Two Colorado Springs organizations honored with Catalyst2 innovation

Colorado Springs Business Journal, Jul 22, 2005 by Marylou Doehrman

Two Colorado Springs organizations were among the winners when the Magellan Center in Denver selected the top proposals for the 2005 Colorado Catalyst2-Exponential Potential for Entrepreneurship and Innovation awards.

Two proposals submitted by the Colorado Springs Manufacturing Task Force and two proposals submitted by Jack Flobeck, president of Aqua Prima Center Inc., were among the 17 winning entries.

The proposals were part of the Colorado Catalyst2-Exponential Potential for Entrepreneurship and Innovation project. Pam Gibson, the president of the Magellan Center, launched the project last spring as a way to ratchet up economic vitality and keep innovation and entrepreneurship on the front burner in Colorado.

In May, Magellan sent out a request for proposals to gather support for meeting the goals of the Catalyst2 project. The winning proposals were selected by peer review.

The manufacturing task force's winning proposals were Collaborate to Compete and Fostering Innovation Dynamics.

The first is a joint effort between the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology and the Springs task force on a pilot program that will foster regional manufacturing infrastructure stabilization and cluster growth.

The goal is to brand Colorado, particularly Colorado Springs, as a premier location for innovative, entrepreneurial manufacturers, according to the release.

CAMT also collaborated with the task force on the second winning proposal-Fostering Innovation Dynamics, along with Continuous Improvement Associates.

The organizations will develop models and templates for achieving and sustaining an optimum level of manufacturing innovation through a systems approach. The proposal encourages manufacturing firms and individuals to increase competition and activity levels in southern Colorado.

Flobeck's winning proposals involved water and research.

Aqua Backs will generate new economic opportunities through increased water availability and simplifying the ways to deliver, conserve and preserve water, according to the Magellan Center news release.

His second winning proposal, Road-mapping Colorado Research is a review of the types of research taking place in Colorado.

Flobeck's research will be based on more than 10,000 University of Colorado research grants. The goal is to provide a qualitative roadmap for efficient economic development business recruitment.