Communicators & Educators — Colorado Companies to Watch 2023

This year’s 50 Colorado Companies to Watch winners represent most of the state, with headquarters in at least 20 Colorado cities and operations in 77 locations in the state. They come from seemingly every industry imaginable: aerospace, architecture, engineering, construction, health and wellness, food and beverage, outdoor gear, to name just a few. 

The Companies to Watch program was created by the Edward Lowe Foundation to recognize and celebrate the achievements of second-stage companies that might otherwise go unnoticed or underappreciated on a statewide level. This year’s winners were judged the best out of more than 1,150 nominations, so it’s a select group indeed. Read on to learn more about them. 

Read on to learn more about our favorite Communicators & Educators.

ERO Resources Corporation 

Denver 

ERO Resources specializes in natural and environmental assessment, planning and permitting. The company is recognized for its technical expertise, regulatory knowledge and ability to provide effective and creative solutions.  

ERO is a recognized leader in National Environmental Policy Act compliance, environmental planning, biological resources, cultural and historic resources and environmental due diligence and remediation.  

The company provides innovative solutions to complex environmental challenges in multiple market sectors, including transportation, water, utilities, infrastructure, development energy and mining. It serves an array of federal and state agencies, municipalities and private clients.  

Projects it has worked on include helping Eagle County Open Space develop a long-range management plan for a newly acquired ranch property adjacent to Eagle, Colorado; assisting Douglas County, Castle Rock, Larkspur and Parker develop the Douglas County Regional Habitat Conservation Plan; and updating a space management plan for four properties in Colorado Springs. 

“The environmental consulting services market has grown exponentially over the past few years as the country works to rebuild and update its infrastructure,” said Marketing Coordinator Alexus Kelley. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been a major influence in this growth as it has infused over $350 billion into water, transit, solar, roads, bridges and internet projects.” 

Kitcaster 

Denver 

Kitcaster is a booking agency that schedules interviews for founders, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives and other high-achieving people on the world’s top podcasts.  

The company’s clients lead some of the world’s fastest-growing technology and venture capital-backed companies. Kitcaster’s campaigns build brand awareness, web traffic and improve search engine optimization.  

“There is no better way to gain authority within your market than to make appearances on the well-respected podcasts your customers are already listening to,” said Mallory Kassoy, Kitcaster’s communications manager. “Our mission is to celebrate good conversation.” 

The average podcast listener listens up to seven hours per week, and 80% of the time, they listen to the whole episode. 

The podcast industry is booming, and many people are turning to them for information and entertainment. Businesses and brands are harnessing the power of podcasting, sending their leaders on interviews and using airtime for advertising opportunities.  

“We provide resources to the podcasting community with no expectation of reciprocity,” Kassoy said. “We are small, but our competitors are ripping copy from our website verbatim.” 

Garlic Media Group

Denver 

Garlic Media Group is a full-service video production house and marketing agency that uses its proprietary system to create high-end videos at an affordable rate.  

The Emmy Award-winning company has created nearly 10,000 videos for more than 1,200 clients. The company works with clients to integrate its systems with theirs and adapt to what they are used to. It produces all varieties of videos, including shows, commercials, social media content and live productions. It also advises and implements video marketing strategies for some clients.  

“Garlic Media’s core strength is providing cutting-edge services to businesses in an accountable and dependable manner,” Garlic Media CEO Will Feldman said. The company’s clients range from small- and mid-sized businesses to national brands across many industries.  

“Whether we are working on a national commercial, TV show, documentary or local social media campaign, our team is dedicated to getting the best possible results for our clients,” Feldman said. “We have a unique niche with production. We have top-tier talent and incredible diversity of people and skills. We have competitors in parts of what we do. However, there is no one like us in the scope of what we can accomplish.” 

Nymbl Science 

Denver 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in four adults (28%) in the U.S. age 65 and older report falling each year. In Colorado, that figure is closer to one in three (30.5%), or nearly 239,000 adults. To help prevent falls, Nymbl Science offers a digital, evidence-based mobility platform that users can access on their smartphones or tablets.  

Traditional balance training programs rely on in-person classes, or a streaming class or a video call that rural adults in Colorado cannot access due to the lack of high-speed internet. Nymbl closes this gap by offering a balance training program that is engaging and convenient, while avoiding the need for high-speed internet or expensive direct clinical care. 

Nymbl partners with organizations such as Medicare Advantage plans, at-risk providers, and Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to offer the platform, which addresses both the physical and cognitive aspects of balance. The patented program requires only 10 minutes per day for a few weeks, all in the privacy of the home. The end result is a 35% reduction in fall-related claims in the first year alone, and the cost savings that provides.  

Path2Response 

Broomfield 

What do consumers really want? Path2Reponse can help answer that. The firm helps brands by leveraging real-world consumer spending behavior to create custom-built marketing audiences. Instead of third-party aggregated data that infers consumer behaviors, Path2Response provides a unique dataset that enables it to build targeted audiences, so the marketers can reach responsive consumers. 

Path2Response’s proprietary technology uses website visitation data to capture buying signals, generating an ideal audience of target purchasers. The innovative technology allows this data to be continually refreshed, producing optimized audiences for deployment more quickly and efficiently than competing audience providers. 

The marketing firm, founded in 2015, has more than doubled its revenues since pre-pandemic. This growth has been driven mainly by strong customer retention and net growth from current clients. The firm works with agencies, brands and nonprofits. Whether it’s an outdoor brand seeking shoppers who are most likely to buy apparel for an epic adventure, or a nonprofit hoping to expand its donor pool, Path2Response taps into its dataset of billions of individual-level consumer behaviors to deliver the right audience that outperforms those found with other targeted efforts. 

Terra Ferma, LLC 

Colorado Springs 

Terra Ferma designs and manufactures technology that improves and secures communication systems in the military, government, and private sector. The Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business was founded in 2015 to develop and manufacture power products for remote and diverse applications. In 2018 the company began development of Power over Ethernet (PoE) Injector cards, and introduced its first version of the Rugged!+ PoE Injector. PoE refers to delivering electric power along with data over an ethernet cable. Since then Terra Ferma increased output power of its PoE Injectors and introduced more products.  

The military is a big customer for Terra Ferma, and for the Power over Ethernet product line, communication systems are becoming more demanding for reliability and effectiveness, and more sensitive to cybersecurity implications. Traditional WiFi creates a visible and traceable RF signal, which threatens the safety of personnel in the field. Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology creates a connection that cannot be detected or hacked. 

Last year, Terra Ferma was selected as exclusive licensee of LiFi technology because of the company’s demonstrated technical prowess and ability to bring new technology to market through its existing sales channels. The company’s Rugged!+ power and communications products are designed and made in the U.S.