Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from February 2009

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from February 2009

Colorado Springs HR professional says communication key to productivity, boosting bottom line.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn When facts are few, opinions loom large. - Karl Jung When C-level executives converge behind closed doors for several hours and emerge tight-lipped and grim faced, only to scuttle away if employees dare to approach --...

Colorado could lose jobs if employer-madated health insurance coverage legislation passes.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado could lose 50,000 jobs if employer-mandated health insurance coverage is passed by the state legislature. According to a study by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, requiring employers to...

LEED projects emerge from Pikes Peak region.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Like much of the West, the Pikes Peak region has been eager to embrace energy-efficient, sustainable building design -- and already boasts its share of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-designated...

Commentary: Time for Uncle Sugar to start trimming the corporate fat.
February 6, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Is there a business in our great country that isn't slashing payroll, cutting expenses and trying to become more efficient as the recession deepens? Is there a CEO who isn't following the example of former General...

Commentary: Don't be one of the suckers incorporated every minute.
February 6, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Many businesses in Colorado Springs have received an official-looking Annual Minutes Disclosure Statement from the Colorado Compliance Recorder. Headed Important -- read notification statement before completing this...

Q&A with Manoj Pawar, chief medical officer of Memorial Health System in Colorado Springs.
February 6, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Although Manoj Pawar has only been in Colorado Springs for three weeks, he's hit the ground running as chief medical officer of Memorial Health System. Pawar, who received his medical degree from McGill University in...

Commentary: Waiting out the winter of our investing discontent.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Tis the season for economic forums, and not a moment too soon, as investors and consumers are nervous. Nervous, but not out of the game, for Americans are resilient, if not foolhardy. What we fear most is -- the...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: February 6, 2009.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine In the United States, nearly 13 percent of adults 20 and older have diabetes, but 40 percent of them have not been diagnosed, according to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: February 6, 2009.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley A 4.54-acre $6.5 million office/warehouse development at 7215 E. Highway 24 that's been almost five years in the planning has received approval from the El Paso County Board of Commissioners. The original owner, now...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: February 6, 2009.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater The Markets at Mesa Ridge is preparing to take advantage of troop increases at Fort Carson. The center has added a 12,000 square-foot building, which will house an Ent Federal Credit Union, Little Caesar's and Papa...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: February 6, 2009.
February 6, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff CASA needs child advocates CASA of the Pikes Peak Region is seeking volunteers to help represent victims of child abuse, neglect and severe domestic conflict. An open house is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at...

Commentary: Gallup Poll offers gloomy forecast for GOP.
February 6, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Last year, the Gallup Poll conducted more than 350,000 interviews with Americans in all 50 states, as it constructed its daily tracking interviews. Last week, Gallup released data describing party affiliation -- which,...

Commentary: Denver wooing rugby test.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk There is discussion about the Bledisloe rugby cup coming to Denver. This is the annual rivalry between the All Blacks, New Zealand's national team, and the Wallaby's, Australia's national team. According to the Rugby...

Commentary: Study break: Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy skepticism.
February 6, 2009... Byline: Mike Boyd The Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. is paying $160,000 for a consultant to conduct a study to tell us what we need to do to increase our economic vitality. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a...

Daily newspapers are in decline across country.
February 13, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst For more than 140 years, at least one daily newspaper has been published every day in the Pikes Peak region. The daily miracle, as newspaper people like to call it, has occurred without fail through booms and busts,...

Aggressive marketing during the recession by Colorado firms.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Nationwide, many businesses and consumers are in a wait-and-see mode, or ducking for financial cover. But some local businesses have ramped up or started first-time marketing and advertising campaigns -- knowing that...

Commentary: We might be stimulating ourselves right into a 12-step program.
February 13, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Change we can believe in. Remember that wonderfully hopeful slogan? Now it seems so... well, dated. As consumer confidence falls to its lowest level in decades, as jobs evaporate and as Washington returns to its...

Commercial real estate industry forecasters emphasize stability, doldrums of Pikes Peak market.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Interpreting today's residential and commercial real estate market trends could be a full-time job. Fortunately, a number of organizations are doing their best to read the industry's tea leaves in order to guide...

