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Top Company 2023: Technology / Software / Telecommunications 

Now in its 36th year, ColoradoBiz magazine’s Top Company Awards program recognizes businesses and organizations based in Colorado or with a significant presence in the state that are leading the way in their fields, as demonstrated by financial performance, notable company achievements and community engagement.

To be considered, Top Company entrants submitted applications throughout the year online at ColoradoBiz.com. From those entries, which numbered in the hundreds, the magazine’s editorial board narrowed the field to three finalists (in most cases) in each industry category. A judging panel made up of area business leaders and ColoradoBiz staff then met to compare notes on the finalists and decide winners in 14 industries plus the Startup category, for companies in business four years or less.

Congratulations are in order not only to the 41 winners and finalists profiled on the following pages, but to all the companies that took the time to tell us about their achievements and obstacles surmounted over the past year that make them worthy of Top Company consideration.

READ: Fall 2023 Issue — Top Company Awards, Inside the CHIPS and SCIENCE Act, and More

WINNER 

Trimble

Westminster, CO

Website: trimble.com

Trimble was founded in 1978 and is recognized as the first company to commercialize GPS. It has since expanded its technology portfolio to include hardware, software and services that increase productivity, improve efficiencies and drive sustainability. Today, it is most known for connecting the physical and digital worlds, helping make everything from a building to an agriculture yield more efficient and productive.  

Trimble’s revenue has grown steadily despite a rocky business environment that’s been plagued by supply chain issues, materials shortages, cost pressures and global economic and political uncertainty. The company has more than 13,200 employees – an increase of 14 percent over the past five years; they are located across approximately 40 countries and speak 45 different languages. While Trimble established its presence in Colorado in 2000, it just moved its corporate headquarters to Westminster last fall.  

Trimble’s solutions are used in more than 150 countries by millions of customers – numbers that continue to grow as the company innovates and evolves to better meet its users’ needs. From precision guidance technology on a tractor, to construction management software, to enterprise life-cycle solutions, Trimble technology is helping to digitally transform industries that have historically been technology laggards, enabling them to become more efficient, productive and sustainable. This is particularly important given that construction is responsible for almost 40 percent of global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, and for 25 percent of overall greenhouse gas emissions. 

Trimble holds more than 1,000 unique, active patents and spends roughly 13-15 percent of its sales revenue on R&D. In 2022 alone, Trimble spent more than $540 million on R&D. 

The company’s quarterly Technical Innovation Award provides formal recognition and a financial reward for innovative work. Any team or individual below the level of Engineering Director is eligible; in 2022, four teams were selected, each receiving a $10,000 prize. 

FINALISTS 

Fluid Truck

Denver, CO

Website: fluidtruck.com 

Launched in 2016, Fluid Truck helps businesses and individuals rent commercial vehicles at the tap of a button. The company offers trucks, vans, electric vehicles and more through its mobile app and website 24/7, 365 days a year. 

Fluid Truck is used nationally by businesses of all sizes to flexibly and affordably build their fleet, manage employee scheduling on-the-go, and activate zero-emission last-mile delivery services, free from the hassles of ownership. Fluid Truck serves more than 100,000 users, supporting customers ranging from local florists and moving companies to national retailers such as IKEA and delivery fleets for Amazon, FedEx and UPS. It operates in 400 cities across the U.S.  

Fluid Truck is the ninth-fastest growing company in North America, according to Deloitte. 

The company regularly partners with local nonprofits and community outreach programs in every city on the Fluid Truck platform to provide free rental credits to help organizations empower communities. For example, the North Carolina Adult Soccer Association raised thousands of dollars in Charlotte to provide free mammograms to the women of North Carolina. Fluid Truck donated a truck to help the association accomplish its cause. Locally, Fluid Truck donated a truck to Hope Lives Here Colorado so the nonprofit could haul supplies to families’ homes. The nonprofit builds bedrooms for children who lost their homes in the Marshall Fire. 

Optiv

Denver, CO

Website: optiv.com 

Optiv delivers cyber advisory and cyber solutions to nearly 6,000 companies across every major industry. The Denver-based company partners with organizations to advise, deploy and operate complete cybersecurity programs from strategy and managed security services to risk, integration and technology solutions.  

Optiv points out that as the world has digitized, the surface area for potential cyberattacks has grown.  

Realizing Optiv had a unique opportunity to carve out a differentiated position in the crowded cybersecurity market, Optiv CEO Kevin Lynch in 2021 led Optiv in creating a new market “category of one.” 

