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Boulder’s Best Organics

Sure, visitors to Boulder enjoy the Flatirons, the creek path, and the Pearl Street Mall. But they also enjoy Chocolove dark chocolate, Justin’s peanut butter, and Pangea lotion. Locally made products define the unique character of Boulder just as much as the town’s natural setting. This inspired Arron Mansika to form the company Boulder’s Best Organics.

Boulder’s Best Organics creates gift collections of the finest organic items exclusively from Boulder based companies. Mansika chose to include only certified organic items to ensure high quality, and because of the tremendous health and ecological benefits. It helps that Boulder is the focal point of the organics industry, spawning some of the largest natural foods companies in the world and home to dozens of smaller manufacturers. Boulder’s Best Organics now carries nearly 100 items from twenty four companies.

Mansika didn’t want his to be just another gift-basket company though. Instead, the organic collections arrive in Presentation Boxes, which has proven key to the company’s success. Easy to stack, ship, and reuse, the boxes are so user friendly that many business customers order several dozen at a time so they always have a gift ready to give whenever they need one. Further, the boxes feature watercolors of picturesque scenes, and are fully recyclable.

With a basic business plan, Mansika walked into the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where director Sharon King and consultant Chuck Hunker provided everything from technical skill to moral support.

In less than a year, the company was chosen to provide 2,400 gifts to the county’s fifth largest employer, secured an exclusive contract with one of the county’s largest real estate brokers, and earned Top-Ten Eco-Gift by a national magazine.

Mansika also completed the SBDC’s Leading Edge series, spoke on the Boulder Chamber’s “Power Panel,” and personally presented a gift collection to then-Governor Ritter.

Sales are certainly not limited to tourists or local businesses. With Boulder’s recognition as a leader in healthy living and high quality products, Boulder’s Best Organics receives online orders from all over the nation. And since people are free to “Create Your Own Collection,” the company is sure to deliver exactly what the customer wants.

Since this story was written, founder Arron Mansika sold Boulder’s Best Organics to new owners who have continued to grow the venture significantly.

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Black Swift Technologies

Boulder-based company Black Swift Technologies was founded by three PhD students from the University of Colorado. The three men were inspired to start the company from their work in the field during their studies. At CU, they learned how to chase storms and collect data using old military equipment, which is relatively complicated to use. They set out to simplify the process with unmanned aircraft systems and Black Swift Technologies was born. Although they are

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Leenie’s Southern Cafe

Conversations, laughter, biscuits and homemade jam melt together at Leenies Southern Café. Established in January 2006, Mel Flores and Eileen Gilmore’s restaurant in Longmont, CO has become a destination for those looking for a classic Southern breakfast and lunch restaurant in Longmont. The dining area is blanketed in simple white tablecloths and is surrounded by shelves loaded with Leenies jams and dishes while local artisan artwork decorates the walls. The atmosphere is relaxed and the

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Ku Cha House of Tea

Originally from China, husband and wife entrepreneurial team, Qin Liu and Rong Pan graduated from the Leeds School of Business at Colorado University with the dream of starting their own company. The original business idea was from Qin’s Business Plan Preparation class while enrolled in CU. In 2005, they launched their business, drawing upon the 5000-year-old tradition of drinking tea. In 2007, Qin and Rong changed the company’s original name from “The Leaf – All

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Boulder Acupuncture and Herbs

Boulder Acupuncture and Herbs is a small business that is founded, run and owned by Norah Charles, an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist. What makes Boulder Acupuncture and Herbs unique is that Norah works primarily with patients over 70 years old. Norah treats senior clients with a host of difficulties, including chronic pain, depression, and isolation. In addition to her acupuncture, Norah uses over 300 Chinese herbs for distinct wellness purposes. Starting a business is not

