Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from November 2008

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from November 2008

Sustainable practices rock: 'Green' bolstering building managers' bottom lines in Colorado Springs.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Sustainability skeptics are being drowned out these days, not so much by noisy go-green proponents but by the quieter purr of commercial building owners and managers who see energy-efficiency measures bolstering the...

Colorado health care costs higher than the rest of the nation.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado is going to have a more difficult time competing on both the national and global stage because its health care costs are higher than the rest of the nation. The state's health plans will raise premiums by...

Public pension funds nationwide feeling the pinch.
November 7, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst The precipitous declines in equity, real estate and commodity markets have affected not only individual investors and over-leveraged banks, but also have had a severe impact upon public employee retirement funds...

Commentary: Sifting through the 'other' election winners and losers of 2008.(Television program review)
November 7, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst So who won the election? Barack Obama became president-elect and John McCain got the consolation prize -- a seat in the U.S. Senate! And thousands of other pols and wannabe-pols spent Tuesday night celebrating or...

Q&A with Jane Young, co-owner of Pinnacle Financial Concepts and Divorce Solutions of Colo. Springs.
November 7, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Jane Young's roots in the community run deep. My dad was discharged from the Army at Fort Carson, after he'd served in Korea, she said. He came back here as soon as he could, and worked for many years as the art director...

It might be tempting, but 'don't play politics with your portfolio'.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn As Donna O'Bryant likes to say, 100 percent of Americans know there's a 50 percent chance their candidate won't get elected. By now, everyone knows whether or not his or her candidate of choice was elected. And if the...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: November 7, 2008.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Humana Inc. to offer a health benefits program for chamber members. The program is available to businesses that have as few as a single employee or...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: November 7, 2008.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley The former Gas Operations building next to America the Beautiful Park has become a beehive of activity since LandCo Equity Partners pulled the trigger on the 32,000-square-foot project last month. Kurt Kaltenbacher,...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: November 7, 2008.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater The Conference Board's consumer confidence index hit an all-time low during October, registering 38 -- down from 61.4 during September. The report has sounded an ominous alarm for some. The National Retail Federation...

Investigations or audits: Fraud vs. innocent mistakes.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn A financial statement audit is not a fraud investigation -- and vice versa. But to the unenlightened, they might seem to be one and the same. During uncertain economic times, corporate fraud increases, so it behooves...

Commentary: A bold vote for change, while maintaining some status quo.
November 7, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff This week we experienced a historic election. The United States elected its first black president, and we congratulate Barack Obama on his victory. We also hope that when he assumes office, he will resist the urge to...

Commentary: Initiative 1A fails; Colorado Springs quality of life may suffer.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Call me Snake. Remember the 1981 movie Escape from New York? The year is 1998. Due to huge crime rates, the United States turns its once great city of New York into a maximum security prison where hardcore criminals...

Commentary: A handful of financial things you shouldn't do right now.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd One bright spot in the gloom of a struggling economy is that my e-mail inbox seems to be full of advice about how best to weather the storm. The latest self-help salvo came from the National Endowment for Financial...

Bright lights fading fast: Push on to preserve historic neon signs in Colorado Springs.
November 13, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Introduced during 1923, when a Los Angeles Packard dealer bought two signs for the then-extraordinary price of $23,000, neon quickly captivated a public used to less flamboyant signage. Bathing cities with light so...

Steady as she goes: Memorial Health System in Colo. Springs proposing conservative budget for 2009.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Hospitals are preparing very conservative budgets for 2009, taking into account lower patient volume and less revenue from investments. Memorial Health System's budget process is open to the public because it is...

Commentary: Are we witnessing long-term change, or just a brief flash?
November 13, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson 'Joltin Joe' has left and gone away? -- Paul Simon The future will be better tomorrow. -- Dan Quayle On...

Subdued celebrations will mark '08 business holiday party season in Colorado Springs.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine It seems like there's not much to celebrate at the end of 2008 -- except maybe, that it's ending. And while most businesses are not foregoing the annual company party just to try to save a few dollars -- some are...

Q&A with Steve Strunk, Colorado market president, Kirkpatrick Bank.
November 13, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff When Steve Strunk turned 16, he got a job at the local A&P Grocery Store in upstate New York -- to earn money to invest in the stock market. Fully intending to be a stockbroker, he worked on political campaigns and the...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: November 13, 2008.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn What we see with clients -- in this case and in the past -- is the tendency to under-react, said Kurt Kofford, audit and consulting director of BiggsKofford P.C., during a recent roundtable discussion titled,...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: November 13, 2008.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Elderly people who have a positive outlook, low stress levels, moderate alcohol consumption, abstain from tobacco, and have moderate to higher income and no chronic health conditions are more likely to thrive in...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: November 13, 2008.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley In spite of the less-than-optimistic national retail trends, leasing and development continues an upswing along the north Powers Boulevard corridor. Retail has slowed, but there's always interest in good locations from...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: November 13, 2008.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater The nation's retailers experienced shrinking sales during October, when chain store sales figures dropped 0.9 percent, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers Index. In the wake of the current...

