Oktoberfest at the Governor’s Residence
When: Thursday, September 26th
Where: 400 E. 8th Ave., Denver
What to expect: This event is hosted by the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) and Colorado Cleantech Industries Association (CCIA) so be prepared to hang out with a bunch of science nerds. Local breweries will pour beer and showcase their sustainable practices. There will also be a homebrew competition amongst the employees of CBSA and CCIA. Besides the word “Oktoberfest” in the name, it doesn’t appear this event has much in common with that famous Bavarian celebration. They still got beer, though.
COBiz TV & Planet-Profit Report Editor Mike Cote interviews Ray Johnson, 2010 Colorado Cleantech Entreprenuer of the Year at the CCIA awards event in October:
The 2010 Colorado Cleantech Industry Association Annual Meeting was held November 30 at the new Xcel Energy Building in Denver. Colorado's Lt. Governor-Elect Joe Garcia and CCIA Executive Director Christine Shapard provided formal remarks for members in attendance.
"Above-average costs of electricity, above-average carbon emissions due to production of electrical power, and a top five solar insolation ranking earn Colorado (No. 3) a top spot in the Optimum Solar Deployment Index (OSDI)."
"The federal stimulus package, with its emphasis on green jobs, is helping to infuse funds and support for the growth. But according to the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association, an industry support group, the clean-tech boom is being powered by the state's mix of innovators, research and entrepreneurs.
The CCIA released a state cleantech action plan in mid-October to provide an industry overview and to identify areas for development and growth. The organization ratcheted up the fanfare by holding the first-ever Cleantech Awards ceremony, where Northern Colorado businesses, um, cleaned up."
ColoradoBizTV/Planet-Profit Report Editor Mike Cote talks with Michael Potts, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association's "National Cleantech Leader" award winner. The interview occurred at the CCIA's Inaugural Awards Celebration last month.
Editor Mike Cote talks with Abound Solar at the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association Awards Celebration October 19th. Abound Solar won High Impact Cleantech Company of the Year at the event.
The Colorado Cleantech Industry Association's recently released Cleantech Action Plan is featured along with major projects in Graz, Austria; CleanTECH SanDiego; Finnish Cleantech Cluster; The Finnish Environmental Cluster for China; The Global Cleantech Cluster Association; Swisscleantech; The CleanTech Center in Syracuse; Peterborough (UK) EnviroCluster; and the EcoClup association. The article, "10 ways Global Cleantech Clusters are accelerating the Cleantech Revolution," was compiled by Shawn Lesser.
"Shawn Lesser is the president and founder of Atlanta-based Sustainable World Capital, which is focused on fund-raising for private equity cleantech/sustainable funds, as well as private cleantech companies and M&A. He is also a co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association, and can be reached at shawn.lesser@sworldcap.com."
The Colorado Cleantech Action Plan, released 10/18/10 at a State Capitol news conference, finds Colorado's innovation in the wind, solar, smart grid and bio-derived sectors, combined with the state’s progressive policies, will be the leading driver of industry growth over the next five years. The analysis, commissioned by the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association, was conducted over a five-month period by an independent consulting firm, Navigant Consulting, and involved more than 100 industry stakeholders.
Charles Eggert, President & CEO of OPX Biotechnologies and Vice Chair of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association, puts the Colorado Cleantech Action Plan into perspective at the news conference:
Christine Shapard, Executive Director of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association, reviews the release of the Colorado Cleantech Action Plan at the inaugural Colorado Cleantech Awards Celebration (http://coloradocleantech.blogspot.com/2010/10/video-recap-2010-colorado-cleantech.html) held 10/19/10 onsite at the Denver Marriott City Center during the NREL Industry Growth Forum:
"Larry met with Chris Shapard, Executive Director of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Assoc. (CCIA) and asked her how CCIA got its start. Chris said, 'Two years ago a group of venture capitalists and a couple of attorneys realized that Colorado had a lot of strengths in cleantech. Cleantech is not just renewable energy, it's not just wind, power and biofuels, but it's also those technologies that use traditional energy more efficiently.'"
"A day after the Colorado Cleantech Industry Assoc. Awards program Larry sat down with Chris Shapard, Executive Director of CCIA and Raymond Johnson, President and CEO of Infinite Power Solutions. Ray was the winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Cleantech industry and is also a Colorado Companies to Watch Winner. After Chris introduced Ray, Larry asked Ray to tell us about Infinite Power Solutions."
