Colorado Companies to Watch 2016: Taking it to the next level
These innovators and risk-takers are building on their business success
Meet the innovators, the disruptors, the risk-takers, the success-seekers. Chosen from more than 1,000 nominations, this year’s 50 Colorado Companies to Watch (CCTW) are second-stagers ready to power their businesses to the next level in increasingly bold and imaginative fashion.
Some appear to have gone from zero to success in 60 seconds, such as tech upstart Parkifi, founded in 2014 to help drivers find parking spaces in congested cities. Others have been around for years but are flourishing under new management, as is the case with the fourth-generation brother-sister team at Polidori Sausage, who still use their great-grandma’s original recipe from 1925.
"Each of the 50 companies being celebrated as a Colorado Companies to Watch winner earned this honor as a direct result of relentless focus on growth and innovation," says David Tolson, managing partner at CapitalValue Advisors and CCTW Presenting Sponsor. "They’re putting themselves and Colorado on the map by creating valuable new products, services and industries.”
And speaking of the map: This year’s crop of companies represents every region of the entrepreneurial hotbed that is Colorado, from GO Alpine in Steamboat Springs; to clothing manufacturer VOORMI in Pagosa Springs, from Durango’s Serious Texas Bar-BQ to Loveland’s Canyon Bakehouse.
“Statistics indicate there are more than 46,000 second stage companies in Colorado,” says CCTW Chair Sean Nohavec, senior vice president of one of the program’s four Platinum Sponsors, UMB Bank. “These are the companies fueling Colorado’s economy through job creation and capital investments.”
Now in its eighth year, the Colorado Companies to Watch program selects winners through a rigorous two-stage process that examines each company’s leadership, innovation, growth and commitment to the community. From Golden to Grand Junction to Greenwood Village, the cream of Colorado’s up-and-coming companies are using creativity, determination and optimism to turn a spark of success into a roaring economic fire.
Colorado Companies to Watch 2016 Winners and Finalists (winners are in bold)
AdPro 360
AFC Urgent Care Denver
Agribotix
All Phase Restoration
Allison Medical Inc.
AllUrData Inc.
Anthem Branding
App-X
ASTRA LLC
Avid4 Adventure Inc.
Barber-Nichols Inc.
BCER Group (BCER Engineering, RimRock Technology and Rondinelli Life Safety)
Buehler Companies
Canyon Bakehouse
Choozle
Colorado Medical Waste Inc.
Colorado Professional Resources LLC
Columbine Label Co.
concept3D Inc
CPP Inc.
Denver Beer Co.
Epicurean Butter Co.
Faris Machinery Company
FORTRUST
GO Alpine
Good Day Pharmacy
Image Audiovisuals Inc.
Inada USA
Insight Designs Web Solutions LLC
InstaKey Security Systems
J.A. Balistreri Vineyards
JCR Capital
Kindara Inc.
Liqid Inc.
Littleton Equine Medical Center
Mame's Burrito Company
MKK Consulting Engineers Inc.
Neuro Assessment Systems
NFT
Nusura Inc.
Outrigger Energy LLC
Parkifi Inc.
Pinnacle Mountain Homes
Pinyon Environmental Inc.
Platte River Networks
Polidori Sausage
PorchLight Real Estate Group
Precision Sample LLC
Providigm LLC
Purely Elizabeth
Quinn Snacks
Qwinix
Rachio
Redefy Real Estate
Residential Systems Inc.
Sand Cherry Associates Inc.
Schoolrunner
Serious Texas Bar BQ
Shinesty
Silvergate Pharmaceuticals
SnapEngage
Solera Salon
SpenDifference LLC
SSB Consulting Group LLC
Stoneside Blinds & Shades
Sunshine Plumbing Heating Air LLC
Sustainable Supply
Tailwind Nutrition
Think Network Technologies
Thought Ensemble Inc.
Timberline Bank
TRIO Environments
Vectors Inc.
Volume Nine
VOORMI
About:
Colorado Companies to Watch, presented by CapitalValue Advisors, is an awards program honoring second-stage companies headquartered in the state of Colorado. The 400 companies that have been honored since the program’s inception demonstrate high performance in the marketplace or exhibit innovative products or processes. The program is designed to seek businesses from a wide range of industries throughout the state, not just the major metropolitan areas. The 50 companies selected each year make an astounding impact on Colorado's economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars in revenue. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) launched the program in 2009 in conjunction with the Edward Lowe Foundation and valuable community partners from across Colorado.
By the numbers:
- 1912 – Year the oldest 2016 winner was founded
- 2014 – Year the newest 2016 winner was founded
- 80 – Percentage of 2016 winners that are profitable
- 31 – Number of 2016 CCTW companies funded by personal savings credit
- 77 – Colorado locations represented by the 2016 winners
- 1,913.5 – Full-time equivalents employed in 2015 by the CCTW class of 2016
- 2,293 – Projected full-time equivalents to be employed by last year’s class in 2016
- $503M – Total revenue generated by the CCTW class of 2015
- $679.9M – Total revenue generated by the CCTW class of 2015
