Techies of Colorado: a look at techleaders and notable innovators.

• Author: Caley, Nora

Colorado technology professionals work for hipster firms in cool spaces, legacy corporations and companies in between. According to the Colorado Technology Association, the state's information technology work force encompasses two groups: tech companies, which have about 146,800 workers, and IT occupations across all industries, which account for about 101,300 workers as of 2014. Also according to the CTA, 83 percent of software technology companies in the Denver/Boulder metro region are small- and medium-sized businesses.

That means many of Colorado's tech leaders are entrepreneurs, while others play important roles in Fortune 500 companies. While software developers are the largest job category, there are also many computer systems analysts, web developers, information security analysts and others. Whether they are working on the computer, smartphone, cloud or elsewhere, these techies are using innovation to transform products, services and operations in a variety of industries.

HERE IS A GLIMPSE OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE GADGETS, GIZMOS AND INNOVATIONS

RICHARD PEDERSEN

FOUNDER AND CEO, ASPENWARE

WEB SOLUTIONS, MOBILE APPLICATIONS, ENTERPRISE TECH, CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, TECH RESOURCING

Richard Pedersen founded Aspenware in 2001 during the dot-com boom. "More and more companies were graduating from the analog to the digital age," he says. "This migration brought opportunity, but also brought complexity and challenges that required smart people to solve tough problems." The company specializes in custom web and mobile applications that pull data from the internet, enterprise systems and wireless sensors.

INVENTION:

Last year Aspenware launched Aventeer, a platform that matches freelancers directly with hiring companies and provides back-office tools to simplify billing and paperwork. "Aventeer evolved from Aspenware's need to engage a deep and wide talent pool in Denver," Pedersen says. "Over the last 15 years, we've built a developer community of hundreds of employees and people we work with."

INSPIRATION:

The Aventeer freelancer marketplace came from Aspenware's need to find the right talent at the right time. Aventeer uses algorithms to search for qualified candidates and enables companies to message freelancers within the platform, eliminating middlemen. The marketplace uses advanced search capabilities and is free.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Pedersen says Aspenware defines itself by its ability to deliver solutions. "At our core, Aspenware is a team of doers and linchpins committed to coming alongside our clients to help them innovate and grow," he says.

TECH TREND TO WATCH:

Consumers want to open an app on their phone or computer and see information that's all about them, Pedersen says. "If a person is attending a conference, they see their schedule, sessions relevant to them, emails of new contacts and their badge. After skiing, they want to see their vertical feet, runs skied, photos on mountain and fastest times, more than they want to see upcoming resort events."

VIVEK KHEMKA

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, DISH

CONSUMER SERVICES, SATELLITE TELEVISION PROVIDER

At DISH, Vivek Khemka oversees the development and execution of technology strategy for DISH and Sling TV, and manages DISH's product roadmaps, video, online and mobile, user experience, broadband and commercial products. He led the product and marketing launch of DISH's Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR, an award-winning set-top box.

INVENTION:

The company offers Sling TV, which enables people to watch video on devices other than their television sets. For people...