Colorado BioScience Association Announces Finalists for 'Company of the Year' at its Annual Awards Celebration, December 6th

Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) has released the finalists for the 'Company of the Year' award at its Annual Awards Dinner Celebration -- Thursday, December 6, at the Hyatt Convention Center, 650 15th Street, Denver. The announcement is made by April Giles, CBSA President and CEO, who says finalists for this year's outstanding bioscience company in the state include:

* Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. - Colorado Springs - http://www.balseal.com  
* Covidien (Colorado operations) - Boulder - http://www.covidien.com  
* TOLMAR Inc. - Fort Collins - http://www.tolmar.com

"Our Company of the Year award is the highest honor we designate for an established bioscience company exhibiting stellar achievement in the industry," Giles explains. This year's 'Company of the Year' winner will be announced at the Awards Celebration and join a select group of companies that over the years has included Roche Colorado (2003), Pharmion (2004), Baxa Corporation (2005), Myogen (2006), Allosource (2007), CaridianBCT (2008), Accera (2009), Amgen Colorado (2010) and LABS Inc. (2011).

Additional awards announced at the dinner include: Lifetime Achievement, Rising Star of the Year, Business Partner of the Year, Educator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Chairman’s Award. Earlier this month the CBSA announced finalists for the 'Rising Star of the Year" award, which included: InDevR, Inc., Boulder (http://www.indevr.com); Mosaic Biosciences, Aurora and Boulder (http://www.mosaicbio.com); Sophono, Inc., Boulder (http://www.sophono.com); and Surefire Medical, Inc., Westminster (http://www.surefiremedical.com).

Link to the Business Wire Release 

BCBR: 'Local firms to vie for bioscience award'

Quoting from the November 19th posting by Beth Potter:

"Three Boulder companies and another one that started in Boulder are finalists for the 'Rising Star of the Year' award from the Colorado BioScience Association, an industry trade group...

...The finalists are: biotechnology research company InDevR Inc. in Boulder, which makes diagnostic tests; medical device company Sophono Inc. in Boulder, which makes a hearing aid device; research company Mosaic Biosciences Inc. in Boulder and Aurora, which makes a gel bandage; and medical-device company Surefire Medical Inc. in Westminster, which makes a microcatheter used in procedures to treat liver and kidney cancer. Surefire started in Boulder in 2009...

...The dinner includes the keynote address, 'Why Giving Matters,' by George Sparks, president and chief executive of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Tickets are available for $150 each, or $1,250 for a reserved table for eight for members. Register at http://www.cobioscience.com/events-calendar/annual-awards-dinner."

Link to the Boulder County Business Report

April Giles Named President and CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association

April Giles, Executive Vice President of the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) for the past two and a half years, has been named President and CEO following an extensive national executive search conducted by an ad hoc committee of the CBSA Board of Directors.
The announcement is made by Steve Orndorff, CBSA Board Chairperson and President/CEO of Ariel Pharmaceuticals.

"Our search committee worked very hard to find the best qualified person to lead the CBSA into its next phase of growth. In testament to April's tremendous talent and extensive experience in the association management and bioscience industry, we learned the best person for the job was already part of the CBSA leadership team," Orndorff explains.

Giles replaces Holli Riebel, who resigned in June to accept the Chief Operations Officer position at the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. In the interim, Giles had been responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association.

Link to the Business Wire Posting

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media Release

Colorado Matters: 'Colorado Biotech's Big Day'

Quoting from the Colorado Public Radio overview about the 2012 BioWest Conference and Expo's Venture Showcase competition:

"In a downtown Denver ballroom, the white coats meet the suits. Colorado’s top biotech scientists step out of their labs and run their big ideas by venture capitalists. The idea is to bring new products to market. It's the 'venture showcase' put on by the Colorado BioScience Association."

Link to CPR's Colorado Matters website

Link to the interview with Colorado BioScience Association EVP April Giles

Link to the BioWest webpage (registration is available at the Marriott City Center Denver tomorrow September 11, 2012)

Denver Post: 'Four growing biotech firms move into Fitzsimons Accelerator Building'

Quoting from the August 23rd article by John Mossman:

"The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority is celebrating the move of four startup companies from the Bioscience Park Center 'incubator' to its new wing known as the 'accelerator.'

The four biotech companies — Mitomics USA, Greffex Inc., Touch of Life Technologies and Light Labs — are among 39 firms that have been housed in Bioscience Park Center. They have run out of room and are graduating to the $8 million, three-story, 37,000-square-foot expansion, taking up most of that space. The new facility already is 78 percent leased.

'It's a nice problem to have when you haven't even opened your new building yet and you could potentially now be limited in space again,' said the authority's new president and chief executive, Steve VanNurden."

Link to denverpost.com

Aurora Sentinel: 'FRA celebrates grand opening of new wing'

Quoting from the August 22nd Aurora Sentinel:

"The FRA on Wednesday unveiled the new wing at their headquarters, a state-of-the-art addition that dramatically expanded the building at 12635 E. Montview Boulevard by about 50 percent. Steve VanNurdern, the FRA’s executive director, the new space is already about 80 percent full.

The FRA’s grand opening was scheduled for July 25, but they pushed it back to Aug. 22 because of the Aurora theater shootings. The first new tenant, Greffex Inc., moved into its new space this month. Next month, the other three new tenants — Mitomics, Touch of Life Technologies and LightLabs — are scheduled to move in.

The new wing will add about 40,000 square feet to the 60,000-square-foot home to the FRA and hub of the burgeoning Life Science District. The project is an important step for the district, officials say, because it will provide space for more advanced companies that are ready to take the next step beyond the facilities the building currently offers."

Link to the Aurora Sentinel

Colorado: Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority Opens New Accelerator in its Life Science District

Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority (FRA) officially opens its new $8 million, 37,000 square-foot Accelerator Building today, adjacent to its original Incubator Building at the Bioscience Park Center (BCP) in the Fitzsimons Life Science District.

The announcement is made by Steve VanNurden, FRA President and CEO, who says, "The addition of this Accelerator will offer companies growing in the Incubator an opportunity to expand and continue their expansion nearby."

The FRA's original Incubator Building opened in 2000 and now houses 35 companies in different stages of development. The expansion will enable companies to move into larger, long-term space. The new space includes:

* Built-to-suit spaces with access to incubator services and amenities

* World class resources at your finger tips - university research facilities and major medical centers

* Collaborative environment with complimentary business and networking opportunities

"The Bioscience Park Center is designed to foster a collaborative environment—by having established companies in close proximity to incubator startups—further promoting an essential atmosphere that makes the Fitzsimons Life Science District an important hub in the overall growth of Colorado’s bioscience industry," VanNurden explains. "Companies relocating to the Accelerator include: Mitomics, Touch of Life Technologies, LightLabs and Greffex."

Concurrent with the Accelerator's completion, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has been retained by the FRA to market its new facility adjacent to the Business Incubator. Speaking on behalf of the national firm, JLL Broker Lindsay Gilbert says, "Colorado's Bioscience Industry is poised for growth, particularly at the research and patient-centric life sciences district at Fitzsimons. Our firm is thrilled to be partnering with Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority at this time of explosive growth for the district."

Link to the PR Web Newswire

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media Release