Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from June 2009

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from June 2009

CPAs shouldn't just be used for tax preparation anymore.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn What's your CPA doing for you? Although the economy has taken a few hesitant steps toward a lumbering recovery, business owners will be tentative a while longer. But before sales soar once more and days are crammed...

Commentary: Leave it to John A. Challenger to make bad news look downright good.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Mike Boyd Digging through the pile of papers on my desk, I came across an e-mail from my friends at Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. that falls into the grey area of "well, I guess it might be good economic news." Seems that...

Commentary: In Colorado Springs, sports equals economic development.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Colorado Springs is a sports town... supposedly. A disjointed sports town, perhaps. Investment in the community during a downturn in the economy makes more sense than curling up and letting opportunities pass...

Commentary: State won the battle over Pinon Canon, but will El Paso County lose the war?
June 5, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff It didn't take long for the opportunists to come out. With the ink of Gov. Bill Ritter's signature barely dry on a bill forbidding the state to sell land to the Army to expand the Pinon Canon training site, U.S. Sen....

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: June 5, 2009.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater Stacy Thomson, a veteran retail store employee, has taken the ownership plunge and opened a store in Old Colorado City. Thomson, along with her husband, Vern, opened Recess, a children's consignment boutique at...

Colorado Springs growing leader in aerospace tech.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Colorado Springs is building a reputation as a leader in the Global Positioning Satellite marketplace. Not only is the city home to the missile defense and satellite control systems headquartered at Schriever Air...

True cost of disability is staggering.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Getting injured or disabled can cause a staggering financial impact if people don't have disability insurance - costs can reach as high as 20 times a person's annual salary. That's according to a study released...

Colorado Springs Business Journal City Bits: June 5, 2009.
June 5, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Clerk & Recorder's Office launches volunteer program Volunteer positions are available in the Clerk & Recorder's Office for residents who are interested in learning about El Paso County government. Positions are...

Q&A with Milan Fostor, proprietor of Liquor Licensing of Colorado LLC.
June 5, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Milan Foster was the customer at the end of the bar who ordered one drink and watched. Are minors being served alcohol? Is the bartender drinking on the job? Is there enough food available for customers who imbibe?...

In stock market, no safety in buy and hold anymore.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn The stock market "basically blew up in everybody's face," said David Twibell, director of wealth management for Colorado Capital Bank. "The world is different now in a lot of ways, and clients and investors want to...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: June 5, 2009.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley In a major coup for the Pikes Peak region, USA Discounters, a Virginia-based company that "sells everything under the sun from furniture to jewelry to electronics" and caters to a military clientele with 14 markets...

Obama health care overhaul not universally embraced.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Even as Congress debates overhauling the nation's health care system, industry insiders are concerned about the implications of proposals being considered in Washington, D.C. Hospitals are concerned about costs;...

Commentary: Government's record of salvaging industry not that promising.
June 5, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Congratulations to us! We were no fools - instead of saving our money and putting aside $500 a month to buy shares in the bluest of blue chips, the Dow's anchor and Detroit's pride, we spent the money on...

Battle over federal paid sick leave heating up.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine For the second year in a row, Congress is considering a federal paid sick leave policy. Known as the Healthy Families Act, the bill requires any employer with more than 15 workers to provide seven days of sick...

GPS brownout unlikely.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley The possible loss of satellite service because of aging equipment prompted the government to issue a cautionary report last month, but any fear seems to be based on contractor delays in finishing new satellites by fall...

City of Colorado Springs publishes user-friendly budget guide online.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer The City of Colorado Springs has published the 2009 Budget-in-Brief booklet on its Web site. The booklet is intended to be an easy-to-read guide that features facts, figures and graphs that summarize the budget and...

Need help with digital TV? Don't call Colorado Springs Fire Department.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Many fire departments are inundated with non-fire-related calls, and now an erroneous Federal Communications Commission press release has added fuel to that fire. The FCC issued a statement June 1, saying that the...