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"The small business support from Colorado SBDC is phenomenal. The consultants are of the highest quality, high integrity, trustworthy and incredibly helpful. The time savings and ability to take on more work is facilitated by having this kind of support available to the small business, particularly in the technology sector."
Helen PetachRatiocinative Engineering Services LLC
"Dan, thank you for your efforts to help us get our EIDL. When I reached out to the SBDC, Sharon got back to me the same day and let me know that the SBDC would do what it could to help. By the end of the next day, Dan had put together a summary of the issues we were facing and sent it to his contact at the SBA. Just four business days later, our loan was approved! There is no shortage of challenges faced by small companies as they work tirelessly to succeed in a very competitive world, so it's great to know that there are organizations like the Boulder SBDC that we can turn to for help."
Michael DulbergSherpa Chai, LLC
“Thank you for organizing this great informative session on the PPP utilization part. I have been in conversation with Dan King and want you to know that you guys are doing a great job in helping small businesses like us. Thank you for all the work you guys do!”
DURGESH SINGHMagswitch Technology
"These [webinars] are super helpful and I can’t thank you and the [SBDC] for all your help for our small Colorado businesses. These are such hard and scary times - being connected does a world of good. Please thank all the panel participants as well. They’ve been fantastic! Best wishes to you and your colleagues and hope you’re all staying safe."
JacqueJourney's Aviation
"A big shout out to Dan and the staff of Boulder SBDC and the SBA from Mustards Last Stand. Thank you for your assistance in helping Mustards resolve a technical issue with our application for our second round funding of the PPP program. Without your assistance I would probably still be on hold listening to maddening music over and over and over again, while worrying the whole time. We appreciate the support from you and everyone else in this community that makes us proud to be an ongoing part of Boulder's business community."
Dan PolovinMustards Last Stand
“Thank you so much for your time! Besides the great information, your energy and support were priceless! It is so good to feel you are not alone in this journey.”
LAILA MARZALLTSM Microwave
"After almost two months of messing with Chase Bank, Susan got us the PPP loan filed and approved in about 8 hours. I hesitate to celebrate until money is in the bank, but it’s looking good and Susan was absolutely amazing. Of course, I’m wouldn't even be talking to Susan if you hadn't made the connection, so chalk up another small business success to SBDC. I see why you’re the best on the country. This loan was crucial to our success at a critical time in the world. All I can say is thank you."
Jeff S.Earthvisionz
“As a new resident in rural Colorado I was truly at a loss about the tech community out here until I attended the SBDC TechSource event in Salida. I was truly impressed by the quality of the content at the event (compared to similar events in Chicago), was able to make some great connections within the local community, and was able to sign up for additional services as well. SBDC assisted us with market research which helped expedite our focus in Colorado and helped connect us with funding sources to expand. Beyond that they were quick to respond, a pleasure to work with, and went above and beyond with their services. I would absolutely recommend SBDC TechSource to another tech company, especially for companies outside of the front range that are looking to connect and grow rapidly. “
CHRIS MCLAUGHLINVital Command
"I just wanted to send a quick note and let you know how helpful Brian Ormsby has been. He responded to my query about a week and answered a bunch of questions about the EIDL, and then we talked again to day about the PPP. I’ve asked several other resources about my PPP questions and he was the first person to answer them. I can’t stress enough how nice it is to be able to talk directly to someone who can answer questions about all of these programs. So thank you very much for making him available...!"
David PAccuer, Inc.
"I'm not sure if this email goes through, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for hosting this webinar. As a small business that is running because of the SBDC, I am so appreciative of what you do for business owners. I went to film school and I'm only successful in my business because of the years of support I've gotten from the SBDC to help me get a business mindset and navigate the crazy waters of running a company. In all of this uncertainty, it's felt like I couldn't find good, solid answers on our PPP loan, and this webinar was so helpful and the tool of the PPP Loan Forgiveness Estimator is so comforting to get some answers. Keep up the good work, and stay healthy out there. With much appreciation."
Shawna M.FX Media
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The Colorado Small Business Development Center Network is a partnership between the State of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Small Business Administration (SBA), Colorado’s institutions of higher education, local economic development organizations and local chambers of commerce.

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