The Colorado Economic Development Commission on Thursday approved incentives for two companies that could ultimately add nearly 600 new jobs in El Paso County over the next eight years.

The two were among a total of four unnamed companies that the commission approved for more than $24.4 million in job-growth investment tax credits, in order to move or expand their businesses in Colorado.

Project Dots, a code name the commission used to shield one company’s identity for confidentiality purposes, would receive more than $2.8 million by adding 189 new full-time positions in El Paso County. The company also is considering Arizona and New York for its expansion.

Information supplied to the commission by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) describes Project Dots as a “nontraditional semiconductor, design and manufacturer that has capabilities to create a variety of electronics on both glass and flexible substrates.” That is identical to the description that Colorado Springs-based InnovaFlex Foundry has on its LinkedIn profile; InnovaFlex is the new name for dpiX after a rebranding in May.

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The positions Project Dots would create include engineers and technicians with an average annual wage of $96,866.

The company must create at least 20 jobs to receive any credits and must maintain those jobs for at least a year before the credits become “vested.”

OEDIT identifies the Colorado-based company as having 137 employees, of whom all but two are in Colorado.

InnovaFlex Foundry CEO Lindsay Pack declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Gazette but said in an interview in February that her company (dpiX at the time) planned to seek a federal grant under new legislation enacted in August for a major expansion but is considering whether to complete the expansion in Colorado Springs or elsewhere.

Pack also said in February that dpiX intended to decide by year’s end where it would build the expansion, which would double the size of the company’s 140-person workforce. DpiX was also seeking local and state incentives to help defray the cost of the expansion, which Pack said would allow dpiX to expand into new markets.

The commission also approved $3.85 million in job growth investment tax credits for a company that is considering locating its headquarters in El Paso County, Kansas or Texas with plans to hire 381 people during the next eight years.

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Project Cranium, the code name for the headquarters search, is for a company that “builds communities of affordable housing using new and novel construction technologies – prefabricated net-zero panels and 3-D construction printing.”

Mike White, a company representative, told the commission at a meeting Thursday that the headquarters decision is expected by year-end. White’s LinkedIn profile lists him as CEO of the Wichita, Kan.-based Crain Family Foundation.

White said in a LinkedIn message that the incentive was for Crain Impact, which builds “affordable housing using new and novel construction technologies,” that include “net-zero pre-fab panels” and “3D construction printing.” His message said the company is considering moving from Wichita to Colorado, where it would build a manufacturing plant of up to 25,000 square feet for its prefabricated panel and 3D construction printing units.

Crain Impact is considering the move, White said, because of “Governor Polis’ focus on affordable housing initiatives.” He said the company hasn’t yet decided to move to Colorado and is considering incentive packages from Kansas and Texas. The company employs six people and is a unit of Crain Co., which also includes private equity firm that invests in multifamily real estate as well as development and property management operations.

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“We’re very encouraged by the conversations we are having with Colorado, especially towards the goal of creating affordable housing and using advanced manufacturing and technology to do that,” White told the commission.

The jobs the company would create include chief financial officer, business development specialists, project engineers, human resource staff, accountants, information technology personnel and warehouse employees and managers, with an average wage of $64,383, or just above the county’s average wage, according to the information the economic development office gave the commission.

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The commission also approved $12.4 million in job growth investment tax credits for Project Cesium, a company that “designs and manufactures advanced communication and networking solutions for space based connectivity,” which would create 906 jobs in Boulder. In addition, it OK’d $5.3 million in job growth investment tax credits for Project Fire, a global sports and entertainment company, which would create 150 jobs in Denver County.