El Paso legislators rated for environmental votes.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Two El Paso County legislators received a zero grade for their conservation votes from environmental advocate Colorado Conservation Voters. David Schultheis and Bill Cadmen both received zero percent, the first...

Colorado Statewide Grand Jury indicts Ernie Colter in mortgage fraud, theft case.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Report The Statewide Grand Jury has indicted Ernie Colter on three counts of theft and one count of forgery for his role in fraudulently obtaining a loan for a client and then stealing some...

Addition finished to Marian House in downtown Colorado Springs.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley The Marian House Bishop Richard C. Hanifen Self-Sufficiency Center, a 10,864-square-foot, two-story addition to the Marian House Soup Kitchen in downtown Colorado Springs, is finished and ready for use. Matt...

Congress considers credit card legislation.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Congress is considering legislation that would require the two major credit companies to negotiate hidden credit card processing fees. The fees cost the average household more than $400 annually. "In the...

U.S. private equity overhang reaches $400 billion.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Report The cumulative amount of private equity fundraising overhang in the United States is $400 billion. After record fundraising years during 2007 and 2008, the Alliance of Merger &...

Luxury hotel: Colorado Springs' Mining Exchange Building's next incarnation?
June 9, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Perry Sanders has purchased three office buildings on the southwest corner of Pikes Peak and Nevada avenues and has begun work to convert them into a luxury hotel. The historic structures, the Mining Exchange...

Colorado will receive a share of a $95.5 million pharmaceutical settlement.
June 9, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer Colorado will receive more than $376,000 as part of a $95.5 million global settlement with Aventis Pharmaceuticals. The agreement resolves allegations that between 1995 and 2000, Aventis and its corporate...

Labor productivity up, say some commercail real estate analysts.
June 9, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley It may be wishful thinking, but some commercial real estate analysts believe economic belt tightening has encouraged better than expected labor productivity - and better market conditions for the industry. Usually...

Colorado Springs' hiring projections tops in state.
June 9, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer Colorado Springs employers are expected to hire at a faster pace than any other city in the state during the third quarter of this year, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released Tuesday. Between...

Elliman takes Colorado's new COO job.
June 9, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer Don Elliman, director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development, was named Monday to the new post of chief operating officer for the state. He will oversee the state's federal stimulus money. "Bringing Don...

Colorado green jobs growing twice as fast as other jobs.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Jobs in Colorado's clean energy economy grew more than twice as fast as overall jobs between 1998 and 2007, according to the Pew Charitable Trust. In its The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs study, Pew...

Moving is a chance to lighten the load of possessions.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Americans are apparently using a household move as an opportunity to downsize their belongings. The average weight of a household move has decreased during the last four years, according to Mayflower Transit. ...

Job ads on the rise, but some ads are fraudulent.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn A greater number of job ads might boost consumer confidence, but state legal officials and local workforce experts say not all ads are real and should be researched. Attorney General John Suthers warned Coloradoans...

More drivers opting to leave car leases early.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine A company that was created to help people walk away from their car leases early, seen a 29 percent increase in business in Colorado. "Last year, people wanted out of their SUV leases because of gas prices," said...

New deal between USOC and city of Colorado Springs nearing completion?
June 11, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley and John Hazlehurst The U.S. Olympic Committee and the city are near agreement on a renegotiated deal that would ensure the USOC's continuing presence in Colorado Springs. A high-ranking USOC official, who...

Commentary: Tips for using Google Alerts and refining searches.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Mike Boyd There's no denying that the Internet is an integral part of doing business in the 21st century. But chances are you're not taking full advantage of the tools that are available which can help improve your business,...

Commentary: Perhaps third time's a charm for a new downtown hotel.
June 12, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff We're intrigued by local businessman Perry Sanders' plans to renovate three historic downtown buildings and transform them into an upscale boutique hotel. The structures, which include the Independence Building, the...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: June 12, 2009.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater Michael Velez had been a downtown retailer for 20 years, but last month he relocated Velez Gallery to Old Colorado City. The move was necessitated by what he believes is a changing retail environment in the...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: June 12, 2009.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Doctors - from internists to specialists - are increasingly unwilling to accept new Medicare patients, and many are opting out of the program completely. In Colorado Springs, 5,000 Medicare patients were left...

