ColoradoBiz articles from March 2009

ColoradoBiz archives from March 2009

Smoking through the recession: Longmont restaurateurs have big dreams for barbecue in Boulder and beyond.(COTE'S colorado)(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... On a warm Saturday in February, a lunch crowd builds at The Rib House in Longmont's Prospect neighborhood. The Grateful Dead's "Truckin" wafts through the dining room, and the scent of smoked meat hangs in the air. Tucked away several blocks...

Learn to dance in the rain: sometimes the only choice turns into the best choice you ever dreamed of.(on MANAGEMENT)
March 1, 2009... I wasn't so sure I wanted to be doing what we were about to do. Everyone aboard the boat, a sailing cruiser with about 130 souls who had paid to be here along with half again as many crew, were gathering on the sea-level deck preparing to get...

Launching the next space age: Colorado Springs symposium gathers global space leaders.(GUEST column)(Column)
March 1, 2009... This month, the Space Foundation launches "The Next Space Age." That's our theme for the 25th National Space Symposium, the premier annual gathering of the global space community. As it suggests, the symposium will reflect major shifts in the...

Rethinking Russia's importance on the global stage.(the ECONOMIST)
March 1, 2009... I spent the first half of January in the little stanitsa (a village large enough to have a church) of Ust Khopiorskya, deep in the Cossack region of south-western Russia. Ten of us - five Americans and five Russians - traveled the 20 hours by...

Avon ski maker bets on bamboo.(MANUFACTURING)
March 1, 2009... While attending a ski industry trade show in Las Vegas in 2003, James Satloff won enough money playing craps to launch a ski company in the heart of Colorado's mountain-resort country with co-founder Dan Chalfant. A bamboo ski company. ...

"Is he hiring?".(ON THE RECORD)
March 1, 2009... --Audience member at the Startup Junkie Underground program in Westminster in January after 14-year-old Philip Hartman of Fiberlight International described the method he devised to fuse optical fibers. Hartman won the Young Inventor of the...

By the numbers.(STATE OF THE STATE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... No. 1-Denver's rank among the nation's most desirable places to live, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. Nearly 2,300 adults were interviewed for the survey, which was part of a broader study on where and why people move. ...

Denver Enterprise Zone expanded.(DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... More businesses in Denver will now be eligible for special state tax incentives available through the city's Enterprise Zone following a recommendation by the Office of Economic Development to expand the zone's boundaries to include Morrison...

Channel 7 and ColoradoBiz on "The Road to Recovery".(MEDIA)(KMGH-TV (Denver, Colorado))(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... As the economy continues to challenge businesses and consumers, KMGH Channel 7 and ColoradoBiz are collaborating on stories that explore how businesses are coping--and succeeding--despite the downturn. Look for new installments of "The Road to...

Total properties sold 2008 vs. 2009.(METRO DENVER)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... TOTAL PROPERTIES SOLD 2008 VS. 2009 2008 2009 JAN 2,987 -17.3% 2,469 FEB 3,001 MAR 3,709 APR 4,265 MAY 4,664 JUNE 4,845 JULY 5,123 AUG 4,452 SEPT 4,265...

Average sales price 2008 vs. 2009.(METRO DENVER)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... AVERAGE SALES PRICE 2008 VS. 2009 2008 2009 JAN $257 -16.9% $213 FEB $255 MAR $254 APR $248 MAY $256 JUNE $267 JULY $262 AUG $261 SEPT $239 OCT ...

Single-Family units sold Dec. 2007 vs. Dec. 2008.(COLORADOBIZ [Real Estate Roundup])(Statistical table)
March 1, 2009... SINGLE-FAMILY UNITS SOLD DEC. 2007 VS. DEC. 2008 COLORADO 2007 2008 PERCENT 2007 2008 PERCENT LOCATION UNITS UNITS CHANGE MEDIAN MEDIAN CHANGE SOLD SOLD Metro 2,784 2,648...

Second homes on hold: mountain resort sales have plummeted, but prices haven't.(Q1 REAL ESTATE REPORT)
March 1, 2009... Here's a quick quiz for avid ColoradoBiz readers. Which of the following does not belong: a ) the Fall of Carthage, b) the Rape of the Sabines; c) the Chicago Fire; d) the Hindenburg Disaster; e) Hurricane Andrew; f) Hurricane Katrina; g) the...

Dale Mingilton: banking veteran takes over as CEO of Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau.(EXECUTIVE EDGE)
March 1, 2009... Growing up poor in Denver's Five Points neighborhood, Dale Mingilton viewed success in batches of cookies. "I would see the Keebler cookie plant and thought that's all there was--that I'd grow up and make cookies for a living," said...

Notes from a futurist: as we face challenges, we'll emerge with a better world.(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... Even though big oil has taken a beating in the press and an army of innovators is working overtime to develop alternatives, oil remains our most important energy source, the lifeblood of the American economy. Over the coming years,...

Long, strange trip for Frontier: Airline eyes return to upright position after profitable quarter.(FEATURE)(Frontier Airlines Inc.)
March 1, 2009... When Frontier Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April last year, the carrier was the fourth to file for bankruptcy within a few weeks. But while Aloha, ATA, and Skybus ceased operations, Denver-based Frontier is not only...

The new bottom line--Denver to Dubai to Delhi: 4th annual sustainable opportunities summit March 17-19, 2009 Colorado convention center, Denver.(Global Sustainability)(Calendar)
March 1, 2009... Sustainable Opportunities Summit Program At A Glance Tuesday, March 17 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Summit Prep 101: Green Business Fundamentals - Sustainability, Carbon and More 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM Grenoble-Isere,...

