$1 MEDICAL DEVICES ECONOMY AND LABOR Prosthetic maker helping NREL’s economic impact people reclaim sports skills calculated at $814 million 3A 5A Volume 32 Issue 6 | March 1-14, 2013 Utility customers in Boulder wait, watch BY MICHAEL DAVIDSON lawyers, as well as technical and legal [email protected] advisers hired by the city, have been City report lays out strategies studying for months whether Boulder BOULDER – Businesses and could form a utility. Its studies sought institutions in Boulder continue to for electric municipalization to find out if the utility could be as watch and try to understand the latest reliable as Xcel Energy, with lower developments in the municipalization ers and legal experts believe the city Boulder City Council and lays out carbon emissions and more energy debate, even if they are not ready to should be able to create a municipal strategies for the city, including ones from renewable sources. The utility take a public stand supporting or “utility of the future,” according to a that could lead to a legal fight between also would have to charge lower rates. opposing the idea. report released Feb. 21. Boulder and Xcel Energy Inc. Rates and reliability have emerged Boulder’s team of energy advis- The report was prepared for the A large team of city planners and ➤ See Utility, 12A Area airports wage ‘gas wars’ Broomfield Competition for customers helps aviation business take off EDC hopes to expand regionally Economic-development effort seeking partners BY MICHAEL DAVIDSON [email protected] BROOMFIELD — The Broom- field Economic Development Corp. is going to try to become a regional economic development agency serv- ing Boulder and Broomfield counties and the rest of the U.S. Highway 36 corridor. The BEDC is a nonprofit public- private partnership with the mis- sion of attracting new businesses to Broomfield and retaining existing ones. The organization has had a hand JONATHAN CASTNER A private aircraft at Vance Brand Municipal Airport in Longmont receives a tankful of fuel from Brian Pickerell of Air West in a number of notable successes over Flight Center Inc. Competition between general-aviation airports in the area has sparked a battle to have the lowest gas the years, including the growth of prices for planes. See story, 13A. the Interlocken business park and the decision by companies such as Level 3 ➤ See Broomfield, 9A CONTENTS Serving Boulder & Broomfield Counties Aviation .........................................13A For the Record ..............................16A Boulder County’s Business Journal Awards ..........................................17A Eye ..................................................3A BCBRdaily .......................................2A Medical File .....................................8A Business Digest ............................18A Nonprofit Network .........................19A Calendar ........................................18A On the Job ....................................19A CEO Roundtable .............................6A Product Update.............................17A Economic Development ..................9A Publisher’s Notebook ....................22A Editorial .........................................22A Real Estate ....................................20A LISTS Aircraft Companies .........................................14A Economic-Development Organizations ..........10A 2A | March 1-14, 2013 Boulder County Business Report | www.bcbr.com Sackett leaving Avista for job in Maryland Editor’s note: The following is a wrap- Department of Housing and Human up of breaking local business stories Services advisory committee, the published daily on the Boulder County American Hospital Association and Business Report’s website. Sign up the Colorado Hospital Association. for our free BCBRdaily, an all local Posted Feb. 26. e-news report sent to your email each weekday. Just click on “Register for Spectralink returning to Boulder E-Newsletters” at www.BCBR.com. WESTMINSTER — Spectralink Corp. is planning to celebrate its BY BUSINESS REPORT STAFF newfound life and independence with [email protected] a return to Boulder and a major new product launch. LOUISVILLE – Well-known hos- Spectralink is a developer of on- pital administrator John Sackett is site enterprise-level mobile com- moving to Rockville, Maryland, to be munications technologies, including president of a 331-bed hospital. Wi-Fi handsets and infrastructure for Sackett currently is the chief exec- secure networks. Until December, it utive and president at Avista Adven- was owned by Polycom Inc., the San tist Hospital in Louisville, which Jose, California-based company that has about 114 beds. He will take on BCBR FILE PHOTOGRAPH makes equipment for voice and video his new role at Shady Grove Adven- John Sackett, longtime hospital administrator in the Boulder Valley, will leave his conference calls. Polycom (Nasdaq: tist Hospital in Maryland in April, post as chief executive and president of Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville this PLCM) bought Spectralink in 2007, according to a press statement. April for a similar job