Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from September 2006

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from September 2006

Critics urge a windfall tax on oil profits.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer With gas prices soaring to $3 a gallon and oil companies reporting record-breaking profits, critics of "big oil" say they want a piece of the pie. They argue that oil companies are making a windfall profit - money made...

Colorado Springs airport security rules change but the consumer behavior does not.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Because of changes in airport security regulations last month, travelers were forced to discard items such as makeup, shampoo, shaving lotion, toothpaste, sunscreen, cologne and water before boarding flights. No gels...

Colorado lawmakers revise state's Public Employees Retirement Association pension fund.
September 1, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst During the last legislative session, lawmakers "fixed" the state's Public Employees Retirement Association pension fund, principally by diverting 0.5 percent of employee raises to PERA for the next six years and...

Consolidating Colorado Springs' city and county governments could increase efficiency.
September 1, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Let us consider the delicious absurdity of the ongoing saga of... Tejon Street striping! In case you've missed it, let me bring you up to date. El Paso County, for reasons best known only to our august county...

U.S. automakers shift focus to flex-fuel autos.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Major U.S. car manufacturers are focusing on flex-fuel cars, trucks and SUVs to increase flagging sales and meet customers' concerns about rising gasoline prices. Every major U.S. manufacturer plans to release more...

Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce's new executive director leads Hispanic community to prominence.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff The Hispanic Chamber of Colorado Springs has managed to keep a pretty low profile. Despite its 13-year history, nearly 200 member organizations and the city's prominent Hispanic business...

Colorado Spring's-based Freedom Financial Services opens second location.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Moving day is over for Freedom Financial Services. The financial services organization has completed its expansion into its second location near Union and Academy boulevards. Freedom Financial purchased a 15,500 square...

Results from national survey indicate most physicians support drug testing of high school athletes.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Results from a national survey of 758 physicians indicate that an overwhelming majority would support laws that provide random drug testing of high school student athletes for performance enhancing drugs. The survey...

A layman's perspective of the commercial market.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Reporting in this week was Gene Scalf, a native Kentuckian who moved to Colorado Springs six years ago via California. The old country farm boy called in to advise the CSBJ about the renewal of a Hertz Rent-a-Car...

New pizza endeavor started by local entrepreneur.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson About six months ago, local entrepreneur Rick Young came up with a concept for a pizzeria called Delish Pizza. He then sold two of his Copy It copy centers, keeping one location downtown, in order to open two shops in...

Pension fund problems are not limited to Colorado.
September 1, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst The battle to keep Colorado's Public Employee Retirement Association pension fund solvent isn't an isolated problem. In common with other private and public pension plans, the fund's ratio between active workers and...

Fourth observation dome car arrives in Caon City The Royal Gorge Route Railroad has added another historic full-length observation dome car to its collection for lunch, dinner and murder mystery trains.
September 1, 2006... Fourth observation dome car arrives in Caon City The Royal Gorge Route Railroad has added another historic full-length observation dome car to its collection for lunch, dinner and murder mystery trains. The 1950s Pullman Standard was purchased...

Pikes Peak Posse bids on animals during a Junior Livestock Sale at Colorado State Fair and in Pueblo.
September 1, 2006... Byline: Lon Matejczyk OK, my western style needs some help. My borrowed cowboy boots were too pointy, my cowboy hat had a stampede string and I wasn't wearing Wranglers. I should have listened to our resident Texan Mike Boyd. I need to...

Disaster assistance is available for Colorado's small businesses.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Disaster assistance for small businesses Small, non-farm businesses in Fremont, Chaffee, Custer, El Paso, Park, Pueblo, Saguache and Teller counties are eligible to apply for low-interest loans from...

City of Colorado Springs seeks volunteers to fill openings on the Stormwater Advisory Committee.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff The City of Colorado Springs is looking for two residents to fill anticipated openings on the Stormwater Advisory Committee. One position will represent nonprofit organizations and the other...

U.S. Small Business Administration provides online resources for young entrepreneurs.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Online resources available for teen business start-ups The U.S. Small Business Administration and Junior Achievement Worldwide are providing online resources for young entrepreneurs at...

