Briefcase – Sept. 18, 2015

CONTRACTS

A new multi-country distribution deal with global pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (NYSE: RDY) is expected to help Boulder-based PanTheryx Inc. nearly riple in size over the next 12 months, as the 16-person company goes to market with a nutritional powder aimed at treating infectious diarrhea. PanTheryx CEO Mark Braman said he expects to add 25 to 30 employees over the next 12 months. Under the new deal, Dr. Reddy’s will distribute PanTheryx’s DiaResQ in India, Nepal, Russia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Jamaica and select Latin American markets.

DEADLINES

The nonprofit National Center for Women & Information Technology in Boulder is accepting applications through Oct. 26 for the Award for Aspirations in Computing and through Nov. 9 for the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award. Any U.S. high school woman with outstanding aptitude and interest in computing is eligible to apply for the Award for Aspirations in Computing, sponsored by Bank of America at the national level and Microsoft at the local level. Any U.S. high school educator who encourages women’s interest and participation in technology pursuits is eligible to apply for the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award, sponsored by AT&T. More information is at aspirations.org.

KUDOS

John W. Madden and managing member G. Brent Coan of Fort Collins-based Coan, Payton & Payne, LLC were included in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Coan was selected for corporate and real estate law for the third straight year, and Madden was selected for his work in construction law. Meanwhile, Paul T. Maricle of the firm was appointed new Honorary Consul for Germany in Colorado and Wyoming. He will be responsible for encouraging networking between the state of Colorado and Germany, facilitating business opportunities and cultural exchange. In addition, he will be able to offer assistance to U.S. and German citizens in some legal and consular issues related to Germany.

The city of Boulder received an award for excellence for a video series that highlights zero-waste initiatives and the role businesses can play in helping the community achieve its sustainability goals. The series features the Buff Restaurant, University Bicycles and St Julien Hotel & Spa, as well as Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE), a city-county business sustainability advising service. The award was announced by the City-County Communications & Marketing Association at its national Savvy Awards Competition during its annual conference in Atlanta.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Denver-based Green Jane Inc., which provides business services to the cannabis industry, acquired Fort Collins-based Green CO2 Systems for an undisclosed sum. Green CO2 makes carbon dioxide equipment and supplies carbon dioxide for the food-service and legal cannabis industry. Green Jane has three main business divisions, including one that develops and leases “cannabis-capable” properties and an in-house business accelerator group.

The owners of Denver concert venue Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom acquired the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins from owner Scoo Leary. No other details were disclosed.

Checkers Industrial Safety Products, a Broomfield-based manufacturer of safety products for a variety of industries, acquired Zigma Ground Solutions, a similar company based in the United Kingdom. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed between the two privately held companies.

MOVES

Kimmel Mechanical rebranded as ProCraft Mechanical Inc. and moved its headquarters from Denver to Broomfield. ProCraft, founded in 1982 by Neal Kimmel, provides mechanical and plumbing subcontractor services in the commercial and industrial construction markets throughout Colorado. The company recorded just shy of $30 million in sales in 2014 and is on pace for the same this year. The move and rebranding follow the purchase over the past year and a half of a controlling interest of the company by Dennis Robinson and Steve Dinnebeck as Kimmel retired. Robinson took over as chief executive and Dinnebeck as president. Former Kimmel president Eric Hale retained an ownership stake and remains with the company as vice president. ProCraft and its roughly 160 employees moved into about 30,000 square feet at 2400 Industrial Lane in Broomfield, a former mannequin manufacturing facility that is about double the size of ProCraft’s old location in east Denver.

NAME CHANGES

A Colorado-based technology service provider has undergone a rebranding. Formerly referred to as Greystone Technology Group and Greystone Web Services, the company now is called Greystone Technology. It has five service lines: managed information-technology services, IT consulting, digital marketing, web development and mobile-app development. Greystone has 65 employees companywide, including 20 in Fort Collins and five in Boulder.

OPENINGS

Ehrlich Toyota and Scion, which owns three dealerships in Colorado and has been serving Northern Colorado since 1946, opened a dealership in Laramie, Wyo., on Sept. 1 after purchasing Ken’s Toyota Kars Inc., a fixture in Laramie for 35 years that closed Aug. 27.

The Waltzing Kangaroo, specializing in Australian meat pies, opened at 1109 W. Elizabeth St. in Fort Collins, in a space that had been occupied for five years by Mahalo Yogurt.

North Carolina-based Nuventra Pharma Sciences opened a Broomfield office as part of the consulting firm’s continued expansion into “industry hotspots” throughout the world. The company aims to start out with a team of five employees at its new office at 10901 W. 120th Ave., with the possibility of further growth down the road. Nuventra, founded in 2008 and based in Durham, provides consulting services for companies in the pharmacology, pharmacokinetic and pharmacometric spaces as they work their way through clinical trials.

Elaine Ryan and Debra Davis launched NoCo in a Box to provide thank-you gift baskets for real estate agents to give to homebuyers. The boxes are stocked with products indigenous to Northern Colorado, including Vern’s Toffee, Salus Beer Soap, Horsetooth Barbecue Sauce, Scenic Colorado Gift Cards, Rocky Mountain Green Chile mix, NoCo branded ceramic coasters, Spring 44 Vodka, and locally roasted coffee. What began as a company targeted to local Realtors has branched out to include corporate gift giving, gifts for college students, birthdays or just a “hello from Colorado.” Future plans will include Boulder in a Box, Denver in a Box and Brooklyn in a Box. A percentage of all proceeds will be given to a local charity each month.

PRODUCT UPDATE

Longmont-based Airius, manufacturer of energy-efficient destratification fans, introduced a Narrow Aisle fan, designed to circulate air in tightly spaced cold aisles and other narrow spaces in grocery stores. It circulates air in an elongated pattern to maximize spread down the length of an aisle while minimizing interference with open reach in cases.

SERVICES

10th Street Storage in Greeley signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer, offering rental trucks, trailers, towing equipment, support rental items and in-store pickup for boxes.

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