Boulder County Business Hall of Fame names 2022 class

The Boulder County Business Hall of Fame has named its Class of 2022.

Honorees will be formally inducted at a luncheon Sept. 15 at the Embassy Suites in Boulder.

“As we reflect on the Class of 2022, the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame are gratified in knowing these inductees have put their hearts and souls into Boulder County,” Dennis Paul, president of the Hall of Fame, said in a written statement.” They have led in business as well in support of a vibrant community.  We are  pleased to have them amongst our ranks.”

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Class of 2022 inductees include:

Cheryl Liguori, CEO, Z2 Entertainment, Boulder — Liguori has been an advocate for the Boulder arts scene since 1992, when she helped open the Fox Theatre. She spearheaded the merger of the Fox Theatre with the Boulder Theater in 2010, forming Z2 Entertainment. She was instrumental in helping keep Z2 afloat during the 15-month COVID-19 venue shutdown. She has served on numerous boards in the community, including the University Hill Commission, Boulder Beverage Licensing Authority, the Boulder Chamber etc. Cheryl continues to help many nonprofits raise money for their organizations through events at the Boulder Theater and Fox Theatre, including the Boulder Symphony, There with Care, Trash the Runway, the Boulder International Film Festival.

Bob Morehouse, founder, Vermilion, Boulder — Morehouse founded the Boulder-based creative agency, Vermilion, in 1980. He has helped grow and shape iconic Boulder organizations such as Allegro Coffee, Via Mobility Services, and The Community Foundation of Boulder County, as well as national organizations such as the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Wild Planet Foods, The MacArthur Foundation and The Gill Foundation. Morehouse recently transitioned ownership of Vermilion — a certified B Corporation — to an internal team. He has served on numerous boards –– he was chair of the Community Foundation board — and has provided pro bono services to dozens of nonprofit organizations. He was the recipient of the Pacesetter for Business award in 2007, the same year that he became an AIGA Fellow. In 2009, he was awarded Business Person of the Year from the Boulder Chamber. The Open Door Fund at the Community Foundation bestowed its first ChangeMaker Award to him in 2013. He is a recent board member of the Boulder Chamber, former co-chair of its Community Affairs Council, and a recent treasurer and board member of the Colorado Chautauqua Association.

Phil Shull, founder, Deneuve Construction, Boulder — Shull founded Deneuve in 1971, with the company building a variety of restaurant, residential, multifamily, mixed-use and affordable-housing projects over the years. Shull named his company after his favorite actress, Catherine Deneuve, and his love of the arts extends to literature, jazz, lighting, mid-century furnishings, cars, railroads and antiques. Shull stepped back from day-to-day leadership of Deneuve three years ago but remains active in local development. He supports Downtown Boulder, the Boulder International Film Festival and Chautauqua. He was a member of the Boulder Planning Board, serving as its chair. He was involved in the early stages of redesign of the former Crossroads Mall in Boulder, serving on the city’s Boulder Urban Redevelopment Authority. 

Jesus Soto, founder, Las Americas Tortilleria, Longmont — Soto founded Las Americas Tortilleria in Longmont in 1995. As an immigrant from Durango, Mexico, he worked a series of jobs before realizing his dream of owning his own business. As he continued to work for others, Jesus, along with his wife, grew the business. The tortilla factory thrived, eventually adding a meat market, groceries and a restaurant at the Ninth Street location in Longmont. The tortilleria was the first of its kind in Longmont and became a community hub, where the neighborhood gathers to connect and get information. When the two Soto daughters became adults, each was coached by their father to establish two additional stores, one in Lafayette and one in Commerce City. In addition to these two successful stores, Soto mentored four other family members to establish a total of seven stores, five in Colorado and two out of state. Las Americas Tortilleria’s bakery section daily distributes 20,000 tortillas to individual customers and 15 restaurants. 

Bruce “Biff” Warren, partner, Warren, Carlson & Moore LLP, Niwot — Warren has been a member of the Niwot community since moving to Colorado from Nebraska in 1974. He opened a law office in Niwot in 1975 and continues to practice law in Niwot with Warren, Carlson & Moore LLP. He has been active in many community organizations, such as the Niwot Community School Council, Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association (now Niwot Youth Sports), the Niwot Volunteer Fire Department, the Niwot Community Association, and the Niwot United Methodist Church. Warren spent 25 years with Niwot Youth Sports as a coach, commissioner, baseball director and president. He served as a founding board member of the Niwot High School Education Foundation, and served as president of the Niwot Business Association. He has also been involved with the larger community as a member of the Boulder County Planning Commission from 1994 to 2000, as well as serving on the boards of the Boulder County United Way Foundation, Frasier Meadows Retirement Community and Via Mobility. In 1997, Warren was one of seven founding members of Niwot’s local newspaper, The Left Hand Valley Courier, serving as managing editor and sportswriter.

Clara Natasha White, Samm White, Linda White and Lyman White, Cheese Importers, Longmont —  Cheese Importers was founded in 1976 by Lyman and Linda White, with a plan to hand-select and deliver natural and imported cheese to shops and cafes along the Front Range. The business now provides cheese to a wholesale base of more than 400 restaurants and natural grocers, and has grown more than 100% in the past 10 years, with more than 60 employees. After Lyman died in a car accident in 2010, the Whites’ children, Clara Natasha and Samm, assumed responsibility for development and daily management. The company’s location at 130 Main St. preserved a historic power plant and serves  as an anchor for downtown Longmont, with a restaurant and a market selling foods from around the world, as well as housewares, linens and gift baskets. The Cheese Importers donates to nonprofits such as The OUR Center and the Longmont Centennial Ballet.

The Boulder County Business Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement of business excellence in Boulder County by recognizing and inducting deserving business leaders into the Hall of Fame.

To become a sponsor of the 2022 Boulder County Business Hall of Fame program, contact Merix Gustin at 303-641-7165 or info@halloffamebiz.com.