BEST ROOFING COMPANY

Years in business: 10
Number of employees: 25

Most difficult project: The Glick Brothers Business Park on Harmony was one of our more challenging projects. Several of the tenant units were leaking due to a prior hailstorm. We had to install the new roof in winter due to the leaking, which was tough. There was also the challenge of coordinating the schedule to accommodate the unique needs of each tenant and not disrupt their businesses.

BEST PLUMBING COMPANY

Years in business: 56
Number of employees: 60

Story behind our name: Our company was founded in 1962 by Marion and June Allen. They were proud to put their name on quality home service back then, and we’ve continued the family tradition to proudly put our name on everything we’ve done for the last 56 years. During that time, we have seen and been a part of phenomenal growth.

BEST MED SPA

Years in business: 10
Number of employees: 25

Most difficult project: When we first started 10 years ago, we moved out of another clinic and had two weeks to find a location, a business name, logo, brand, phone service, and signage—plus move all our equipment and furniture, hire new staff and so on. We did it all with four employees. That was tough.

Special services: We offer the full spectrum of facial lasers. You won’t find that anywhere else in Northern Colorado.

Claims to fame: Allura is listed among the top 15 fastest-growing companies in Northern Colorado year after year. We’re one of the top 75 clinics nationwide—out of approximately 30,000 clinics—for sales of Botox, Juvederm, Coolsculpting and Skin Medica products. That puts us in the top .25 percent in the nation. We’re in the top 1 to 3 percent nationwide for virtually every service we offer, including injectables, lasers, hormones and spa services.  

Product that exceeded expectations: When we first started using pellets for bioidentical hormone therapy, we never thought it would take fire like it did. At first we were just about the only clinic that did it anywhere in Colorado, let alone Northern Colorado. We had clients coming to us from all over, including Nebraska and Wyoming.

BEST FINE DINING

Years in business: 11
Number of employees: 22

Claims to fame: We made OpenTable’s list of the 100 Best Restaurants in America twice, in 2011 and 2015. In 2016 we received a Distinguished Restaurant of North America (DiRoNA) Award. In 2018 we won our fifth consecutive Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

BEST HOME DECOR / GIFT STORE

Years in business: 10
Number of employees: 15 to 40 (seasonal)

Point of pride: We offer our customers many decor styles ranging from shabby chic to industrial farmhouse—all hand-picked by the store owners. We watch for the latest trends in home decor so that we can offer our customers a wide variety of the latest and best products.

BEST ORTHODONTIC PRACTICE

Years in business: 17
Number of employees: 40+

Causes we support: We provide free mouthguards to young athletes throughout the community. Middle school and high school athletes come in to be fitted for custom-made mouthguards to help protect them from oral and head injury.

BEST PET GROOMING

Years in business: 5
Number of employees: 23

Service that exceeded expectations: Our Doggie Daycare hosts regular Theme Days. They were intended to be special occasions to keep the dogs stimulated. They quickly bloomed into a fan favorite, with everyone making sure their pups would have the chance to hang out with us on special days like Ball Pit Day and Pawprint Parties.

BEST DENTAL PRACTICE

Years in business: 8
Number of employees: 18

Claims to fame: Comfortable dental chairs, ceiling mounted TVs, and a friendly demeanor. Our dentists have gone to multiple continuing education courses to advance the technology in our office.

Most difficult project: We opened our doors eight years ago in the Front Range Village shopping center. It was scary to open a large dental practice in a town that was already saturated with dental offices. We started off with only two staff members. Today, we have 18.

BEST HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE

Years in business: 84
Number of employees: 72

Story behind our name: Originally, we were Fort Collins Sheet Metal Co. We did gutters, ductwork, architectural sheet metal, even automobile/racecar panels. When I bought the dormant company from my grandfather in 1996, I changed the name to Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning to better fit our business.

Claim to fame: We’ve made Inc. magazine’s “Inc. 5000” list of the fastest-growing U.S. companies for two years in a row.

BEST HOT WINGS

Years in business: 27
Number of employees: 20

Story behind our name: I’d like say the name was conceived through diligent research and development. Clearly it was not. I had to come up with something quick, and Jim’s Wings seemed to work.

BEST INTERIOR FINISHES

Years in business: 51
Number of employees: 15

High-profile project: We were the lead design firm for the Budweiser Event Center. We had never taken on a project of this scale. Decisions involved several approval layers, and we were under intense time pressure. Our team was up to the challenge, and we finished on time and on budget.

