Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from July 2008

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from July 2008

U.S. Congress bans discrimination by insurers, employers.
July 4, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Citing fears about employment and health insurance discrimination, most people decline genetic testing -- even if it means research on diseases comes to a halt. But Congress has attempted to alleviate those fears...

Optimism fades for local flights in Colorado Springs.
July 4, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Three weeks ago, officials from the Colorado Springs Airport and the Economic Development Corp. expressed optimism about the airport's future. Citing the city's relatively strong economy, new flights from Northwest...

Kaiser deal has more competitors in Colorado seeing red.
July 4, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine While Kaiser Permanente subscribers will enjoy a rebate for the next two years, its competition is concerned about the unintended consequences of a deal that the health care company reached with the Colorado Division...

Commentary: We're not making that much of an impression any more.
July 4, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Last week at Christie's in London, a magnificent painting by Claude Monet, Le Bassin aux Nympheas, sold for an equally magnificent price: $80.4 million. The 6-foot by 3-foot painting, one of the artist's celebrated...

Interview with Dr. John Fugate: Executive with Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado Springs.
July 4, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Dr. John Fugate moved to Colorado Springs to be closer to his grandchildren, and along the way, he's helped create the region's first children's hospital. The Pennsylvania native is medical director at Memorial Hospital...

Don't make mistake of thinking disasters don't happen.
July 4, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn What would happen to your business if, for instance, a water main broke nearby and employees and customers could not access your building for 10 days? Many entrepreneurs are so busy with the day-to-day responsibilities...

Medicare Advantage program makes $1B more than anticipated.
July 4, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Private insurers participating in the Medicare Advantage program during 2005 spent less on services for beneficiaries and recorded larger profits than projected, according to a Government Accountability Office...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: July 4, 2008.
July 4, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Builder/Architect magazine is featuring the Cougar Canyon golf course and master-planned community as a cover story in its summer issue. The Jack Nicklaus-designed golf links, banked by the Sangre de Cristo mountain...

Wal-Mart remains No. 1; tech, digital retailers join Top 100.(Company rankings)
July 4, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Although the retail climate has changed dramatically during the last year, the top retail power players have not. STORES magazine's Top 100 Retailers List, which is sponsored by SAP and featured in this month's issue, is...

Colorado Springs Nonprofits Briefs: July 4, 2008.
July 4, 2008... Byline: CSBJ staff Agriculture grants available The Colorado Department of Agriculture is accepting grant applications from companies that research and develop new uses and markets for food and agricultural products that are grown, raised...

Colorado Springs economy could stand a big dose of returning troops.
July 4, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Compared to the rest of the country, the Colorado Springs economy is still comparatively robust -- and that, said Dave White of the Economic Development Corp., has a lot to do with the city's military presence....

How often should investors check their stocks, portfolios?
July 4, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Checking the stock market every day? Bad idea. It might even make you a nervous wreck -- and it certainly won't help your portfolio. Looking at a stock's performance might be helpful, said Rob Parker, portfolio manager...

Commentary: Guns and Hoses: Cops, firefighters lacing it up to benefit cancer research.
July 4, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd Their names aren't Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden, and Cheyenne Mountain High School Football Stadium isn't the Polo Grounds, but the gridiron game scheduled for July 19 between the Colorado Springs Police...

Latest Bruce proposals in Arizona would likely cause irreparable damage.
July 4, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff As Ronald Reagan might have said, There you go again. State Rep. Douglas Bruce, the author of the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights amendment to the Colorado Constitution, is devoted to the initiative process. Since TABOR,...

ExpressJet's days in Springs could be coming to an end.
July 4, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst ExpressJet, which offers twice-daily nonstop flights to San Diego and Los Angeles, and weekly service to Sacramento from Colorado Springs, might be forced to sharply curtail, and perhaps end, its flights before the...

Colorado and beetle-mania.
July 11, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst During the last 10 years, mountain pine beetles have killed more than 1.5 million acres of lodgepole pines statewide. Summit County, home to Colorado's ski industry, has been particularly hard hit. The verdant...

Unearthing fraud with forensic data mining.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn First sophisticated computer systems swoop in, brushing away surface dust to excavate potential fraud -- experts call this forensic data mining. Then certified fraud examiners sift through the dirt and muck to...

A small silver lining on the employment front in Colorado Springs.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley News about jobs hasn't been too encouraging lately, but Jay Jesse, CEO of Intelligent Software Solutions in Colorado Springs, said his company is hiring. Candidates with a security clearance and the ability to travel...

Commentary: Things sure seemed more real when Harry rode the train through town.
July 11, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Sixty years ago, during the late summer of 1948, my father announced that he had a treat for his 7-year-old son. He sat me down in the front seat of his 1940 Mercury four-door sedan and we drove downtown to the D&R...

Velez Galleries in Colorado Springs beginning third decade of promoting indigenous art.
July 11, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Michael Velez is celebrating his 20th year as a downtown storeowner. Velez Galleries is one of a handful of shops in Colorado Springs specializing in fine art and fine crafts -- a notoriously difficult retail niche,...

