Finalists announced for IQ Awards

BOULDER – Twenty-six companies have been selected as finalists for the Boulder County Business Report’s 2010 IQ Awards.

The event recognizes companies in the Boulder Valley with innovative new products or services.

The 10th anniversary IQ Awards will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. in Boulder.

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Register for the event online at www.bcbr.com/bcbr_events.asp and click on the IQ Awards icon. Tickets are $59 per person. 

Major sponsors for the IQ Awards include Western Disposal Services Inc.; Ehrhardt, Keefe Steiner & Hottman PC; Flatirons Bank; Guaranty Bank & Trust Co.; Colt Print Services Inc., Data Network Group Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank.

Here is a brief description of the 26 companies selected in nine categories:

Business Products/Services

Clifton Gunderson, Broomfield – Designed for municipalities, accounting firm Clifton Gunderson’s Financial Checkup product examines 18 key indicators covering areas such as revenue, expenses, cash liquidity and long-term debt to identify significant trends and “red flags” that may impede a local government’s long-term financial stability. Managing partner in Broomfield: David Laundy. 

DigitalGlobe Inc., Longmont – DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 satellite is the earth-imagery industry’s first to provide commercial customers with photographs of using eight multispectral band technology. The eight spectral bands provide greater detail in photographs taken from the satellite to better identify features and changes in buildings or terrain on the Earth’s surface. CEO: Jill Smith.

Funovation Inc., Boulder – Funovation’s Laser Maze Challenge is a patented obstacle course made of lasers. Players enter a dark room and a web of lasers appear. Players must navigate through the field of lasers from one end of the room to another. Time penalties are assessed every time a player breaks a beam. Quickest time wins. Customers include amusement parks, entertainment centers, hotels and resorts. CEO: Ted Ziemkowski.

Computer

Rebit Inc., Longmont – Rebit’s SaveMe software continuously backs up laptops and PCs protecting them from crashes, viruses or accidental file deletions. Should files be lost, it can recover individual files, entire folders or restore the complete system to a point in time. The company’s SmartSave Personalization Technology, doesn’t compile data until the drive is full, but allows the amount of historical data to grow and shrink. CEO: Paul Guerin.

Spectra Logic Corp., Boulder – Spectra Logic’s T-Finity data-storage tape library incorporates new design architecture that uses less data-center floor space per units of data stored and consumes up to 50 percent less power than its nearest rivals. Its BlueScale EnergyAudit system records real-time energy use and provides displays on the side of the unit. CEO: Nathan Thompson.

Virsage Solutions Inc., Boulder – Virsage Solutions’ WorkPlace houses your data and applications, but it runs off of Virsage Solutions’ servers in its data center. Virsage WorkPlace is accessible from any computer connected to the Internet. Users can access their company’s network from the office, home or on the road. It is compatible with PCs, Macs and iPads. CEO: Chris Dodge.

Consumer Products/Services

Product Architects Inc., Boulder – Product Architects’ Tritan plastic cap for sport bottles let’s people on the move drink without spilling a drop. The cap incorporates a patented silicon gasket that forms a seal when the cap is tightened, and directs the beverage out sipping holes when the cap is twisted open a half turn. CEO: Judy Amabile.

Stuart Batty Enterprises LLC, Boulder – Stuart Batty has refined the design of woodturning tools. Using Batty’s patented technology, the tools last longer than conventional tools. They flex and vibrate less, providing users more control while reducing stress on the body. A new manufacturing process reduces the amount of vanadium steel needed by laminating it to stainless steel, lowering the cost but not the strength of the tool. CEO: Stuart Batty.

University Parent Magazines Inc., Boulder – University Parent has come up with the Campus Dough DebitSmart Visa Prepaid Card. It’s a debit card that allows students under the age of 21 to have a debit card and receive discounts on purchases at thousands of brick-and-mortar and online retailers. Campus Dough helps college students avoid credit card overdraft fees while providing online money-management tools for both students and their parents. CEO: Sarah Schupp.

Green/Sustainability

Amadeus Consulting Group Inc., Boulder – Amadeus created the technology that allows people to take advantage of Denver B-cycle, a municipal bike-sharing program designed to reduce the number of cars on the road. The company used many tools including Microsoft Silverlight to develop the program’s kiosk interface, customer Web services, Web-based administrative tool, iPhone and Android applications and 24/7 support. CEO: Lisa Calkins.

Heartland Renewable Energy LLC, Longmont – Heartland has developed “anaerobic digester” technology that converts manure from dairy cows and feedlot cattle, as well as various food wastes, to pipeline-grade gas (clean methane). Managing member: George E. Howard.

Skycastle Homes LLC, Boulder – Skycastle has created pre-designed plans, options and energy retrofits for post-World War II tract homes. It provides a number of floor plan options and construction enhancements, such as an improved thermal envelope, a more functional layout, a more attractive exterior and a better mechanical system, all designed to save energy. CEO: Scott Rodwin.