Sustainability spells opportunity for Colorado business: fourth annual summit gathers business, government and environmental leaders.
March 1, 2009... Amid declining sales, widespread layoffs and retrenchment, the 2009 Sustainable Opportunities Summit will offer welcome reminders of Colorado's bright future in a global economy transitioning to renewable energy and producing more with less of...

CORE speaker spotlights.(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... More than 50 business, environmental and government leaders are scheduled to deliver keynote addresses and participate in panel discussions at the 2009 Sustainable Opportunities Summit. Here's a sampling of some of the participants. ERIC...

Mitch Jackson.(FedEx Corp. )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... MITCH JACKSON: STAFF DIRECTOR, FEDEX CORP. ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND SUSTAINABILITY Mitch Jackson provides strategic direction and management of environmental, energy management and sustainability issues for FedEx Corp. He holds a...

Marilyn Johnson.(Information Handling Services Group Inc. )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... MARILYN JOHNSON: DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR IHS INC. Marilyn Johnson joined IHS in March 2008 through the acquisition of Dolphin Software, where she is responsible for New Initiatives, a program that...

Bill Wright.(Kaiser Permanente )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... BILL WRIGHT: EXECUTIVE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, PRESIDENT, KAISER PERMANENTE COLORADO William Wright, MD, was named executive medical director and president of the Colorado Permanente Medical Group in 2007. In this role, Wright is responsible for...

No wall around China: sustainable policies must be global to be effective.
March 1, 2009... Coal is the miracle fuel, potent and plentiful. It has been at the heart of U.S. prosperity, providing 49 percent of electricity, a form of energy so useful we often just call it "power." In coal-rich Colorado, nearly 70 percent of electricity...

Alternative transportation for your employees.(GUEST voice)
March 1, 2009... A top green initiative your company can do to significantly reduce its environmental footprint is to provide alternative transportation programs, benefits and incentives to your employees. Implementing employee carpools, bike to work, public...

Sun and shadow: while green energy is blossoming in Colorado--thanks in large part to political incentives--oil and gas is pulling back as low prices curb profits.(PLANET-PROFIT REPORT)
March 1, 2009... Having a hands-on job in the Colorado energy business used to mean roughnecking on a rig or laying natural-gas pipe. Jonah Coles' energy job involves laying silicon sheets on roofs. Coles, 30, leads a solar panel-installation crew for...

17th annual Colorado Ethics in Business Alliance Awards: the power of the greater good is a tonic for tough times.(PLANET-PROFIT REPORT)
March 1, 2009... When people are focused on keeping their businesses alive and hanging onto their houses, celebrating ethical business practices and community involvement are more important than ever. When headlines chronicle the carnage from Bernie...

Boulder Valley Credit Union.(sustainability SPOTLIGHT)(Company overview)
March 1, 2009... SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES: Some companies say they're green, but you walk into their offices and see aluminum cans in the trash and employees drinking their morning coffee from Styrofoam cups. None of that happens at Boulder Valley Credit...

Jet stream in green: a Centennial Air Force vet is betting aviation fuels made from nonpolluting renewable sources will take flight. Front Range firms are among those developing them.
March 1, 2009... Talk about your audacity of hope. George Bye has nothing just yet to offer as a business. He has no goods, no services, not even a technology of his own. He does have a company name, Bye Energy, and a handful of company officers. ...

Lengthy bed rest begets online baby store.(SMALL biz)(modernmommygear.com)
March 1, 2009... A wireless Internet connection helped Robin Morris pass the time during 17 weeks of pregnancy-induced bed rest. But those hours of surfing--including a lot of browsing for baby products--also inspired her to make the leap from corporate career...

Hivelive Inc.(COMPANY)(Company overview)
March 1, 2009... INITIAL LIGHT BULB: Brothers John and Geoff Kembel wanted a means of better keeping in touch with one another and spun the resulting technology off into a new startup company, HiveLive. "It started with our own need of connecting and sharing...

Growing Spaces.(small biz COLORADO COOL STUFF)
March 1, 2009... In the late 1980s, Udgar Parsons was inspired by a pair of geodesic-dome greenhouses that grew vegetables year-round at John Denver's Windstar Foundation outside Aspen. Setting out "to make an affordable version" for a broader market, Parsons...

Mock Stars.(small biz COLORADO COOL STUFF)(Book review)
March 1, 2009... Denver Post scribe John Wenzel dives into the frenetic, surreal world of indie comedy headfirst with his sharply written "Mock Stars." Wenzel melds his own first-person take and dissects a scene that sits squarely at the intersection of...

Solar Roast Coffee.(small biz COLORADO COOL STUFF)
March 1, 2009... In 2004, brothers and Oregon natives Michael and David Hartkop devised a business plan. With five years in the coffee business under his belt, Michael wanted to buy a roaster. David, who was in the solar energy field, wanted to build one. The...

Elisabethan: "clothes with a history".(small biz COLORADO COOL STUFF)
March 1, 2009... In 1996, Elisabeth Delehaunty moved to Colorado from the East Coast and launched her clothing company, Elisabethan, from Crested Butte. Sourcing her fabric from the racks at thrift shops, the "recycler/designer" started patching together and...

Broomfield's dream deferred.(SPORTS biz)
March 1, 2009... "If you build it, people will come," went the storied line from the movie "Field of Dreams." The theory worked wonders for a fictional Iowa farmer. But it hasn't come true in Broomfield, where a sporting-event arena conceived as part of an...

The Twilight Zone.(RUNDLES wrap-up)(Economic conditions)(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... Working on a project the other day, I had the occasion to peruse the "Vows" column--wedding announcements--in The New York Times, and I was struck by how many of the entries, while discussing the bride's and groom's professional lives, said...