Inflation just one of those cyclical rebalancing things.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Inflation is on the minds of consumers, economists and the Federal Reserve -- arguably more so than usual. Nathaniel Karp, senior economist for Compass Bank, said that economists and the Federal Reserve fear that the...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: July 11, 2008.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine More than half the nation's programs programs for the elderly have cut services because of higher fuel and food prices -- and about 90 percent will be forced to make more cuts next year. Caregivers for the nation's...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: July 11, 2008.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley The Pikes Peak region seems to be attracting its share of national fitness and health club chains. Life Time Fitness has purchased 14 acres off North Powers Boulevard and Briargate Parkway, just south of Lowes and near...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: July 11, 2008.
July 11, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Purchases of franchises by military veterans are increasing, according to a report from the International Franchise Association. The association has helped 1,155 veterans purchase their own business and is in negotiation...

Colorado Springs Nonprofits Briefs: July 11, 2008.
July 11, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Hydro power loan program The Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority has $10 million available to help governmental agencies with the installation of small hydropower units at their water facilities. The...

Matrix Design Group: A Colorado Springs success story.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Prophets often go unrecognized in their own land. Take Matrix Design Group, headquartered in the Briargate Business Park in Colorado Springs, for example. Set to generate revenue in excess of $40 million this year,...

State of the multifamily market in Colorado Springs: Steady for first half of 2008.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Stable occupancies and rents, few new units under construction and delayed absorption of multifamily units in southeast Colorado Springs because of troop deployments were the themes for the multifamily market during...

Forests in Colorado also facing scourge from fires.
July 11, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst While insects and disease alter ecosystems over many years, severe wildfires can destroy entire forests in a few days. The 2002 Hayman fire burned 138,000 acres in less than 10 days -- and the conditions that...

Commentary: City needs to give more consideration to how best to sell sidewalk advertising.
July 11, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff We've noted with interest our city's latest foray into the world of advertising, which seems to have been executed both clumsily and inappropriately by city staffers. Last week, downtown pedestrians were surprised to see...

Commentary: Milwaukee paper puts resources into story about Springs native.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk While I was traveling this week in the tropical rainforest more commonly known as Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did a three-part series about the orangutan born at our very own Cheyenne Mountain Zoo that...

Who is committing fraud?
July 11, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn A company's most valuable, long-term, trusted employees also are the odds-on favorites to commit fraud. Losses from fraud are higher when an employee or manager is older, more educated and has been with a company for a...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Delicious but deadly.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Lawmakers and public safety advocacy groups say that the only way to reduce the number of food-borne illnesses is to give the federal government better tools to trace food origin. The Centers for Disease Control and...

Is it time to revise the Endangered Species Act?
July 18, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was intended to provide a means for the conservation of ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend, to provide conservation programs for those species, and to...

Commentary: Where were the financial motorcycle cops when we needed them?
July 18, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Remember Capt. Renault's famous line in Casablanca? I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! Given the hand-wringing about the stunning revelation that motorcycle cops have ticket-writing...

Springs-based McNew and Associates helps businesses navigate through government compliance process.
July 18, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Mike McNew decided he wanted to own a business when he was 12 years old. A year ago, he opened McNew and Associates, which specializes in government contract compliance and support services. McNew took time recently to...

Colorado Capital Bank exec: Owning a bunch of different stocks doesn't mean you're diversified.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Having a diversified portfolio is all the buzz, said David Twibell, executive vice president and director of wealth management for Colorado Capital Bank, but it can't be random or haphazard -- it has to be smart...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: July 18, 2008.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Colorado Health Foundation has launched a $2 million program to help primary physicians in underserved urban and rural communities repay education loans. The Physician Loan Repayment Program will provide 18...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: July 18, 2008.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Taking advantage of a chance to build near the new North Nevada Avenue Costco and University Village redevelopment, Damon Winters, owner of Winters Electric Inc., just took possession of 3,000 square feet in the...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: July 18, 2008.
July 18, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Traffic at the nation's retail cargo ports is slowly climbing, despite the continuing economic slowdown -- but it will remain below last year's levels for most of 2008. The monthly tracker report from the National Retail...

Tracking food borne illness in U.S.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Tomatoes aren't the only products that have been pulled from America's grocery store shelves. So far this year, 28 items have been recalled by federal agencies responsible for oversight. During 2007, there were 27...

Colorado Springs Nonprofits Briefs: July 18, 2008.
July 18, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff SBA finance courses The U.S. Small Business Administration has introduced two free online courses to help small business owners with the basic principles of finance and borrowing. Finance Primer: Guide to SBA's Loan...

Real estate industry expanding reach with high-tech tools.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Real estate is about connections -- and increasingly, those connections are being made using cutting-edge technology. To help agents and brokers navigate the digital marketplace, and survive during today's...

Colorado Springs: U.S. Senior Open.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn As golf clubs arc through the morning air, 30,000 pairs of eyes will be watching each day of the U.S. Senior Open. About 150,000 players, spectators and volunteers are expected during the week. And about $30 million...