Colorado Springs Business Journal City Bits: June 12, 2009.
June 12, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Wildland-Urban Interface grants available The Colorado State Forest Service is accepting applications for the 2010 Wildland-Urban Interface Competitive Grant Program. Money is available to homeowners' associations,...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: June 12, 2009.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley From the firm's new headquarters on South 8th Street, John Egan, president of Southwestern Commercial Properties, took a few minutes to provide an overview of an ever-changing and sometimes challenging real estate...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: June 12, 2009.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn There's been a quick turnaround in the psychology of investors, said Bryan Olson, head of portfolio consulting for Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. He likens it to the analogy of pushing a spring down - when it's released, it...

Q&A with Matthew Stevens, vice president of Independent Film Society of Colorado.
June 12, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff Matthew Stevens, who entered the world of filmmaking when he became manager of Kimball's Peak Theater at the age of 19, founded the Indie Spirit Film Festival in Colorado Springs three years later. This year's...

Pikes Peak region's construction employment: stayin' alive.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley It's a staggering - and sobering - statistic. While construction accounts for one fifth of the U.S. work force, the recession has battered the construction industry. The result has been the loss of 990,000 jobs and...

Commentary: City likely can't fix economic troubles by relying on kindness of voters.
June 12, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst How can the city be rescued from its current funding crisis, which will almost certainly worsen during the coming months and years? In considering the problem, city residents seem to fall into several, sometimes...

Over-the-counter medicine, household pets don't mix.
June 12, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Cats might have nine lives, but a single Tylenol tablet can quickly end all nine. Two weeks ago, Eva Syrovy noticed that her cat was mewling unhappily, in distress from a small open wound on the animal's...

Bad data, bad theory? Temp reports might not be accurate.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine A new study questions the way the United States records temperature - and the need to spend tens of millions of dollars to combat climate change based on that record. Published by The Heartland Institute, a...

Lawyer confirms relationship between Colorado Springs mayor, LandCo CEO Ray Marshall.
June 12, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst In an unanticipated development during this morning's Independent Ethics Commission hearing, John Cook, a lawyer who has represented LandCo's Ray Marshall in multiple lawsuits filed by Colorado Springs investor Jack...

Colorado Springs vice mayor: council never told about link between Mayor Rivera and Ray Marshall.
June 12, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Mayor Lionel Rivera apparently never told his fellow City Council members that he had a fiduciary relationship with LandCo Equity Partners CEO Ray Marshall. The relationship was revealed this morning during a...

Former Fort Carson soldier accused of securities fraud.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn A former Fort Carson soldier is on the Colorado 4th Judicial District's Most Wanted list. The district attorney's office has issued an arrest warrant for Luz Rodriguez Manriquez, who is accused of felony fraud. ...

Commentary: Now what, Mr. Mayor?
June 12, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst It's not often that you have the privilege of witnessing history. Today's hearing of the city's Independent Ethics Commission might, in retrospect, become a defining moment in the city's history. After...

Couple honored at juvenile diabetes fundraiser in Colorado Springs.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Diane Wengler Robert and Judy Mollo were this year's honorees at the Promise Ball fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on May 9 at The Broadmoor Hotel. The Mollos are friends of Dr. Mike Barber, who founded...

Commentary: Organizations with common goals must explore possibility of combining efforts.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Smart business people are always seeking ways to combine departments or responsibilities, thus eliminating duplication of efforts. The business community can learn from the effort that El Paso County...

Colorado Springs lacking in downtown hotels.
June 12, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Perry Sanders' plans to convert the Mining Exchange Building and two adjacent properties into a luxury hotel would double the downtown hotel count - from one to two. But 82 years ago, a traveler seeking a hotel...