"We want to extend our congratulations to this year's winners, plus extend sincere appreciation from the Colorado Cleantech Industry to these outstanding companies and individuals who have truly made a difference as they've forged their paths in the cleantech sector," CCIA Executive Director Christine Shapard says. "Further, we want to convey our appreciation to Ira Ehrenpreis, noted venture capitalist and cleantech industry expert, who served as the keynote speaker for our first awards event."
Winners Include:
Political Advocate of the Year: Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., introduced by Colorado's Senior U.S. Senator Mark Udall:
Governor Ritter's remarks:
High Impact Cleantech Company of the Year: Abound Solar (Loveland, CO):
From corporate and manufacturing headquarters in Colorado, Abound Solar (formerly known as AVA Solar) is producing the next generation of thin-film cadmium telluride solar modules ideally suited for large- and utility-scale commercial installations. Founded in 2007 and built upon 15 years of development at CSU and with the support of NREL, Abound Solar has raised approximately $600M in equity investments from private institutions and in the form of federal loan guarantees from the US DOE. With that capital, the company has hired 350 employees and has plans to expand to over 1500 by 2014. The company already occupies 5 locations across Northern Colorado, and is tripling the size of its Longmont manufacturing facility. Visit: http://www.abound.com
Runner-Up High Impact Cleantech Company of the Year: Tendril (Boulder, CO):
Tendril is a leading energy management technology provider that offers energy management software, hardware and services for both consumers and utility companies. The company was recognized in September 2010 by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s most innovative technology start-ups. Through the 20 Smart Grid pilot programs the company has secured in 2010 alone, Tendril will provide turnkey delivery of products and services to utilities and their customers in 14 states throughout the country. Tendril is venture backed by VantagePoint Venture Partners, Good Energies, RRE Ventures, Vista Ventures, GE and Appian Ventures. Visit: http://www.tendrilinc.com
Breakout Cleantech Company of the Year: Ice Energy (Windsor, CO):
Founded in 2003, Ice Energy’s smart grid platform integrates revolutionary, distributed energy storage technology with an advanced software infrastructure and intelligent two-way control to provide utilities with a powerful, cost-effective alternative to conventional peaking power plants for meeting peak demand. In January 2010, Ice Energy announced plans with the Southern CA Public Power Authority to undertake the nation’s first utility-scale, smart grid-enabled distributed energy storage project. SCPPA estimates that it will offset enough peak demand to power the equivalent of 10,000 homes, and reduce carbon emissions equal to removing 3,000 cars. Visit: http://www.ice-energy.com
Emerging Cleantech Company of the Year: VanDyne SuperTurbo (Fort Collins, CO):
VanDyne SuperTurbo, Inc. is a technology company specializing in the design, development and production of SuperTurbochargers for the global automotive market and for heavy duty engine manufacturers. A SuperTurbocharger is a transmission driven turbocharger, which can function as a supercharger or a turbo compounder that recovers waste heat that is added to engine power. In August 2010, VanDyne SuperTurbo Inc. announced that it had signed a contract with Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) to develop more fuel-efficient Class 8 trucks using VanDyne SuperTurbochargers. The agreement is part of the Super Truck program, a cost-sharing initiative between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the private sector. Visit: http://www.vandynesuperturbo.com
Colorado Cleantech Entrepreneur of the Year: Raymond R. Johnson (Littleton, CO):
Raymond R. (Ray) Johnson was appointed President and CEO of Infinite Power Solutions in September of 2005. In just 5 years at IPS, Ray has grown the company from five full-time employees to a current workforce approaching 50 employees, and, has successfully raised over $60 million of equity investment from both Tier 1 VC firms from outside the state of Colorado and four different Fortune 100 corporations. Also under Ray’s leadership IPS has completed the build-out of the world’s first and only volume manufacturing facility for solid-state rechargeable batteries in Littleton, Colorado, started shipping product commercially in 2009 to a wide range of customers globally, and earlier this year, achieved ISO 9001 certification. Visit: http://www.infinitepowersolutions.com
National Cleantech Leader: Rocky Mountain Institute (Snowmass, CO):
