Briefcase – July 2017

CONTRACTS

Renewable Energy Systems Americas in Broomfield was awarded the construction contract for the Copenhagen Wind Project in upstate New York. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. RES won the contract through a bidding process. Construction on the 80-megawatt project in Jefferson and Lewis counties will begin in August. It is being developed and will be owned by EDF Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles.  The project will use 40 Vestas Wind Systems wind turbines. Vestas is building the components at its blades, nacelles and towers plants in Windsor, Brighton and Pueblo, respectively. Delivery is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2018.

NextLight will provide internet service to the St. Vrain Valley School District starting July 1. The service will plug schools into a 2-gigabit fiber-optic internet connection. NextLight is provided through Longmont Power & Communications. If the school district chooses to, it can upgrade its service up to 5 gigabits. The school district serves more than 32,000 students.

Boulder Community Health plans to partner with Albuquerque-based Ernest Health Inc. to build a free-standing 40-bed rehabilitation hospital in Lafayette. Currently, BCH operates a 14-bed rehabilitation unit at its Broadway and Balsam campus. BCH sold that site to the city of Boulder in 2015. BCH will continue to provide services at that site during the planning and construction of the new hospital. When the hospital opens, BCH will stop directly providing inpatient rehabilitation services. Groundbreaking for the hospital is expected to occur this fall, with the hospital opening 12 to 15 months later.

Construction is under way on a 3.5-megawatt solar-power farm in the town of Kersey in Weld County. The 30-acre Platte Valley Solar Farm at the northwest corner of County Road 55 and Latham Street will have more than 40,000 solar panels and will help serve more than 600 Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association customers. Nashville, Tenn.-based Silicon Ranch Corp. will fund, own, operate and maintain the solar-power farm. PVREA, a rural electric cooperative serving more than 40,000 homes and businesses across three counties in Northern Colorado, will receive all the energy the solar-power farm produces at “cost-competitive rates” over the life of the contract, according to a prepared statement. Silicon Ranch has selected McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., to build the solar-power farm. San Diego-based McCarthy has an office in Denver and plans to hire local subcontractors and craftsmen to provide the bulk of on-site construction work for the project, which is expected to last approximately three months.

KUDOS

Andrew Cousin, chief executive of Circle Graphics Inc. in Longmont, and Walter Knapp, chief executive of Sovrn Holdings Inc. in Boulder, received regional Entrepreneur of the Year awards from Ernst & Young. The CEOs were two of eight entrepreneurs who won in E&Y’s Mountain Desert region that includes Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

Thirteen companies based in cities that make up Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley have been named to the 2017 Colorado Companies to Watch list. The program annually honors 50 high-performing, second-stage companies from across the state for their performance in the marketplace, innovative products, unique processes and philanthropic actions. This year, 750 companies were nominated. Winners were announced at the Ninth Annual Gala Awards Dinner on June 23 at the Denver Marriott City Center. This year’s winners include Boulder-based 1908 Brands, Amplio Digital, Blue Canyon Technologies, Egg Strategy Inc., High Precision Devices Inc., PopSockets LLC,Shine Community LLC and Stryd; Fort Collins-based Brinkman Shared Services Inc., LoCo Food Distribution LLC and Motherlove Herbal Co.; Greeley-based Front Range Dermatology Associates; and Lafayette-based TouchSource Inc.

Aims Community College’s Agricultural Sciences and Technology Department in Greeley received the Outstanding Postsecondary/Adult Program award from the Colorado Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association at the CVATA Banquet on June 28 at the annual summer conference in Ignacio, Colorado.

The Aims Community College chapter advisors of the National Society of Leadership and Success were recognized for outstanding achievement.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Fort Collins-based Advanced Energy Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: AEIS) acquired Excelsys Holdings Ltd., a privately held company based in Cork, Ireland. Excelsys designs and manufactures high-efficiency power supplies for a variety of industrial markets. Advanced Energy acquired Excelsys in an all-cash transaction for 15.5 million euros. Excelsys’ 2016 audited revenues were 10.2 million euros. Further transaction terms were not disclosed.

