Best Photography & Videography Company
1. Bourbon Street Productions
When you first step through the doors of Bourbon Street Productions you’re enveloped in an atmosphere that feels more like the communal spaces scattered through high-end art galleries than one of the city’s top videography companies. It’s the appropriate aesthetic for a business that consistently produces high quality video with an undeniably artistic touch. The magic happens in three state-of-the-art video editing suites equipped with cutting-edge software and equipment that would make any gadget lover green with envy. Their client list is rather impressive, too. For a small company in a city with an extremely limited film industry, Bourbon Street has managed to snag hefty brands including Cabela’s, Pepsi and Viaero. Multiple USA national teams have utilized the crew at Bourbon Street Productions for their abilities, as well as everyone’s favorite source for documentaries, National Geographic.
bsphd.com | 719-471-0862
2. Black Forest Photography
blackforestphoto.com | 719-464-5429
3. Stellar Propeller Studio
stellarpropellerstudio.com | 719-322-4668
Best Advertising, Marketing & PR Firms
1. Graham Oleson of Colorado Inc.
From its humble beginnings in the basement of a car dealership in 1978 to its current status as a premier automotive advertising agency servicing an A-list of major car companies, Graham Oleson knows what it takes to lead the pack in its highly competitive field. The company has experts handling strategy, client management, design and creative who thrive on collaboration and client satisfaction. Not only that, Graham Oleson has the distinction of offering its clients an in-house production company that boasts a soundstage and recording studio, as well as five editing suites. Why is that so important? According to the company, those in-house services save clients time and money — something every business can agree is critical in today’s economy. While it might seem risky to focus on a single industry, it’s a strategy that allows them to achieve a laser-focus on accomplishing every client’s goals.
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grahamoleson.com | 800-776-7336
3. Maven Design Studio
mavendesignstudio.com | 719-649-4705
Cybersecurity & Homeland Security
1. Lockheed Martin
With four installations in Colorado Springs, including a rotary and mission systems facility near the Air Force Academy, Lockheed Martin is a major player in the cybersecurity and defense industries.
The company also supports the military at Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases and at Fort Carson.
Lockheed Martin traces its roots to aviator Glenn Martin, who built his first airplane in 1912 in a rented church in Los Angeles and founded the Martin Co. to market it. The same year, Allan and Malcolm Lockheed founded an aircraft company in a garage in the San Francisco Bay area.
Over the next eight decades, the two pioneering companies continued on separate but parallel paths until they merged in 1995.
Today Lockheed Martin creates innovative and advanced technologies from aerospace to cyberspace and serves the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies as well as international government and commercial clients.
lockheedmartin.com | 719-622-2300
3. Torch Technologies
torchtechnologies.com | 719-284-6470
Department of Defense Contractor
1. Veteran Engineering and Technology LLC
Norm Andersson, CEO of Veteran Engineering and Technology LLC, attributes the company’s success to treating his team right and having “a smart guy” as a business partner. Founded in 2003 by President and COO Craig Newmaker and another veteran from whom Andersson took over in 2008, the company writes custom software for the government, including the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.
“We’ve managed help desk services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Fort Collins,” Andersson said. “We were the contractor for the Army’s integrated personnel electronic record management system, a database that contained all of the files for active soldiers as well as quite a few of the Reserve and National Guard.”
Asked about his formula for success, Andersson said, “I like to say it’s because we try to do the right thing by our people. They’re not just employees; they’re valued assets, friends and colleagues.”
vetengineering.com | 719-623-3600
2. Lockheed Martin
lockheedmartin.com | 719-622-2300
3. Boecore Inc.
boecore.com | 719-540-5635
Best Graphic Designer
1. Jewell PR Creative Services
Army veteran Vernon Jewell’s story is one of perseverance.
The founder of Jewell PR Creative Services grew up in Detroit, where he developed his artistic talents by creating comic book superheroes. According to a Pikes Peak SBDC profile, Jewell worked as a graphic designer after serving in Operation Desert Storm.
