50 Colorado companies to watch 2010
The complete list
The second annual 50 Colorado Companies to Watch features snapshots of businesses that are thriving - and growing - as selected by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade and economic development groups and chambers of commerce statewide. Read more about the process and the upcoming event, and check out our business resource guide.
ADPERIO
SNAPSHOT: Adperio, founded in 1994, is a privately held online marketing and advertising agency based in Denver. The company offers a suite of Internet solutions for advertisers, market research firms and advertising agencies. The company was recently recognized by Inc.magazine for the third consecutive year as one of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America and named as one of the Best Companies to Work for in Colorado by the Society for Human Resource Management for the second consecutive year.
LEADERSHIP: David Asseoff is chief executive officer.
WORK FORCE: The company employs 53 full-time equivalent people and expects to reach 60 employees this year.
COMPETITIVE EDGE: Adperio is usually responsible for tracking the success of its clients' advertisements. To serve the needs of one of its biggest entertainment clients, Adperio developed a "server-side" offer-tracking technology designed to be more accurate and reliable than the pixel-tracking technology used by the majority of its competitors. The system decreased fraudulent orders, provided a better overall consumer experience and decreased the cost for each newly acquired customer.
INNOVATION: Adperio developed a plug-and-play monetization platform that developers could customize and integrate directly into their application. The platform helped Adperio establish a footprint in the Facebook application space. In 2008, the company generated more than $20 million in revenue from social media.
ADSS - ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED SENSOR SYSTEMS
SNAPSHOT: Advanced Distributed Sensor Systems is an end-to-end systems integrator that develops, fields, manufactures and maintains advanced situational awareness sensor products and communications systems for defense, homeland security, force protection and commercial applications. The Littletoncompany's sensors and communications networks deliver mission critical and real-time information for a wide range of military and civilian uses.
LEADERSHIP: Mark Seglem has been president and chief executive officer since 2009.
WORK FORCE: The company, founded in 2008, employs 15 full-time equivalent people and expects to add three people this year.
STRONG ON DEFENSE: ADSS started as a government-funded "science project" and developed into a fast-growing small business. Although remote environmental sensors have been around for years, ADSS took state-of-the-art technology, made it smaller, less energy intensive and integrated it with satellite technology so that the information the sensors supply can be transmitted to a central data repository and disseminated to those who need it.
A BIG STEP: A pivotal moment for ADSS came when it made the leap from product research and development to systems engineering, development and manufacturing. "Most R&D companies are good at R&D but typically not good at systems engineering, systems development and program management," the company says.
ALBEO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
SNAPSHOT:Boulder-based Albeo designs, manufactures and markets LED (light-emitting diode) lighting systems for industrial and commercial applications that improve profitability by reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption and maintenance costs, with increased productivity and a short payback period.
LEADERSHIP: Jeff Bisberg is chief executive officer of the company, which was founded in 2004.
WORK FORCE: Albeo's full-time or equivalent headcount is 13 and is projected to grow to 17 this year.
HIGH PERFORMER: Albeo has delivered revenue growth of 165 percent, 81 percent and 39 percent over the last three years. After the first eight weeks of 2010, shipments and backlog were at $3 million - 50 percent higher than 2009's entire annual revenue. The company is on track to grow 300 percent in 2010.
LIGHTS ON: Albeo has led the deployment of LED lighting in new markets including the first school and the first data center to be entirely fitted with LED lighting. The company's seven awards include three from the U.S. Department of Energy.
FINDING A NICHE: In late 2007, Albeo shifted from residential to industrial lighting. The payoff: an increase in average and total sales, including a single $2.1 million order.
ALEXA'S ANGELS INC.
SNAPSHOT:Alexa's Angels is an all-women jewelry and accessory company. It created the Prayer Box Bracelet, and helped launch the idea of inspirational jewelry into the independent retail community. Its clients include Bass Pro Shops, Hallmark stores and Family Christian Stores.
LEADERSHIP:Owner Beth Lang founded the Windsorcompany in 1995.
WORK FORCE: The company's full-time equivalent roster is about a dozen workers and is expected to grow by one this year.
MARKET NICHE: "We have achieved a presence in the highly competitive independent retail channel by creating innovative, original and meaningful designs in an industry known for knockoffs and competition from overseas suppliers," the company says. "We pride ourselves on creating unique products for the small mom-and-pop retail stores and giving them the edge they need to compete against big-box chains."
PIVOTAL MOMENTS: The creation of the company's Prayer Box Bracelets in 2000 fueled growth of 400 percent the following year and also allowed the company to venture into overseas manufacturing and distribution through the independent gift retail. But in 2005, popularity of the Prayer Box Bracelet declined sharply, and the company shifted its strategy. It rebranded, hired a marketing firm and a sales agency, expanded its product offerings and "moved from a barn to
a building."