For Optiv, that has meant shifting brand perception from a technology reseller and security solutions integrator to that of cyber advisory and solutions leader and one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity companies in the world.   

A specific internal challenge Optiv has worked through and overcome this year is growth in the federal sector. Acknowledging the public sector’s need for cybersecurity and resilience support, Optiv wanted to expand as a services organization in the federal space and looked for the right strategy to do so. The company’s efforts culminated in its recent acquisition of ClearShark, which more than doubles its federal presence. 

Along with its commitment to helping clients manage cyber risk, Optiv is devoted to giving back to the communities where its employees live and work. Since 2018, the company’s Optiv Chips In (OCI) program has supported underserved populations through industry investments, community projects and employee mobilization – harnessing employees’ collective passions to make lasting change. 

Why investing in this software can be a business game changer

In case you didn’t know, the world is in the middle of “Industry 4.0” or the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This era is defined by automation and big data–businesses cannot do without the internet and technology.

We are in the midst of a tech dispensation where you have to rely on cyber-physical systems to run your business.

Businesses stand to lose big in terms of revenue generation and growth opportunities if they refuse to leverage mobile apps in marketing and user experience, as well as management software in staff and customer management. 

In the case of salon businesses, salon software has taken over tedious repetitive tasks from the front desk. Your software will, among other things, help you streamline both your internal processes and customer interactions.

It will make booking and managing appointments easier and, consequently, make it easier for your salon to penetrate and thrive in the online marketplace. This is, without a doubt, a business game changer.

Here are 5 more reasons why investing in salon software would be a game-changer for your salon business:   

  1. It’s key to salons bouncing back in the “new normal” 

This goes without saying: The beauty and hair industry has for almost two years now been among the hardest-hit victims of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Beauty clients have changed how they consume services and products, with many still skeptical about crowded closed spaces such as salons. You must now get creative, change tact, and adapt your salon to the “new normal” if you are to succeed in 2021 and beyond. 

Online booking salon software is one tool that has come in handy for the hair and beauty industry.

Firstly, it makes booking easy for clients by giving them the freedom to self-book your services at their most convenient time.

Secondly, you can even use the software to automate email or text reminders to clients as a way of minimizing no-shows and late coming. Late coming and in-person appointments are the top contributors to unnecessary crowding in your premises.

Thirdly, investing in scheduling software is one way of streamlining day-to-day processes in your salon. It improves efficiency in your team, makes your management job easier, and frees up time for you to strategize for the “new normal”. It is hard to be creative and innovative when you spend your day sending emails or answering phone calls, after all. 

Perhaps the biggest reason for investing in salon booking software in the new normal is to improve your customer experience. Studies show that the significance of customer experience has grown from 35% before the pandemic to 59% Post-COVID in terms of influencing customers’ purchasing decisions.

A good online booking system makes it easy for clients to read feedback on your website, give feedback, make appointments, cancel appointments, and access your contact & location address. Easy access to such info and features is good for customer experience.   

  1. It is one way of earning the trust of new clients 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is anchored on efficiency and convenience. That’s exactly what your salon clients expect when booking appointments with you.  They want instant gratification. They have no appetite for phone tags with your receptionists, or the patience to wait for email responses after making inquiries. Such customers will not trust a business that makes them do most of the work when booking a service; a service that they will then have to pay for. 

There is more: Phone appointments are ineffective because there is no guarantee that someone will always be available to answer incoming phone calls at your salon. Sometimes you will take longer to answer or forget to respond to voicemail messages, and that is a recipe for distrust. 

  1. Out goes manual diaries, enter centralized databases 

Collecting, analyzing, and storing customer data is critical to digital marketing. Salons need to at least know their customers by name, their physical and email addresses, phone numbers, products’ purchase history, feedback records, and transaction history, among others. You can use this info to create targeted ads, understand your clientele better, improve your services, attract new customers, and generally make intelligent online business marketing decisions. 

Traditionally, salon owners saved this information on excel files or even manual diaries. None of the two storage options is safe from physical theft or cyber-attack. Salon booking software is a game-changer here because it is by itself a centralized, secure database for salon customer data. It will collect and analyze the data for you, making it easy to retrieve and consume.

Furthermore, the software creates databases on the cloud; authorized individuals can access it from any location, on any internet-enabled device. 

  1. Employee management hasn’t been easier 

Do you know which one of your employees is the most hardworking? Who is the “celebrity” stylist at your salon? Who misuses beauty products and who is most vigilant?