State of Colorado successfully prosecutes 30 unemployment fraud cases.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal State successfully prosecutes 30 fraud cases The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment obtained 30 criminal convictions for unemployment fraud during the second quarter of 2006. The...

Colorado Agricultural Value Added Development program provide grants to promote agricultural energy related projects.
September 7, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Grants are available through the Colorado Agricultural Value Added Development program to promote agricultural energy related projects. The program has received $500,000 from the state to...

Health Savings Accounts proving to be a new insurance alternative.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Health savings accounts aren't just for the "healthy and wealthy." More than 50,000 HSA accounts are opened every month in the United States, according to account administrators, showing the dramatic effect of a...

Colorado Springs home community marketers focus on aging baby boomers.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley For years, new home community marketers have focused on young families, single and married professionals, move-up candidates and luxury buyers. But times are changing. Colorado Springs-based Dunn & Associates and...

Colorado Bioscience Association and angel investors create network to jump-start bioscience business.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer The Colorado Bioscience Association and a group of angel investors have created the state's first funding network dedicated to fledgling bioscience companies. But, how much that might help to jump-start bioscience...

Colorado's political season to be an unusual one.
September 8, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst For sheer weirdness, it's hard to imagine a Colorado political season as wacky as this one. Consider the following: The GOP nominated a respected, amiable two-term congressman, Bob Beauprez, as their gubernatorial...

Colorado native returns as general manager of her family's business.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Denise Wells McMillon just can't seem to stay away from Colorado Springs for very long. She worked in her family's furniture re-upholstery business, Western Services, but left to test the...

U.S. Bancorp acquires Colorado-based Vail Bank.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer U.S. Bancorp, the nation's sixth largest financial institution and Colorado's second largest bank, has completed its $98.6 million acquisition of Vail Banks Inc. The purchase adds 24 Colorado branch locations in 19...

U.S. News and World Report for best cardiac care leaves out some excellent hospitals.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine U.S. News and World Report's annual "best" list for cardiac care left out some lesser known - but excellent - hospitals, according to a study from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations....

Out-of-state investors remain optimistic about Colorado Srpings retail market.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Just a year after the King Soopers-anchored Ridgeview Market Place shopping center at Powers Boulevard and Stetson Hills opened, Tom Dermody of Sperry Van Ness reports it has been sold for $4.8 million to an investor...

Google announces that it will offer local discount coupons online.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Clipping and saving coupons is a way of life for many -- so it shouldn't be any surprise that Internet technology giant Google wants a cut. Google has announced that it will offer local discount coupons to people who...

Colorado Springs' dowtown is the epicenter of its nightlife.
September 8, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Twenty-five years ago, as one downtown businessman pointed out recently, "you could have rolled a bowling ball down Tejon Street at 10 o'clock on Saturday night, and not hit a thing." But, as any downtown visitor...

Technology to be the leader in employment growth.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson The outlook for the most promising jobs during the next decade is definitely high tech. The Colorado Department of Labor says that the need for computer support specialists will grow the most between now and 2014....

Denver-based company wants to make Colorado a top 10 place for nanotechnology companies.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Nanotechnology is no "small matter" when it comes to economic development. That's the tagline for the Denver-based Colorado Nanotechnology Association, whose goal is to make the state one of the top 10 places for...

Disaster assistance for small businesses.
September 8, 2006... Disaster assistance for small businesses Small, non-farm businesses in Fremont, Chaffee, Custer, El Paso, Park, Pueblo, Saguache and Teller counties are eligible to apply for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to...

Colorado Springs acquires a Procurement Technical Assistance Center.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Lon Matejczyk Earlier this year I raised the question: Are we as the local business community taking advantage of all the Department of Defense contracts that are out there? At any given time there is as much as $1 billion in the...

ESPN2 takes split screen viewing to the extreme.
September 8, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd I grew up watching ESPN. And being a former sports writer, I spent way too much time in front of the television watching reports and commentary about subjects that I had already spent way too much time reading about at...

