Colorado BioScience Association
Colorado BioScience Association

Colorado BioScience Association Awards the Industry’s Best of 2012

The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) honored the outstanding bioscience companies and individuals in the state during its Annual Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Convention Center, Denver. The celebration showcases the significant achievements from the bioscience industry throughout the past year.

Denver, CO, December 07, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) unveiled winners of its 2012 industry awards during ceremonies December 6 with over 200 industry leaders at its Annual Awards Dinner celebrating Colorado’s vibrant bioscience community. The announcement is made by April Giles, CBSA President and CEO, who says, "Our annual awards program showcases and honors those individuals and companies making a significant difference to Colorado’s bioscience industry during the past year."

Held at the Hyatt Convention Center, Denver, the program was emceed by Steffan Tubbs, Morning Co-Host on 850 KOA News. The event opened with Timothy Schultz, President and Executive Director of the Boettcher Foundation presenting the 2012 Class of Boettcher Investigators of the Webb?Waring Biomedical Research Program. George Sparks, President and CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, gave the keynote address “Why Giving Matters.” The evening concluded with the announcement of the Colorado BioScience Institute.

Recipients of 2012 awards include:

Educator of the Year - Shawndra Fordham, Biotech Teacher, Rock Canyon High School (Highlands Ranch)
Shawndra Fordham’s enthusiasm and dedication to education has created one of the best programs in the state and has made an impact on her students and the industry. She has helped secure thousands of dollars in grant funding from federal institutions, foundations and industry and has created a program that challenges college curriculums around the country and her students have gone on to STEM focused majors and careers. Visit: http://go.dcsdk12.org/rchs

Volunteer of the Year - Mark Spiecker, CEO, Sharklet Technologies (Aurora)
Mark Spiecker is the Education Chair of the CBSA Board of Directors and a founding Board member of the new Colorado Bioscience Institute. He has been integral in developing key strategic efforts and partnerships with the Colorado education community. Visit: http://www.sharklet.com/about-us/management

Volunteer of the Year - Nicole Garneau, Ph.D., Curator and Chair of the Health Sciences Department, Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver)
Dr. Garneau is Co-Chair of the CBSA Education Committee and a founding Board member of the new Colorado Bioscience Institute. She has been instrumental in developing strategy and implementing the successful internship program. Visit: http://www.dmns.org/nicole

Business Partner of the Year – Rockies Venture Club (Denver)
Rockies Venture Club (RVC) has successfully partnered with CBSA to support Colorado’s bioscience industry. RVC has added active angel groups, sophisticated training and education, and events to assist early stage company funding. Visit: http://www.rockiesventureclub.org.

Business Partner of the Year – Dorsey & Whitney LLP (Denver)
Dorsey & Whitney has been a long standing supporting partner for Colorado’s bioscience industry; supporting the annual conference and the BioBoot Camp program. This year they dedicated countless hours of pro bono and consulting services to establish the new Colorado Bioscience Institute. Visit: http://www.dorsey.com

Rising Star of the Year - Sophono (Boulder)
Sophono manufactures implanted magnetic hearing devices. This year the company has secured $7 million in new growth capital financing to fuel product and business development efforts. They have tripled their square footage to expand their manufacturing facilities in Boulder. Visit: http://sophono.com

2012 "Rising Star of the Year" Finalists included: InDevR, Inc., Boulder (http://www.indevr.com); Mosaic Biosciences, Aurora & Boulder (http://www.mosaicbio.com); and Surefire Medical, Inc., Westminster (http://www.surefiremedical.com).

Company of the Year - TOLMAR (Fort Collins)
TOLMAR is a pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing, and commercial operations company that has seen tremendous growth this past year. The pharmaceutical company announced their expansion into a 146,000-square-foot building in Windsor. TOLMAR is continually engaged in community efforts for the industry and partnered with CBSA this summer to launch the internship program. Visit: http://www.tolmar.com

2012 "Company of the Year" Finalists included: Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., Colorado Springs (http://www.balseal.com) and Covidien (Colorado operations), Boulder (http://www.covidien.com).

Chairman’s Award - Sheridan Ross (Denver)
Sheridan Ross played a significant role in the coordination and application efforts to bring a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Denver. John Posthumus, Partner and Patent Attorney at Sheridan Ross worked with local, state and federal legislators along with business and economic development leaders for many years to accomplish this major development in the Colorado economy that will impact the bioscience industry in the years to come. Visit: http://www.sheridanross.com

Lifetime Achievement Award - William Freytag, Ph.D., Former Chairman and CEO, Myogen (Boulder)
Dr. Freytag’s 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries include serving as Chairman and CEO of Myogen Inc. plus other senior executive and research positions. He currently serves on multiple boards including the BioFrontiers Institute, Board of Trustees of the University of Colorado Foundation, and the Fitzsimmons Redevelopment Authority. Visit: http://leeds.colorado.edu/board/freytag

About Colorado BioScience Association

The CBSA is a not-for-profit organization providing services and support for Colorado's bioscience industry. Visit: http://www.cobioscience.com.

Contacts:

Mae Desaire, Director of Marketing, Colorado BioScience Association – 720-382-5918, mdesaire@cobioscience.com

Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, Absolutely Public Relations - http://www.absolutelypr.com - 303-984-9801, maggie@absolutelypr.com
Contact
Colorado BioScience Association
Maggie Holben
303-984-9801
http://www.cobioscience.com
ContactContact
Categories