Boulder chamber celebrates business leaders

BOULDER — The Boulder Chamber recognized six business leaders and organizations at its Celebration of Leadership, Wednesday, March 6, at a sold-out crowd at The Dairy Arts Center. Honorees included:

• Ariel Solomon, division manager for Premier Mortgage Group, received the Business Leader of the Year Award in honor of his career in the mortgage industry and his support of the University of Colorado, higher education for underprivileged youth and the local business community.
•  Mardi Moore, executive director of Out Boulder County, received the Impact Award for her work at community-building and diversifying the organization’s board of directors, volunteers and staff.
• High Precision Devices Inc. received the Entrepreneur of the Year award, presented to Bill Hollander, president and CEO. The company has grown from two employees in 1993 to more than 30 today and occupies a 16,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Gunbarrel.
• St. Vrain Valley School District was named Innovative Business of the Year for its work to ensure that its students have the skills needed for advancement in a complex, globalized world. St. Vrain’s programs include the Learning Technology Plan, development of more than 70 instructional focus programs, implementation of the state’s first P-TECH school and opening of a 50,000-square-foot Innovation Center.
• Alyssa Harding, corporate responsibility manager for Justin’s, was named Rising Star in honor of her work organizing community-service efforts for Justin’s, as well as her work with Naturally Boulder, a local nonprofit that fosters sustainable entrepreneurship and regenerative business practices.
• Larry Gold, chairman and founder of SomaLogic, received the Franny Reich Lifetime Achievement Award. Gold is a serial entrepreneur, having founded NeXagen Inc., which later became NeXagen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to NeXagen, Gold founded Synergen Inc., which later was acquired by Amgen Inc. Gold has been a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder since 1970 and served as chairman of CU’s Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department from 1988 to 1992.