at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland. 17 years after Spectralink was found- ed in Boulder. sion and ministry at Centura Health, physician and employee satisfaction,” Spectralink was a Boulder-born BCBR DAILY the Colorado health-care network of Boyle said in the press statement. “He success story that became the lead- which Avista is a member. will be sorely missed.” er in “workplace Wi-Fi telephony,” Avista officials will begin a search The hospital administrator’s experi- Sackett served as a Louisville City according to media coverage when the to replace Sackett. ence with cystic fibrosis has given him Council member from 1986 to 1991 deal was announced. Polycom paid Sackett started his career at Boul- insights into how patients feel at the and as a Louisville Chamber of Com- $220 million in cash to acquire it. der Memorial Hospital in Boulder in hospital, said Jim Boyle, chairman of merce board member from 1993 to In December, Polycom sold Spectra- 1982, where he was an administrative the Avista hospital board of trustees. 1996. He also has been active in civic, link and a related division to an affiliate assistant. He has served as vice presi- “Under his leadership, the hos- community and industry organiza- of private equity firm Sun Capital Part- dent and president of Avista since pital not only opened but thrived tions locally and beyond, including ners for $110 million. The new owner is it opened in 1990. Sackett also has and became recognized as one of Community Food Share and United giving Spectralink the support needed served as senior vice president for mis- the nation’s top hospitals for patient, Way in Boulder County and the U.S. ➤ See BCBRdaily, 23A KNOW THE SYMPTOMS. IMPROVE YOUR ODDS. Call 911 at the earliest sign of a stroke. The statistics are clear — you need to know the symptoms of a stroke: • Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. • Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. • 795,000 people suffer a stroke every year. • Strokes can occur at ANY age. Nearly 1/4 occur in people under 65. When you see the signs of a stroke, don’t delay – call 9-1-1 right away. Local residents have access to first-rate stroke treatment. Boulder Community Hospital is a nationally certified Primary Stroke Center and Healthgrades® named us Best in Boulder County for Stroke Treatment for 2013. We provide high quality, evidence-based care designed to meet the specialized needs of stroke patients. Order your free wallet-sized Stroke Symptoms Cards at www.bch.org/strokecard or call 303-441-0580. Source: StrokeCenter.org Boulder County Business Report | www.bcbr.com March 1-14, 2013 | 3A Collective plans ‘solar garden’ in Boulder BY BETH POTTER design and installation. It has offices likely will see a return on their invest- dale to Boulder in December. Its [email protected] in Arizona, California, Colorado, ment in three to five years. A federal 7,000-square-foot headquarters at Hawaii, New Jersey and Oregon. renewable energy tax credit also will 3005 Center Green Drive, No. 210, BOULDER — Clean Energy Col- “Solar garden” projects are made be available to customers, which will houses sales, marketing, business lective LLC plans to build a commu- possible through the Colorado Com- speed the time for a ROI to be realized. development, project management nity-owned “solar garden” in Boulder. munity Solar Garden Act passed in Clean Energy expects to make a and finance departments. About 15 The Boulder Community Solar 2010 by the state Legislature. profit by marking up the panel price. percent of the company will remain Array will consist of 2,016 solar panels Clean Energy Collective will finance It also will have the responsibility of elsewhere. It currently employs and have the capacity to generate 500 and manage the project. Tim Braun, a maintaining the array. seven people, and plans to grow to 50 kilowatts of energy. It will be built on 3.5 company spokesman, said Xcel cus- The company has received $13 mil- employees this year, he said. acres of land at 1600 66th St. in Boulder. tomers who choose to participate will lion in venture capital from New Energy Clean Energy Collective built its Utility company Xcel Energy Inc. buy panels that are expected to range Capital in New Hampshire and Black first solar garden near El Jebel, Colo- and solar company REC Solar Inc. are in price from $575 to $830 each. Coral Capital, which has offices in New rado, in 2010, according to a press partners in the project. Xcel provides In return, customers will receive an York, Boston and Montreal, Braun said. statement. Since then, the company power to Boulder, and REC Solar approximate $15 credit each month Clean Energy Collective moved has installed 2.7 megawatts of solar specializes in grid-tied solar electric from Xcel. At that rate, customers its headquarters from Carbon- power generation in the state. Happiness Helping hands index: How TRS devices help amputees reclaim tweet it is work, play skills There are few long faces in Long- BY HEATHER McWILLIAMS mont, the smiles are bolder in Boul- [email protected] der and Lafayette may have the last laugh yet.