Credit unions in Colorado remain sound despite sagging economy.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn One in three Coloradoans has done it -- joined a credit union, that is. In the Pikes Peak region, 300,000 people are members. And, despite national news of a credit freeze -- credit unions are seeming to defy the...

Colorado Springs News Briefs: November 13, 2008.
November 13, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff American Legion launches G.I. Bill Web site The American Legion has launched www.mygibill.org to help veterans and their families understand the post-Sept. 11 G.I. Bill, which takes effect Aug. 1, and how it compares...

Commentary: Southern Delivery System decision: An early holiday present, or a giant lump of coal.
November 13, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Dec. 9 of this year may be remembered as one of the most significant dates in the long history of our city. On that day, a public hearing will be held before the Pueblo County Board of Commissioners, who will decide...

Commentary: Colorado Springs Quality of Life Indicators report.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk A lot of people invested a lot of time on the 105-page Quality of Life Indicators report. If you haven't picked up a copy you need to. This is as comprehensive a report on our region as is available. The book is...

Commentary: Old-time ice cream parlor on verge of comeback.
November 13, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd One of the 5,386 e-mails that found its way into my inbox last week really caught my eye: Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors Poised to Make Comeback. For a moment, my mind traveled back to the 1970s. Farrell's was the ice cream...

Bright idea: Combine inert gas with electric current to make neon light.
November 13, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst The technology of neon dates from 1675, when a French scientist, Jean Picard noted that the glass tube of a mercury barometer emitted a faint glow when shaken. This effect was caused by static electricity, a...

LEDs killed the neon stars.
November 14, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Neon signs are thought to be more fragile, more difficult to repair, and less energy-efficient than light-emitting diodes, which are now the technology of choice for brightly illuminated night signs. But Lisa...

Bright lights fading fast: Push on to preserve historic neon signs in Colorado Springs.
November 14, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Introduced during 1923, when a Los Angeles Packard dealer bought two signs for the then-extraordinary price of $23,000, neon quickly captivated a public used to less flamboyant signage. Bathing cities with light so...

Steady as she goes: Memorial Health System in Colo. Springs proposing conservative budget for 2009.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Hospitals are preparing very conservative budgets for 2009, taking into account lower patient volume and less revenue from investments. Memorial Health System's budget process is open to the public because it is...

Commentary: Are we witnessing long-term change, or just a brief flash?
November 14, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson 'Joltin Joe' has left and gone away? -- Paul Simon The future will be better tomorrow. -- Dan Quayle On...

Subdued celebrations will mark '08 business holiday party season in Colorado Springs.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine It seems like there's not much to celebrate at the end of 2008 -- except maybe, that it's ending. And while most businesses are not foregoing the annual company party just to try to save a few dollars -- some are...

Q&A with Steve Strunk, Colorado market president, Kirkpatrick Bank.
November 14, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff When Steve Strunk turned 16, he got a job at the local A&P Grocery Store in upstate New York -- to earn money to invest in the stock market. Fully intending to be a stockbroker, he worked on political campaigns and the...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: November 14, 2008.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn What we see with clients -- in this case and in the past -- is the tendency to under-react, said Kurt Kofford, audit and consulting director of BiggsKofford P.C., during a recent roundtable discussion titled,...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: November 14, 2008.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Elderly people who have a positive outlook, low stress levels, moderate alcohol consumption, abstain from tobacco, and have moderate to higher income and no chronic health conditions are more likely to thrive in...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: November 14, 2008.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley In spite of the less-than-optimistic national retail trends, leasing and development continues an upswing along the north Powers Boulevard corridor. Retail has slowed, but there's always interest in good locations from...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: November 14, 2008.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater The nation's retailers experienced shrinking sales during October, when chain store sales figures dropped 0.9 percent, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers Index. In the wake of the current...

Credit unions in Colorado remain sound despite sagging economy.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn One in three Coloradoans has done it -- joined a credit union, that is. In the Pikes Peak region, 300,000 people are members. And, despite national news of a credit freeze -- credit unions are seeming to defy the...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: November 14, 2008.
November 14, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff American Legion launches G.I. Bill Web site The American Legion has launched www.mygibill.org to help veterans and their families understand the post-Sept. 11 G.I. Bill, which takes effect Aug. 1, and how it compares...

Commentary: Southern Delivery System decision: An early holiday present, or a giant lump of coal.
November 14, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Dec. 9 of this year may be remembered as one of the most significant dates in the long history of our city. On that day, a public hearing will be held before the Pueblo County Board of Commissioners, who will decide...

