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The optimism of Colorado business leaders increased slightly ahead of the second quarter of 2017 and is expected to remain stable into the third quarter of the year.

Federally-funded research facilities in Colorado contributed an estimated $2.6 billion to the state's economy in 2016 and supported more than 17,600 jobs, according to a new report from the Leeds School of Business.

A Leeds School report looking back on the final quarter of 2016 shows robust growth in Colorado for new business formation. Also, the state's energy sector is showing early stages of recovery after having hit bottom and the real estate market is outpacing expansion on the national scale.

As uncertainty surrounding the recent election has subsided, the optimism of Colorado business leaders has turned sharply up ahead of the first quarter of 2017, according to a Leeds School report.

Leeds Professor Chris Leach talks about $3.7 million in new gifts to support the Hernando de Soto Capital Markets Program, which introduces first-year business students to foundational ideas in ethics, business, law and economics, including those of de Soto, a Peruvian economist who champions individual property rights as one of the cornerstones to economic empowerment for people in emerging nations.

Though at a slower pace than in recent years, the state is poised to gain 63,400 jobs in 2017. With the exception of the natural resources and mining industry, all the state's sectors are expected to see job growth, with construction expected to see the most gains.

Colorado employment is poised to modestly expand into 2017, according to a ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder report. In the three-month period ending in September, a total of 27,008 new business filings were recorded with the Secretary of State’s office. There were 119,385 business entity renewals.

Though remaining in positive territory, the optimism of Colorado business leaders is projected to dip slightly in the fourth quarter of 2016. It then is expected to increase during the first quarter of 2017. The upcoming presidential election is causing some of the uncertainty captured in the latest Leeds Business Confidence Index.

Organizers of the University of Colorado Boulder’s ninth annual New Venture Challenge anticipate a packed house for the program’s kickoff later this month. The popular program, which is open to the entire campus community and progresses through a series of events and workshops throughout the school year, fosters budding entrepreneurs.

The nationally recognized industry research firm, Gartner Inc. released its bi-annual report of North America's best graduate programs in supply chain management, and the Leeds School of Business's MS program is ranked 22nd for 2016.