Colorado State’s 2001 College of Business Honored Alumnus Featured in Forbes Magazine

An entrepreneur, CEO of a successful medical information company, and 2001 College of Business Honored Alumnus from Colorado State University is featured in this month’s issue of Forbes.com.

Kerry Hicks, Ernst & Young’s 2000 Entrepreneur of the Year in e-business for the Rocky Mountain Region, is noted in the article as having one of a few innovative websites that are using the power of computing and the connectivity of the web to analyze and rate health care providers.

Hicks’ company, HealthGrades.com, has been acknowledged as a leader for healthcare ratings and has received numerous national awards for excellence including the 1999 eHealthcare World Insight Platinum Award.

Hicks earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the College of Business in 1982. After completing his degree, he became part owner of LBA Healthcare Management, a healthcare information technology company. In 1996, after phenomenally raising the company’s profit margin, Hicks and the other shareholders sold the company for $130 million and started his own company, Specialty Care Network. In January of 2000, he successfully transitioned his physician practice management company into Healthgrades.com.

In addition to running his business, Hicks is involved in non-profit activities focused predominantly on the educational advancement of underprivileged youth and assists in an annual charitable event that benefits the homeless in his community.

Hicks is a regular speaker in the entrepreneurship classes at Colorado State University and was this year’s Center for Entrepreneurial and Family Enterprises Entrepreneur in Residence.