Frequently Asked Questions

• Special recognition at an awards gala attended by business and government leaders from across the state.
• Complimentary tickets to the celebration event (additional seats or tables are available for purchase).
• Award inscribed with your company’s name.
• Increased exposure to the media.
• A graphic announcing your company as an award winner (to be used on your website or in marketing materials).
• Profile of your company in an issue of ColoradoBIZ magazine.
• Invitation to participate in future Colorado Companies to Watch events, including a leader’s retreat specifically designed for Companies to Watch award recipients.

A company must be a 2nd Stage company, characterized as established and growing firms as defined by the traits below. They are typically past the startup phase and face growth challenges rather than survival issues. A company must meet the following for the prior calendar year:

• Be privately held (not publicly traded and not a subsidiary or division of another company).
• Be a commercial enterprise, not a nonprofit.
• Be past the startup stage.
• Be facing issues of growth, not survival.
• Employ 6 to 150 full-time equivalent W-2 employees, including the owner.
• Have between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue or working capital in place from investors or grants.
• Be headquartered in the state of Colorado.
• Is not a prior winner.
• Demonstrate the intent and capacity to grow based on evidence such as:
  – Employee or sales growth
  – Exceptional entrepreneurial leadership
  – Sustainable competitive advantage
  – Other notable factors that showcase the company’s success

We accept nominations throughout the year; however, our Official Nomination Period is November to January of each year for the current year Award Season. All nominees receive an email notifying them they have been nominated. You may nominate them anonymously if you prefer.

After the nomination period, all nominees receive an email with instructions to complete an application.

Only online nominations and applications will be considered.

• Information provided in the application, including the financials, is used to determine if a company is eligible for the award and to gauge a company’s growth factors. Without this information, judges have no way to determine your eligibility. Moreover, judges sign a nondisclosure agreement before they begin reviewing applications.
• The information provided in the application may also be used to write a profile of the company for a commemorative magazine. The magazine does NOT publish revenue figures, and references to finances are made using growth percentages only, if at all (e.g., “the company experienced 45% growth over the course of two years as a result of the new product”). At your request, we omit references to growth percentages entirely.
• If selected as a winner, a company’s contact information (namely the company’s name, principal’s name, industry, city and description) is used to publicize the program and the awardees. Financials from specific companies are NOT used for this purpose.
• Specific data such as revenue figures are used only in the aggregate for statistical purposes. In this way, it is not possible to isolate data from the whole and attribute it to an individual company.
• The application asks if information should not be used publicly, including employee counts, revenue growth percentages and other details entered on the application. Companies may select “No,” according to their comfort level.

Colorado Companies to Watch focuses on businesses that are in control of their own destiny in terms of strategy, vision and profit. Entities that take direction from a parent company are often not in a position to exercise such control. If you feel your situation is in a “gray area,” enter “Yes” to the question in Section 2K, then answer the questions that follow, and we will consider your situation on a case by case basis.

Yes, to qualify for the award, companies must have between 6 and 150 full-time equivalent employees in the prior calendar year for the current Award season. To determine full-time equivalent for purposes of this award, consider the following:

• An employee qualifies as full time if working 21-40 hours/week (this amounts to 1 FTE)
• An employee qualifies as part time if working 20 hours/week (you would then count each employee as 1/2 an FTE).
• An alternative way to calculate FTEs is to annualize this figure. This approach is ideal if employees were seasonal, did not work a full calendar year, or worked less than 20 hours per week (base the annualized figure on 2,080/hours/year being 1 FTE).
• If you provide staffing services or use contract employees, these personnel should be listed in the Leased Worker and Contract Worker sections, respectively.
  Note: Leased and contract workers do not count toward eligibility.

• Submit your application before the deadline. Applications may be updated up until the deadline. Take this time to proofread for typos, spot errors and edit for conciseness.
• Past winners recommend printing out the application as soon as possible. This allowed them to collect the various data and compose their Company Strengths statement before submitting the online form.
• Provide specific examples in the Company Strengths section to support your statement of accomplishments.
• Using lay terms for technical processes is helpful, and avoiding jargon and buzz words is advisable.
• It helps to hear how your company compares to others in your field (e.g., if your practices are unique and, if so, how).
• Use exact amounts for employee counts and revenue figures, if available (judges tend to trust exact figures more).

If you are not a contact on your company’s application, because of confidentiality, we do not provide access to applications except to those listed as company contacts, or if the contacts allow us to do so. To expedite your request, contact cctw@coloradocompaniestowatch.org with your full name, title and email address. If possible, copy the company contact in your message. We will request permission from the contact person on record to share the online login account with you.

Awardees do not simply make it onto a list. They become part of a cohort of Colorado nonprofit organizations that are known for driving positive change across our great state. Honorees receive the following:

• Special recognition at an awards gala attended by business and government leaders from across the state.
• Complimentary tickets to the celebration event (additional seats or tables are available for purchase).
• An award inscribed with your nonprofit’s name.
• Increased exposure to the media.
• A graphic announcing your company as an award winner (to be used on your website or in marketing materials).
• An invitation to participate in future Colorado Companies to Watch events, including a leadership retreat specifically designed for Companies to Watch award recipients.

To be considered for selection as one of the Colorado Nonprofits to Know, the organization must meet the following requirements for its fiscal year ending 2025:

• Be a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in, or with a major presence in, the state of Colorado.
  • A major presence means the organization conducts significant operations, delivers core programs, or maintains key staff or facilities in Colorado.
• Have been operating for at least 3 years (past startup phase).
• Demonstrate an intentional path of growth, impact, or scalability (rather than simply sustaining current operations).
• Have evidence of effective leadership, strong governance, and measurable mission outcomes.
• Have an annual operating budget of $500,000 or more.
• Employ a minimum of 5 full-time equivalent (FTE) W-2 employees or demonstrate equivalent organizational capacity through a strong volunteer base and leadership team.
• Demonstrate measurable community impact supported by data, testimonials, or outcomes.
• Exhibits financial sustainability, with diversified funding sources (e.g., grants, donations, earned income, partnerships).

Anyone can nominate a nonprofit. Nominate a nonprofit you believe in and help them gain statewide exposure and recognition!

We accept nominations throughout the year; however, our Official Nomination Period is November to January of each year for the current year award season. All nominees receive an email notifying them that they have been nominated. You may nominate them anonymously if you prefer.

After the nomination period, all nominees receive an email with instructions to complete an application.

Only online nominations and applications will be considered.

If you are listed as a contact on your nonprofit’s application, contact CCTW@coloradocompaniestowatch.org with your full name, title and email address.

If you are not a contact on your nonprofit’s application, because of confidentiality, we do not provide access to applications except to those listed as company contacts, or if the contacts allow us to do so. To expedite your request, contact CCTW@coloradocompaniestowatch.org with your full name, title and email address. If possible, copy the company contact in your message. We will request permission from the contact person on record to share the online login account with you.