Naturally Boulder Announces New Fall Awards Event To Celebrate The Year’s Best In The Boulder Natural And Organic Industry.

Naturally Boulder, a local organization whose mission is to nurture start-up natural foods companies and promote Boulder as the epicenter of the natural products movement, will hold its annual Awards Celebration and Pitch Slam on Sept. 30, 2010 in the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder.

“The natural foods industry is incredibly resilient and really has been able to weather the storm of the recession,” said Steven Hoffman, Chairman of the Board of Naturally Boulder. “At Naturally Boulder, we want to motivate fledgling businesses to pursue their passion, and continue the incredible momentum of our industry. This year’s Naturally Boulder Awards will be a celebration of the natural and organic legacy in Boulder, and our key accomplishments over the last year.”

This year’s event is designed to celebrate the year’s best in the Boulder natural and organic industry – both for new companies on the scene and established national leaders in the natural and organic products community. Hosted by Dr. James Rouse, the Fall Awards Celebration will kick off with the Naturally Boulder Pitch Slam at 2 p.m., in UMC Room 235, and will continue into the evening in the Ballroom with networking, and an Awards Celebration and dinner honoring the best of the best in the local Boulder natural foods community.

The ever-popular Entrepreneurial Pitch Slam, now in its fifth year and co-sponsored by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business, will kick off the event at 2 p.m. with a preliminary round of business pitches from local start-up companies trying to break into the natural products industry. Free and open to the public, this preliminary round will feature fledgling businesses who have two minutes to present their “elevator pitch” to a panel of esteemed and experienced natural foods industry veterans and investors. Not only will they gain valuable advice and exposure to leaders in the industry, but the winner will receive a full suite of start-up services from Naturally Boulder community members and companies.

At 5:30 p.m., the Awards Celebration will begin with a cocktail party, and a sit-down dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. This special evening will feature an Industry Year in Review Video, and highlights video from the Pitch Slam earlier that day. Members of the community entered their picks for the best and brightest natural foods companies and leaders in 2010 in four categories: Best Young Business (in business fewer than five years), Company of the Year (in business five or more years), Local Hero (a leader in government, academics or not-for-profit who fosters the values shared by the natural and organics community) and Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award Winner will announce this year’s Entrepreneurial Pitch Slam Winner.

The Entrepreneurial Pitch Slam preliminary round is free and open to the public. The cost to attend the Awards Celebration and Dinner is $65 for Naturally Boulder members and $85 for non-members, which includes a cocktail networking hour and elegant seated dinner. To register, go to naturallyboulderproducts.com.

About Naturally Boulder Established in 2005 as an economic development initiative by the City of Boulder and the Boulder Economic Council, Naturally Boulder’s mission is to solidify Boulder as the epicenter of the natural products industry. We do this by supporting emerging businesses to launch and stay in Boulder, Colo., and attracting natural products businesses to the region. We promote natural and organic products and services in Boulder through various events and educational opportunities. Please visit naturallyboulderproducts.com for more information.