Boulder County Business Hall of Fame to induct 2020, 2021 classes

More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame to cancel its 2020 celebration, the nonprofit business organization will induct two classes at a gala luncheon, Sept. 16, in Boulder..

The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at 2601 Canyon Blvd. 

Inductees from both the 2020 and 2021 classes will be honored.

“The Hall of Fame is delighted to present two amazing classes this year,” said Dennis Paul, chair of the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame. “Our inductees exemplify what it means to be outstanding business leaders as well as pillars that have significantly enriched our community. The board has done a yeoman’s job keeping focus and maintaining the highest selection standards through what has been a challenging time. We are grateful for their service.”

Class of 2020 inductees include:

Cotton Burden, principal, Burden Inc., Niwot — Cotton Burden’s family moved to Boulder County in 1963, where he graduated from Fairview High School. He then served in the U.S. Navy for four years, and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business and a law degree from the Colorado Law School. He spent 13 years practicing law, then shifted his focus to create Burden Inc., a family-owned real estate investment and development company.

Todd Dutkin, Fresca Foods Inc., Louisville — Todd Dutkin served as CEO for Fresca Foods Inc. for almost two decades, helping to drive growth at the Louisville-based natural-foods company. Prior to joining Fresca, Dutkin worked in the telecommunications industry, managing diverse teams across wide geographic regions. He recently moved into the role of chairman of the company.

Scott Green, former site manager for Google Boulder — Scott Green built Google Boulder into a 1,400-person campus that hosts several development teams. He worked on many community-engagement efforts, including Google investing millions in state-issued bonds to develop affordable housing in Boulder, Google’s sponsorship of the Boulder Museum, free WiFi on the Pearl Street Mall and donation of space for the National Center for Women & Information Technology. During his 13-year tenure with Google, he received Google’s Great Manager Award and was honored as the Virginia Patterson Boulder Business Person of the Year in 2018.

Lori Sutorius Jones, CEO, Avocet Communications, Longmont — Lori Sutorius Jones began working with her father, Avocet Communications founder Kit Sutorius, more than 30 years ago, helping to grow the integrated marketing agency. Avocet has worked with companies in Boulder County and nationwide, with Jones serving as a founding member of the Forbes Agency Council. 

Carol Riggs, Sturtz and Copeland — Carol Riggs began a part-time job at Sturtz and Copeland while she was working on her bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado Boulder. She purchased the business in 1976, moving the greenhouses to their current location off of Valmont Road in Boulder, with an expanded garden center. 

Class of 2021 inductees include:

Allen Ginsborg, NewMark Merrill Mountain States (posthumous), Longmont — Allen Ginsborg was a founding principal of NewMark Merrill Mountain States and was known as a leading expert on retail real estate. During his career, he completed more than 1,000 shopping-center leases with a total value exceeding $1 billion, about 50 shopping-center sales and more than 100 land transactions. His company owns or manages 1.5 million square feet of property along the Colorado Front Range and redeveloped the Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont into The Village at the Peaks.

Ron Secrist, former president, Boulder Community Health Foundation, Boulder — Ron Secrist was named Boulder’s city manager in August 1988 and remained in that position for four years. In August 2002, he became president of the Boulder Community Health Foundation. In that position, he oversaw growth of the foundation, helping to increase its assets by four times. He retired from the foundation in 2015.

The Boulder County Business Hall of Fame is a private nonprofit dedicated to the encouragement of business excellence in Boulder County by recognizing and inducting Boulder County business leaders into the Hall of Fame.

Registration for the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame luncheon is available at www.halloffamebiz.com.

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