Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from January 2007

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from January 2007

Colorado to see bigger salaries, but fewer hires.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson Wage earners can expect to bring home slightly larger paychecks this year, but securing one of those paychecks might not be easy in Colorado Springs. Projected wage increases will average 3.5 percent for the Pike's...

Blizzards and closing of Bijou St. bridge affects downtown businesses.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Staff Report With the closure of the Bijou Street bridge this week, downtown retailers and restaurants are hoping that the impact to their businesses will be minimal. But they might have gotten a taste of what is to come from the...

Commentary: Some preconception-shatterers to start a new year.
January 5, 2007... Byline: John Hazlehurst Get real! You've heard that overused phrase, probably more times than you care to remember. Whether directed at you, or at someone else, or even coming from your own lips, it's obnoxious. It carries its own nasty...

License only first step in mastering the real estate world.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley Commercial real estate schools aren't the only places where aspiring brokers can build the foundations for their futures. While the state's commercial real estate schools generated the majority of licensee candidates...

Jaki Taggart practices the business skills she teaches.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff As a professor and director of work force training, job satisfaction for Jaki Taggart is reflected in reports from students who have graduated from Pikes Peak Community College. Taggart says...

Wells Fargo sees healthy economy on tap for 2007.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimer Wells Fargo economists predict healthy economic growth in 2007, and if that weren't enough good news, they also say U.S. households on average have never been better off in the wealth department. Growth is predicted...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: January 5, 2007.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Uninsured Colorado residents can determine whether they are eligible for public or low-cost private health insurance through a free, online reference guide, Colorado Health Care Options Matrix, provided by the...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: January 5, 2007.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley In its 2007 commercial real estate forecast, the Sierra Commercial Real Estate team explored the office, retail, industrial and land investment sectors. The appraisal included general optimism for a market on the mend....

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: January 5, 2007.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson Consumers often turn to cyberspace to sell or swap unwanted gift cards. This method gives consumers an opportunity to find a better deal than buying the card from a traditional store. Sites like swapagift.com,...

Small Business Advocate nominees sought.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff The National Small Business Association is seeking nominations for its 2007 Small Business Advocate of the Year. The winner will be announced in May. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment...

Hospitals: Keeping a pulse on communications.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Marylou Doehrman As legislators and consumers push for transparency in the health care industry, the need for savvy health care communications departments is as clear as a glass-bottom boat. "There is a movement among hospitals to...

Mental health: When no one wants to hear about it.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Marylou Doehrman In December, the federal government announced the launch of a $1 million public service campaign focused on reducing the stigma of mental illness. It's a boon to industry public relations professionals. According...

Wellness center on the plains ahead of the rest.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Marylou Doehrman David Corder opened Perfect Fit Wellness Center in January 2005 with a five-year business plan focused on expansion. As he approaches year No. 3, Corder is ahead of schedule with an ahead-of-its-time concept....

The state of emergency -- hospital EDs.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Marylou Doehrman Between 1993 and 2003, visits to hospital emergency departments grew by 26 percent. During the same period, 425 EDs in the United States were eliminated. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National...

Celiac disease: The hidden epidemic.
January 5, 2007... A few years following two pregnancies, Lilly experienced a myriad of health concerns -- depression, heartburn, chronic fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, joint pain. Her doctor prescribed numerous drugs, depending on the diagnosis of the day,...

Q&A with John DiCola, senior VP of strategy and biz development for Catholic Health Initiatives.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Marylou Doehrman John DiCola has been the senior vice president of strategy and business development for Catholic Health Initiatives since 1997. His responsibilities include overseeing CHI's strategic plan, leading CHI's growth...

County seeking help with Fairgrounds master plan.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff El Paso County Parks and Leisure Services is seeking input to update the master plan for the El Paso County Fairgrounds. Residents can help by taking a survey, which can be downloaded or...

Colorado's ranchers face 7-figure losses because of last month's winter storms.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado's ranchers could face financial losses of $10 million or more because of last month's winter storms. Because snow drifts are still hindering efforts to locate all the animals, estimates are all that is...

Grocery impact on economy goes beyond the shelf.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson The complexity of the consumer packaged goods industry makes it difficult to quantify its value, but there's no doubt about the industry's affect on the economy. Members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association employ...

Federal legislation increases health savings account flexibility.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Opening a health savings account will be easier in 2007, thanks to a bill signed by President Bush in December. The law, known as the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, makes "very positive changes," to health...

Commentary: It's time to get in on the ground floor.
January 12, 2007... Byline: John Hazlehurst "In the end, it's all about money." Google that supremely cynical phrase and you'll get thousands of iterations, with a single governing idea: greed is rampant! Scoundrels unburdened by conscience are making big...

Dentist setting up shop in downtown Colorado Springs storefront.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson Dr. Julia Rohleder has decided to do something no other dentist in the Springs has done -- at least in recent memory -- set up a street-level storefront office downtown. "Nobody's tried it," said Rohleder, who has...

