Congrats to our Top Company 2016 winner: E2 Optics

This year’s Top Company winners and finalists represent large and small, old and new, high-tech and high-touch businesses and organizations in 11 industry categories. Like Colorado itself, these enterprises have undergone changes, endured tumultuous economic times and overcome various hurdles to achieve distinction in their respective fields.

To be eligible for Top Company consideration, companies must be based in Colorado or have a significant presence in the state. Deloitte, a longtime program sponsor, selects up to three finalists per industry category from applications submitted online at cobizmag.com. A panel made up of ColoradoBiz magazine’s editorial board and representatives from the business community then selects the winners based on financial performance or other relevant metric, achievement in one or more operational aspect of their business, and community involvement.

Read on to learn about our 29th annual Top Company Awards winners and finalists in the services category.

SERVICES

Winner

E2 Optics

www.e2optics.com

A woman-owned IT solutions provider, E2 Optics specializes in turnkey services including low voltage, structured cabling, data communications, telecommunications, audio visual and electronic physical security solutions. With certified industry credentials, the E2 Optics team supports some of the largest enterprise companies in the country as well as government market sectors. The business has certifications from the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program, and SBA 8(a). E2 Optics recently expanded into the international market by adding fully owned European and Canadian subsidiaries to satisfy its global customers.

Kristi Alford founded E2 Optics in 2010. “I had this vision after 25 years in the industry of what I thought would work,” she says. “What really works is the people.” She recruits individuals with high-value skill sets who are attracted to E2 Optic’s energy and passion and want to work in an entrepreneurial environment. E2 promotes a company culture that respects employees’ personal lives and happiness. The company has 227 employees and boasts a 90 percent employee retention rate.

Early on, E2 Optics identified the trend toward data center consolidation and the cloud, which veered from the traditional in-house model. E2 positioned itself to capitalize on the IT infrastructure requirements for the largest data center opportunities worldwide. In addition, E2 adopted a Unified Communication Model, which pulls together multiple areas of technology into a single approach that customers can rely on. E2 Optics’ Unified Communications platforms allow commercial and federal customers to access many technologies often dependent on each other by using one company to fulfill their IT needs.

Finalists

Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care

www.myswingle.com

Swingle is known for providing lawn care, tree and shrub care and event and décor services, and now it is helping to save the bees. In 2015 Swingle was awarded the Elite Innovation Award for its “Saving the Honey Bees Campaign,” presented by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.

Since, Swingle has partnered with the Denver Zoo to create a pollinator garden to help educate the public about the plight of pollinators like honeybees, and how to protect them. Swingle currently employs more than 200 full-time staff, including 40 certified arborists. The company recently opened a branch in Firestone.

Alpine Waste & Recycling

www.alpinewaste.com

Alpine Waste & Recycling is the largest privately held commercial waste, recycling and compost collection company in Colorado. With more than 90 trucks and more than 200 employees, Alpine handles 400,000-plus tons of waste, compost and recycle products each year. The recycle products now include Styrofoam (polystyrene foam).

Denver area residents can deposit packaging materials, coffee cups, food trays and take-out containers in their curbside recycling bins. Alpine packages the material and ships them to a plant where the material can be remade into other Styrofoam items. Alpine also recently retooled and expanded its recycling plant with all the latest in recycling technology, much of which is computerized.