Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from August 2006

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from August 2006

Colorado Springs-based Holland & Hart ranks among top 10 in pro bono work participation.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Holland & Hart among top pro bono firms Holland & Hart has been ranked among the top 10 firms in the nation based on pro bono participation, according to The American Layer's 2006 Pro Bono...

Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado announces new fraud.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Scammers using phones to entrap victims A new fraud, "vishing," has emerged during the past month, according to the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado. People are phoned at random by...

Colorado Springs Children's Literacy Center seeks volunteers for tutoring.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Children's literacy program needs volunteers The Children's Literacy Center is seeking volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring in reading for first- through sixth-grade students. Volunteers will...

The Pikes Peak region needs more state and federal transportation funding.
August 4, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Does the Pikes Peak region get its fair share of state and federal transportation funding? That question was asked to several local elected officials. To a man, and to a woman, they agreed: It doesn't. Randy Purvis,...

Bankruptcy may soon be unaffordable.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Going broke keeps getting more and more expensive. Since stricter bankruptcy laws went into effect last year, the cost of filing for bankruptcy has jumped 90 percent, and U.S. lawmakers are considering legislation that...

Colorado Springs wants a more vibrant downtown but fails to act on it.
August 4, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Wandering through downtown the other day, I was struck by the strange disconnect between what our businessmen, politicians and downtown promoters say as opposed to what they actually do. What they say: we want a...

Colorado Springs retail landlords find creative ways to attract and maintain good tenants.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley At a time when shopping centers built in the 1970s and 1980s along Academy Boulevard watch tenants opt for glossy new Powers Boulevard, North Academy Plaza or even Broadmoor Towne Center locations, retail landlords are...

McCord takes over as Penrose nursing officer.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Kate McCord considers nursing to be her calling. As the new chief nursing officer at Penrose-St. Francis Health System, she is facing a myriad of challenges. Her first move: to ensure Penrose...

Colorado-based Ent Federal Credit Union provides banking services on Colorado Springs college campus.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Ent Federal Credit Union, the region's largest financial institution, has signed a deal with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to exclusively provide banking services on the college's campus. As part of the...

Colorado-based Penrose-St. Francis Health Services seeks artists for new facility.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Penrose-St. Francis Health Services is seeking artists for a juried show which will run from Sept. 29 through Oct. 31. "As an artistically rich community, Penrose knows that there is a legion of local artists whose...

Commercial vacancy rate depends upon one's view.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Analysis of the local industrial market often includes automotive-related space. But that sometimes skews the picture, according to the summer 2006 Commercial Market Update by Steve Bach and Mike Helwege of Bach Real...

Researcher says a change in eating habits is an extension of previous trends.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson At the Institute of Food Technologists show, Harry Balzer, vice president of market research firm NPD Group, offered several insights about American eating habits. Whatever consumers say they are doing when it comes to...

Colorado statewide smoking ban results in missing ashtrays.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Will Harrington The statewide smoking ban that took effect July 1 has left bar hoppers, pub crawlers, smokers and non-smokers with one burning question: what happened to the ashtrays? At Phantom Canyon, most simply vanished....

Holland & Hart among top pro bono firms Holland & Hart has been ranked among the top 10 firms in the nation based on pro bono participation, according to The American Layer's 2006 Pro Bono Report.
August 4, 2006... Holland & Hart among top pro bono firms Holland & Hart has been ranked among the top 10 firms in the nation based on pro bono participation, according to The American Layer's 2006 Pro Bono Report. With more than 80 percent of the firm's...

Celebration Home cocktail buffet and wine tasting raises $43K for the Pikes Peak United Way.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Diane Wengler Despite a week of continuing showers, picture perfect weather was in store for the 260 guests attending the grand opening of this year's Celebration Home cocktail buffet and wine tasting July 13. The event raised more...

Colorado Spring Business Journal editor talks about an eight-hour wait at the Minneapolis airport.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd I can't stand to fly I'm not that naive Men weren't meant to ride With clouds between their knees -- Lyrics from the song "Superman" While there are times when I'm encapsulated within an aluminum tube 30-some-odd thousand...

Reckson Associates Realty Corp. sells itself to SL Green Realty Corp. to escape public scrutiny.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty In a move engineered to free Reckson Associates Realty Corp. from public scrutiny, the company has agreed to sell itself to SL Green Realty Corp., a competing real estate investment trust, for $6 billion. ...

