Boise Business Wins Prestigious Award 

A Boise-based company has won a national award from the Department of Energy. 

Information technology consulting firm CRI Advantage has been named the DOE's 2008 small business of the year for its work with the Idaho National Laboratory.

CRI provides help desk services and cyber security for the INL.

The company's leaders will receive the award at the Department of Energy small business conference Wednesday in Long Beach, Calif. 

We caught up with them before they flew out of Boise this morning. 

"We're really hoping to use this as an opportunity to develop more relationships out of state and bring more business back to Idaho. We do a lot of work remotely for our customers and we can do a lot of business in Idaho for agencies all around the country," said CRI Advantage President Gary Brookshier.

"To have an Idaho company that has survived this recession, changed its business strategy and a won a national award is a real feather in the cap," said Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick. 

CRI Advantage has about 80 employees in the Treasure Valley and 40 in Idaho Falls.