Q&A with Lillian M. Allen, regional manager of Pueblo Bank & Trust.
February 13, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff When Lillian M. Allen was 9, the post office near her home was robbed. The FBI's investigation left such a positive impression on her that Allen thought she'd grow up to be an FBI agent. But during high school, she liked...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: February 13, 2009.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn The forecast gods smiled on us -- we've been pretty much bang on for the past several years, said Bill Greiner, chief investment officer for UMB Asset Management, and the Business Week stock market forecaster of the...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: February 13, 2009.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment has been recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials as public health ready and will be part of the 2009 Preparedness Summit in...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: February 13, 2009.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley A 16,000-square-foot office building at 620 S. Cascade Ave. has been purchased for $2.1 million by Graeme Cloutte of Cloutte & Associates, a local CPA firm. Ted Link and Brian Norton of Cascade Commercial Group...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: February 13, 2009.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater The Cold Stone Creamery at 2130 Southgate Road in the Broadmoor Towne Center re-opened Feb. 12 with a new owner and management. Gene Bergmeier, owner of the Cold Stone Creamery at First and Main Towne Center, purchased...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: February 13, 2009.
February 13, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Kutak Rock top bond counsel firm Kutak Rock LLP has been ranked as the No. 1 municipal bond counsel firm in Colorado for 2008 by Thomson Reuters. The company was responsible for 75 municipal financings aggregating more...

Commentary: It's time for Feds to skin the fat cats.
February 13, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff In an absorbing account of the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America merger that the financial crisis forced upon the two firms, Louise Story and Julie Cresswell of the New York Times painted a picture of greed, dysfunction and...

Commentary: Locals will always need newspapers.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk I love newspapers -- weekly, daily -- it really doesn't matter. I have been newspapering (if you can use that as a verb) pretty much since swallowing the anchor (stopped being a professional sea captain) and came back...

Commentary: More helpful advice for slogging through the economic muck.
February 13, 2009... Byline: Mike Boyd It's been a while since I've passed along a to-do list. And since it doesn't look like this sagging economy-thing is going away any time soon, here are nine tips for weathering tough financial times from our friends at...

H.B. 1012's incentives won't reduce premiums in Colorado.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine The legislature's attempt to coax insurers into providing incentives to employers whose workers participate in wellness and prevention programs likely won't reduce double-digit premium increases. That's because House...

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009: $787 billion in promises.
February 20, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, AKA the stimulus, became law this week. The act, which consists of 1,073 pages of often-impenetrable bureaucratic prose, is a smorgasbord of tax cuts, tax credits,...

She's the boss: Women embracing entrepreneurial spirit.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Women are re-entering the work force in proverbial droves -- but not in the way one might think. Women are starting businesses at nearly twice the rate of men. But building a company from the ground up is fraught with...

Commentary: Surely even the general would plan a better celebration for Colorado City's 150th year.
February 20, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst On March 13, 1909, Gen. William Palmer, the founder of the City of Colorado Springs, died peacefully in his sleep. The hundredth anniversary of his death is just three weeks away, and his memory will be honored,...

Colorado employers facing higher damages, attorney fees.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Legislation that extends the Colorado Civil Rights Commission contains an amendment that could have negative consequences for the state's employers. A provision in Senate Bill 110 provides additional compensation for...

Q&A with Dr. Charlita Shelton, University of the Rockies president.
February 20, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Dr. Charlita Shelton's professional resume speaks volumes, not only about her ability to tackle challenges, but of her talent for empowering others. She is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has served as a counselor focused...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: February 20, 2009.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn The landscape is changing for venture capital investing in Colorado, said Greg Carlisle, managing director of Limestone Ventures. He was the keynote speaker at the High Altitude Investors' Private Equity Summit. The...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: February 20, 2009.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Caregivers of children with special needs often do not get the respite care they need, according to the findings of a study conducted by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Researchers found that families...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: February 20, 2009.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley The 78-unit Cedar Crest Apartment community at 2010 Carmel Drive has been purchased at auction for $1.1 million by Cedar Crest Properties LLC. The property's market value was appraised at $2.6 million -- and it sold...

Veteran businessman plans 'Conservation Hardware Center' in Colorado Springs.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater Veteran businessman Richard Skorman has embarked on an energy conservation business endeavor that will rely on community support. Skorman has leased a 1,500 square feet of space at 409 N. Tejon St. and plans to open...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: February 20, 2009.
February 20, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Penrose-St. Francis great place for nurses Penrose-St. Francis Health Services has been listed among the Top 100 Hospitals to Work for in 2009 by Nursing Professionals Magazine. The magazine sent surveys to 25,000...