Colorado Springs inline retail center breaks ground.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley The wait will soon be over for thousands of Black Forest, Northgate and north El Paso County residents hungry for the convenience of neighborhood services. The Shops at College Creek, a 24,000-square-foot inline retail...

The nation's 18- to 25-year-olds are positioned to have a major economic impact.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Move over boomers. Move over Xers. There are new kids in town -- and they're positioned to have a major economic impact. The nation's 18- to 25-year-olds, known as Generation Y, live at the forefront of a fast-paced...

Colorado Springs CEO focuses on constructing a 60-mile trail system around Pikes Peak.
August 11, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst For 15 years, Terry Sullivan worked to bring Colorado Springs a convention center that, in his opinion, the city desperately needed. But, in a stunning defeat for proponents, voters approved a ballot initiative in...

Denver makes committment to become a "Tier 1" city.
August 11, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak, the convention and visitors bureau, is hardly unique. More than 450 cities in the United States have similar organizations, as do hundreds of cities abroad. Almost all are...

Colorado's Doug Lamborn wins Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District.
August 11, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst So the votes are in, and Doug Lamborn grabbed the brass ring, with a less-than-overwhelming 27 percent of the vote in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District. Now here's the question that only...

Minnesota consultant helps Colorado Springs business owner close a business.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson When the last fixture is sold, it can make even the toughest businessman break down. But with the help of a direct marketing agency, the quitting business sale is often less of a headache. Steve Coker owns a consulting...

"New Home Finder" publisher speaks with Colorado Springs Business Journal.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff A lot of people want to call Colorado Springs home, and in order to do that, they need to buy one. That's the premise on which Paige Whitacre's business is built. She's the publisher of...

Colorado Springs market for J.P. Morgan Chase names John H. Kitchen president.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer John H. Kitchen has been named president of the Colorado Springs market for J.P. Morgan Chase. The announcement comes after former president Wayne Paton left Chase earlier this summer for a job as president of small...

Colorado's Trauma Advisory Council re-designates Level II Trauma Center.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Following a review by the American College of Surgeons, the Colorado Department of Health State Emergency and Trauma Advisory Council has unanimously voted to re-designate Memorial Health System's Level II Trauma...

Colorado Springs U.S. Water Purification finds new headquarters.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley U.S. Water Purification has expanded into a new facility at 2850 N. El Paso St., moving from its former location at 911 E. Fillmore. After more than a year of scouring the industrial landscape for a property that...

Home Depot grows its wholesale unit.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Home Depot is quietly growing its wholesale unit. The company will still be available for the homeowner and the everyday handyman, but it's also going heavy duty. Under the direction of General Electric veteran Bob...

Some high-tech wonders are now obsolete.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Some are now obsolete, like the ill-conceived I-loo that put Internet services in public bathrooms. Some, like Windows Millennium edition, have been replaced with better products. Others live in infamy on Web sites,...

Colorado Springs revenue changes will inhibit city's ability to pay for basic services.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Lon Matejczyk There is a ballot initiative before the courts that would wreak havoc on the ability of our city to pay for basic services, not to mention improvements. Revenue Changes and Deficit Spending, if they make the ballot...

Colorado Springs literacy program needs volunteers.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Children's literacy program needs volunteers The Children's Literacy Center is seeking volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring in reading for first- through sixth-grade students. Volunteers...

Standard & Poor's Rating Services affirms a stable outlook for Colorado Springs Airport Revenue Bonds.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Airport revenue bonds' 'A-' rating affirmed Standard & Poor's Rating Services has affirmed it's "A-" rating and a stable outlook for Colorado Springs Airport Revenue Bonds, according to...

Son buys two of father's Colorado-based radio stations.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Son buys radio stations from father DJR Broadcasting has purchased two Colorado Radio stations, KCBR AM-1040 and KCMN AM-1530, from the Crawford Broadcasting Co. Don Crawford Jr. is the owner...

Pikes Peak Advertising Federation elects its 2006-07 board officers.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Pikes Peak Advertising Federation elects officers The Pikes Peak Advertising Federation has selected its board officers for 2006-07. Karole Campbell of Comcast Spotlight will serve as...

California-based Agilent Technologies Inc. acquires Xpedion Design Systems Inc.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Agilent acquires new company Agilent Technologies Inc. is acquiring Xpedion Design Systems Inc., a privately held company that provides software for wireless and high-speed digital circuits...

