2008 top company finalists; What's it take to become a top company?

• Position: COLORADO'S MOST COMPETITIVE BUSINESS AWARD

Pretty much everything you should aspire to be as a business enterprise.

Top Company is Colorado's most competitive business awards program, judged on the basis of financial performance, operational excellence and community involvement.

Companies participate by submitting confidential nominations to long-time co-sponsor Deloitte, whose industry specialists select finalists from eight business categories after rigorous evaluations.

A panel comprised of business professionals and leading policy officials then convenes to determine winners in each category.

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Now in its 21st consecutive year, the roster of Top Company winners reads like a who's who of Colorado business. The 22 finalists profiled on the following pages represent the state's highest achievers.

Winners will be announced Sept. 16 at an awards luncheon in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Call (303) 662-5222 or visit cobizmag.com for details.

TECHNOLOGY/MEDIA/TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CATALYST REPOSITORY SYSTEMS

Catalyst Repository Systems helps coordinate teams and manage cases throughout all phases of litigation and other complex legal matters by providing Web-based platforms to streamline discovery, analyze information and reduce overall review time and cost.

This enables law firms and corporate legal departments to centralize electronic discovery, improve the efficiency of their legal review and better manage the rising costs of litigation.

Catalyst CR, a Web-based search and review tool, can search more than 70 languages from a single repository. It also allows clients to translate entire documents "on the fly" in up to 14 different languages. Additionally, Catalyst has introduced a new Assigned Review Module that automates document batching and assignment, as well as the entire review workflow. This allows review teams to work faster and more efficiently as documents automatically move from one stage of the review to the next.

"Catalysts offers some of the most advanced technology in the business, and its strategy of honesty, integrity and putting client needs first has worked to the benefit of both clients and the company," the Denver-based company says.

READYTALK

Founded in 2000 by CEO Dan King, ReadyTalk has built its audio conferencing and Web meeting solutions at a time when communicating online is increasingly important given the current business climate.

ReadyTalk's technology helps customers hold engaging meetings, conduct sales demos, run Web seminars, host training sessions and communicate in infinite ways using the phone and the Web. Recently, the company has focused its efforts on helping customers take more control of their events, handing them tools ranging from pre-event registration and invitation to post-event reporting and campaign tracking.

The Denver-based company, located over the Tattered Cover bookstore downtown, works hard to build a community of loyal customers through its commitment to designing innovative and useful technology and its dedication to customers' success. Its numerous accolades include a ranking as the third fastest growing company in Colorado on the Deloitte Fast 50 list, the top ranking for 2007's Best Company to Work for in Colorado award, and, most recently, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 award for the Rocky Mountain region.

ReadyTalk is known for placing emphasis on the health and vitality of its employees. The company offers a casual, dog-friendly office, generous benefits and employee-run philanthropy committee.

SPECTRANETICS

Spectranetics manufactures and sells the only excimer laser approved in the United States, Europe and Japan for use in multiple, minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures.

The technology treats complex cardiovascular conditions by vaporizing lipid-based, calcified and fibrotic plaque, saphenous vein graft disease, and neointimal hyperplasia. Excimer lasers are also used to remove scar tissue holding problematic pacemaker and defibrillator cardiac leads in place.

The Colorado Springs-based company's disposable catheters use high-energy "cool" ultraviolet light to vaporize blockages into tiny particles that are easily absorbed into the blood stream, reducing complications and improving clinical outcomes.

Spectranetics was founded in 1984 by Robert Golobic, Ph.D., an Air Force physicist and Johan Sverdrup, a Hewlett-Packard engineer. Golobic had been working on lasers as part of the Strategic Defense initiative, and Sverdrup had done ultrasound work with ADR (Advanced Diagnostic Research) and Doppler imaging with Vingmed.

They created Spectranetics--one of the first companies in the world to explore the possibility of using a "cool" ultraviolet laser to clear occluded arteries. The first patient was treated at the Texas Heart Institute in 1989.

Spectranetics' common stock is traded on the NASDAQ market under the symbol SPNC.

TOURISM / HOSPITALITY

NOODLES & COMPANY

Broomfield-based Noodles & Company was founded in 1995 as the world's first quick-casual, globally inspired noodle restaurant. Its menu features Asian, Mediterranean and American inspired noodle dishes, soups and salads.

"At Noodles & Company there are no freezers, no microwaves, and no can openers. Instead, we seek to nourish and inspire our guests with a balanced and craveable menu made with fresh, wholesome and authentic ingredients," the company says. "Every bowl is prepared to order with only the best noodles and pasta, fresh vegetables, authentic herbs and spices, artisan spices and grilled chicken, beef, shrimp or organic tofu."

The philosophy at Noodles & Company is that diners can eat well without compromising on flavor or a nourishing meal. Two thirds of its dishes contain less than 500 calories. Its educational "Good Balance" program was created to help guests make customizable food choices to meet their own balanced diet and needs.

Health magazine recently named Noodles & Company "America's Healthiest Fast-Food Restaurant."

Noodles & Company is open seven days a week in more than 180 locations in 17 states. It plans to open 35 to 45 new restaurants in 2008 and to exceed 500 in the next five to six years.

POLK MAJESTIC TRAVEL GROUP

Polk Majestic Travel Group is a Colorado corporation jointly owned and operated by Robert A. Polk, CEO, and Andrea Shpall, president.

Polk, the former owner of Polk Travel, has been in the travel industry since 1980. His simple business philosophy, "If we strive to be the best, our future is unlimited," resulted in Polk Travel growing its business clientele to nearly 500 corporations.

Shpall, a third-generation Colorado native, owned and operated Majestic Travel for many years...