These are questions that quality salon management software will help you answer. It will, for example, tell you which stylist brings you the most money by analyzing how many times each stylist is booked. That enables you to create an informed, unbiased employee recognition program.

On the other hand, the software’s scheduling features will tell you which employee is engaged and to whom extra tasks should be assigned. Your employee management work becomes so much easier as a result. You can even manage workflows at your salon from a remote location.   

  1. Revolutionizing inventory management for salons   

Poor inventory management leads to disappointments and lost business. Think of a situation where a hair client wants to get her hair colored, but you realize at the moment that you don’t have her preferred color. She will probably seek services elsewhere and write a negative review online.

Your software will save you such embarrassments and bad press by analyzing your purchase history and notifying you about inventory levels in real-time. Your stock will never again completely run out and blindside you in front of clients. It will also tell you which products are fast-moving and the ones gathering dust on the shelves so you don’t overstock on products you don’t need. 

Investing in an online salon management system can just be the game-changer you need to stay afloat in 2021 and beyond. It can boost your revenue collection in so many ways and help you manage your salon better and more professionally. What remains now is for you to find reputable booking software for your specific current needs and budget.  

Top Company 2020: Technology & Software

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Formstack

In its 33rd year, ColoradoBiz‘s Top Company honors the Colorado companies that have drive, determination, a vision and a plan and are ultimately making the state a better place to live and work. These three companies – one winner and two finalists –represent the 2020 Top Companies in Technology & Software. 

Winner

Pax8

Greenwood Village

Pax8 describes itself as the world’s best place to buy cloud technology—and a great place to work.

It starts with the Pax8 core values: Innov8, Advoc8, Elev8 and Celebr8 .

“The magic of Pax8 is that we have an extremely strong culture that understands the mission,” CEO John Street says. “We have created an atmosphere where everyone shares our zeal in showing an industry, which needs to change, how to do it and thrive.”

Moving to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the value of Pax8’s strong culture and sense of family, with the team staying connected by hosting virtual happy hours, book clubs, cooking classes, Netflix movie and chat events, daily Coffee and Chat events, and more.

“The pandemic has built new muscles and elevated our strengths as an organization: our people and technology,” Street says. “As we look to the future and eventual return to work in a hybrid model, Pax8 plans to work toward the best of both worlds, which includes a blended work environment that allows people to customize their schedules.”

The pandemic forced Pax8 to scrap an ambitious volunteer plan in favor of fundraising efforts for a handful of nonprofits that are focused on providing meals for individuals and families that are struggling financially. A recent three-week fundraiser raised more than $4,000, which will be donated to the Food Bank of the Rockies, Sacred Heart House, Food for Thought and No Kid Hungry.

Finalists

Formstack

Formstack produces ingenious solutions to the kind of daily tasks that bog down work, making it easy to build custom forms, create documents and collect eSignatures—all without any specialized skills or coding.

Remote-first Formstack has employees worldwide creating products to change how more than 22,000 companies get things done, including Cleveland Clinic, NHL, Netflix and Twitter.

To support local businesses in Colorado, Formstack contributed last year’s tax incentives to the Colorado Springs Downtown Development Authority Small Business Relief Fund to support storefront businesses most impacted by COVID-19. Formstack gives employees eight hours of volunteer time off each quarter for philanthropic efforts in their communities. In addition, employees can redeem their Formstack “peer recognition points” to help support charities such as One Tree Planted, Meals on Wheels America, Best Friends Animal Society, and the National Resources Defense Council.

Conga

Broomfield 

Conga automates core business processes to bring in more revenue faster and enhance the customer experience. More than 10,000 clients rely on its digital transformation of business documents such as contracts, invoices and the business processes that surround them.

Its headquarters in Broomfield and San Mateo, California, feature wellness rooms, fully stocked cafes, fitness centers and yoga rooms, part of Conga’s commitment to foster an enjoyable work environment.

The company brings its teams together with offsite brainstorming sessions to help fuel innovation. In 2019, the marketing team visited Orlando, Florida, for a session that emphasized creativity. Presentations included a Family-Feud game to discuss key parts of company brand messaging and dueling LEGO-assembling teams to show how different working styles apply to go-to-market strategy.

Through September 2020, Conga is offering nonprofits free access to its eSignature solution, Conga Sign, to help execute documents critical to their organization’s success, such as fundraising letters, tax forms and grant agreements.