Mike Freeman, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Innosphere, finally has taken control of the organization that he helped build as chief financial officer of the city of Fort Collins.

Freeman, who engineered the financial deal for the Innosphere’s new building, has spent the last few months as a CSU Ventures consultant. He had not been able to start immediately at the Innosphere because of an ethics law that prohibits government officials from being employed with private-sector groups in which they were involved in financial dealings within six months.

Now, Freeman appears to be inheriting a solid operation that has benefited from the commitment of Innosphere staffers and board members. But he knows he has more work to do.

Freeman has already taken steps to further develop the organization. With the departure of the Innosphere’s chief operating officer, he has hired Northern Colorado financial services veteran Doug Johnson as vice president for capital access.

Freeman no doubt will draw on his public and private-sector background and four years as an Innosphere board member to aid clean-energy, technology and scientific startups at the Innosphere. His main focus in the coming months will be