Commentary: Colorado Springs Quality of Life Indicators report.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk A lot of people invested a lot of time on the 105-page Quality of Life Indicators report. If you haven't picked up a copy you need to. This is as comprehensive a report on our region as is available. The book is...

Commentary: Old-time ice cream parlor on verge of comeback.
November 14, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd One of the 5,386 e-mails that found its way into my inbox last week really caught my eye: Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors Poised to Make Comeback. For a moment, my mind traveled back to the 1970s. Farrell's was the ice cream...

Bright idea: Combine inert gas with electric current to make neon light.
November 14, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst The technology of neon dates from 1675, when a French scientist, Jean Picard noted that the glass tube of a mercury barometer emitted a faint glow when shaken. This effect was caused by static electricity, a...

Improving emotional intelligence of a younger work force.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Although some baby boomers are delaying retirement for several years because of the economy, the United States still faces a deficit of experienced employees and managers. According to the Office of Personnel...

Whole lotta planning going on in Colorado Springs.
November 28, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Automobiles need gas, sailboats need wind, skiers need snow, swimmers need water -- and governments need plans -- or so one could surmise by the scores of plans that are neatly shelved in a locked storage room on...

Digging in: Colorado Realtors in make-or-break mode.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Brokers determined to succeed in the current residential real estate market have their work cut out for them. New and existing home sales are off almost 22 percent compared to January through October 2007....

Digging in: Local Realtors in make-or-break mode.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Brokers determined to succeed in the current residential real estate market have their work cut out for them. New and existing home sales are off almost 22 percent compared to January through October 2007....

Washington D.C. shining example of city planning done right.
November 28, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Pierre L'Enfant, a French-born civil engineer who served under George Washington during the Revolutionary War, created the original plan for the United States capital during 1791. The plan, according to the National...

Colorado Springs plans and timelines not set in stone.
November 28, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Although the city's Comprehensive Plan is not subject to piecemeal revisions, land-use master plans are frequently revised. Colorado Springs' first large-scale planned community, Briargate, submitted its master plan...

Commentary: Perhaps if prosperity returns, we'll appreciate it more.
November 28, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst During the 16 years between 1952 and 1968, the Dow Jones Industrial Average quadrupled. Standing at 250 during 1952, the Dow increased by 50 percent in less than 20 months, moving above 380.33 on Nov. 23, 1954. It...

Q&A with Mike Scialdone, CFO of Memorial Health System in Colorado Springs.
November 28, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff While doctors often have privileges at both Colorado Springs hospitals, it's rare for upper level administrative staff to make that leap. But Mike Scialdone has. After working at Penrose-St. Francis Health Center for...

Doctors ditching profession: Physicians planning to reduce workload, quit family practice.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Family doctors are mad as hell -- and they're not gonna take it anymore. Nearly half of them say they will see fewer patients during the next three years -- or quit family medicine altogether. That's the word from a...

Colorado Springs CPA: Facing reality best way to prepare business for a recession.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Don't pull the covers over your head, Kurt Kofford told business owners during a Recession Readiness Assessment seminar at BiggsKofford PC. Being realistic about what's happening in the current marketplace is an...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: November 28, 2008.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine American Medical Response will continue to serve as El Paso County's medical response team, the result of a five-year contract approved by the El Paso County Board of Commissioners. The contract, which also requires...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: November 28, 2008.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley First phase construction on six multi-tenant buildings planned for a 650,000-square-foot University Village retail center on North Nevada Ave. is scheduled to kick-off Dec.12, according to Kevin Kratt of Kratt...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: November 28, 2008.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater A number of local breweries are crafting special batches of beer for the holidays. Arctic Craft Brewery, 2506 E. Platte Place, tapped its Christmas Ale on Nov. 22. The ale includes nutmeg and coriander and is available...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: November 28, 2008.
November 28, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff County seeking to fill vacancies on highway commission The El Paso County Board of Commissioners is seeking volunteers to serve on the Highway Advisory Commission. One representative is needed from District 2 (the...

Wynne Palermo again at the helm of Pikes Peak Association of Realtors.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley When duty calls, some people are willing -- and especially suited -- to meet the challenge. Wynne Palermo of Wynne Realty Ltd., incoming 2009 board chairwoman of the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, never expected...

Commentary: Slashing and burning of gov't services has begun in earnest.
November 28, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff As far as local governments are concerned, this may be the year that the Grinch stole not only Christmas, but New Year's, Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and next Christmas. Sales tax receipts are...

Commentary: Commercial brokers reaping benefits of economic development -- they should support EDC.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk I have preached repeatedly that economic development is all of our responsibility. The whole community benefits from the efforts of the Economic Development Corp., but no part of our community benefits as much as...

Commentary: Some office elves are much more thoughtful than others.
November 28, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd In honor of Black Friday, I thought I'd share some findings from a survey conducted by The Creative Group about unusual gifts exchanged in the workplace during holiday seasons past. The survey found that 79 percent of...