Commercial Landscaping
- Retail stores1,506
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics815
- Apartment property management firms814
- Commercial building owners and lessors347
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
Commercial trades market · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Appointment setting for commercial contractors in Denver
Denver-Aurora has 7,567 businesses with 20 or more people on site across the categories commercial trades sell to, and it leans toward hosting and data processing companies and wholesale distributors more than the U.S. as a whole. Here is how each trade's market looks, where the buildings are and when to call.
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Trades in Denver
How each commercial trade's market looks in Denver-Aurora
Ranked by larger buildings per contractor against up to 100 markets (only markets with 10 or more contractors in a trade are ranked; n/r means not ranked). A higher rank means more buildings worth calling for every competitor working them.
| Trade | Contractors | 1-yr change | Larger buildings | Per contractor | Rank | Eligible targets | Push months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Landscaping Largest buyer group: retail stores | 932 | -28 | 4,357 | 4.7 | #24 | · | Mar–May |
| Commercial Roofing Largest buyer group: retail stores | 59 | -3 | 4,104 | 69.6 | #49 | 9,352 | Mar–May |
| Paving & Asphalt Largest buyer group: retail stores | 110 | +1 | 4,380 | 39.8 | #57 | · | Mar–May |
| Commercial Construction Largest buyer group: manufacturing companies | 518 | -10 | 2,014 | 3.9 | #62 | 9,352 | Year-round |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial Largest buyer group: ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care | 791 | -10 | 2,702 | 3.4 | #63 | 2,647 | Year-round |
| Commercial Flooring Largest buyer group: ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care | 45 | -1 | 2,842 | 63.2 | #42 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings Largest buyer group: retail stores | 70 | -3 | 4,216 | 60.2 | #56 | · | Mar–May |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical Largest buyer group: medical and dental office buildings | 289 | +1 | 2,368 | 8.2 | #73 | 3,491 | Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct |
| Fire Protection Largest buyer group: restaurants | 149 | -1 | 4,645 | 31.2 | #77 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial Electrical Largest buyer group: retail stores | 460 | -8 | 3,221 | 7.0 | #91 | · | Year-round |
Who each program calls
The industries each Denver trade program prospects into
Every trade has its own target list. Here are the five largest target industries for each program in the Denver-Aurora metro, with local location counts; each guide lists all ten and who your SDR asks for.
Commercial Roofing
- Retail stores1,506
- Apartment property management firms814
- Manufacturing plants544
- Commercial building owners and lessors347
- Commercial property management firms251
Paving & Asphalt
- Retail stores1,506
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics815
- Apartment property management firms814
- Commercial building owners and lessors347
- Commercial property management firms251
Commercial Construction
- Manufacturing companies544
- Commercial building owners and developers347
- Senior living operators257
- Commercial property management firms251
- Hotel owners and management groups186
Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care815
- Manufacturing plants544
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings347
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
- Commercial property management firms251
Commercial Flooring
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care815
- Apartment and multifamily management companies814
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings347
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
- Commercial property management firms251
Commercial Painting & Coatings
- Retail stores1,506
- Apartment and multifamily management companies814
- Manufacturing plants544
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings347
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- Medical and dental office buildings815
- Manufacturing plants544
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
- Commercial property management firms251
- Hotels186
Fire Protection
- Restaurants2,354
- Apartment management companies814
- Manufacturing plants544
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
- Commercial property management firms251
Commercial Electrical
- Retail stores1,506
- Manufacturing plants544
- Commercial building owners347
- Senior living and skilled nursing257
- Commercial property management firms251
Locations with 20 or more employees, U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Property management and similar categories count every company, whatever its size.
What's being built
The projects shaping Denver-Aurora
Named, sourced projects current as of 2026-09, and the trades each one puts to work.
CoreSite DE3 data center
180,000 sq ftTopped out; opening 2026
CoreSite's third Denver data center, at 4900 Race Street in Denver, built to connect with its existing DE1 and DE2 facilities.
Data centers close out with large electrical, cooling and fire suppression scopes, then need ongoing mechanical maintenance and specialized cleaning once halls are energized.
CoreSite press release, 2025-10-06 →Denver International Airport Concourse C-West expansion
400,000 sq ftApproved; program management contract awarded
An expansion of Concourse C at Denver International Airport adding up to 11 gates and new concessions, with a seven-year, $700 million program management contract approved by Denver City Council.
Completion is projected around 2030 to 2031, so the next several years bring a long sequence of concourse packages for mechanical, electrical, fire protection and finish contractors.