National defense program wins Outstanding Technical and Product Support award.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal National defense program wins award RMB Products Inc. of Fountain has received the Outstanding Technical and Product Support award from Northrop Grumman Space Technologies. The award acknowledges...

Individual insurance plans become more popular as employers' premium costs rise.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine As the number of uninsured people in Colorado continues to rise -- and businesses drop coverage for employees or their dependents -- insurance companies are attempting to bridge the gap with individual insurance...

City of Colorado Springs establishes a "Solicitation Exclusion Zone".
August 18, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst The City of Colorado Springs intends to establish a "Solicitation Exclusion Zone," which would include most of downtown, according to Police Commander Kurt Pillard, who heads the Gold Hill Division, which includes...

Colorado Springs-based Profit System sells for $9.2M to private equity firm.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer On July 31, a little-known Colorado Springs business, Profit Systems, was sold to a private equity firm for $9.2 million. The sale represents what is likely the first private equity purchase in Colorado Springs, and it...

Colorado Springs local government to blame for prolonged recession.
August 18, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Fifteen years ago, Springs voters narrowly approved two tax reduction/tax limitation charter amendments, both sponsored by a then-obscure anti-tax activist, Douglas Bruce. After a prolonged local recession,...

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center CEO debunks museum director image.
August 18, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Art museums are often perceived as elitist guardians of high culture, or as forbiddingly didactic educational institutions or as contemptuous of the beliefs and values of the very visitors whom they seek to attract....

Nonprofit food organization launches new campaign to raise $6M for food storage warehouse.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff New Care and Share Food Bank president and CEO Nicholas Saccaro has a lot on his plate. There are more than 130,000 adults, children and senior citizens in southern Colorado suffering from...

Colorado Springs-based Rainsberger Wealth Advisors receives national recognition.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer For the fifth consecutive year, Rainsberger Wealth Advisors has received national recognition from Bloomberg's Wealth Manager Magazine as one of the nation's premier wealth management and consulting firms. In the...

Healthcare organization to test performance measures of psychiatric inpatient services.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has launched an initiative to test and implement a set of core performance measures for hospital-based inpatient psychiatric services. The five...

Manufacturers are letting consumers personalize their purchases.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson In an age of personalized Web sites, iPods and a focus on the individual, it should come as no surprise that more companies are letting consumers personalize their purchases. For a price, buyers can get customized...

Amnet Inc. in rare company among Microsoft partners.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine When Amnet Inc. took over the information technology contract at Mitsui Advanced Media-America, the office of 40 ran on eight different servers, some of which couldn't communicate with each other. The company's...

Climate-controlled malls remain dominant for retail sales.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Since the 1950s launch of climate-controlled malls, shopping centers have had to evolve with changing trends and lifestyles. And although speculation about their demise continues, these popular destinations remain the...

Children's literacy program needs volunteers.
August 18, 2006... Children's literacy program needs volunteers The Children's Literacy Center is seeking volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring in reading for first- through sixth-grade students. Volunteers will tutor one child two hours a week for 12 weeks...

The Broadmoor's new Colorado Hall hosts The Colorado Festival of World Theatre's Gala.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Diane Wengler Street Theatre performers entertained guests as they arrived at The Colorado Festival of World Theatre's Gala last month at The Broadmoor's new Colorado Hall. Mary Ellen McNally chaired the gala attended by more than...

The needs of Colorado Springs community outpace charity earnings.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd The Pikes Peak United Way has launched its 2006-07 fundraising campaign, and apparently the needs of the community are continuing to outpace the generosity of the community. Last year the organization raised more than...

Colorado's export revenue increases 18 percent.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Colorado's export revenue growth was slightly stronger during the first half of 2006 than the national average, thanks in large part to resurgence in computer chip demand. According to a state midyear report, export...

Colorado doctors branch out into commercial real estate.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado doctors are following a national trend and branching out into a new line of business - commercial real estate. One example is Dr. Kevin Weary, who has teamed with Mike Heritage of London Real Estate Group...

How are rankings created.
August 25, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst "The kudos keep on coming!" Such was the subscript of a giddy, triumphal e-mail from Dave White at the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp., giving your columnist (and hundreds of other recipients)...

Safetran building in Colorado Springs schedules transformation.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley "Carpe diem" appears to be the motto for the Pikes Peak region's heated commercial real estate market. Take the $2 million sale of the Safetran Traffic Systems Inc. building at 1485 Garden of the Gods Road, for...

