ColoradoBiz articles from December 2007

ColoradoBiz archives from December 2007

Ritter throws unions a bone.(COTE'S COLORADO)(Ritter, Bill (American governor) works for workers benefit)
December 1, 2007... So it seems managers and supervisors in state agencies don't listen closely enough to ideas coming from the rank and file, Gov. Bill Ritter says. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The solution? Give unions a greater say in Colorado...

A waitress with a plan: want to stand out? Specialize in having ideas.(ON MANAGEMENT)(making business creativity strong)
December 1, 2007... When things are in a knot and progress is at a standstill, everyone turns to give undivided attention to the person who says, "I've got an idea!" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It happens all the time in every aspect of our lives. And doing it...

Website paradigms business leaders should keep in mind.(GUEST COLUMN)
December 1, 2007... There are three new paradigms for website development that business leaders should be thinking about when considering their Web strategy over the next five years: rich Internet applications (RIA), Web 2.0 in the enterprise, and usability as...

Executive edge: Pat Butler; CEO of Club Acquisition Co. wants resorts to embrace the environment.(attitude at altitude)
December 1, 2007... Pat Butler would never consider himself to be a "tree hugger," yet the chief executive officer of Denver-based Club Acquisition Co. talks passionately about the Sea Turtle Sanctuary at his Estrella del Mar Golf and Beach Resort in Mazatlan,...

Mountain dreams made to order: Wagner Custom handcrafts skis for the high-end market.(attitude at altitude)
December 1, 2007... Set off Colorado Highway 145 in the minuscule town of Placerville, in a small peach stucco building with giant solar panels on the roof, is Wagner Custom. The only sign outside is a red star. No name, nothing that screams "ski manufacturer."...

mShopper (a dba for 2B Wireless Inc.).(TECH STARTUP OF THE MONTH)(using mobile phones for shopping)(Company overview)
December 1, 2007... INITIAL LIGHT BULB: "I literally woke up in the middle of the night and had this idea, the whole nine yards," said David Gould, CEO and founder of mShopper. The concept: a company focused on technology to make cell phones shopping tools....

2007 CEO of the year: Chipotle's Steve Ells pursues fast-casual perfection.(Occupation overview)
December 1, 2007... "I ate the first burrito. Steve prepared it for me at his house. It wasn't even Chipotle yet. It was 1992ish, I was back in town, and Steve called me up and asked my father and me to go to his house for dinner that night. I would ALWAYS...

Surviving the 'long, hard slog': economist expects modest growth in '08; execs commiserate about lack of good hires.
December 1, 2007... From a meeting room atop the Fairmont Hotel, the 16 people gathered to discuss the 2008 economy could see the San Francisco skyline draped in gray as a steady rain pelted the asphalt. A good setting for the ColoradoBiz Economic Roundtable,...

From mansions to mobile homes: the Black Forest area north of Colorado Springs is home to a diverse mix of properties.(WHO OWNS COLORADO)(residential real estate develops and gains revenue )
December 1, 2007... Legend says Colorado's Black Forest gained its exotic name when its stands of Ponderosa Pine made an early German immigrant nostalgic for the Old Country. The area north of Colorado Springs is an anomaly, an oddly manicured-looking forest...

Golden firm masters fine art of shipping.(ON SMALL BIZ)(occupation overview of Diane Gibson employee of Pak Mail Centers of America Inc.)(Occupation overview)
December 1, 2007... Diane Gibson was an executive for Pak Mail Centers of America when she noticed an absence of companies that could pick up, insure and ship large items--not just Christmas gifts or trophies or gold watches. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] So 17...

Sweet and Saucy sauces.(colorado cool STUFF)(managment of Sweet and Saucy Inc. )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Mother-daughter team Jane and Erin Jones--"Queen of All Things Chocolate" and "High Priestess of Caramel," respectively--started making preservative- and chemical-free caramel and chocolate sauces to give as staff gifts at their day jobs in the...

English Retreads.(colorado cool STUFF)(makes bag from vintage rubber)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Floating down Boulder Creek in 2001, Heather English had an epiphany. Needing a new bag, the hard-core vegetarian decided she'd make one from what she was floating on: a used inner tube. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "People really seemed to...

Piano Wizard.(colorado cool STUFF)(Allegro Multimedia gives product information)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... In 2001, Allegro Multimedia CEO Chris Salter came up with a concept--initially named Piano Commando--for a video game that would teach kids music while they played it by hitting keys at the right time. Soon the moniker became the "much...

Small Blue Bear.(colorado cool STUFF)(Lawrence Argent creates miniatures)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Five years ago, while proposing his public art masterpiece I see what you mean, a.k.a. the Big Blue Bear, at the Colorado Convention Center, sculptor and DU professor Lawrence Argent had a miniature prototype made from his digital design. ...

Stan Kroenke's British invasion.(SPORTS BIZ)(Kroenke Sports Enterprises)
December 1, 2007... The Colorado Avalanche is trying to regain its sellout luster and the Denver Nuggets are Carmello-ing their way through the NBA grind. It's just another autumn at Pepsi Center, aka the House that Stanley Built. (Err, bought.) [ILLUSTRATION...

If we're gonna go green, go big.(RUNDLES WRAP-UP)
December 1, 2007... Lately, it seems, everything is going "green," and it is now suddenly trendy to be an environmentalist. I get e-mails from people with a little note that says, "Save the planet: Please don't print this message." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...