Business Extra, April 24

Marisa Ware

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Acquavena

Stacked Building

* "Doing things most builders would be scared of"

Price: Varies with project

Where you can get it: Nationwide

Business owner: Adam Stack

Location: Boulder

Tidbits: Once the youngest licensed general contractor in Colorado, Stack has much to be proud of. Surprisingly, it's not his business accomplishments or reputation as a world-class rock climber that he views as his crowning achievements, but the relationships he maintains with his clients.

"Most contractors come, remodel your house, and when the job is done, you don't ever hear from them," Stack said. "Usually trying to get them back to your house to do random little things is kind of a nightmare."

Stack says this is where contractors get their bad reputation.

"I'm very available to my clients, no matter where I am," Stack said. "If they call, even if I'm out climbing in the desert, someone calls them back right away."

When he was 14, Stack placed second in the rock-climbing Junior World Cup and went on to enjoy success for the next six years before retiring from the professional climbing world.

He takes the same attitude toward building as he did toward climbing, focusing on "doing things that most builders would be scared of," such as complicated or extremely time-restricted projects.

His most recent was an elaborate break area for an office in Boulder, which his team completed in only seven days.

"It was probably one of the most stressful weeks of my life, but it came out amazing," Stack said.

For more information: E-mail will@stackedbuilders.com.

Acquavena

* Eco-sensitive skin care

Price: $5-$15

Where you can get it: Online

Business owners: Jeff Lindh

Location: Longmont

Tidbits: In the center of town in Acquavena, Italy, a rustic fountain of natural spring water flows. To Jeff Lindh, whose grandmother was a native of Acquavena, this fountain represents the functional use of something occurring in nature, making the town an apt namesake for his natural bath products company.

"I took it as a derivative of something coming from the earth, of keeping to what is already existing and utilizing it for daily benefit," Lindh said. "It's an ode to my heritage."

Lindh focuses on making eco-sensitive soaps, bath salts and shampoos from naturally derived products or raw materials that were created or harvested in sustainable ways.

His inspiration comes from the bleak knowledge of how much strain everyday bath products can put on water-treatment facilities, he says. With a background in chemistry and environmental science, Lindh knows that supposedly "nontoxic" chemicals found in shampoo and soap can build up in the water supply with unknown consequences.

"All this raw material goes into the environment, and we have no idea what we're doing. We're overloading a system," Lindh said.

Lindh also strives to create unique scents such as sumptuous blood orange and Italian bergamot or invigorating sage and cederwood. He also makes a pure, unscented soap for those with skin allergies.

For more information: acquavena.com