A near-fatal car accident left him severely injured, out of work and briefly homeless. But through the help of the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the SBDC and his own grit and determination, Jewell launched successful online businesses selling clothing and items featuring his unique designs. He then started Jewell PR Creative Services, which provides branding and marketing solutions to businesses and organizations. As socially conscious as he is creative, Jewell produced an animated short film using the story of Medusa to raise awareness about rape and violence against women.
jewellpr.com | IamMedusa.net | 719-419-4060
2. Maven Design Studio
mavendesignstudio.com | 719-649-4705
3. SANDIA Collaborative Marketing
sandiaadvertising.com | 719-602-2705
Best Internet & Broadband Provider
1. StratusIQ
Locally owned and operated since its founding in 2003, StratusIQ boasts of having “the most extensive fiber backbone in Colorado Springs, reaching from Monument to Ft. Carson to Falcon,” according to the company’s website.
Sebastian Nutter, director of sales and marketing, said it’s that fiber network — and the fast, reliable and secure transport of data it provides — that sets StratusIQ apart from other internet and broadband providers.
“Our company was founded as an internet company,” Nutter said. “We built our whole business around providing people with internet, and that is our main focus. The other folks, they provide internet as an option, but it’s not a core business for them.
“Everything we do is fiber to the premises,” he said. “It’s not fixed wireless. It’s not [coaxial cable]. It’s not copper. It’s a true fiberoptic connection to a business or residential place.”
stratusiq.com | 719-573-5343
2. Unite Private Networks
uniteprivatenetworks.com | 816-903-9400
3. Comcast NBCUniversal
xfinity.com/locations/colorado/colorado-springs
800-934-6489
1. Navakai Inc.
“Being able to work with some of the best and brightest organizations right here in Colorado Springs is one of the coolest things about our job,” said Davin Neubacher, CEO of Navakai Inc.
Navakai has been providing managed IT support services to businesses since 2001 and growing every year. But just maintaining systems and keeping networks reliable and secure isn’t enough to have meaningful and lasting relationships with clients.
“The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for us is relationships that are built on trust,” Neubacher said. “The more we learn about their business, the more effective we can be, and there’s more opportunity to become a true strategic partner.
“We often get asked about our recipe, but I don’t think it’s that complicated,” he added. “Hire great people, partner them with great clients, and you’ve got the ingredients for a successful (and fun) business.”
navakai.com | 719-630-1280
3. Frontier IT
frontierit.com | 719-888-4357
Best Web & Mobile Development Company
1. ClikFocus Inc.
Ryan Dekker, president of ClikFocus Inc., describes his firm’s custom web and application development as “like a tailor versus off the rack.”
ClikFocus, which Dekker founded in 2008, supports businesses with e-commerce and operational software that ranges from inventory management to process automation.
“Businesses typically have proprietary processes,” he said. “Rather than you adapting your existing process around an application, we build it around you.”
Dekker said his staff focuses on both human and business components of clients’ needs.
“We have a lot of business acumen on our team,” he said. “We help businesses tie things together into something that is just right to improve results, making sure there is a clear ROI.”
Clients also appreciate the team’s technical skill and can-do approach to projects — especially those customers who have been told it can’t be done.
“We are always looking to find solutions,” Dekker said.
clikfocus.com | 877-333-2545
mavendesignstudio.com | 719-649-4705
3. Design Rangers
designrangers.com | 719-387-0905
Best Telecommunication Company
The technology advisory firm Telexicom was founded in Colorado Springs in 2003.
Jim Hideman, founder and CEO of the company, said the primary function of the business is to help companies with their most critical technology initiatives.
Telexicom’s vast portfolio includes 1,600 global data centers, 110 cloud and unified communications companies, as well as 30 cloud security companies.
“With the providers, suppliers and carriers in our portfolio, we ethically pit them against each other for our clients so that we can get the best solution in place for them,” Hideman said. “Then we help them with the selection process — the ordering process, the implementation process, the provisioning, installation, and then the post billing. So we kind of are that liaison between carriers, providers, suppliers and our clients.
telexicom.com | 719-536-9500
2. Comcast NBCUniversal
xfinity.com/locations/colorado/colorado-springs | 1-800-934-6489
3. Springs Hosting
springshosting.com | 719-393-9266
Best Promotional Product
1. Jewell PR Creative Services
Jewell PR Creative Services is a multiple award winner. See above.
jewellpr.com | 719-419-4060
2. Shirt Stop of Colorado Springs Inc.
shirtstoponline.com | 719-574-7710
3. HALO Branded Solutions
halo.com | 855-425-6266
This content was originally published here.