ALPINE WASTE & RECYCLING
SNAPSHOT: Alpine Waste & Recycling is the largest independent, locally owned waste and recycling provider in the Denver Metro area. It specializes in meeting the needs of commercial, industrial and retail customers as well as both commercial and residential property managers. Alpine offers every type of nonhazardous solid waste collection service available, including commercial compostables collection.
LEADERSHIP:President John Griffith founded the Commerce City company in 1999.
WORK FORCE: Alpine has 94 full-time equivalent employees and expects to grow to 120 this year.
WASTE NOT: In 2006, Alpine determined that environmental initiatives would shape the waste-hauling industry's future. First, it became the only company in the Denver market to offer compost waste collection. Then it took the biggest risk in the company's history, opening the Altogether Recycling Plant, which in less than three years has grown into the state's second largest recycling plant, processing more than 4,300 tons per month of material otherwise destined for landfills.
WANT NOT: In 2008, selling these services became the priority, emphasizing recycling as Alpine's primary product. This realignment resulted in 53 percent growth in one year.
CLEAN RIDES: In 2009, Alpine became the first waste-hauler in Colorado to operate natural gas vehicles. Alpine recently signed an agreement with Clean Energy that will result in the transition of its entire fleet to natural gas over the next decade.
ASSOCIATED CONTENT INC.
SNAPSHOT: Associated Content, founded in 2005, is the largest publishing platform on the Internet that pays people based on how popular and valuable their contributions are. It attracts nearly 30 million monthly visitors and has 360,000 contributors.
LEADERSHIP: Patrick Keane took over as CEO of the Denver-based company in 2009.
WORK FORCE: The company employs 55 full-time equivalent employees and expects to reach 74 this year.
COMPETIVE EDGE:Associated Content, the "people's media company," is powered by a proprietary semantic analysis tool that can determine the value of a piece of content based on a multivariate analysis and then can manage that piece of content through its life cycle.
INNOVATION: Associated Content is built atop two main pillars: algorithmic content evaluation and the community powered by it, the company says. It developed a system that can read an article and determine the value based on more than 20 signals. The system analyzes each submission to AssociatedContent.com and ensures that each of the more than 2 million pieces of content on the site is profitable. Another system allows the company to target article assignments to the individuals best able to create those pieces.
GROWTH: Last year, the company became one of the 50 most visited websites in the United States.
BACKBONE MEDIA LLC
SNAPSHOT: Backbone Media, founded in 1997, is a public relations, media planning and social media agency focused on active lifestyle brands. Its clients include New Belgium Brewery, Black Diamond Equipment, Polartec, Gerber and La Sportiva.
LEADERSHIP: Nate Simmons and Penn Newhard are partners in the Carbondalecompany.
WORK FORCE: The company employs 18 full-time equivalent employees and expects to grow to 20 this year.
NICHE: "What might be perceived by New York agencies as our weakness is actually our greatest strength - living in a small town in Colorado means that we come from a place of authenticity and credibility when promoting outdoor gear and equipment," the company says. "Our staff lives the lifestyle, uses the gear we promote on a daily basis and believes in the products we represent."
PIVOTAL MOMENT:In 1999 Backbone Media helped Black Diamond Equipment launch a new avalanche safety device, the Avalung, helping the company publicize the product far beyond the usual audience for technical climbing equipment. "With the launch of the Avalung, we realized that we could play on a global scale. We placed the Avalung on "NBC Dateline," in the Wall Street Journal, in publications around the world and even journals of medicine. It was a global phenomenon, and it opened our eyes to our reach and the true power of PR."
BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS INC.
SNAPSHOT: Backcountry Access is a privately held manufacturer that specializes in snow safety equipment and education. Snow safety equipment includes avalanche beacons, avalanche airbag packs, probes, shovels and snow study tools. All of these are used to either avoid avalanches or help rescue victims if they are caught and buried in one.
LEADERSHIP: Bruce McGowan is president of the Bouldercompany, which was founded in 1994.
NICHE:Avalanche beacons are the backbone of the business: "BCA's beacons stand out from the crowd because of their rapid processors, and they are the easiest to use. Our company's objectives aren't limited to sales and marketing. We believe our purpose includes saving lives, innovating, and being responsible members of the outdoor industry."
PIVOTAL MOMENT: The introduction of BCA's Tracker DTS avalanche transceiver, the world's first digital avalanche transceiver. Since its introduction, the market for avalanche transceivers has gone mainstream, prompting the company's competitors to develop their own digital beacons.
