mention the companies that provide products and services FOR recreation. That includes Leitner Poma, Bonsai Design and Mountain Racing Products. RockyMounts, a bicycle rack manufacturer, will soon relocate its headquarters from Boulder to Grand Junction.

Tech takes center stage in Grand Junction with the inaugural Techstars Startup Week West Slope and what’s billed as the largest startup event ever in Western Colorado. While the presentations, workshops and panel discussions will offer ample information for tech firms and startups, the event isn’t just about tech or startups. Moreover, one track of the event is dedicated to fun. That includes — you guessed it — outdoor recreation. In a broader sense, Techstars Startup Week West Slope offers opportunities for entrepreneurs from all industry sectors and operations large and small to collaborate and promote business development in the region.

Meanwhile, the latest results of an annual analysis conducted by the National Park Service confirm the economic contributions of at least one part of recreation, and that’s visits to the Colorado National Monument.

According to the analysis, the Colorado National Monument attracted 375,000 visitors in 2018 who spent an estimated total of $23.7 million in so-called gateway communities within 60 miles of the monument. That spending in turn supported 332 jobs, $9.1 million in labor income, $16.1 million in value added and $28.9 million in economic output.

A separate analysis conducted by economist Tucker Hart Adams attributed 5,500 jobs and nearly $140 million in annual wages to tourism in Mesa County. And that was in 2017.

There’s another thing to consider about the effects of tech and rec, and that’s the relationship between the two. Many of the people who work in the tech industry — or operate tech firms — are attracted to this area because of the easy access to outdoor recreation. They come here to play, then come back to work and live. Rather than sitting in traffic on the congested highways of the Front Range on their commute home, they’d rather travel the mountain biking trails around the Grand Valley. The number that frequently comes up in conversations with those who’ve made the move is two — as in the two hours they’ve gained in their days by not having to deal with traffic.

Technology makes it possible for those running many tech firms to do so from anywhere there’s high-speed internet access. And they’re choosing to do so in places that offer recreational pursuits.

Tech and rec well could prove an important combination.