Colorado Springs' Douglas A. Comstock has a lot to show for his life.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Douglas A. Comstock has a lot to show for his life. With a portfolio containing more than 3 million square feet of retail and another 7.5 million square feet of hotel/commercial architectural...

Mutual fund board rule change nears deadline.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Aug. 28 marks the last day to submit comment about the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposal for stricter mutual fund rules. The deadline will likely signify an end to a months-long battle between the SEC,...

Colorado Board of Pharmacy suspends Western State Pharmacy for selling medication over internet.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Colorado Board of Pharmacy has suspended Western States Pharmacy for selling medication over the Internet without an appropriate prescription. The board also filed a notice of charges against Wendell Almeida,...

Colorado Springs apartment sales have picked up dramatically.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Doug Carter of Sperry Van Ness Colorado Springs has closed on his third multifamily deal in eight weeks. Apartment sales, which had lagged behind last year's sales through the first half of 2006, have picked up...

Fashion industry brings sustainability into style.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Walk into a trendy boutique and you might find a shirt made from corn, pants sewn from bamboo or a dress made from wood pulp. It's out with the drab organic cotton and hemp fashion and in with the seaweed and soy...

Phoenix Cutter Aviation buys Colorado Aviation Inc.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Arizona company buys Colorado Aviation Cutter Aviation of Phoenix has acquired Colorado Aviation Inc., a fixed base operation at the Colorado Springs Airport. Colorado Aviation operates on a...

More hotels jump on the smoke-free bandwagon.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Smokers' options for lighting up away from home are continuing to dwindle. Hotels such as Marriott and Westin are joining restaurants and bars as smoke-free havens, and others are contemplating the change. Starwood...

Colorado experiences huge growth in the outdoor industry.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine People are escaping outdoors in increasing numbers, creating a $730 billion industry, the third largest in the country. More than 159 million people played outside in 2004, and Colorado is leading the way in outdoor...

Government entity helps 53 Colorado companies obtain loans to manufacture and export goods overseas.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine A little-known government entity is responsible for helping 53 Colorado companies - with a total export value of nearly $236 million -- obtain loans to manufacture and export goods overseas. The Export-Import Bank...

World economic growth may soon see slowdown.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd After more than a year of upbeat forecasts, corporate and academic economists are predicting a cooling in the world economic climate during the next six months, according to the latest quarterly World Economic Survey by...

Colorado Springs entrepreneur opens a new pizza restaurant.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson About six months ago, local entrepreneur Rick Young came up with a concept for a pizzeria called Delish Pizza. He then sold two of his Copy It copy centers, keeping one location downtown, in order to open two shops in...

The sale of dark chocolate soars due to claims of certain health-related benefits.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson The sale of dark chocolate has soared, perhaps because of the publicity about certain health-related benefits. New packaging proclaims Special Dark as a "natural source of flavanol antioxidants." Dark chocolate sales...

Advertisers use the conveyor belt at the checkout line as a new venue to grab shoppers' attention.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Advertisers have a new venue for grabbing the shopper's attention -- conveyor belts at the checkout line. For now, it is local advertisers such as the real estate agents and insurance brokers reserving the ad space,...

Retailers are expected to show healthy information technology budget and capital expenditure growth in 2006.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Retailers are expected to show healthy information technology budget and capital expenditure growth in 2006, according to the third annual Retail IT Budgeting Study conducted by National Retail Federation and AMR...

Colorado Springs Hertz Rent-a-Car office renews lease for another five years.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Reporting in this week was Gene Scalf, a native Kentuckian who moved to Colorado Springs six years ago via California. The "old country farm boy" called in to advise the CSBJ about the renewal of a Hertz Rent-a-Car...

Colorado Springs-based Spectrum Rehabilitation joins Skyway Village Shopping Center.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Spectrum Rehabilitation, a physical therapy center has leased 16,675 square feet at 810 Arcturus Drive in the Skyway Village Shopping Center off 8th St. The property was listed by Jay Carlson and Michael Roslin of...

Colorado-based The Holly Leaf leases storefront space in Colorado City.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley The Holly Leaf has leased 2,947 square feet of storefront space at 2514 W. Colorado Ave. The retailer will focus on year-round Christmas item sales. The seller, 2314 LLC, is a local owner. Jeff Kaiser of Kaiser...

Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services goes to beirut.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff Catholic Relief Services has opened a Beirut office to coordinate Lebanese relief efforts. While almost all of the nearly 1 million people who fled during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon have returned after being...