TBK Bank, a subsidiary of Triumph Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: TBK) based in Dallas, entered into an agreement to acquire nine branches from Independent Bank Group Inc. (Nasdaq: IBTX), the McKinney, Texas-based holding company for Independent Bank. The nine branches are in Evans, Firestone, Johnstown, Longmont, Milliken, Akron, Otis, Sterling and Yuma. These branches were acquired by Independent Bank as part of Independent Bank Group’s acquisition of Carlile Bancshares Inc. and its subsidiary, Northstar Bank, in a deal that closed in April.

TeamSnap, a Boulder-based company that produces web and smartphone apps for managing youth, recreational and competitive sports teams, acquired FanAppEvents, a sports-tournament- and league-management company based in Jefferson City, Mo. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition enhances TeamSnap’s ability to simplify organization of youth, recreational and competitive sports. The tournament-management platform will be called TeamSnap Tournaments.

MOVES

Colorado landed the coveted Outdoor Retailer trade shows, beating out the longtime host, Utah. The $45 million trade shows — which include the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market — have selected Denver to be its host city. The move will start in January with the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, followed by the Summer Market in July and the Winter Market in November. The Outdoor Retailer Show is operated by Emerald Expositions LLC, a subsidiary of Emerald Expositions Events Inc. (NYSE: EEX). The move is done in partnership with the Outdoor Industry Association, SnowSports Industries America and Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. In addition to moving the conferences, Grassroots Connect, part of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, will co-locate with the trade show in Denver.

Centers for Gastroenterology signed a lease for a 4,000-square-foot, build-to-suit medical office building within the Mountain Vista Office Park, relocating within the city of Greeley. When the building at 8225 W. 20th St. is completed this October, the health-care provider will move from 7251 W. 20th St. It also operates clinics in Fort Collins and Loveland, as well as Wyoming and Nebraska. It also provides hospital services for McKee Medical Center, Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospital.

OPENING

Fashion and philanthropy enthusiasts on the Front Range have a fan-favorite eyewear shop on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall, with Warby Parker opening its first Colorado store. The brand, which was founded in 2010 and has gathered a following for its prescription glasses and sunglasses, opened July 8 at 1949 Pearl St.

Afirm, an H.W. Kaufman Financial Group company that is based in Fort Collins, is opening an office in Montreal. Afirm was formed earlier this year when the financial group merged its US-Reports, Canadian Reports and Technical Risk Services. The company provides loss-control inspections, premium audits and risk-mitigation services.

Residential real estate brokerage Windermere Colorado, based in Fort Collins, opened an office off Bergen Parkway near Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, its sixth along the Front Range.

My Trail Co., Demetri ‘Coup’ Coupounas’ reincarnation of his former outdoor-gear company GoLite, has moved into 2,225 square feet of space at 1418 Pearl St. in Boulder. My Trail makes outdoor clothing and equipment and sells it directly to customers.

A new airport shuttle service has begun operations between Northern Colorado cities and Denver International Airport. RedLion Coach Inc. is running a shuttle service from Fort Collins and Loveland, with door-to-door service available in Greeley, Johnstown and Windsor. The service began July 1, with one-way service costing $41, plus $4 for door-to-door service.

Big Fish Payroll Services, a California-based boutique human-resources service, opened offices in Broomfield and Denver to serve companies in the Boulder Valley, Northern Colorado and Denver. Big Fish operations in Colorado will be managed by longtime Colorado businessman Darren Knauss, who lives in Broomfield. Knauss will stage operations from his home office and from 8354 Northfield Blvd., Suite 3700, in Denver.

Heavy-equipment dealer H&E Equipment Services Inc. opened a branch in Loveland to provide service to customers in Northern Colorado, western Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming. The 5,295-square-foot facility sits on two acres at 5874 Langley Ave.

Frank and Kim Brewster opened a MidiCi pizza parlor franchise at 3581 E. Harmony Road, Suite 170, at Harmony Commons in south Fort Collins. The Los Angeles-based MidiCi The Neapolitan Pizza Co. chain is known for authentic, traditional Neapolitan cuisine with natural, fresh, non-GMO ingredients.

The Denver-based Metro Wastewater Reclamation District opened a $417 million Northern Treatment Plant in Brighton on May 24.

