Specialized has launched the new S-Works Trivent shoe today, a tri-specific cycling shoe featuring the Boa-powered heel draw bridge for the fastest possible transitions. Below is an overview of this top-of-the-line racing shoe that be on the feet of several top triathletes competing at this summer’s Olympic Games in London, including Tim Don and Gwen Jorgenson.

The $400 shoe will be available at Specialized retailers in late June.

How Will it Make My Transitions Faster?

Boa Technology has signed a lease for 23,000 square feet of office space at the new “Drive” office building at Zeppelin Development Inc’s TAXI office park in Denver’s River North area. The four-story, 38,000 square-foot building is scheduled to be completed later this year and will feature an informal meeting space, coffee shop and grab-and-go deli.

“At Boa, we work hard to maintain a culture that encourages creative thinking and constant innovation,” Boa President Mark Soderberg said in a statement. “From our earliest tours of the TAXI development, we felt confident that the Zeppelin group could create a space that will complement the Boa culture, which is a crucial part of our success.”

Boa Technology will move into the new space in April 2013.

Read more about the TAXI development in this Denver Business Journal article: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/real_deals/2012/04/leasing-starts-soon-at-broomfields.html

Boa Technology's Brett Vladika, Director of Product Design, Chuck Mason, VP of Sales and Marketing and Garett Graubins, Director of Marketing, pose with a representative from the Denver Post at The Denver Post's Top Workplaces awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at the History Colorado Center in Denver. (Photo by Daniel Petty)

The Denver Post named Boa Technology, makers of the patented, award-winning Boa Closure System, third on its list of Top Small Workplaces (companies with less than 150 employees). In the same report, Boa Technology President Mark Soderberg was honored as top business leader. The rankings were announced last Tuesday at a special event at the Colorado History Museum and in a special section of the Denver Post published yesterday (April 15).

“You can read all the management books but when it comes down to it, it’s just treating people humanely and with respect,” said Boa Technology President Mark Soderberg in a Denver Post interview about creating a positive workplace. The Boa Closure System first appeared on snowboard boots in 2001, and the company has since grown into a multi-national company without compromising its energetic, dog-, bike-, barbeque- and family-friendly atmosphere.

The Denver Post report is based on business-community nominations and 24-question surveys. In the surveys, employees were asked to score their employer on a variety of measures, from worker appreciation to company direction, values, ethics, career advancement opportunities, pay and benefits.

The recognition comes on the heels of Boa Technology’s fourth-place ranking in Outside magazine’s top 50 Places to Work 2011, which evaluated the work-life balance of many of America’s top outdoor brands.

Boa Technology proudly promotes workplace wellness and enthusiasm by offering a variety of lunchtime fitness and nutrition workshops, company outdoor and volunteer activities, profit-sharing benefits and an annual credit that can be used towards any fitness-related pursuit or goal. Employees are encouraged to take part in the company’s “Health & Wellness Challenge” by setting personal goals that support work-life balance. The company awards points for goal achievement that are redeemable for gifts that further support health, such as Whole Foods gift cards or outdoor gear.

Going beyond offering perks and encouraging balance, Boa employees are constantly encouraged to think like business owners and to not fear making a mistake. “If I’m riding my bike and I never fall off, I don’t know how fast I can go,” says Soderberg, a past two-time mountain-bike national champion. “I love a really good, well-thought-out mistake because you learn from it and do things a better way next time.”

That is the culture of trust and balance that Boa employees referenced in survey responses and one of the reasons the Denver Post honored Boa Technology as one of the city’ best workplaces.

Members of Boa’s Snowboard team including Brandon Reis, Ashley Thornton, Scott See, Fredrik Evensen, Megan Ginter, Sachi Tanaka and Shunta Akagawa gathered in Keystone, Colorado, March 19-23 for Boa’s annual Snowboard Summit. Photographers and videographers were on hand to gather stills and video clips that will be used in next winter’s advertising and promotional assets.

Transworld Business editor Mike Lewis was on the scene and posted a story and photo gallery on the magazine’s website. He wrote: “While many companies had a rough year due to meager snowfalls, Boa’s diversity allowed it to have a very strong season with growth in other categories, and it’s investing more of its earnings back into snowboarding through event sponsorships.”

Boa Creator and Founder Gary Hammerslag stopped by the DC booth during SIA to present Cory Lake (DC Snow Product Manager) with the Ten Year’s of Dialed in Fit award. The trophy celebrates 10 years of partnership and award winning boot collaborations. Last year Boa celebrated the milestone with K2 and Vans.

Pictured left to right: Boa Founder and Creator Gary Hammerslag, DC Snow Product Manager Cory Lake, and Boa Account Manager Jeff "Woody" Woodard

Boa Technology’s H3 High Power Platform was named an ISPO Award Nominee in the Action Ingredients category today by the ISPO Award committee. The ISPO AWARD is a seal of approval for innovative new sporting goods and is a respected global industry trend indicator. Award nominees and winners will be on display at the ISPO Munich tradeshow taking place January 29 to February 1, 2012.