CEO of Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield takes global view of real estate market.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff In just 18 months after opening an international headquarters in Colorado Springs, John Watson, CEO of Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield, and his team have already closed $44 million worth of ranch...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: January 12, 2007.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimer Households worth more than $1 million a year received bigger federal tax cuts from President Bush's tax overhaul than any group in the country, according to a New York Times report based on study by the U.S....

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: January 12, 2007.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine HMO membership dropped below 1 million during the third quarter of last year, according to the latest HMO quarterly filings with the Colorado Division of Insurance. HMO membership was about 990,287 -- down from...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: January 12, 2007.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley Multifamily housing experts not only see increased occupancies on the horizon for the Pikes Peak region because of troops scheduled to arrive this spring, but some are even forecasting rising rents. Describing the...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: January 12, 2007.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson Promoting his new single, country music artist Danny Griego ran a TV commercial during a college football bowl game featuring scantily dressed "Wal-Mart Girls." Miramonte Records paid $112,000 to air the 30-second ad...

Commentary: Plenty of networking options exist for young pros.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Tessa Nelson You study hard for four years (sometimes longer depending on how hard you actually study). You spend almost as much at Starbucks as you did on your college education, in hopes that you will be able to stay up just a...

El Paso County's Falcon/Peyton Advisory Committee forming.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff The El Paso County Board of Commissioners is looking for 10 to 12 volunteers to serve on the Falcon/Peyton Small Area Master Plan Advisory Committee. The plan will include land use...

Goodwill Industries of Colorado Springs selects board of directors.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Goodwill Industries of Colorado Springs has selected its board of directors for 2007. Jim Spittler of NAI-Highland Commercial Group LLC will serve as chairman. Marta Erhard of CorVirtus is...

Artic Spas of Colorado Springs recognized among top dealers.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Artic Spas of Colorado Springs was selected as runner up for the 2006 U.S. Dealer of the Year by Blue Fall Manufacturing of Thorsby, Canada, the maker of Artic and Coyote spas. Criteria for...

Scarcity not an issue ... for now in the Pikes Peak region.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley As the homebuilding industry takes a breather from the breakneck pace of the last three years, commercial construction companies are moving at warp speed to keep up with demand for Pikes Peak region retail, office and...

Commentary: After fast start, Springs' growth took a breather.
January 19, 2007... Byline: John Hazlehurst Editor's note: This is the first in a two-story series that will consider the history of growth and development in Colorado Springs. Part 1 will focus on the years from the city's founding in 1871 until 1950. Part...

Springs doesn't have bubble to burst.
January 19, 2007... Byline: John Hazlehurst Will our local housing bubble pop? Fred Crowley doesn't think so. In his quarterly economic update, released Monday, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs economist makes the point that, compared to...

Major health care bills in Colorado on hold pending report.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Lawmakers in Denver will likely take a wait-and-see approach to health care during the first part of the 2007 legislative session. Bills that are expected to be introduced will deal with access to prescription...

Ervin helps the disabled in Colorado Springs to 'build independence'.
January 19, 2007... Byline: CSBJ Staff During his 18 months on the job, David Ervin has embraced the mission of The Resource Exchange, a nonprofit organization founded to provide services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since he's...

Assets in Colorado banks top $46B in Q3 2006.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimer Colorado's 164 banks grew assets to $46 billion during the third quarter of 2006, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That was an increase of $3 billion compared to a year earlier at the 175 FDIC-insured...

Colorado suicide prevention office receives federal money.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine A program that trains people to work with adolescents who are at risk for suicide has received a $400,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Known as Project Safety Net, the...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: January 19, 2007.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley A 1.2 acre site in Falcon has been purchased by MJH Real Estate Holdings for $550,000. The local franchisee of Carl's Jr. plans to build a new restaurant on the site. The property is a pad site in the new Falcon...

Colorado Springs Business Briefs: January 19, 2007.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson Take a Peak is an initiative created by the Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association, the Food Marketing Institute and MatchPoint Marketing. The program will promote the U.S. Department of...

Colorado Springs Technology Briefs: January 19, 2007.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Technology that allows folks to watch television on a mobile device is generating millions of dollars in revenue, according to Frost and Sullivan research. The market revenues for digital video broadcasting-handheld...

Falcon/Peyton Advisory Committee forming.
January 19, 2007... Byline: CSBJ Staff The El Paso County Board of Commissioners is looking for 10 to 12 volunteers to serve on the Falcon/Peyton Small Area Master Plan Advisory Committee. The plan will include land use recommendation for the planning area of...

Commentary: All this snow, ahh the Corporate Golf League.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Lon Matejczyk As we continue having bitter cold days and snow everywhere, my mind wanders to a warmer time. Leaving the office early on Wednesdays and chasing out to Kissing Camels to spend some quality time with other...

Schwab Institutional hits milestone.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar Schwab Institutional achieved what some analysts are calling a staggering milestone when it logged $502 billion in assets last year. That number is a 23 percent increase from 2005, according to Schwab. But, the advances...

IRA use limited, says study.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar Only 46 percent of Americans use Individual Retirement Accounts as part of their savings strategy, according to a Fidelity Investments study. The study found that despite the benefits of the recent pension legislation,...

The E-file season has begun.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar The Internal Revenue Service opened its e-file program this week. Taxpayers who use IRS e-file and who choose direct deposit can receive their refund in half the time. Tax return information is protected through...

