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Best MBA Program
University of Denver-Daniels College of Business
The Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs that combine business fundamentals with hands-on experience via simulations, practicum projects and interaction with local, regional and global business leaders. The college’s influential network of students, alumni, business leaders, corporate partners and faculty is a valuable source of professional mentoring, information and networking.
“The challenge-driven education provided by Daniels gives students access to real-world business challenges via action-based learning,” the college says. “Students will hit the ground running, entering careers with market-readiness.”
Runners-up
Best College/University
University of Colorado-Boulder
The University of Colorado-Boulder is nationally recognized as one of only 36 AAU public research universities. Established in 1876, CU Boulder is a Tier 1 public research university with five Nobel laureates, nine MacArthur “genius” fellows and is the No. 1 public university recipient of NASA awards. In March NASA announced it would fund two new science centers at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU-Boulder, to study whether winds blowing over mountains in places like Boulder kick off a chain of events that might influence the orbit of satellites in space, and what makes a planet habitable.
Runners-up
Best Co-Working or Collaborative Workspace
WeWork
WeWork’s model is designed to be accessible to companies of any size, from a one-person startup to a Fortune 500 enterprise. The company counts many diverse companies as members in Denver and Boulder. Members have access to any WeWork in the country, and amenities include WiFi, printing services and drip coffee to help companies focus less on overhead and more on building their business. “Beyond services, our community really allows for member companies to network together,” says Tanya Nygaard, portfolio director. “We’ve seen multiple instances of Denver-based members going into business or partnerships with other Denver-based WeWork members.
Runners-up
Best Fitness Club
24 Hour Fitness
Personalization is a big trend right now, including in fitness. 24 Hour Fitness offers a personalized 24 Hour Fitness Fit Plan, GX24 classes with cardio, martial arts, yoga, conditioning, cycle and more, and small group training program called Training Club 24 as well as personal training. There’s even the 24GO personalized fitness app, delivering the workout to the smartphone, for a workout at the gym, at home or anywhere. 24 Hour Fitness has more than 420 gyms nationwide, and more than 30 in Colorado..
Runners-up
Best Fundraiser/Charity Event
Joe and Debbie Sakic Bringing Hope to the Table Celebration
The Joe & Debbie Sakic Bringing Hope to the Table Celebration is a dinner in conjunction with the Joe Sakic Celebrity Classic golf event, benefiting Food Bank of the Rockies’ Feeding Children Initiative. Attendees enjoy dinner and live entertainment and a live and silent auction. Food Bank of the Rockies offers several programs for children, including Kids Cafe, which provides meals after school and summer, and Totes of Hope, which sends kids home from school on Fridays with a bag of nutritious food items to sustain them over the weekend.
Runners-up
Best Nonprofit
Food Bank of the Rockies
Food Bank of the Rockies has a vision of making food security a reality for every Colorado family. It works to achieve that by serving as the central distribution program that provides food and essentials to more than 600 hunger-relief programs in Northern Colorado, metro Denver, the Eastern Plains and the Western Slope. The hunger-relief programs range from small faith-based food pantries to large charities serving hundreds of clients daily.
The organization also provides about 1,600 after-school and summer week-day meals to kids in high-need areas each week.
“We distribute nutritionally balanced, shelf-stable meals to areas where it’s not possible to safely serve a hot meal,” the organization says.
Runners-up
Best Place to Move to Open a Business
Brighton
Brighton’s location 20 miles from Denver and from Denver International Airport position it perfectly for investment, growth and development. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, Brighton offers a strong, well-educated workforce and diverse industry that includes energy, healthcare, retail, hospitality, higher education, agriculture and manufacturing. The city offers a number of economic development programs to help businesses that want to locate there, including the Brighton Investment Program, the Business Visitation Program and the Business Expansion Program.
Runners-up
Best EMBA Program
University of Denver-Daniels College of Business
The Executive MBA program at Daniels College of Business at University of Denver is designed for professionals who have nine-plus years of work experience. The 18-month program consists of 10-week quarters divided into five-week blocks. Students attend one full day per week, on alternating Fridays and Saturdays. Current students come from more than 50 countries, and there are two required trips: Team Sail weekend, and the 11- to 14-day Global Travel Experience. Tuition includes travel expenses related to these trips, and all course materials and meals. No GMAT/GRE is required.