Chuze Fitness, a California-based operator of fitness centers, leased 36,963 square feet in Broomfield, where it plans open a center this summer in an anchor spot in Broomfield Plaza, 5105 W 120th Ave. The plaza is owned by NewMark Merrill Cos., developer of the Village at the Peaks outdoor retail center in Longmont.

The Eye Center of Northern Colorado PC opened its second location in Fort Collins at the corner of Precision and Ziegler drives within the Harmony Technology Park. The Eye Center has clinics at 1725 E. Prospect Road in Fort Collins, and at 2551 13th St. and 6125 Sky Pond Drive at the Centerra development in Loveland.

Northern Colorado staple Wing Shack, which started its first store in 2004, opened its sixth shop on May 17 at 1430 Stillwater Ave. in Cheyenne, the chain’s first Wyoming location. Wing Shack already has locations in Garden City, Greeley, Loveland, Windsor and Fort Collins.

Greenwood Village-based Bellco Credit Union will open a branch at the Village at the Peaks outdoor shopping area in Longmont. Construction is under way on the 2,400-square-foot branch at 1250 S. Hover St., No. 200. This will be Bellco’s 24th branch and second in Boulder County; it opened a branch in Louisville in 2016.

Egg Strategy, a company that provides strategy and consulting services, opened its third office, this time in New York. The Boulder-based company, founded in 2005, already has offices in Boulder and Chicago.

Husband-and-wife team Brian and Lenore Jagerson opened a Growler USA franchise in Louisville. The brewpub at 1071 Courtesy Road is Growler USA’s third franchise in Colorado.

Atlanta-based GreenbergFarrow, a global architecture, engineering, planning and development services firm, opened an office in Broomfield, its 16th office nationwide. Alicia Khine, program manager, will lead the office at 11001 W. 120th Ave.

The Organic Sandwich Co. in Boulder plans to open a shop in Louisville this summer, becoming the latest restaurant to take a shot at 459 S. McCaslin Blvd., Suite 5, which until recently housed BlueBox Doughnuts.

Little Man Ice Cream is planning stores in Stapleton and Fort Collins, 10 years after the milk jug-shaped kiosk was first opened at West 30th Avenue and Tejon Street in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood. A 22-foot tall kiosk in the shape of a hand-churned ice cream bucket will be the anchor tenant at The Exchange in Fort Collins.

Amazon is planning a small distribution center and office that could be up and running by the end of summer, according to building permits. The $1 million renovations would take place in at 19,000 square-foot space at 3550 Frontier Ave. in Boulder, although it’s unclear which space they’ll occupy in that property.

Leawood, Kan., energy company Tallgrass Energy Partners LP (NYSE: TEP) will develop a new oil terminal in Platteville, in partnership with Saddle Butte Pipeline. The terminal will be located in the Platteville oil terminal complex and will interconnect with Saddle Butte’s Denver-Julesburg Basin crude oil gathering system.

PRODUCT UPDATE

Craft brewers in Longmont have joined forces to brew up something special for Longmont Startup Week, which will take place in late July. The beer, called The Wannapreneur, was created as a way to celebrate and give back to the Longmont startup community.  A portion of every Wannapreneur sold will be donated to the Longmont Ignite! Fund, a fund established by community members to make grants available to early-stage startups in Longmont. The breweries include 300 Suns, Oskar Blues, Left Hand Brewery, Open Door Brewery, Skeye Brewing, Shoes & Brews, Wibby Brewing, The Pumphouse, Grossen Bart and Bootstrap Brewing. St. Vrain Cidery is part of the collaboration but, because of liquor licensing, is not able to serve The Wannapreneur.

J.M. Smucker Co. will remove high-fructose corn syrup from its Uncrustables sandwich line, replacing it with sugar. The reformulated Uncrustables frozen penanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches also have been certified non-GMO and NSF Non-GMO True North by NSF International. NSF International provides third-party certification for non-GMO products. The company is building a $340 million plant in Longmont to manufacture the sandwiches, bringing up to 500 jobs to the city.

A new startup is looking to make patents more accessible and intellectual property more protected. IdeaJam, a company that operates in Denver and Boulder, has a new platform that aims to make turning an idea into a business easier. The service provides a secure format for creatives to work on their ideas, without the threat of losing their intellectual property. It also lets them share it with others. The company still is in its beta stage, developing the software. But IdeaJam plans to have its big debut at Denver Startup Week Sept. 25-29, where it will host a workshop on patent applications.