Colorado Springs' 11th annual Art on the Streets opens June 26.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer The 11th annual Art on the Streets opens June 26, when 13 works will be officially introduced. There were a record 62 submission this year. Artwork in this year's show represents the creative labor of artists...

El Paso cities on short list for stimulus project money.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Four El Paso County projects are being considered for water and wastewater improvement efforts paid for by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $60 million in projects are scheduled to start...

Planned Parenthood: not just for women.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Planned Parenthood is normally thought of as a women's clinic - but the Rocky Mountain region is reporting a 22 percent increase in male clients during 2007-08. Only 6 percent of the organization's patients are...

Construction companies paying higher wages, workers' comp.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Nationwide, employer costs for employee compensation -- wages, salaries, benefits and required payments -- averaged $31.20 per hour worked during March for full-time workers in private industry. The Bureau of Labor...

Small Business Administration launches new small business loan program.
June 16, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn If your business needs a small infusion of cash to stay afloat, an opportunity has arrived. Small business loans are now available through America's Recovery Capital, a temporary loan program. The Small...

Cross-country cyclists making Habitat stop in Colorado Springs.
June 16, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Thirty cyclists riding across the United States with Bike & Build Inc., a national affordable housing nonprofit, will be rolling into Colorado Springs July 2 to help build a house. The cyclists are traveling from...

Ambulance illness, crime tracking system in place in El Paso County.
June 16, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine El Paso County's ambulance service can now track patterns of illness and crime on calls it responds to. American Medical Response launched the tracking program, called FirstWatch, earlier this year - and is using...

New HR University in Colorado Springs offers to show ropes to small businesses.
June 16, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer A handful of local business and economic organizations have teamed to create Human Resources University, which will feature a series of 10 training classes for small businesses. Jerry Fritz, dean of the Economic and...

Commentary: What the city charter has to say about initiatives, ethics and recall elections.
June 16, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst The city charter is not exactly a pleasure to read. Unlike the United States Constitution, its words were not composed by highly literate, profoundly intelligent men who were deeply conscious of the weight of...

Three Colorado Springs companies named to state's Top 50 list.
June 17, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Three Colorado Springs-based firms were named to the state's 2009 list of "Fifty Colorado Companies to Watch." The standouts included Braxton Technologies, Inc., a command and control company that provides GPS...

U.S. Air Force Academy's Falcon Field getting rid of outfield grass, installing turf instead.
June 17, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer United States Air Force Academy officials said today they plan to cover Falcon Field, the Academy's baseball field, completely with turf. Previously only the infield had been covered with artificial turf, but now...

Focus on the Family officials say Obama thumbing nose at rule of law with same-sex benefits.
June 17, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer Focus on the Family officials said President Barack Obama's decision to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees undermines marriage as society's most pro-child institution. They also said the...

The Gazette joins Yahoo Newspaper Consortium.
June 17, 2009... Byline: Rob Larimer Crain's BtoB magazine is reporting that The Gazette and its parent company's flagship newspaper, the Orange County Register, have joined the Yahoo Newspaper Consortium advertising network. Also joining the...

Coloradoans on the Move: June 18, 2009.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Report Betsy Wernet has joined Re/Max Properties Inc. as a broker associate in the north office. She was a registered nurse for 14 years before becoming a licensed Realtor. Paul Jensen...

Two million dollar commercial deals closed in Colorado Springs.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley They don't happen every day. In fact, since the recession began, million dollar deals have become the exception rather than the rule -- except during the past few weeks when two high-dollar deals were closed. Peak...

Would-be entrepreneurs eyeing franchises.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn When people find themselves without a job (read, laid off because of the economy), it opens new chapters in their lives. But the declines on Wall Street and Main Street have led to increases in entrepreneurship....

California-based Freedom Communications names replacement CEO.
June 18, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst Freedom Communications has named Burl Osborne, former publisher of The Dallas Morning News and former chairman of the board of The Associated Press, as its new CEO. He will take over next month for Scott...

