CPIA Event Sponsorship Opportunities

POSSE is a regional event, bringing in 100 or more business leaders from throughout the Rocky Mountain region to network , learn from each other, help keep the photonics industry growing, and celebrate our resiliency.

About the Photonics Industry

Photonics is the energy of light. Its also known as the optics industry, but includes light generation (such as lasers and LEDs) detection and displays along with optics. This is an industry that powers many other, larger industries. Photonics is a key technology used in defense and security, aerospace, medical devices and instruments, IT, telecommunications, renewable energy, and consumer products.

Photonics has been and will continue to be the quiet technology that both helps many industries grow as well as provides a stabilizing economy. This technology crosses over so many industries, both high tech and old time industries such as energy and lumber, that it will help the Rocky Mountain region outgrow the boom and bust cycles that have been around since the gold rush days.

Photonics in the Rocky Mountain Region

The last 10 years in the photonics industry has been tumultuous. The number of photonics companies in the United States went from 3200 companies to over 9000 companies back to 3000 companies. During this time, only one area of the United States saw a net growth in photonics companies: The Rocky Mountain Region. Two states in the region, Arizona and Colorado now rank in the top 10 states for photonics companies in the nation (they tied for 9th place).

During this decade, three Nobel Prizes for Physics were awarded to photonics work in the region, the most for photonics in the nation during this time. There are numerous National Labs throughout the region, and exciting new research in many arenas is also underway through the Rockies.