Xy?Xy?Daily Camera 1/5/03 Business Section:
Small companies, big stories
Small- to medium-size businesses worth watching in 2003
By Carlotta Mast, Camera Business Writer
January 5, 2003

For every Sun Microsystems or Level 3 Communications -- companies the
Camera will examine in Monday's Business Plus -- the Boulder area has
dozens of small- to medium-size companies poised for a banner year.
Here's a look at some businesses in Boulder and Broomfield counties that
may make headlines in 2003.


Aegis Analytical:

Despite serious belt-tightening by venture capital firms,
Lafayette-based Aegis Analytical landed $14.5 million in venture funding in
late 2001. The firm, which creates manufacturing software that helps
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies better assess and utilize
their production systems, brought on a new CEO and added several
customers in 2002. Aegis Analytical is on track to achieve profitability by the
end of 2003, and the company said it will be announcing a deal with a major
pharmaceutical company and the release of its latest product in the first
quarter of this year.

CDM Optics:

Boulder-based CDM Optics, which makes technology that
improves the clarity of images through a lens, signed deals with two of the
top names in optics over the last 15 months. The deals -- with Olympus
Optical Co., the Japanese firm known for its cameras and a world leader in
endoscopes; and Carl Zeiss, a German manufacturer of microscopes,
lenses and other instruments -- could position CDM Optics for future
growth. The company's sales jumped from about $1 million in 2000 to close
to $2 million in 2002.

CueStix International:

At time when many area companies are struggling,
Lafayette-based CueStix International, a distributor of pool supplies, is
booming -- in large part because the billiards industry has yet to be affected
by the economic downturn. CueStix grew its revenues by nearly 15 percent in
2002 and said it anticipates an even better year in 2003.

Intelagard:

Broomfield-based Intelagard manufactures and sells a
foam-delivery system that protects homes and vegetation from fire.
Firefighters used the Intelagard system to battle the wildfires that raged
throughout Colorado in 2002, and the system is being sold for hazardous
materials cleanup, including biological and biochemical warfare
decontamination.

Izze:

Since launching their beverage business Izze in June of last year, Todd
Woloson and Greg Stroh have been changing the way people in Boulder --
and now beyond -- quench their thirst. After wooing area customers, Izze --
which makes natural, carbonated sparkling juices -- began shipping its
drinks to 73 Wild Oats Markets nationwide in October. Production of the
beverages has quadrupled since June, the company said.

LeftHand Networks:

Boulder-based storage company LeftHand Networks
made headlines over the last two years by raising close to $20 million in
venture funding and launching an ambitious new product when most
storage firms were pulling back on new-product development. The company
-- whose customers include Lockheed Martin and Array BioPharma -- said
it is adding an average of one customer per week, with between 80 and 90
percent of its customers returning to purchase more.

Micro Analysis & Design:

Despite its high-tech roots, Micro Analysis &
Design has been able to weather the economic storm by landing contracts
with government agencies in need of computer simulation and modeling
tools. In September, Boulder-based Micro Analysis & Design was selected
to be part of a team headed by the defense contracting firm General
Dynamics Corp. to compete for the U.S. Army's Objective Force Warrior
program. If the team is selected for the program in 2003, the Army contract
could be worth up to $145 million -- more if the team is selected to actually
build the gear.

Mont-Bell:

Japan-based Mont-Bell opened its first U.S. retail store on the
Pearl Street Mall in November. The opening added new life to one of the
most visible storefronts on the mall. As area sales tax receipts continue to
suffer, the community will be watching to see how Mont-Bell fares during its
first year in Boulder.

Quintus Design:

Quintus Design, a Boulder consulting company that
specializes in human-computer interaction, opened its doors in early 2002.
The company achieved profitability after only four months in business, and
the firm says it is poised to grow. More importantly, its four founders are
determined to help their clients -- which include HP, Sun Microsystems and
CORAccess Systems -- design technology products that are actually
intuitive and easy to use.

S.M. Stoller Corp.:

Lafayette-based S.M. Stoller Corp. had a series of
successes in 2002 that could help the environmental consulting company
reach $85 million in sales in 2003 -- up from just $5 million in 1998. Last
year, the firm -- which helps public and private entities clean up and
manage contaminated sites -- landed a handful of high-profile contracts,
including one with a base value of $250 million. Stoller said it now has 10
major contracts and 50 smaller ones.