Company: Kanga Care, Golden, CO, U.S.A.
Company Description: Kanga Care is one of Colorado's most innovative small businesses. Founded in 2007 by President, Julie Ekstrom, Kanga Care is the proud home to Julie's inventions which have revolutionized the diaper industry. Kanga Care has patents publishing in 2012 and ships product to 800+ stores in more than 40 countries. Kanga Care has won multiple awards for product design and function.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Business Products –10 or Less Employees

Nomination Title: Julie Ekstrom, President & CEO

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated entrepreneur since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words):

From an initial investment of $100 at the local fabric store to make diapers for her daughter, Julie Ekstrom has led Kanga Care LLC to become a globally integrated business in just 5 years.

As it is said, "Necessity is the mother of invention", so it is true for the foundation on which Kanga Care was built. When Ekstrom's second daughter was born it quickly became apparent that her skin was too sensitive to withstand the chemicals in traditional disposable diapers. They quickly made the switch to cloth diapers but Ekstrom realized they were trading in the convenience for leaks. Ekstrom recognized what the issue was immediately and the creation process of which led to inventing a cloth diaper with dual inner gussets. The technology was a pure genius and her diapers, the Rumparooz, hit the market with a bang. Everyone wanted them. Good new has been received from the patent office and Ekstrom is expecting patents to publish on her invention in late 2012, early 2013.

The growth Kanga Care has seen year over year has been remarkable. Astounding at the least. In the last year alone Ekstrom has launched 11 new highly successful products through Kanga Care including a line of diapers made out of recycled water bottles, bamboo and organic cotton. In the last year, Kanga Care has aquired more then 400 new retail partners. This brings the count to more then 800 stores, in over 40 countries, that carry Kanga Care products. In the last 12 months Kanga Care has manufacturerd and distributed enough cloth diapers to keep more than 52,500,000 disposable diapers out of our landfills. This number has been substantially increasing annually.

Ekstrom is also an industry leader in supporting the education of cloth diapers. She hosted the Denver event location for the Great Cloth Diaper Change in both 2011 and 2012, a worldwide initiative where over 10,000 babies were simultaneously changed into cloth diapers in over 22 countries to promote the environmental benefits of cloth diapering. The initiative set a Guinness World Record in 2011 and broke that record by more then 3,000 babies in 2012. The 2012 Denver event was the largest event location in the world, with over 270 babies present and 1500+ total attendees including 4 local news and media outlets.

Julie says, "My passion for my children and concern for their health and well being led me into this industry. I work at ground zero, with my team and customers every single day. This helps me better understand our customers, their needs and how we can help them live a healthier lifestyle. For their children, your children, my children and our planet."

It takes a remarkable person to exude the creativity and energy that Ekstrom puts forth effortlessly on a daily basis. Mom to 4 small children, wife, businesswoman extraordinaire, inventor, entrepreneur, industry leader and social icon, we all wait anxiously on the edge of our seats to see what she will accomplish next year!

Provide a brief biography of the nominated entrepreneur (up to 100 words):

Born and raised in Colorado, Julie Ekstrom lives in Littleton where she still calls Colorado home today. As a young girl Ekstrom was overflowing with ideas of turning the every day into a business. Painting rocks and selling them as "friends", lemonade stands galore and leading adventure tours through the neighborhood for the children on the block. She was a born entrepreneur. Now, a successful business owner, inventor and manufacturer, Ekstrom is also the mother of 4 children ages 8, 6, 3, and her youngest who just turned 1.