The Denver Post, business

 

By Aldo Svaldi
Denver Post Staff Writer

 

CEOs share secrets of success

 

How can entrepreneurs increase their employees' productivity?

"Don't have any secrets," Frontier Airlines chairman Samuel Addoms told an early- morning crowd Thursday.

"The effect is rather stunning," he said. "You eliminate the ruling class of an organization" - the information-holding class.

The tactic also frees up employees in what he calls "the CIA" group, those people who spend much of their time uncovering corporate secrets and, "what's left over, they spend doing something useful."

Addoms joined Crocs co- founder Lyndon "Duke" Hanson and Chipotle founder Steve Ells in sharing their secrets for success during the keynote event at the 2006 Colorado Business Show, sponsored by the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce.

Hanson said his company reached a turning point when it was struggling to produce enough shoes to meet demand and decided to buy the original company that made Crocs shoes in Canada.

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce also recognized four businesses and three individuals Thursday. The awards were presented during a luncheon attended by about 450 people at the Colorado Convention Center.

Roy Alexander was named the David E. Bailey Small Business Advocate. He is executive director of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, where he has worked to expand funds available to small businesses.

David Owen Tryba Architects was named Small Business of the Year. The firm has designed several high-profile projects, including the the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building.

Also honored were:

• Syntes Language Group Inc., a Centennial translation company, as the Minority- owned Business of the Year.
• Boulder-based Booyah Networks as Emerging Business of the Year.
• Inner City Health Center, a volunteer health-care facility, as the Nonprofit Organization of the Year.
• Mai Tran and Bruce Hottman, for the success of their Fort Collins-based business, Information Technology Experts.

Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this report.

Staff writer Aldo Svaldi can be reached at 303-820-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com.