Briefcase – March 20, 2015

CONTRACTS

Deals by Boulder-based Array BioPharma Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRY) to acquire worldwide rights to a pair of cancer drugs from Novartis could lead to $1 billion in annual revenue and significant new hiring. That anticipated revenue boost is just for the three applications of the drugs that are currently in Phase 3 clinical trials. Those trials look at treating low-grade serous ovarian cancer, BRAF melanoma and NRAS melanoma. The company believes there are other types of cancers that could also eventually be treated with the drugs.

Longmont-based Parascript partnered with OneTouchPoint, which is integrating the Parascript software platform as part of its business process outsourcing services. OneTouchPoint will leverage Parascript technologies to facilitate effective enterprise-wide information management.

KUDOS

Several commercial and public radio stations in Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley received awards March 4 from the Colorado Broadcasters Association. KSME-FM 96.1, an iHeartMedia-owned station licensed to Greeley and playing top-40 music, was named station of the year for 2014 in the “major market” category and won six other awards. KUAD-FM 99.1 in Windsor, a country-music station owned by Townsquare Media, and iHeartMedia classic-rock KPAW-FM in Fort Collins, branded as “107.9 The Bear,” won five CBA awards apiece, while Greeley-based news-talk station KFKA-AM 1310, owned by Music Ventures LLC, and KBCO-FM 97.3, a station licensed to Boulder with an adult album alternative music format and owned by iHeartMedia, won one each. Public radio stations KRFC-FM 88.9 in Fort Collins, KUNC-FM 91.5 in Greeley and KGNU-FM 88.5 in Boulder also took home awards.

Judy Amabile, co-owner of Polar Bottle/Product Architects, will receive the Boulder Chamber’s Virginia Patterson Business Person of the Year award at the chamber’s 2015 Celebration of Leadership awards event, to be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 2 at the future home of the Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway. Zayo Group will receive the Industry Leadership Award, while Regina Cowles, Nancy Geyer, Deborah Malden, Bob Morehouse, Bill Obermeier, Patrick O’Brien, Richard Polk and Bob Yates will receive the Community Leadership Award. Elvira Ramos, program director for the Community Foundation of Boulder County, and Barbara Truan, president of Renaissance Management, will receive Chamber Champions awards, and Ron Secrist, president of the Boulder Community Health Foundation, will receive the Franny Reich Local Business Hero Award. Cost of the event is $65 for chamber members and $105 for nonmembers. Register online at boulderchamber.com.

Richard Barrett, founder of Leasetec Corp. and principal of the St. Julien Hotel and Spa; Tom Brock, founder and chief executive of Brock Media Co.; David Brown, David Cohen, Brad Feld and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, founders of TechStars; Percy and Carolyn Conarroe, former owners of the Louisville Times, Lafayette News and Erie Review; Linda Snyder Crockett, owner of Snyder Jewelers; Wally Grant, of counsel for the law firm of Lyons Gaddis Kahn Hall Jeffers Dworak & Grant PC; and Dale Katechis, owner of Oskar Blues Brewery have been chosen for induction to the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame. Percy Conarroe, who died in June 2013, will be inducted posthumously. The induction luncheon will be held Wednesday, April 29, at the Plaza Convention Center, 1850 Industrial Circle, Longmont. Tickets are $55 per person and may be purchased online at www.halloffamebiz.com or by calling event director Kimberly Willard at 303-630-1967.

Organizers of the Colorado State Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge business pitch competition announced the 28 startups that will compete May 30 for the $250,000 grand prize. Thirteen startups were chosen to compete in the Collegiate Track and 15 in the Enterprise Track from a field of more than 130 applicants hailing from five states. Competitors in the college division will vie for $20,000 in cash, business mentoring, and a spot in the Enterprise Track. The enterprise division will feature a bracket-style format in pursuit of the $250,000 grand prize that also includes a 12-month business-mentoring program. College-division competitors will be Axios Impact Investments, Change Composites, ChemWithRay, GameCentrics LLC, QuadshoX, Viagozo and Wise Art Foods LLC from Colorado State University in Fort Collins; BOOM Algae, Native, NuBru Coffee, The Space Research Co. LLC and YOUglycemia from the University of Colorado Boulder and Rocky Mountain Sriracha from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. Enterprise-track competitors are Behavioral Response Technologies, Conspire and Kapta of Boulder; Membrane Protective Technologies Inc. and OptiEnz Sensors LLC of Fort Collins; Synkera Technologies Inc. of Longmont; Extrude to Fill of Loveland, Notion of Denver; Parkifi of Morrison; QBLabs of Parker; Content BLVD of Los Angeles; Jebbit Inc. of Boston; Mozio of San Francisco; VerbalizeIt Inc. of New York and Shelvspace Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Boulder-based ISONAS Inc., a pure-IP access control system manufacturer, won the Integration of the Year 2014 award from Milestone Systems at the recent Milestone Integration Platform Symposium 2015 in Las Vegas.

Flood and Peterson in Greeley was named 2014 Company of the Year by United Way of Weld County, and one of the company’s executive vice presidents, Rick Jenkins, received the 2014 Live United award.

Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins for the second time was named a Leader in Dementia Care by the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter for its commitment to training staff to better care for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

Of nearly 85 entrants in the March 14 Lucky Joe’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Fort Collins Downtown Business Association awarded first place and best overall to TR Paul Academy of Arts & Knowledge. Lucky Joe’s Sidewalk Saloon took second place and SMART/Sheet Metal Air Rail & Transportation Union took third. Honorable mentions went to Colorado Cheer Academy Wildcats; Rocky Mountain Beard & Moustache Club + YendraBuilt, and Fort Collins, Staying Great!

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Arlington, Va.-based global power company AES Corp. (NYSE: AES) acquired Boulder-based solar firm Main Street Power Co. Inc. The deal reached last month will help AES Corp. accelerate growth of distributed generation solar capacity in key markets, according to AES Corp. Main Street Power owns and operates distributed photovoltaic solar systems.

The acquisition of Broomfield-based diagnostic test-maker Corgenix Medical Corp. by Germany-based Orgentec Diagnostika was completed, a deal that takes the former publicly traded company private.

Pinstripe Capital LLC, headed by Peter Resnick of Boulder, acquired CleanWell, a brand of environmentally friendly cleaning products based in San Francisco. The price was not disclosed.

MOVES

The Longmont Times-Call will move its staff April 3 to 1860 Industrial Circle from its longtime home at 350 Terry St. in downtown Longmont, which was sold to a private developer last year. The new 4,800-square-foot space is in The Campus at Longmont, located behind The Best Western Plus Plaza Hotel at 1900 Ken Pratt Blvd. and next to the Village at the Peaks shopping mall currently under construction.

OPENINGS

The additions of a J. Crew Factory apparel store and a PizzaRev fast-casual restaurant will leave Boulder’s Twenty Ninth Street shopping center with just three vacancies. J. Crew Factory will open in early June in a 6,352-square-foot space between Staples and Nordstrom Rack, with PizzaRev following sometime during the summer in 1,778 square feet next to Smashburger and Verizon Wireless.

BC Services Inc., a bill-collection agency in Longmont run by brothers John and Steven Boettcher, plans to consolidate operations and add 50 jobs at a new office in Clover Basin Business Park, according to the Longmont Area Economic Council. The company, which has offices at 451 21st Ave. in Longmont and in Colorado Springs, employs about 130 people.

Fort Collins-based Chrome Thunder LLC will open a motorcycle touring operation this summer, combining riding experiences and luxury accommodations into a turnkey package. Chrome Thunder equips its riders with new Harley-Davidson motorcycles, although riders can elect to bring their own bikes. Those interested in this summer’s trips can learn more at chrome-thunder.com or 970-222-1241.

The Roost, headed by Dan and Alyssa Lance and Sean and Rebecca Gafner, held its grand opening March 13-14 at 526 Main St. in Longmont. In the site formerly occupied by Joe’s of Longmont, the restaurant serves “craft casual American fare.” Sean Gafner and partner Chris Cordova were executive chef and sous chef, respectively, at View 202 in Redding, Calif. The location has a rooftop bar and dining area, street-level patio and remodeled indoor dining space.

Wise Geek Marketing, created by industry experts Gordon Seirup and Vi Wickam, opened in Loveland to provide online marketing services.

PRODUCT UPDATE

Broomfield-based Horizon launched six new snack and mac-and-cheese products: Super Squeeze pouches, Organic Apple Clusters and Fruit Crunchers, Organic Fruit Snacks, Organic Gluten-Free Mac and Microwaveable ClassicMac.

Fort Collins-based OtterBox introduced Defender and Commuter series cases for the new Samsung Galaxy S6, and said Symmetry Series, Alpha Glass and Clearly Protected screen guards would be coming soon.

Broomfield-based WhiteWave Foods Co. (NYSE: WWAV) introduced Yulu, an Australian-style full-fat yogurt brand in blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, honey and vanilla bean.

SERVICES

Seventeen Northern Colorado-based employers committed to offering electric-vehicle charging stations at the workplace: Brinkman Partners, City of Fort Collins, Colorado State University, Brendle Group, Woodward Inc. (Nasdaq: WWD), New Belgium Brewing Co., Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Odell Brewing Co., Platte River Power Authority, Fort Collins Mitsubishi, Dellenbach Motors, Davidson Gebhardt, Tynan’s, Co’s BMW Center, Spirae, Colorado Clean Energy Cluster and Ken’s Muffler & Brake. CSU Parking and Transportation Services already has installed 10 chargers and has plans to install more across its campus. Additionally, High Plains Library District has had a charging station at the Farr Regional Library in Greeley for almost two years.

The city and county of Broomfield launched InvestBroomfield.com, an economic-development website March 12, featuring downloadable maps and demographic information and an interactive virtual tour as well as company and property searches and success stories from local businesses. Broomfield is seeking a few local businesses to feature on the site with a free marketing video. Interested businesses can apply at Broomfield.org/BusinessSpotlight.

About $1.15 million in funding has been approved by the Denver Regional Council of Governments to connect Fort Collins and Boulder by extending the FLEX regional bus service that now connects Fort Collins, Loveland and Longmont beginning in January. FLEX is run by Transfort, the city of Fort Collins’ transit system.

ConfluenceSBC, a year-old co-working space at 102 E. Cleveland St. in downtown Lafayette, quadrupled its space from about 700 square feet to nearly 3,000 square feet.

Stonewear, a Boulder-based women’s outdoor activewear brand, overhauled its website at stoneweardesigns.com with help from Oblique Design, a Boulder-based ad agency.

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