Jan. 5--At the beginning of every year, the Camera business staff puts together a short list of companies -- either based or have a significant presence in Boulder and Broomfield counties -- that are expected to make some waves in the coming dozen months.

Here are our picks for 2009:

ConocoPhillips

Headquarters: Houston

Description: An integrated energy company with interests around the world.

Founded: 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Co.; merged with Phillips Petroleum Co. in 2002

Employees: 33,600 companywide

It may be a couple of years before the first phase of ConocoPhillips' Louisville site is operational, but that doesn't mean the coming year should be uneventful in terms of the energy company's big Boulder County move.

The Houston-based ConocoPhillips was revealed early last year as the buyer of the campus off U.S. 36 that formerly was the headquarters of Storage Technology Corp. ConocoPhillips officials have said the 432-acre site will be home to an energy research facility and a learning center to train employees from more than 40 countries.

As soon as this spring, those proposals could get a lot more detailed. Louisville city officials said they expect ConocoPhillips to submit design plans for review by the second quarter.

Crocs Inc.

Headquarters: Niwot

Description: Designer, manufacturer and retailer of footwear for men, women and children under the Crocs brand.

Founded: 1999

Employees: Less than 3,000 worldwide, 450 locally

2008 was "a very tough year" for the maker of funky footwear, Crocs' chief executive officer told investors and analysts during a conference call after the company recorded sinking sales and a net loss of $148 million during the third quarter.

After a couple years of skyrocketing growth, the Niwot company saw demand for its products and the value of its once $90-plus common stock shrink to above $1 amidst a weakening economy and a struggling retail sector.

So officials took actions to "right-size" the company's operations, including closing manufacturing facilities and shifting work to sub-contractors; shutter acquired operations such as hockey equipment maker Fury; adjust its global distribution platform to be in line with reduced inventory; and reducing its worldwide employee count by 2,100 people -- at least 100 people were laid off locally --from the third quarter of 2007.

Company officials did not release any guidance for its 2009 earnings, but have said that, outside of the restructuring plans, they plan to implement strategies to broaden awareness of Crocs' entire footwear collection. The next 12 months could be very telling in terms of how restructuring and other company-initiated actions -- as well as ongoing patent, class action and escalator-related litigation -- will affect the business.

DigitalGlobe Inc.

Headquarters: Longmont

Description: Provider of high-resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products.

Founded: 1994 incorporated as EarthWatch Inc.; changed name to DigitalGlobe in 2001

Employees: 425 companywide, 400 locally

In April, DigitalGlobe, which has its satellite imagery used by the likes of Google and Microsoft in their mapping programs, filed paperwork for a future initial public offering.