Mile High CRE, 2026-01-06 →UCHealth and AdventHealth Broomfield hospitals
Proposed; in city review
Two hospitals planned on opposite corners of Baseline Road and I-25 in Broomfield: a UCHealth hospital of about 330,000 square feet and an AdventHealth hospital of 443,880 square feet, each with a medical office building.
UCHealth says construction could begin in 2026 with a 2029 target opening; two hospitals at one interchange would put sitework, paving and full mechanical and electrical packages out to bid in the same window.
KUNC, 2026-01-26 →AdventHealth Aurora Highlands ER and medical office building
$81 millionOpening September 2026
An 88,000-square-foot, three-story freestanding emergency room, imaging center and clinic building in The Aurora Highlands south of Denver International Airport, planned as the first phase of a future hospital.
Opening shifts the building to service contracts (cleaning, landscaping, geothermal HVAC maintenance), and the shelled third floor and planned hospital phase point to more interior and mechanical work later.
AdventHealth, 2025-01-29 →Philip Morris International U.S. manufacturing campus
$1 billionOpened 2026
A 780,000-square-foot manufacturing, packaging and distribution campus on 148 acres at 25315 E. 48th Ave. in Aurora, between I-70 and Denver International Airport.
A plant this size needs recurring industrial cleaning, roof maintenance, parking lot upkeep and grounds care, and the company plans investment of $1.2 billion through 2028, which signals more build-out work.
Commercial Property Executive, 2026-07-28 → Where the buyers cluster
The owners that anchor Denver-Aurora
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings here. Each fact links to its source, checked 2026-10.
UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora, Adams and Arapahoe counties
UCHealth's fiscal 2025 Metro Denver fact sheet lists 829 available beds at University of Colorado Hospital and 16,056 employees in the Metro Denver region.
The Anschutz Medical Campus hospital plus Highlands Ranch and Broomfield hospitals run around the clock and carry heavy mechanical, life-safety, cleaning and flooring workloads.
UCHealth →Denver International Airport (DEN)
Denver, Denver County
The Greeley Tribune describes DEN as one of Colorado's largest employers with 43,000 employees.
Terminal, concourses, parking structures, training facilities and airfield support buildings need constant cleaning, HVAC service, electrical work and pavement upkeep.
Greeley Tribune →Auraria Campus
Denver, Denver County
The Auraria Higher Education Center says the 150-acre campus is shared by Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and University of Colorado Denver.
One downtown campus serving three institutions means classroom buildings, a shared library, student centers, parking and grounds managed by a single campus authority.
Auraria Higher Education Center →Lockheed Martin Space
Waterton Campus, Jefferson County
The Denver Post reported in May 2025 that Lockheed Martin said it employs roughly 14,000 people in Colorado at its locations in Jefferson County, Boulder and Colorado Springs.
The Waterton Canyon campus near Littleton holds satellite production buildings, clean rooms, offices and open-space grounds with strict electrical, mechanical and fire protection requirements.
The Denver Post →Majestic Commercenter
Aurora, Adams County
Majestic Realty describes the park as a 1,600-acre master-planned business park with over 10 million square feet built and a planned build-out of 21 million square feet.
Large high-cube warehouse and distribution buildings carry big roof areas, truck courts and sprinkler systems that need regular service and replacement.
Majestic Realty →Denver Public Schools
Denver, Denver County
NCES data for the 2024-2025 school year lists 191 schools and 90,471 students in the district.
Close to 200 school buildings, with gyms, kitchens, roofs and parking lots, are maintained by one public owner that bids facility work.
National Center for Education Statistics → The local business base
Who the buyers are in Denver-Aurora
Compared with the national mix, Denver-Aurora over-indexes on hosting and data processing companies, wholesale distributors and commercial property managers. The fastest-growing categories over the past year: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+425), hotels (+39) and wholesale distributors (+27).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All establishments | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 2,354 | 6,860 | 0.84x | -64 |
| Retail stores | 1,506 | 8,583 | 0.72x | -192 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 815 | 7,736 | 1.07x | +425 |
| Wholesale distributors | 630 | 3,797 | 1.34x | +27 |
| Manufacturing plants | 544 | 2,273 | 0.59x | -125 |
| Grocery stores | 276 | 1,401 | 0.72x | -52 |
| Senior living and nursing | 257 | 569 | 0.50x | 0 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 204 | 1,754 | 1.07x | -94 |
| Hotels | 186 | 422 | 0.74x | +39 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 145 | 1,165 | 0.36x | +11 |
| Trucking companies | 123 | 1,169 | 0.61x | -94 |
| Auto dealerships | 119 | 347 | 0.64x | -16 |
| Private K-12 schools | 118 | 197 | 0.52x | +8 |
| Hosting and data processing companies | 76 | 336 | 1.39x | -94 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 74 | 217 | 0.74x | +6 |
| Apartment and residential property managers | 47 | 814 | 1.15x | +11 |
| Hospitals | 37 | 45 | 0.65x | +26 |
| Golf courses and country clubs | 26 | 35 | 0.44x | +5 |
| Commercial property managers | 12 | 251 | 1.29x | -1 |
| Colleges and universities | 10 | 30 | 1.24x | -4 |
| Nonresidential building owners | 8 | 347 | 1.25x | +4 |
Territory
Where the business sites are
Denver County, Arapahoe County and Jefferson County hold 71% of the metro's larger business sites. Most programs start in those counties and add the outer 6 counties for larger accounts, depending on how far your crews travel.
