Publisher’s Notebook: Bravo! Entrepreneur nominations sought

It’s that time again.

Bravo! Entrepreneur, which last year attracted more than 430 people to a gala awards celebration at the Fort Collins Marriott Hotel, is seeking nominations for this year’s event.

Bravo! Entrepreneur ’99 will be conducted this year at the University of Northern Colorado Ballroom in Greeley, in keeping with the program’s stated intention of rotating the event among Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland. The event is scheduled for Oct. 27.

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Nominations are being sought for four Bravo! Entrepreneurs, representing Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland and outlying areas of Larimer and Weld counties. Here are some criteria for the Bravo! Entrepreneur awards:

n Entrepreneur must be the founder of the business or have been instrumental in its growth.

n Company must be based in, or have been founded in, Larimer or Weld counties.

n Business’ origin should include vision, risk and creativity.

n Entrepreneur’s company should be profitable.

n Community contributions through charitable or leadership roles should be evident.

n Company must demonstrate innovative employee programs and corporate culture.

n Company should have demonstrated ability to overcome adversity.

n Company should have demonstrated significant growth and long-term potential.

Additionally, Bravo! Entrepreneur seeks nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to an individual with at least 10 years of experience in the Northern Colorado business community.

A Regional Spirit Award will be presented to a company, individual or organization that has demonstrated a commitment to regionalization of the Northern Colorado economy or that has contributed to the entire region’s growth and well-being.

Last year’s winners were Darrell McAllister, CEO of 1st Choice Bank of Greeley; Thom Schultz, founder and CEO of Group Publishing Inc. of Loveland; Kent and Gloria Sampson, founders of Value Plastics Inc. of Fort Collins, Bill Coleman, founder of Colorado Greenhouse Holdings Inc. of Fort Lupton; W.D. Farr, a water, cattle and banking pioneer from Greeley; and Hewlett-Packard Co.

More than 40 other nominees from 1998 will be automatically eligible for the 1999 awards.

The Bravo! Entrepreneur program last October attracted business leaders from throughout the region for a reception and dinner.

Bravo! Entrepreneur is a program of The Northern Colorado Business Report, in cooperation with the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Collins Economic Development Corp., the Greeley/Weld Chamber of Commerce, the Loveland Chamber of Commerce and the Loveland Economic Development Council.

Major sponsors include Garnsey & Wheeler Ford, Norwest Banks and Pratt Management Co. LLC. The program is also supported by Burns Marketing/Communications of Fort Collins, Advanced Media of Windsor and others.

A nomination form is published on page 33A of this issue of The Northern Colorado Business Report. In addition to the nomination form, entries should be accompanied by a write-up of no more than 500 words describing why a nominee should be considered. The nomination deadline is June 30.

Christopher Wood can be reached at (800) 440-3506 or via e-mail at editor@ncbr.com. His fax number is (970) 221-5432.