RMI's style is non-adversarial and trans-ideological, emphasizing integrative design, advanced technologies, and mindful markets. RMI’s strategic focus, sharpened in 2009, weaves together much of their energy work of the past 27 years plus further innovations, and applies their discovery of how integrative design can achieve expanding, not diminishing, returns to investments in advanced energy efficiency. RMI calls this strategic focus “Reinventing Fire” - mapping and driving the profitable transition from oil and coal to efficiency and renewables. This transformational shift can bring an oil-free world, a stabilized climate, nuclear nonproliferation, less poverty, more stability, and durable prosperity. RMI works extensively with the private sector, as well as with civil society and government, to create abundance by design and to apply the framework of natural capitalism. Visit: http://www.rmi.org
Governor’s Award for Excellence in Cleantech Leadership: Ron Bernal, NEA (Boulder, CO) -- accepted on behalf of Mr. Bernal by Tim Connor, Partner, Sequel Venture Partners:
Ron joined NEA in 2010 as a Venture Partner focused on information technology and energy technology investments. He is a director of Boulder Wind Power, Data Robotics and ProStor. Previous board memberships include Data Domain (acquired by EMC), HelioVolt, LifeSize (acquired by Logitech), Indicative (acquired by Nimsoft) and Redseal. Prior to joining NEA, Ron was a Partner at Sequel Venture Partners where he focused on cleantech, enterprise infrastructure and enterprise software investments. While at Sequel, he led the firm's investment in HelioVolt and Buzzwire. A strong advocate of alternative energy technologies, Ron is a founding member and chairman of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association and serves on the board of the Rocky Mountain Cleantech Open. Visit: http://www.nea.com/Team/Default.aspx?id=27
The awards were emceed by Bart Taylor, publisher of ColoradoBiz Magazine and the Planet-Profit Report -- media partners of the CCIA. Link at http://www.planetprofitreport.com
Further CCIA Executive Director, recapped the Colorado Cleantech Action Plan for Awards Celebration attendees:
"A local businessperson, an organization with local ties and a Boulder-based business were among the winners of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association’s first-ever Cleantech Awards."
"As clean technology proves itself as a commercially-viable enterprise competition to lure startups and green-based manufacturing has intensified. To keep Colorado’s name near the top of the list, the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA) released their cleantech action plan during a press conference..."
"Wind, solar, biofuels and "smart grid" companies are the major players in Colorado's cleantech industry, which is looking for ways to bring new business to the state. A just-released industry action plan has ideas for attracting new research and development operations, and supplying the wind and solar manufactuers who are already here. The plan calls for easier permitting, new attention to green-energy distribution, and training the engineers and business executives who will drive the industry's future. Colorado Public Radio's Mike Lamp talks with Chris Shapard, Executive Director of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association."
Quoting from the article by Steve Raabe in this morning's Denver Post:
"Colorado must invest hundreds of millions of dollars in coming years to maintain its status as a national leader in clean energy, a new report suggests.
The study from the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association says Colorado has capitalized on its natural energy and intellectual resources but needs to push the growth of startup and relocating renewable-energy companies in the face of competition from other states.
'The question is not do we have the resources but how do we cement and accelerate to capitalize on the resources we have,' said Sandy Butterfield, chief executive of Boulder Wind Power, a startup wind-turbine firm.
The Colorado Cleantech Action Plan, released today at a State Capitol news conference, finds Colorado's innovation in the wind, solar, smart grid and bio-derived sectors, combined with the state’s progressive policies, will be the leading driver of industry growth over the next five years. The analysis, commissioned by the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA), was conducted over a five-month period by an independent consulting firm, Navigant Consulting, and involved more than 100 industry stakeholders. Link to Greentech Media. Link to video of the news conference at the following links:
"Fort Collins-based VanDyne SuperTurbo Inc. has been named a finalist for the Emerging CleanTech Company of the Year by the Colorado CleanTech Industry Association. Winners will be announced Tuesday, Oct. 19, at a luncheon celebration at the Denver Marriott City Center. 'We are extremely proud to be nominated for this award by the CleanTech community here in Colorado,' said Ed VanDyne, founder and CEO of VanDyne SuperTurbo, in a prepared statement."
"Boulder is well-represented in the award nominations because it is known for its high-tech companies and its 'green' companies, said Chris Shapard, executive director of the industry group [the Colorado Cleantech Industry Assocation].
'I think this reflects Boulder's infrastructure, really, the innovation infrastructure with the proximity to CU, the group of investors in Boulder and the entrepreneurs that make Boulder their home,' Shapard said."