This year, the program features an agreement by private sector partners to remove Refund Anticipation Loans as well as other ancillary offerings from the program.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar This year, the program features an agreement by private sector partners to remove Refund Anticipation Loans as well as other ancillary offerings from the program. Free File will be available later this month. Altima...

Pattison promoted.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar Stuart Pattison has been named the Key Bank president for Colorado. Pattison replaces Michael Hobbs, who was named Key Bank's Rocky Mountain Region president last year. Pattison has 20 years of experience in the...

Emerging funds outperform.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar Emerging market hedge funds rose 20.5 percent last year and performed better than any other hedge fund strategy. Credit Suisse's Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index shows record highs in global markets and mergers...

Colo. Department of Public Health and Environment receive violence prevention grant.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently awarded the Prevention Services Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment $343,453 annually for three years to enhance Colorado's...

Colorado Springs Health Care Briefs: January 19, 2007.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Spending for health care is moderating as consumers and employers take advantage of health insurance plans' new generation of cost-saving strategies. That's according to a study of health care spending conducted by...

Waste collection facility in El Paso County adds to recycling categories.
January 19, 2007... Byline: CSBJ Staff The El Paso County Household Chemical Waste Collection Facility has added two categories for recycling. The facility will now accept household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt) and many types of electronic equipment,...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: January 19, 2007.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimar Schwab Institutional achieved what some analysts are calling a staggering milestone when it logged $502 billion in assets last year. That number is a 23 percent increase from 2005, according to Schwab. But, the advances...

Another side of immigration.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine Satish "Sam" Kumar came to the United States to earn a master's degree in engineering. He stayed, first getting a job at an electronics company in Phoenix. After three years, he decided that working for corporate...

D-I-Y checkout taking over.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson "Place the item in the bag." "Select method of payment." For better or worse, the voices of automated self-checkout machines are an increasingly common option for hurried consumers. Most retail and grocery chains have...

Colorado Springs: Growth takes root in boom-bust cycles.
January 26, 2007... Byline: John Hazlehurst Editor's note: This is second in a two-story series that considers the history of growth and development in Colorado Springs. Part I focused on the years from the city's founding in 1871 until 1950. Part II...

Commentary: A few humble suggestions for utilities.
January 26, 2007... Byline: John Hazlehurst In common with every other homeowner in Colorado Springs, I got the usual nasty little January surprise in the mail a few days ago -- my utility bill. It was bad. Really bad. So bad that I thought briefly about...

Market Center at Pine Creek continues Briargate growth trend.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley Located across the street from high-powered traffic generators like Lowe's Home Improvement, a Super-Target and Memorial Hospital North, B.G. Development LLC will break ground this spring on the 15-acre Market Center...

Q&A with Regis University Assistant Professor Bob Deemer.
January 26, 2007... When NASA needed help determining its current and future space communications capabilities in order to reach its goals of sending people to the moon and to Mars, it turned to Regis University Assistant Professor Bob Deemer. "It was a pretty...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: January 26, 2007.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Rob Larimer The National Chamber Litigation Center is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed against leading investment banks for allegedly engaging in anticompetitive conduct while recruiting...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: January 26, 2007.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine A statewide group is working to create a plan to fight chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the fourth leading cause of death in Colorado. The Colorado COPD Coalition -- made up of medical professionals, research...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: January 26, 2007.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Becky Hurley In its 2007 forecast for the Pikes Peak region, Grubb & Ellis researchers and brokers agree that Colorado Springs has a bright future. Some of the five primary real estate sectors -- office, retail, industrial, land...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: January 26, 2007.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson Several weeks after the holiday season, retailers are seeing no slowing in consumers' use of gift cards. According to a National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGresearch, consumers have plenty of money left on...

Best and brightest shun becoming U.S. citizens.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Amy Gillentine The global marketplace has created yet another commodity: people. According to a study in Social Science Quarterly, immigrants with high earning capacity and high levels of education are less likely to become U.S....

Peak Vista Community Health Centers selects board officers, directors.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Peak Vista Community Health Centers has selected its board officers for 2007. Steve Ingham of Academy Bank will serve as chairman. George Guerrero of the El Pomar Foundation is vice chairman....

Staying on top: matching the trends with the critics.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Joan Johnson From skinny jeans to famous name brands to custom tailoring, the retailer's job is in the eyes and the tastes of the customer. Whether it is bringing in new lines or updating the point of sale system, now is the time...

Commentary: A New Year's resolution that didn't last the month.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Mike Boyd New Year's resolutions rarely go unbroken. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that one of mine failed to last even the month of January. I had hoped that in 2007 I'd be able to forego my seemingly habitual ranting and...

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Theatre Company honored.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center's Theatre Company was among the most highly decorated in the Denver Post's annual Ovation Awards. The FAC's production of "Pirates of Penzance" won the...

El Paso County seeking help with Fairgrounds master plan.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff El Paso County Parks and Leisure Services is seeking input to update the master plan for the El Paso County Fairgrounds. Residents can help by taking a survey, which can be downloaded or...