PROMOTING SAFETY: "Our philanthropic efforts have centered around supporting avalanche education in North America - especially to the demographic groups most at risk: youth and snowmobilers. We have donated and installed over 60 Beacon Training Parks at high-traffic ski and snowmobile destinations."
BIODESIX INC.
SNAPSHOT: Biodesix is a molecular diagnostic company that develops products to support clinical decision making and improve patient care. In 2009, the company introduced VeriStrat, a test based on a proprietary technology that helps physicians guide treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
LEADERSHIP: David Brunel is chief executive officer of the Broomfieldcompany, which was founded in 2005.
PIVOTAL MOMENT: Biodesix began as a small company funded by a few angel investors. Despite its small size and limited resources, the company published a landmark paper in June 2007 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that presented the development and validation of VeriStrat, its first commercial product. "This exemplified what the company and its technology were capable of," Biodesix says.
MARKETING: VeriStrat was launched in the second quarter of 2009 along with the campaign "Guiding the Way," which focuses on explaining the science behind VeriStrat and its appropriate clinical use to both health-care professionals and patients. "Since its launch, VeriStrat has received a positive reception from academic and community oncologists as well as lung cancer patients and their caregivers."
BLU SKY RESTORATION CONTRACTORS
SNAPSHOT: Blu SKY is a full-service general contractor and restoration contractor that specializes in the cleanup and reconstruction following natural and man-made disasters.
LEADERSHIP: Terry Shadwick is president and CEO of the
Centennial company, which was founded in 2004.
WORK FORCE: The company has 78 full-time equivalent employees and expects to reach 91 this year.
PIVOTAL MOMENT: Blu SKY purchased land and built a 20,000-square-foot office/warehouse, representing itself as both developer and general contractor. It also made a corporate decision to take its business model national and now has seven offices in four states.
MARKETING: Blu SKY aims for consistency in branding throughout its fleet of 50 vehicles, its golf tents, banners, marketing materials, company attire and new headquarters: "We are logo'd and immediately recognizable and visible wherever we are."
TECHNOLOGY: "Historically, restoration and construction have been slow to embrace innovation. Blu SKY sees this approach as an opportunity to distinguish itself by vigorously studying all new concepts and enthusiastically supporting its staff to become experts in emerging fields," the company says. "From differing drying technologies such as refrigerant, desiccant and thermal energy approaches to green building practices, Blu SKY has the foremost knowledgeable staff in the industry."
CETIS INC. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS TELEMATRIX INC.)
SNAPSHOT:Cetis Inc. is an ISO-9001 and RoHS-certified manufacturer of analog, SIP, DECT SIP, Digital Centrex telephones designed for hotel, hospital, university, government and general business applications.
LEADERSHIP: Dr. Bing Sun is founder, president and CEO of the Colorado Springscompany.
WORK FORCE: The company had 39 full-time equivalent employees in 2009 and expected to add two more in 2010.
MARKET NICHE: Cetis Inc. is the undisputed leader in hotel
guestroom telephony with 14 million telephones installed in more
than 50,000 hotels worldwide.
SOLUTIONS: The company developed the first line-powered Caller ID telephone, eliminating the need for an AC adapter. It also developed the first H2000 Series single-use hospital patient room telephones designed to reduce hospital cross-contamination risks, cleaning and repair costs.
GROWTH CURVE: Speed, efficiency, customer service, same-day shipping and common-sense solutions to business problems have helped catapult the company from third to first position in the global hospitality telephony market in less than 17 years.
CHOCOLOVE
SNAPSHOT: Boulder-based Chocolove makes premium chocolate bars that are high in cocoa content. The bars are sold in such prominent retailers as Target and Whole Foods Market.
LEADERSHIP: Timothy Moley is president of the company, which he founded in 1995. The company operates a factory in Boulder.
SALES NICHE: Chocolove was the first to market a premium chocolate bar in the United States. Today, the category generates annual sales of $2 billion.
CULTURE: "Working smart and working hard is the core of our culture. We have an unerring devotion to quality and service. We care and do our best so that when a customer reaches for Chocolove, opens the bar and puts a square in their mouth, it brings them a few moments of joy and relaxation. We focus on our task and then take time for our personal lives. Our workday is from eight to five. We literally usher people out and lock the doors because work is a means for living but it should not dominate our lives."
RECESSION BUSTER: "While others were cutting back and asking for handouts, we decided that the fate of our company was in our hands, and we committed ourselves to the task of working smarter and harder," the company says. "We set goals for sales growth, and we met them. While the nation debated health-care reform and companies cut benefits, we committed to paying full medical for all employees with one of the nation's most respected providers."
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