BizWest honors 10 Most-Influential Business Leaders

JOHNSTOWN — BizWest on Monday honored the top vote-getters in 10 categories as the “Most-Influential Business Leaders” in the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado.

BizWest sought input from its readers and staff about who the nominees should be, and 50 individuals were identified, five in each industry category. Voting for the No. 1 most-influential leader in each category closed last week, and all honorees were recognized at Monday’s celebration at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown.

The winners were:

• Banking & Finance: Nicole Staudinger, market president, FirstBank, Fort Collins.
• Construction: Chris Elder, CEO, Elder Construction Inc., Fort Collins.
• Employers: Robert Graves, president, Morning Fresh Dairy Farm, Bellevue.
• Government & Education: Raymond Lee, city manager, Greeley.
• Health Care: Mitzi Moran, CEO, Sunrise Community Health, Greeley.
• Hospitality: Brandon Knudsen, co-founder and CEO, Ziggi’s Coffee, Mead.
• Manufacturing & Technology: Eric Wallace, founder and CEO, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont.
• Organizations: Kristin Todd, president and CEO, NoCo Foundation, Fort Collins.
• Professional Services: Brett Payton, partner, Coan Payton & Payne, Greeley.
• Real Estate & Development: Cheri Witt-Brown, CEO, Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity, Greeley.

The party also unveiled the 2025 Book of Lists, providing rankings for hundreds of local companies within their respective industries.

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