DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) unveiled winners of its 2012 industry awards during ceremonies this evening 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. Each honoree joins a list of highly respected past awardees."
Held at the Hyatt Convention Center, Denver, the program is being 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, a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides educational and workforce programs for teachers, students, bioscience professionals and the broader community. More information available at http://www.CoBioInstitute.org.
April Giles stated: “We are very proud to announce our 2012 award winners and look forward to more successes in Colorado’s bioscience community in 2013.”
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
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. With more than 350 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry by advocating for a better business environment, growing the state's biotech workforce, fighting for policies that support a strong bioscience industry in the state, and speaking with a single voice on behalf of the industry. For more information, visit http://www.cobioscience.com.
CBSA also is found on these social media sites:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/COBioscience
LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=98468&trk=anet_ug_grppro
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ColoradoBioScienceAssociation
News Feed: http://coloradobio.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/COBioscience
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/COBioscience