Colorado Business Hall of Fame 2015

This 26th Annual Colorado Business Award winners this year represented two Colorado farm families, a NFL football team owner, a corporate investor, and a ski industry pioneer.  Held at the Hyatt Hotel Colorado Convention Center Thursday, January 29, the event’s theme–“Sketching the Future of Colorado”–was represented at each dinner table and in marketing materials by the familiar red Etch-A-Sketch tablet, a kid’s drawing toy popular in the 1960s.

Underwritten by UMB, proceeds benefited Junior Achievement and the Denver Metro Chamber. More than 1,000 guests heard stories of inductees who pioneered various thriving Colorado businesses through persistence, leadership and a firm belief in the free enterprise system.

9News Anchor Gregg Moss welcomed guests and acknowledged a procession of past inductees representing various Colorado industries.
Throughout the evening Moss–with help from Junior Achievement student ambassadors/co-emcees—introduced honorees and acknowledged top sponsors.

Each year event organizers honor Colorado Business Hall of Fame laureates, a group of stellar business leaders who have made legendary contributions to Colorado’s economy and civic life through their innovation and pioneering spirit.

This year’s laureates are:

• Pat Bowlen,who was the longtime owner of the Denver Broncos and is the chairman of the board of Denver Broncos Charities, which has donated $25 million to Denver area organizations;
• H. Brown Cannon, Brown W. Cannon and George R. Cannon–a family whose business acumen is legendary, only surpassed by their civic leadership. H Brown Cannon was founder of Windsor Farm Dairy and Presbyterian Hospital, and his two sons Brown W Cannon and George R Cannon returned to Denver after WWII to become community leaders and successful businessmen.
• Klaus Obermeyer is a 94-year-old ski legend and industry icon who has turned his passion for skiing to an international conglomerate. He founded Sport Obermeyer in 1947 and designed and produced a successful down parka, then parlaying his innovations into many other ski accessories and skiwear.
• Thomas A Petrie, chairman of Petrie Partners, has been an active advisor on more than $200 billion of energy-related mergers and acquisitions. He is an active member of several industry associations, as well as a trustee for the Denver Art Museum and a board member of the Colorado School of Mines Foundation.
• Bob and Joanna Sakata began Sakata Farms with the purchase of 40 acres in Brighton after WWII. Today, Sakata Farms owns and farms more than 3,200 acres of vegetables, including its renowned sweet corn.  The Sakata family was instrumental in founding the Brighton Community Hospital.

For more information visit the Denver Metro Chamber and Junior Achievement web sites at www.denverchamber.org and www.jacolorado.org