| County | Larger business sites |
|---|---|
| Denver County | 2,286 |
| Arapahoe County | 1,628 |
| Jefferson County | 1,292 |
| Adams County | 1,216 |
| Douglas County | 757 |
| Broomfield County | 173 |
| Clear Creek County | 12 |
| Elbert County | 6 |
| Park County | 5 |
Climate and timing
Denver's year, month by month
Outdoor trades (roofing, paving, landscaping, exterior painting) work the months with lows of 40°F or above and sell in the months before. HVAC sells ahead of its heating and cooling peaks. Each trade page has its own calendar.
- Jan41° / 15°Off-season
- Feb42° / 16°Off-season
- Mar50° / 23°Off-season
- Apr56° / 29°Off-season
- May66° / 38°Off-season
- Jun77° / 47°Outdoor season
- Jul83° / 53°Outdoor season
- Aug80° / 51°Outdoor season
- Sep73° / 44°Outdoor season
- Oct61° / 32°Off-season
- Nov49° / 23°Off-season
- Dec40° / 15°Off-season
Working in Colorado
Contractor licensing in Colorado
Colorado does not license general contractors or roofers at the state level, so licensing is handled by individual cities and counties. The state does register electrical contractors and fire suppression contractors.
Trade-by-trade rules are on each trade page. Confirm with Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations. Checked 2026-09-30.
Hiring locally
What an in-house SDR costs in Denver
Before you hire a sales development rep in Denver, price the whole job, not just the salary. Here is the local pay for sales representatives, and what a first year really costs once you add commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and the manager time it takes to coach them.
- $80,650median pay for a sales rep in the Denver metro
- $59,990 to $116,750middle half of local pay (25th to 75th percentile)
- 24,480people in the role locally, all competing for the same hires
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
In-house SDR, first year$146,163
Abstrakt Growth program, full-time SDR, 12 months$102,000
In-house adds $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $500/month tools, $5,000 recruiting and 4 manager hours a week at $75/hour, before ramp time or turnover. Abstrakt includes the SDR, management, tools and data.
How Abstrakt works in Denver
Outsourced appointment setting, one trade per market
Abstrakt's U.S.-based business development reps build a Denver target list around your trade, service area and ideal buildings, work it by phone, email, LinkedIn and direct mail, and book meetings with the people who sign. We will not run the same program for a direct competitor in your territory.
Selling into Colorado? See the Colorado outbound calling rules: do-not-call lists, calling hours and registration, so you know what a program here has to handle.
Denver commercial trades, answered
Does Abstrakt set appointments for commercial contractors in Denver?
Yes. Abstrakt runs outsourced appointment setting for commercial trades across the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro: our U.S.-based business development reps call the buildings, qualify the opportunity and book meetings with the person who signs. We run one program per trade per market.
Which commercial trades have the most room to grow in Denver?
Measured by larger buildings per contractor against the 100 markets we track (where a trade has at least 10 local contractors), commercial Landscaping (#24), commercial Roofing (#49) and paving & Asphalt (#57) rank best in Denver.
What kinds of businesses are concentrated in Denver?
Compared with the national mix, Denver-Aurora has more hosting and data processing companies (1.39x), wholesale distributors (1.34x) and commercial property managers (1.29x). Those industries are the best-represented buyers for trades that serve them.
Which counties make up the Denver market?
The metro covers 9 counties. Denver County, Arapahoe County and Jefferson County hold 71% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Sources and method
- Contractors and business-category change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.
- Business sites by size and county: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Suppressed size classes count as zero.
- Climate: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages.
- Projects: sources linked on each project card.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, read 2026-10.
- Eligible targets: Abstrakt territory record counts, 2026-10; estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect per program, shown for HVAC, roofing, construction and cleaning.
- Photo: Denver skyline with the Rocky Mountains behind, by Bill Griepenstroh on Unsplash.
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