Sphero debuted a new app-enabled toy fitting into the Disney universe. The Ultimate Lightning McQueen is an interactive race car meant to be a lifelike version of the red animated speed racer voiced by Owen Wilson in the Disney-Pixar film “Cars 3.” The toy features animatronic features to mimic the character, can drive, drift and race, and has a reactive touch to interact with fans.

New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins and Colorado State University are teaming up for a one-of-a-kind collaborative beer, Old Aggie Superior Lager. Packaging features CSU’s ram mascot, with a green and orange vintage color scheme. Old Aggie Superior Lager will be released July 1 in 12- and 24-ounce cans and on draft. The beer will be a year-round offering available for distribution only in Colorado.

Lindsay Holden, a University of Colorado Boulder alumna is looking to make financial planning more fun with her San Francisco-based savings app Long Game. The app works using a prize-based mechanism. Customers sign up for the FDIC-insured savings app and deposits money into it, much like a regular savings account. However, as savings are added to the account, the client gets a chance to play games, where he or she can win anywhere from 10 cents to $1 million to more chances to play. Unlike the lottery, money is never lost. The goal is to incentivize people over time to continue saving.

Fort Collins-based OtterBox is debuting a new product, and this time it has nothing to do with phone cases. It’s getting into the rugged-cooler business, competing with well-known favorites such as Yeti and Rtic. The new Venture coolers are designed to be bear-resistant, hold ice for up to 14 days and are drop-tested for every side, both empty and full.  The coolers, which come in three sizes, have mounts to attach accessories, and come with a cutting board, dry-storage tray and separators to organize the internal space. There’s also a side table, cup holders and clips.

Tampa, Fla.-based Cigar City Brewing, owned by Longmont-based Oskar Blues Brewing, now is distributing its beer in Colorado. Cigar City will partner with several distributors in the state, including RMC Distributors, Coors Distributing Co., High Country Beverage and Mountain Beverage Co.

A small tech company run by two former Hewlett-Packard engineers have figured out a way to design a simple, easy-install, nearly wireless backup camera, QuickVu, for cars. Trail Ridge Technologies LLC is a Fort Collins-based company consisting of Bob Morain and Mitch Hanks, both of whom took early retirement from H-P in 2008. Hanks, a hardware engineer, and Morain, a software engineer, partnered to create a company that would simplify complex products and bring them into people’s lives.

Former barkeep Quinton Bennett launched Wheelhouse Canning Co. and will produce its first 600-case run of canned cocktails out of Mobile Canning in Longmont. It also plans to roll out a canned whiskey cocktail in coming months. Wheelhouse’s first release will include three flavors: a mint/cucumber vodka, a grape/mint gin and a black tea/lemonade vodka.

SERVICES

BizWest announced several changes and new features for its website, bizwest.com. A new subscription system means that content originally produced for the monthly print edition will be categorized as “premium,” meaning that it will be available only to digital or print subscribers. Some content, including most daily-news items, will be free for 48 hours. BizWest also launched a video series, in partnership with Fort Collins-based V3 Media. The Leadership Series will be under the umbrella of BizWest TV.

Comcast is launching residential Internet service with speeds up to 1 gigabit-per-second throughout Colorado. The announcement comes after the company launched a new platform Xfinity xFi, a digital dashboard for customers to set up their home Wi-Fi network.

The Regional Transportation District added four routes to and from Boulder and Denver International Airport. RTD operates the new trips as route AB2, picking up passengers in Boulder at Boulder Junction at Depot Square, 2280 Junction Place; near the University of Colorado Boulder’s east campus at the corner of 28th Street and Arapahoe Avenue and 28th Street and College Avenue; and the Table Mesa Park-N-Ride, 5170 Table Mesa Drive. There will be two runs to and from the airport in the morning originating from Boulder Junction at 7 and 8 a.m., and two in the afternoon leaving at 6 and 7:05 p.m. The existing AB route that goes to and from Boulder and the airport will continue its service, but it is being renamed AB1.

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