Internet/Software

Collective Intellect Inc., Boulder – Collective Intellect’s Web-based software, Social CRM Insight, enables companies to constantly monitor social media happenings and receive pertinent alerts via e-mail, as well as track demographics, psychographics and other facets that could help improve business. It gathers millions of social media posts per day and can access more than 2 billion from the last 12 months. CEO: Don Springer.

Symplified Inc., Boulder – Symplified’s SinglePoint is a secure Internet management platform that allows companies to control employees’ access to cloud and “behind the firewall” applications. SinglePoint grants secure access to resources based on user roles and policies created by the organization. This model breaks down silos, streamlines management, improves security and simplifies compliance. CEO: Eric Olden.

Trada Inc., Boulder – Trada uses a group of independent search-engine advertising experts to help small- to medium-size businesses achieve their Internet click and conversion rate goals by incorporating specific keywords. Trada gathers the ad groups, keywords and ads created by the experts for a user’s campaign and sends them to Google, Yahoo and Bing search-engine accounts created for the campaign. CEO: Niel Robertson.

Life Sciences

Corgenix Medical Corp., Broomfield – Corgenix has developed and patented a test kit for the rapid detection (within 10 minutes) of the deadly and highly contagious Lassa virus, which causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, primarily in Africa. Because Lassa is classified as a top-priority bioterrorism agent, the test kit could be used to improve bioterrorism defense capabilities in the U.S. and other nations. CEO: Douglass Simpson.

Flashback Technologies LLC, Longmont – Flashback’s CipherSensor answers the question surgeons ask: How much blood has a patient lost? It quickly, accurately and noninvasively estimates blood-loss volume. It can be used for triaging battlefield injuries, monitoring accident victims on the way to the hospital and patients in the intensive-care unit. CEO: Steve Moulton.

InDevR Inc., Boulder – InDevR’s Virus Counter enables scientists to measure virus particle concentration within minutes. Unlike conventional tests that take days to complete, the Virus Counter provides accurate virus quantification in fewer than 10 minutes. It works on both RNA and DNA viruses, such as influenza, dengue, rubella and respiratory viruses. COE: Kathy Rowlen.

Robotics

Stratom Inc., Boulder – Stratom has developed a robotic system for the automated refueling of grounded aircraft. The system uses a camera and range-finding sensors with an algorithmic positioning code to identify latches on an aircraft fuel panel. The robotic system is programmed to unlatch the fuel panel, open the panel and insert a fuel nozzle. Using the robotic system removes the risk of injury to people when refueling fighter aircraft on the ground with engines running. CEO: Mark Gordon.

Rogers Design Group, Louisville – Rogers Design has created Inspector Bots, remotely operated, electric vehicles designed to go where it is difficult, dangerous, hazardous, lethal, toxic or just too hostile for humans to go. They are rugged, wireless, remotely controlled platforms mounted on wheels that can be fitted to carry weapons, videos or cargo. CEO: Chris Rogers.

Social Media/Mobile Applications

Kronovia Inc., Superior – Kronovia has created the Social Media Governance, a software-as-a-service solution that allows businesses to regulate how employees interact on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn that are sponsored by the company. Once employees are registered, every status update, wall posting or endorsement they make is scanned for compliance and archived. CEO: Don Gammon.

Push IO LLC, Boulder – Push IO’s new product provides the code and services needed to add backend features to mobile smart phones. Push IO is for businesses, broadcasters and publishers who want to drive users to their content such as breaking news, real-time sports scores and live coverage, all on a smart phone. Co-founders: Dan Burcaw, Joe Pezzillo.

ScriptPad Inc., Boulder – ScriptPad allows a doctor to write prescriptions on their iPhone or iPad and send them to participating pharmacies. The process is faster and safer than their current paper process, greatly reducing deadly mistakes by misreading hand-written prescriptions. CEO: Shane Taylor.

Sports and Outdoors

Apex Sports Group LLC, Boulder – Apex has designed The Apex Boot, an alpine ski boot made of a lightweight carbon-fiber composite. The boot accommodates both alpine skiers and snowboarders. It incorporates a removable inner walking boot that doubles as a snowboard boot. The inner boot has a padding system that heats and molds to the wearer’s foot. CEO: Denny Hanson.

Backcountry Access Inc., Boulder – Backcountry’s Float 30 Avalanche Airbag is a  backpack float device designed to keep avalanche victims near the top of the snow slide. When an avalanche begins, the user pulls a T-handle on the shoulder strap, triggering the release of gas from a 2,700 pounds-per-square-inch compressed air cylinder to fill a 150-liter air bag that deploys from the top of the pack. Co-owners: Bruce McGowan, Bruce Edgerly.

Pearl Izumi USA Inc., Louisville – Pearl Izumi USA is using anatomic chamois technology to create form-fitting padding in its cycling shorts, bib shorts, knickers and tights for men and women. The ad campaign declares Pearl Izumi is aiming to put its Anatomic P.R.O. 4D Chamois technology on one of the harshest environments in the solar system – Uranus. The pitch goes on – the chamois “has been built with the potential of providing lasting comfort up to 1,607,000,000 miles, coincidently, the same distance from Earth to Uranus.” CEO: Juergen Eckmann.