Colorado Secretary of State wins international business award for the fifth year in a row

DENVER, May 26, 2016 -- For an unprecedented fifth consecutive year, the Colorado’s Secretary of State’s office is receiving an award from the International Association of Commercial Administrators for an innovation that helps businesses thrive.

The group recognized the office with a Merit Award for its new service that allows businesses to access and print certificates any time of the day. The online service is free.

“Customers in Grand Junction or Greeley who would like a certified copy of their company’s records in our registry no longer have to drive to Denver to get that information or wait several weeks for documents to arrive by mail,” Secretary of State Wayne Williams said.

“We love our customers but we have made it so simple they don’t have to come see us anymore. Considering transportation costs and parking issues in Denver, that’s huge.”

Colorado launched the program in October, making it the first state to offer business filing certification services online.

"The Colorado Secretary of State's office continues to develop innovative solutions that support our robust business community," said Gov. John Hickenlooper. "We applaud them for finding ways to make connecting with the state more efficient and effective for businesses across the state."

The award will be presented to Mike Hardin, director of the Secretary of State’s Business and Licensing Division, at IACA’s 39th annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, on June 6. The other two Merit Award winners this year are from Australia and Nova Scotia.

The award recognizes jurisdictions that have successfully implemented innovative changes within their offices.

"With online certified documents, the Colorado Secretary of State continues its track record of innovations that assist us in being more efficient and effective," said John Raeder, chairman of the Raeder Venture Fund. "It has streamlined the due diligence process for us and our investment partners."

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office has received the IACA award every year since 2012. Other Merit Award winning programs were secure business filings in 2012; UCC filing and search system in 2013; and service center model in 2014.

Last year the office won for Go Code Colorado, the program that takes government data and turns it into easy-to-use apps that help solve business problems.

Tonight is the final event for the third annual Go Code Colorado competition, where 10 teams will compete for a chance to win $25,000. This year's finalists include an app that connects local farmers with consumers and a platform that connects employee personalities with business culture. The competition will be from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Seawell Grand Ballroom in the Denver Performing Arts Complex at 1348 Lawrence St. To register for the free event go to http://gocode.colorado.gov/event/final-event.

The International Association of Commercial Administrators is a professional association for government administrators of business organizations and secured transaction record systems at the state, provincial, territorial, and national level in any jurisdiction which has or anticipates development of such systems.