The H3 system, featured on the new Vans Infuse and Salomon Synapse snowboard boots and others, is Boa’s seventh-generation snowboard reel platform. It delivers high-precision, watch-like resolution for achieving a truly customized fit.

“Our engineers and designers have been rethinking snowboard boot closure systems for over 10 years,” says Vin Connelly, Global Category Manager at Boa Technology, maker of the award-winning, patented Boa Closure System. “The result is the Boa H3, which is part of a high-power closure system that provides riders with unparalleled security and micro-adjustability to improve performance and comfort. Partner brands appreciate the H3 system’s improved design, smaller size, no special tools required for maintainence and our exclusive Coiler option that quickly takes up excess lace.

The Boa Closure System is found of one third of the world’s snowboard boots and provides performance benefits lauded by professional snowboarders worldwide. Since 2010, Boa has sponsored a team of eight pro riders, including X-Games slopestyle medalist Eric Willett of the U.S. (who wears the Vans Cirro Boa Boot) and freerider Fredrik Evensen, of Oslo, Norway (who wears the Head 5 Star Boa Instep Grasp).

While Boa is the most durable and reliable closure system on the market and backed by the Dialed In For Life Guarantee, the H3 dial requires no special tool for on-the-fly repair or maintenance in the backcountry or resort. Rather, it involves a simple twist-and-remove, twist-and-insert-replacement process.

The Knox Zero winter riding glove has just been voted Best Buy in the best selling UK Sports Bike magazine, Fast Bikes.

The Zero includes 3 patents – The Boa Closure System, OutDry technology and the Knox Scaphoid Protection System

This award is hot on the heels of another win at the end of 2011 when the the Handroid was voted Best Innovation of the Year.

Check out those Boa AC and heater dials!

686® and Scion® are pleased to introduce the world’s first and only car solely dedicated to snowboarding, “Numeric”. Built for snowboarders by snowboarders, the car is the caveat in the 20th anniversary celebration for 686.

686 teamed up with Scion Racing® and Spin Imaging® to develop the one-of-a-kind custom winter masterpiece. The Numeric is based off of Scion’s xB model. Never before has a car been re-created, re-developed and re-invigorated in such a unique manner. Each aspect of the build was directly inspired from a product and brand that’s progressively pushed snowboarding to new levels.

Numeric: 686 and Scion Snowboarding Concept Car from 686 Technical Apparel on Vimeo.

Each involved brand brought a unique twist to Numeric’s look. The snow specific tires reflect NB686® snowboarding boots and are branded as New Balance® tires. The top of the car is designed like a Bern® protective carbon fiber helmet, complete with their patented brim technology. The windshield is designed from Dragon’s APX® frameless goggle and offers full peripheral view inside the car. The Sparco® modified seats are inspired from actual Union® team snowboard bindings and are constructed in a high-back cup shaped form. The sound system is engineered and designed by the Skullcandy® team, which used their premiere Aviator headphones as inspiration. GoPro® came in with their POV expertise in visual racing mirrors and interior mapping. Vestal® watches and their ZR-3 Chronograph inspired the custom built time gauges. The devil is in the details and Freewaters® sandals clearly did this in the first ever heated floor mats. BOA® Technology added their “dialed” in fit to the cars heating and cooling system. Recco® Avalanche Rescue systems supplied their sophisticated radar technology on the road and mountain terrain. Blind® skateboards legendary artist, Marc Mckee provided his custom touch to the interior panels. To finalize the winter shred story, 686’s technical textile background pushed manufacturing boundaries by successfully wrapping the world’s first and only fully functional waterproof and breathable snowboarding outerwear vehicle, complete with stitched panels, laser welded seams, waterproof zipper and mesh venting.

“The 686 Scion Numeric is a dream come true,” says Michael Akira West, president and creative director at 686. “What better way to celebrate our twentieth anniversary by doing something that’s never been done before? Every part of this build has a story and a separate product that it was inspired from. I’m psyched we were able to show it to the world, our way.”

“The 686 build is incredible,” says Steve Hatanaka, Scion auto show and special events manager, “The collaboration of the action sports lifestyle and automotive is a perfect fit for the Scion brand! The hard work of so many people and brands came together to make it happen, and we are very proud of the outcome. It is one of the most unique cars we’ve done to date and the synergy of the final product is amazing. We look forward to showcasing it during the auto show season, with tuner fans and at the action sports shows around the world.”

The action sports industry will get its first look at the vehicle in the 686 booth at SIA in Denver from January 26-29, 2012.

Sponsors and participants include: BOA Technology, 686 technical apparel, Scion Racing, Spin Imaging, MV Designz, Rokform,Roland Sands Designs, Light Force, Skullcandy, New Balance, Freewaters, Motegi Wheels, GoPro, Union Bindings, Cadence Apparel, Dragon Alliance, Bern Helmets, Vestal Watches, Blind Skateboards, and Recco Avalanche Rescue System.