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Aaron Young | Founder and CEO, Kaart | Grand Junction
Aaron Young started Kaart in 2006 with the idea of providing GPS mapping services to developing countries. A pivot to software development and professional service sparked a growth spurt about a decade ago. The company now has 160 employees, including 100 at the Grand Junction headquarters.
Young, 43, says he initially felt “isolated” as a tech entrepreneur on the Western Slope, but that’s changed in the last five years. He’s been a big part of driving that change after buying three properties to redevelop on the 700 block of Main Street in downtown Grand Junction. “I’m calling it the Grand Junction Tech District,” Young says.
He started with 750 Main, featuring 18,000 square feet of office and coworking space, and then built and moved Kaart into 734 Main, with 38,000 square feet of office space. Next up is 702 Main, with a plan for a six-story mixed-use building.
Young describes his outlook as “optimistic and bullish” on Grand Junction. “I think there’s more vibrancy to it, and more room for small tech companies out there,” he says. “Traditionally, we’ve been oil and gas, and that’s actually wound down quite a bit, but our economy, our tax revenue, everything is still setting records right now.”