Commentary: Our so-called city leaders aren't even faking it that well.
June 19, 2009... Byline: John Hazlehurst We seem to be in the midst of one of our periodic funks -- when we worry about our so-called leadership class. Alas and alack! we complain. We have no leadership!! Where are the great, visionary leaders who will...

Sometimes it's tough to tell when a 'bank' isn't a bank.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Things are not always what they seem. Trite, but true. If national headlines scream Another bank fails, when actually it was an unregulated private lender that failed, it does a disservice to Main Street, said Don...

Kaiser donates $2.4 million to shore up rural care in Colorado.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado's rural areas are facing a serious shortage of health care providers -- but Kaiser Permanente is giving $2.4 million to the University of Colorado at Denver's Health Science Center to help train more medical...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: June 19, 2009.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Scott Prater Talbots Inc., which paid $517 million for the J. Jill chain of apparel stores during 2006, has agreed to sell the chain for $75 million to Jill Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital, a San...

Commentary: Colorado Springs needs a win.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Lon Matejczyk The U.S. Olympic Committee-Ray Marshall-Mayor Lionel Rivera debacle keeps slogging along like a slow-motion breakup of a teen romance. The city is broke. Doug Bruce and his cronies are back at their...

Commentary: More not-so-good news for the newspaper industry.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Mike Boyd Zogby Interactive regularly fills my e-mail inbox with the latest information gleaned from polls that it has conducted. Most of the e-mails receive a cursory glance before being deleted, but one that was released...

Face of franchising changing in Colorado.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn More women and minorities own franchises than ever before, according to the International Franchise Association. But that isn't the only emerging trend in the franchise industry, especially in Colorado. Ruth...

Franchise not a guarantee of entrepreneurial success.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Rebecca Tonn So, you want to start a business and you've determined that purchasing a franchise is right for you. You've also found a concept that fits your lifestyle and you've talked with your lawyer and accountant about a...

Commentary: For Colorado Springs, answers are long overdue.
June 19, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff It's about time. It's about time for Mayor Lionel Rivera, the City Council and the city administration to come clean and tell us the facts. Nearly a year and a half ago, this newspaper reported that the U.S....

Penrose-St. Francis in Colorado Springs bucking trend of putting doctors on payroll.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine The business model for medicine is changing -- and the way doctors practice will change with it. Boutique medicine is on one end -- and Wal-Mart walk-in clinics are on the other. Working directly for a hospital...

Colorado Springs City Bits: June 19, 2009.
June 19, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff FedEx honors drivers Five drivers representing FedEx Corp. operating companies placed among the winners at the 2009 Colorado State Truck Driving Championship. Paul Frisby, a driver for FedEx National LTL in Denver,...

Q&A with Kelly Terrien, president and CEO of Summit Technical Solutions.
June 19, 2009... Byline: CSBJ Staff During high school, Kelly Terrien ran track, played volleyball, competed in science fairs, worked at a hospital -- and was an entrepreneur. At age 16, she opened a souvenir stand for the Triple A-affiliate of the...

Some construction in the Pikes Peak region inspired by the faithful.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley Construction might have slowed to a recessionary crawl in large urban business districts, at suburban office campuses or in industrial parks, but faith-based work continues to multiply like the proverbial loaves and...

Doctors shifting gears, working for hospitals instead of private practices.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine It could be the prescription for future health care: doctors working for hospitals instead of in private, independent practices. No longer able to meet the rising costs of malpractice insurance, deal with...

Snapshot of a church remodel in Colorado Springs.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Becky Hurley In order to ensure it could make the most of its remodel budget, the First Methodist Church board of trustees hired Second Opinion construction administrator Jim Smith to run the project. So far, he has overseen...

New certification program at Regis University aims to curb hospital errors.
June 19, 2009... Byline: Amy Gillentine Regis University will launch a Patient Quality and Safety certification this fall. The certificate is designed to help train hospital staff to identify risk and preventing medication errors. The program will...