BEST CRAFT BEER BAR

Years in business: 8
Number of employees: 30 to 40

Most difficult project: My pole dancing class. You can’t have that much flesh rubbing on brass without some serious blistering.

Claims to fame: We made Playboy’s list of the nation’s top five beer bars, Draft Magazine’s list of the nation’s top 100 beer bars (multiple times), and Thrillist’s list of Colorado’s top 12 bars.

BEST LASH EXTENSION SALON

Vixen Lashes & Nail Bar 421 S. Mason St., Fort Collins 970.682.2939 www.vixenlashesandnailbar.com

Years in business: 5
Number of employees: 20

Most difficult project: Educating the community about eyelash extensions has been our biggest challenge by far. Getting people to understand the appeal of something new and obscure isn’t easy.

Claim to fame: We were the first eyelash extension salon in Fort Collins to actually have a storefront. We’re currently the only company to offer brow staining.

BEST MARIJUANA DISPENSARY

Point of pride: We helped establish the Cannabis Chapter of the Responsible Association of Retailers (RAR). RAR partners with police departments, school districts and other community organizations to prevent underage access to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. RAR also supports programs that deter risky behaviors related to substance abuse.

Point of pride II: We use exclusively organic nutrition for our plants.

BEST JEWELRY STORE

Years in business: 109
Number of employees: 19

Product that exceeded expectations: Our Estate Jewelry Collection. It was an idea to avoid melting previously owned and enjoyed treasures from yesteryear. We have a team of goldsmiths who restore and refurbish each item, bringing each piece back to its previous beauty. No two items are ever alike.

Most difficult project: Thirteen years ago we took a huge leap of faith and created the “Diamond Tower.” We are thankful every day that we have the opportunity to do what we love, in such a beautiful and very “Colorado” location.

Causes we support: The Larimer County Fair and Rodeo Queens, Hope Lives!, and numerous children’s and animal charities. We are proud to serve and support our communities.

Point of pride: We have an amazing team of people who work alongside us. They are the face of our family business and the first thing you see when you walk through our doors. We were also blessed with two amazing parents. Our father gave us a strong work ethic. He taught us to be constantly learning, to care about the customer, to love what you do and to always plan for the future. Our mother is highly creative and talented. She shared her artistic passion and creative flair. It is a wonderful balance and great combination.

BEST BREAKFAST
BEST BLOODY MARY
BEST CINNAMON ROLL

Years in business: 85
Number of employees: 45

Product that exceeded expectations: Our signature cinnamon rolls are based on a recipe from a 1969 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Owner John Arnolfo enlisted the help of a retired German baker to give the cinnamon rolls their famous “wow!” taste. We serve more than 10,000 every month.

BEST SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

Years in business: 7.5
Number of employees: 8

Causes we support: We support the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center at Colorado State, The Gardens on Spring Creek, Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies Foundation, and Women Give of Larimer County.

BEST WAXING STUDIO

Years in business: 12
Number of employees: 37

Point of pride: I opened The Screamin Peach because, as a single mom working for salons, most of my money went to childcare. I now employ other single moms, and we support each other as parents and professionals.

BEST TATTOO PARLOR

Years in business: 24
Number of employees: 14

Cause we support: We have always felt it’s important to support the community that supports us. When we thought about a cause we could get behind as a business, we kept coming back to the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. We felt it may be more overlooked than some of the other charities out there.

BEST LIQUOR STORE

Years in business: 18
Number of employees: 45

Most difficult project: We moved from our original location to our current location in 2004. We shut down on a Saturday night and were back open for business in under 72 hours after moving our entire inventory and doubling our square footage and staff.

Claims to fame: We received a “best of” award from Market Watch magazine (an industry journal), and we were named Retailer of the Year for Colorado in 2013. Most recently we were named one of the best retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics. We also sit on the board of the American Beverage Licensees (ABL), helping to represent 15,000 U.S. beverage retailers in Washington, D.C. on industry-related issues.

BEST COUNTRY CLUB

Years in business: 59
Number of employees: 100

Product that exceeded expectations: The addition of our indoor tennis facility in 2015 proved to be very successful in helping us grow our membership. It’s now one of the top indoor facilities in the state. Adding amenities that appealed to a younger demographic helped us grow during a period where the rest of our industry was struggling.