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In its 34th 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 2021 Top Companies in Consumer Business.
WINNER
Denver
Sloane’s Carpet Secret is a carpet retailer that goes “direct to factory,” scouring thousands of rolls to find the highest quality carpet with irregularities so slight they are virtually invisible. Sloane’s buy these rolls for deep discounts and ships them to its warehouse in East Denver, bringing customers the best buys from the biggest carpet mills in the world.
Sloane’s is a family-owned and operated business that has been serving Colorado for more than 40 years. It is currently led by third-generation Colorado native Josh Alban, who spent 10 years in the tech industry in Silicon Valley helping to found and expand a highly successful Aerospace company, Planet Labs.
Sloane’s, which has more than doubled revenues since 2017, has turned the retail business model on its head by implementing a wholesale warehouse environment and operating effectively a “pop-up” showroom.
Also, orthodoxy in carpet retail assumed that carpet installation had to be operated on the retailer’s P&L. This convention has brought operational complexity and legal liability. Outsourcing labor installation allows Sloane’s to focus on its core competencies of carpet sourcing and sales.
Sloane’s exclusively sells factory seconds direct from the mill. Most retailers won’t touch them, but Sloane’s recognized that most consumers couldn’t even identify the irregularities much less not purchase because of them. The results speak for themselves: Sloane’s has been cash-flow positive since year one (2005), gross margins hover around 65%, and two-thirds of its business is referral based.
Sloane’s has been contributing, volunteering and sponsoring events for SafeHouse Denver for more than 10 years. SafeHouse provides emergency shelter and non-residential counseling and advocacy services to adults, children and youth experiencing intimate partner violence. Sloane’s contributions increased in 2020 due to heightened demand for SafeHouse services amid Covid-19.
FINALISTS
Denver
Fascination St. Fine Art is a high-end art gallery in Cherry Creek North that sells art, sculpture and framing. Its customer base is retail, B2B and international clients.
In response to the pandemic in 2020, the company led the trend of hosting virtual shows with its artists when in-person events were not an option. After hosting several successful virtual events, CEO/owner Aaron LaPedis noticed that other businesses in the industry had begun to follow suit and host online events of their own using similar formatting.
”Because of this innovation and the way that we adapted to the demands of the situation we found ourselves in, the gallery was able to reach clients who may not have been able to attend our events – even pre-pandemic – and we celebrated one of our most successful years in business despite the difficulties of the year,” LaPedis notes.
Boulder
Kion’s nutritional supplements are designed to help people live joyful, active lives by providing energy for everyday life.
The four-year-old company’s research-backed supplements enhance the body’s natural energy and are made up of the highest quality ingredients with real science behind them.
One of Kion’s mottos is, “We only make products that we want to take ourselves.” This means only the cleanest ingredients make up Kion supplements and foods and allow its consumers to have the energy to lead active lifestyles.
Kion works to ensure its manufacturers are aligned with the company’s purpose and mission. This means spending extra money on vigorous product testing. The bottom line is that Kion never sacrifices quality of ingredients, ultimately leading to customers who are stronger, healthier, more active and more joyful.
With 21 employees, Kion’s goal is to reach 1 million repeat customers by 2029.