MSP appointment setting in Denver: who to call first

8 things to know before prospecting MSP in Denver

1. 013,719 IT services firms work the Denver-Aurora metro (+87 in a year), 1.6 times the national concentration.
2. 021.2 target businesses per IT firm ranks Denver #96 of 100 markets and #1 of 2 in Colorado.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is construction contractors: 953 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Denver-Aurora over-indexes on architecture and engineering firms at 1.80x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Medical, dental and outpatient practices added 425 establishments in a year: new sites without a managed service provider relationship.
6. 06Tier 1 is 876 sites with 50 to 499 employees among construction contractors and medical, dental and outpatient practices; those deserve two or three contacts each.
7. 07Denver County, Arapahoe County and Adams County hold 90% of the target businesses across 8 counties.
8. 08Albuquerque (357 miles) has more target businesses per IT firm, if your engineers can cover it.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Denver-Aurora metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Denver-Aurora leans toward architecture and engineering firms (1.80x), wealth management and investment firms (1.80x) and real estate brokerages and property management offices (1.46x). Build the list around those categories. Manufacturers is thinner than the national mix, so treat it as selective targets.

1. 01
   Construction contractors953

   Ask for: Owner or president 380 with 50 to 499 employees 0.96x U.S. mix -102 in a year
2. 02
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices807

   Ask for: Practice administrator 267 with 50 to 499 employees 1.07x U.S. mix +425 in a year
3. 03
   Wholesale distributors617

   Ask for: Owner or president 229 with 50 to 499 employees 1.34x U.S. mix +27 in a year
4. 04
   Manufacturers537

   Ask for: Owner or president 219 with 50 to 499 employees 0.59x U.S. mix -125 in a year
5. 05
   Architecture and engineering firms320

   Ask for: Principal or owner 132 with 50 to 499 employees 1.80x U.S. mix +118 in a year
6. 06
   Private schools and education providers271

   Ask for: Head of school or director 110 with 50 to 499 employees 1.35x U.S. mix +12 in a year
7. 07
   Nonprofits and member organizations245

   Ask for: Executive director 75 with 50 to 499 employees 1.07x U.S. mix +178 in a year
8. 08
   Law firms142

   Ask for: Managing partner 48 with 50 to 499 employees 1.28x U.S. mix +99 in a year
9. 09
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices142

   Ask for: Broker-owner 53 with 50 to 499 employees 1.46x U.S. mix -66 in a year
10. 10
    Wealth management and investment firms100

    Ask for: Firm principal 44 with 50 to 499 employees 1.80x U.S. mix +114 in a year
11. 11
    Insurance agencies and brokerages88

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 38 with 50 to 499 employees 1.19x U.S. mix -104 in a year
12. 12
    Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms82

    Ask for: Managing partner 43 with 50 to 499 employees 1.31x U.S. mix +20 in a year

Businesses are establishments with 20 to 499 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), the small and mid-sized range MSPs sell to; the SBA Office of Advocacy counts firms under 500 employees as small businesses. Change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2.

Manufacturers run smaller, so that group needs a seat-count question before a meeting is booked.

• Construction contractors are the largest group in Denver with 953 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Colorado Springs has (171): close to the national mix, down 102 establishments in a year, and typical in size (22% with 50 or more employees).

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the second-largest group in Denver with 807 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Colorado Springs has (228): close to the national mix, up 425 establishments in a year, and typical in size (15% with 50 or more employees).

• Wholesale distributors are the third-largest group in Denver with 617 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Colorado Springs has (74): more concentrated than nationally (1.34x), up 27 establishments in a year, and typical in size (21% with 50 or more employees).

• Manufacturers are the fourth-largest group in Denver with 537 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Colorado Springs has (103): less concentrated than nationally (0.59x), down 125 establishments in a year, and smaller than across our 100 metros (24% have 50 or more employees, against 32%), so confirm the seat count early on the call.

