CONGRATS TO THE CLASS OF 2023
The 2023 class was inducted into the hall of fame on September 14th.
WELCOME TO THE BCBHOF
Encouraging and Recognizing Business Excellence
The Boulder County Business Hall of Fame is a private, nonprofit 501C3 dedicated to the encouragement of business excellence in Boulder County by recognizing and inducting Boulder County business leaders into the prestigious Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame operates under the administration of a volunteer board of directors comprised of Boulder County business leaders. The board provides operational and fiduciary oversight as well as serving as the selection panel for the Hall of Fame honorees.
Each year since its founding in 1992, the Hall of Fame board of directors has chosen and installed a select number of business leaders from a diverse field of candidates nominated by their peers, family members and associates. Candidates are evaluated against a set of criteria set forth in the Hall of Fame bylaws.
The September 14, 2023 Inductee Celebration
200 people gathered to celebrate the induction of Bill Fanning , Lucy Sanders, Efrain Gomez, Sean and Rebecca Gafner, Larry Gold, and Susan Graf.
OUR MISSION
Since our inception in 1992, 170 Boulder County leaders have been recognized as examples of the highest level of business ethics, and celebrated for their commitment to innovation in business and philanthropic practices. We are a private nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement of business excellence in Boulder County by recognizing local leaders and inducting them into the prestigious ranks of our Hall of Fame.
CLASS OF 2023
Bill Fanning – Class of 2023
Bill Fanning began his Boulder County tenure in 1977 as the branch manager of Midland Federal Savings and Loan, where he led the team to triple production. In 1984, he took his talents to Mellon Financial and became the Northern Colorado Manager. Again, Fanning increased the loan volume – this time, by over $20 million…
Efrain Gomez – Class of 2023
After working in Boulder restaurants since the ’70s, Efrain Gomez opened the first Efrain’s Mexican Restaurant in Lafayette in 1991, where he taught generations of Boulderites what Mexican food—particularly green chile—should taste like. Efrain moved to Colorado Springs in 1962 and worked at the Army base kitchen for three years, cooking large amounts of food…
Larry Gold – Class of 2023
Dr. Larry Gold is a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has been determined to change healthcare for the better through teaching, research, and debate among scientists and citizens throughout the world. While at the University, he served as the Chairman of the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department from 1988 to…
Lucy Sanders – Class of 2023
Lucinda “Lucy” Sanders is a distinguished technologist. She is a driving force behind the effort to increase the number of women in technology fields, open up STEM to everyone, and improve business practices around diversity and inclusion. Lucy has an extensive industry background, having worked in R&D and executive positions at AT&T Bell Labs, Lucent…
Sean & Rebecca Gafner – Class of 2023
Sean and Rebecca Gafner have built a group of restaurants serving Longmont, with the goal of creating comfortable community spaces that serve high quality food and drinks. Sean Gafner was born and raised on a farm and cattle ranch in the San Joaquin Valley, CA. He fell in love with the restaurant industry and graduated…
Susan Graf – Class of 2023
Susan Graf jump-started her career in Boulder in 1989 when she was hired as VP of Human Resources by Leanin’ Tree, one of Boulder’s earliest entrepreneurial success stories. During this time, Susan served as Board Chair of both the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and the Boulder Area Human Resource Association. In 2004 Susan became the…
MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
Elevations Credit Unit is our 2023 Presenting Sponsor. Elevations Credit Union empowers its members and the communities it serves along Colorado’s Front Range with financial solutions and education. In addition to offering a broad portfolio of consumer and business banking services, Elevations is the No. 1 credit union residential mortgage lender by volume in Colorado. Founded in 1952 as the U. of C. Federal Credit Union in Boulder, the organization has grown from 12 members and less than $100 in assets to over 176,000 members and over $3 billion in assets. Elevations became a two-time recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2020 and first received the award in 2014. Learn more at elevationscu.com.
BECOME A SPONSOR
If you are interested in sponsoring the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame this year, view our sponsor kit. For more information on Boulder County Business Hall of Fame sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected]
PLATINUM SPONSORS & DONORS
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