Commentary: Stimulus was too important to have been rushed through.
February 20, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Despite the best efforts of thousands of reporters, economists, accountants, bankers, financial advisers and tax planners, not to mention folks employed by trade associations, governments, think tanks, universities and...

Commentary: JOBS will stop the pain.
February 20, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Are we feeling the pain enough? We are seeing lay offs at the city and county governments at various levels. The crime rate is going up. There are budget cuts seemingly every day. The unemployment rate is pushing 7...

Monument on the move: Town's timing appears right for planned, sustained growth.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley One El Paso County community has marched to its own drumbeat -- and as a result, has watched its population nearly double and its sales tax revenues soar since 2003. Tangible testimony to the Town of Monument's...

CodeBaby.com's promise of 500 jobs for Colorado Springs might be tough to deliver.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley During last week's press conference announcing that CodeBaby.com would headquarter its nascent operation in Colorado Springs, Chief Executive Officer Patrick Bultema said the company would grow to as many as 500...

Southern Delivery System true stimulus for Colorado: Pipeline would dwarf federally funded projects.
February 27, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Of the nearly $500 million allocated to Colorado transportation projects by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus, about $42 million will be allocated to El Paso County. The...

Avatars -- a model for business?
February 27, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Business cannot be conducted without relationships. Human interaction, whether via telephone, computer or in person, is crucial to generating and maintaining business. In an increasingly global economy, it's often...

Commentary: Making a case for those thin, cellulose-based sheets.
February 27, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Hanging out with friends at Shuga's the other evening, I overheard a conversation at the next table between four 20-somethings complaining about the media. Their complaints didn't sound like those of their crabby...

The cost of COBRA stimulus: Providers only group that will truly benefit from changes.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine The COBRA provision in the federal stimulus package is a mixed bag for employers -- and for insurers. The government will pay 65 percent of COBRA insurance premiums for nine months for unemployed or laid-off workers....

Q&A with Ray Reilly, general manager of Liberty Toyota in Colorado Springs.
February 27, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Ray Reilly came to Colorado Springs more than three decades ago, liked it and has been here ever since. He's been in the automobile business for most of his adult life, joining Liberty Toyota 21 years ago. Now, as...

Commentary: It's amazing what you can learn from a second-grade portfolio.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn It's not every day an author has the good fortune of releasing a book rife with the very advice for which a public is hungry, if not desperate. But Allan Roth, founder of Wealth Logic LLC, a Springs-based hourly based...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: February 27, 2009.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine For residents in Cripple Creek and Victor, 13 is a lucky number. The Peak Vista Health Center there is the 13th in the Pikes Peak region. The school-based center, at 312 N. C Street, is in Cresson Elementary and is...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: February 27, 2009.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Last December, retail developer Jim Rhue said he expected to begin demolition this spring on several retail and motel/restaurant properties that occupy a 7.5- acre site along the east side of South Nevada Avenue...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: February 27, 2009.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater Local restaurateur Randy Price is opening a downtown upscale barbecue restaurant next month. Slayton's Tejon Street Barbecue restaurant measures 2,000 square feet and will seat up to 65 at 28A S. Tejon St., next to...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: February 27, 2009.
February 27, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Volunteers needed to assist seniors Silver Key is seeking volunteers to help seniors in the following roles during business hours: * Transportation drivers * Clerical, phones and scheduling * Retail workers For more...

Despite forced brevity, Colorado Springs residents made it clear what they believe is most important.
February 27, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Last week, an overflow crowd filled City Hall for City Council's eTown Meeting, convoked to allow residents to comment about proposed cuts in the city budget. So large was the crowd that the meeting was delayed, while...

Commentary: A great investment, don't trust the daily paper's op-ed pages.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk I am no financial adviser by any stretch of the imagination, but I can determine that a 2,500 percent return on my money over one year would be quite acceptable. The return on investment on the $200,000 investment to...

Options for avatars abound.
February 27, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn So, you've decided to bring your business into the 21st century and use avatars -- digital characters -- for training and to drive business on your Web site. Better yet -- you've managed to convince your C-level...