Commentary: Here we go again ... biting the hand that could be feeding us.
July 18, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff You don't tug on Superman's cape You don't spit into the wind You don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger And you don't mess around with... Mark? Somehow those (slightly altered) lyrics from the late, great Jim...

Commentary: The idea of a taking a 'real' vacation is so ... '90s.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Ahh, a nice afternoon on the pontoon boat on a lake in Wisconsin, sipping a cold one and enjoying family and friends. Off goes the text message on my Treo from another publisher. On goes the ear piece and, if I had...

Commentary: You won't believe who claims to actually read CSBJ.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd I get a lot of strange mail -- and believe it or not, it doesn't just come from public relations professionals. However, I recently received a letter that was a first for me. It was sent from the U.S Penitentiary in...

Celebration Home in Colorado Springs.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Diane Wengler Rick and Daria Parker were on hand to greet guests for a preview tour of their 8,800-square-foot Old World villa July 10. The preview cocktail buffet, wine tasting and home tour benefiting United Way kicked off tours...

Endangered Species Act of 1973: Getting caught between a varmint and a wet place.
July 18, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Water projects in the West, which typically involve one or more federal agencies, invariably trigger Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The act enjoins such agencies against actions that either...

Energy Alternatives: False hope?
July 25, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Nuclear power is again being touted as an alternative to coal-fired power plants -- but not everyone is enamored with the idea. President George Bush has asked for $302 million for the Department of Energy's advance...

Don't panic: deposits are safe.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Since the failure of mortgage lender Indymac Bancorp Inc., people are worried about their money. But don't bother withdrawing money from your bank or credit union to stash in a coffee can -- it's safer where it is....

Winter wheat still one of Colorado's top cash crops.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Colorado winter wheat harvest is projected at 56 million bushels, down 40 percent from last year and down 18 percent from the 10-year average crop. But that hasn't stopped international trade teams from visiting...

Commentary: Tough to get all this body mass moving for an early morning meeting.
July 25, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Under the aegis of the Gazette's Dream City promotion, a fearsome foursome of local media titans took part in a meet the press event yesterday morning from 7:30 to 9 at the Gazette's architecturally challenged...

Mossman applies martial arts discipline in Colorado Springs to banking industry.
July 25, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff At age 12, Ted Mossman started mowing lawns to pay for martial arts classes -- Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu and Sul Sa Do. Fifteen years of competition taught him self-control, discipline and how to stay focused and centered....

Knowing the proper time to step-up your business.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Stepping up is risky -- it's not the same company after growth. Your skills have to change -- you are a different manager, said Laddie Blaskowski, president of BusinessTruths Consulting Inc. in Colorado Springs. If a...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: July 25, 2008.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Electronic health initiatives could save money and enhance safety, according to a report from the American Electronics Association. The eHealth 301: Electronic Prescriptions report shows that electronic prescriptions...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: July 25, 2008.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Grubb & Ellis/Quantum Commercial Group and Vision Development, a division of Colorado Structures Inc., are working on a $4 million Class A office building at the corner of Jackson Creek Parkway and Leather Chaps Drive,...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: July 25, 2008.
July 25, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Spending for college merchandise will be lower this year. The National Retail Federation's annual survey of college spending shows an expected drop of 7 percent this year, from an average of $641.56 per person last year...

The brave new world of executive compensation plans.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Enough is enough. That's the message shareholders have sent to boards of directors -- causing a downward shift in executive compensation. Slowly but surely the screws are tightening down on boards of directors of...

Colorado Springs Nonprofits Briefs: July 25, 2008.
July 25, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Volunteers needed for Juvenile Community Review Board The El Paso County Board of Commissioners is seeking two volunteers to serve as community-at-large members on the Juvenile Community Review Board. The board reviews...

Colorado Springs shows its best during trifecta of spotlight events.
July 25, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff By the end of this month, the Pikes Peak region will have played host to three major sports events in quick succession: the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the State Games of the West and the U.S. Senior...

Commentary: Golf league ends the season, raises money for good cause.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Last week, I was saddened. The Wells Fargo/CSBJ golf league came to its conclusion after 10 great weeks of getting to know some of the best people in our community. Friends were made and, judging by the e-mail flying...

Commentary: A little help in determining what's 'official' and what isn't.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd With the election season ramping up, I thought I'd take a moment to hopefully alleviate any confusion that might arise about comments/endorsements/criticisms of political candidates/issues in CSBJ. The paper's official...

Foreign trade teams not afraid of making field trips to Colorado.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado wheat growers depend on foreign markets -- 80 percent of the wheat grown on the eastern plains is exported. Nationwide, about 50 percent of the wheat crop is exported. Colorado contributes to that number,...

Technology advances making nuclear power more feasible.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine The push to replace coal-fired power plants with nuclear facilities hasn't taken root because of simple economics -- but that might be changing. It's expensive on the front end, said Dr. Jim McNeil, head of the...