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Tag: CEO of the Year Finalists

Seth Anderson — CEO of the Year Finalist 2022

Colorado is full of devoted entrepreneurs, business leaders and tech-savvy visionaries who are constantly taking the business world to new heights. It’s no secret that here, at ColoradoBiz, we love the Colorado business community. That’s why, every year, we spotlight the most impressive CEOs throughout our Centennial state and give credit where credit is due — to the forward-thinking minds constantly chasing the next great idea and upholding their business practices to the most purposeful ideals. We’re proud to introduce our finalists for CoBiz’s prestigious 2022 CEO of the Year award.

READ: 2022 CEO of the Year — John Street

 

Seth Anderson  
CEO, Weifield Electrical Contracting 
Centennial 

Seth Anderson started Weifield in 2002 with three other owners during a downturned economy — in the basement of a partner’s home. Today Weifield is the third-largest of the top 11 electrical contractors in the region, with annual revenues exceeding $158 million — and climbing. 

Karla Nugent, Weifield’s chief business development officer, credits the 48-year-old Anderson with keeping the company, now 580 employees strong, on the cutting edge of the industry. 

“We were one of the first to utilize LiveCount estimating systems, Trimble robotic stations, and other technologies – which really unified our workflow, from preconstruction to operations to prefabrication,” she says. “We were also the first to invest in our own virtual modeling company, which does work for ourselves and other companies. He really pushed to make Weifield more innovative – and others followed.” 

The company’s innovative thinking is also apparent in its formation of the Weifield Council, a cross-functional group that advances Weifield’s corporate initiatives and resolves issues – as well as Weifield’s Up-and-Coming Leaders (WULF) group, which grows promising young apprentices into leaders in the field.  

Elycia Cook — CEO of the Year 2022 Finalist

Colorado is full of devoted entrepreneurs, business leaders and tech-savvy visionaries who are constantly taking the business world to new heights. It’s no secret that here, at ColoradoBiz, we love the Colorado business community. That’s why, every year, we spotlight the most impressive CEOs throughout our Centennial state and give credit where credit is due — to the forward-thinking minds constantly chasing the next great idea and upholding their business practices to the most purposeful ideals. We’re proud to introduce our finalists for CoBiz’s prestigious 2022 CEO of the Year award.

READ: 2022 CEO of the Year — John Street

 

Elycia Cook 
CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado  
Englewood  

With a vision of every child in Colorado having access to a mentor, Elycia Cook, 55, in March 2021 became CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, one of the largest youth mentoring organizations in the state. Previously she spent 12 years as the president and CEO of Friends First, a peer mentoring organization dedicated to educating and mentoring teens to make positive life choices and develop healthy relationships through education and mentoring. 

Cook, the first Black CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, had never left a 50-mile radius of her home in Detroit when she started college. With the guidance of mentors, she received a full scholarship to the Japan Center for Michigan Universities. She lived and worked in Japan for more than eight years and is fluent in spoken Japanese. Today, she teaches Japanese to teens and is passionate about international exchange. Over the years she’s helped several young people visit, study and live abroad.  

In June 2022, BBBSC won two major awards at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) 2022 Bigger Together celebration: the Large Agency of the Year Award, and the Large Agency Kommerstad Board of the Year Award. 

Cook believes her success was shaped by the influence of positive role models and has dedicated most of her career to mentoring causes. 

Gerry Agnes — CEO of the Year 2022 Finalist

Colorado is full of devoted entrepreneurs, business leaders and tech-savvy visionaries who are constantly taking the business world to new heights. It’s no secret that here, at ColoradoBiz, we love the Colorado business community. That’s why, every year, we spotlight the most impressive CEOs throughout our Centennial state and give credit where credit is due — to the forward-thinking minds constantly chasing the next great idea and upholding their business practices to the most purposeful ideals. We’re proud to introduce our finalists for CoBiz’s prestigious 2022 CEO of the Year award.

READ: 2022 CEO of the Year — John Street

 

Gerry Agnes  
President & CEO, Elevations Credit Union 
Boulder

Gerry Agnes, CPA-turned-community banker, has been CEO and president of Elevations Credit Union since 2008. With 600 employees, the organization serves more than 176,000 members in 16 Colorado counties. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elevations launched a deferment program for members with consumer and commercial loans, adopted CARES Act forbearance options for those with mortgages, created short-term repayment plans to aid members with negative balances on checking and savings accounts, and assisted 4,041 members through mortgage forbearance and consumer and commercial loan deferments – all to ensure members wouldn’t face penalties resulting from unpredictable financial hardship. 

READ — CARES Act stimulus payments: What to know and what to watch for

Scotsman Guide, the authoritative news and data source for residential and commercial mortgage originators, ranks Elevations the No.1. Credit Union Mortgage Lender in Colorado, and in 2021, the National Youth Involvement Board ranked Elevations No. 1 in reaching the most students in Colorado with financial literacy presentations. 

When Agnes, now 63, initially interviewed for the CEO position in 2008, Elevations had $776 million in assets. Upon being hired, he boldly set a goal for Elevations to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Fourteen years and two Baldrige awards later, Elevations is closing in on $3.5 billion in assets.