• Architecture and engineering firms are the fifth-largest group in Denver with 320 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Colorado Springs has (60): more concentrated than nationally (1.80x), up 118 establishments in a year, and typical in size (24% with 50 or more employees).

• Private schools and education providers are the sixth-largest group in Denver with 271 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Colorado Springs has (61): more concentrated than nationally (1.35x), up 12 establishments in a year, and typical in size (24% with 50 or more employees).

After those six come nonprofits and member organizations (245), law firms (142), real estate brokerages and property management offices (142), wealth management and investment firms (100), insurance agencies and brokerages (88) and accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (82), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Denver: medical, dental and outpatient practices (807, HIPAA), manufacturers (537, CMMC where they supply defense work), law firms (142, client security questionnaires), wealth management and investment firms (100, SEC and FINRA exams), insurance agencies and brokerages (88, carrier and state insurance data security requirements) and accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (82, the FTC Safeguards Rule); together, 1,756 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

What leads in each core county

• Denver County: wholesale distributors (246), construction contractors (194) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (192) lead its 1,442 target businesses.
• Arapahoe County: medical, dental and outpatient practices (266), construction contractors (236) and wholesale distributors (93) lead its 983 target businesses.
• Adams County: construction contractors (244), wholesale distributors (177) and manufacturers (151) lead its 709 target businesses.
• Jefferson County: construction contractors (162), medical, dental and outpatient practices (146) and manufacturers (89) lead its 634 target businesses.

Employee bands: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, establishments with 10 to 499 employees; suppressed size classes count as zero. Concentration and one-year change: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2. The 100-metro average is the same share summed across every market we publish.

3,719 IT services firms are based in the Denver-Aurora metro. 87 more opened over the past year, so buyers are fielding new names. The IT services industry is 1.6 times the national concentration. Business owners and office managers here already hear from managed service providers, and a specific reason to talk beats a generic pitch. 1.2 target businesses per IT firm puts Denver 96 of 100 markets, and 1 of 2 in Colorado. That is toward the crowded end, so growth here comes mostly from displacing incumbents at renewal. If you can serve Albuquerque and Provo, they have more target businesses per IT firm than Denver.

Tier 1 covers construction contractors, medical, dental and outpatient practices and wholesale distributors with 50 to 499 employees.

Denver County, Arapahoe County, Adams County and Jefferson County hold 90% of the target businesses across the 8-county metro. The other 4 counties split the remaining 10%, which is where Tier 1 accounts justify the drive and smaller sites do not.

A new office or location needs network, devices and security set up before people move in, and the provider who does that work is in the best position to support it after.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices: 425 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a new location, a HIPAA risk assessment, an EHR or practice management change, a security incident.

• Nonprofits and member organizations: 178 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a grant or funder requirement, a new executive director, a phishing loss, a donor database change.

• Architecture and engineering firms: 118 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are slow file access, a workstation refresh, a new office, a client or government security requirement.

• Manufacturers: 125 fewer establishments than a year ago

  An acquisition puts a business under new owners, who usually review who runs IT and fold it into their own systems.

More questions for every prospect type, and how to follow up after the meeting, are in the MSP prospecting playbook.

If your engineers travel, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, Provo and Salt Lake City are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Denver.

• Colorado Springs, CO

  73 miles away, with 862 target businesses and 862 IT services firms, or 1.0 businesses per IT firm (#97 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on architecture and engineering firms at 1.85x the national mix.

• Albuquerque, NM

  357 miles away, with 1,053 target businesses and 512 IT services firms, or 2.1 businesses per IT firm (#73 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is construction contractors, and it over-indexes on architecture and engineering firms at 1.52x the national mix.

• Provo, UT

  389 miles away, with 840 target businesses and 306 IT services firms, or 2.7 businesses per IT firm (#51 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on construction contractors at 1.67x the national mix.

• Salt Lake City, UT

  404 miles away, with 2,178 target businesses and 1,664 IT services firms, or 1.3 businesses per IT firm (#94 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is construction contractors, and it over-indexes on architecture and engineering firms at 1.60x the national mix.