Pikes Peak Council of Governments receives $518K.
September 14, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Council of Governments awarded grant The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments has been awarded $518,000 from the Department of Defense's Office of Economic Adjustment to develop a regional...

Colorado Springs Utilities maintains bond ratings.
September 14, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal The nation's leading bond rating agencies have released credit ratings for Colorado Springs Utilities. Standard & Poor's and Fitch maintained a rating for the utility of AA. Moody's rating remained...

Colorado receives $1.07M in federal funds for 17 scenic and historic byways projects.
September 14, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Colorado has received $1.07 million in federal funds for 17 scenic and historic byways projects, ranging from new interpretive materials to the purchase of conservation easements. Three projects,...

Colorado-based El Paso Citizen Outreach Group seeks volunteers.
September 14, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Volunteer needed for Citizen Outreach Group The El Paso County Board of Commissioners is seeking a volunteer to serve a one-year term as an alternate member on the Citizen Outreach Group. The group...

Pikes Peak Arts Council holds its 2006 annual awards banquet.
September 14, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal The Pikes Peak Arts Council held its annual awards banquet this week. In the classical music category, Brian Stinar was recognized for best solo performance for "Puccini Spectacular." The Colorado...

Although gender pay gap narrows, officials dispute the reasons behind the shift.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer The U.S. Department of Labor issued a report last week with some good news -- the gender pay gap has closed to its smallest level on record. Not so fast, said officials from the Economic Policy Institute. It wasn't that...

States earn big money from lotto and casinos.
September 15, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst In Colorado, gambling is big business. During fiscal year 2006, which ended on June 30, Colorado casinos paid $106.1 million in state taxes on a record $765.4 million in adjusted gross proceeds, total revenue less...

$3.6M of defense spending pours into Colorado.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Last year, more than $3.6 billion dollars in Department of Defense spending poured into Colorado. Almost $2.5 billion of that made its way to companies doing business in El Paso County, according to the DoD's 2005...

Too much government regulation could ruin business in this country.
September 15, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Growing up in Colorado Springs in the 1950s, I dated a girl named Nancy Shoup. Nancy's dad, Merrill Shoup, the son of Gov. Oliver Shoup, was one of our small city's leading businessmen. CEO and chairman of the Holly...

United Kingdom-based GlaxoSmithKline settles record-breaking tax bill of $3.4B.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer OK, if you thought your last business tax bill was big, consider what drug maker GlaxoSmithKline recently shelled out to the tax man. This week, GSK paid $3.4 billion to the Internal Revenue Service -- the largest tax...

Health care organizations prompted to keep patients safe during a major event or disaster.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has issued an alert that urges health care organizations to pay attention to how emergency power systems can fail, and recommends steps to keep...

Westcore Properties buys Mack-Cali trust and Colorado Springs property portfolio for $195.3M.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Westcore Properties of San Diego is buying New Jersey-based real estate investment trust Mack-Cali's Denver and Colorado Springs property portfolio for $195.3 million. The portfolio includes 19 office buildings...

McDonalds offers wireless Internet access.(Company overview)
September 15, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson The Golden Arches are leading the way in the wireless fast-food revolution. Patrons of McDonald's can now check their e-mail for $2.95 (for two hours of service) as part of a partnership between the fast-food giant and...

A Colorado Springs corporation challenges design engineers to use new development design system.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine A Colorado Springs corporation is challenging design engineers to use its VersaKit-30xx development system to create new designs -- and win $2,500. Ramtron International Corp., a developer of nonvolatile...

Council of Governments awarded grant.
September 15, 2006... Council of Governments awarded grant The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments has been awarded $518,000 from the Department of Defense's Office of Economic Adjustment to develop a regional growth coordination plan related to the expansion of...

Colorado state health officials urge business leaders to prepare employees for influenza pandemic.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Business leaders should prepare now for an influenza pandemic -- or any other public health problem -- by creating a plan and making sure employees can follow it. Colorado's Department of Public Health and...

Colorado Springs median household income falls.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Colorado Springs average median household income fell slightly more than the state average during the last two years, according to data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The average median household income...

Colorado's Public Employees' Retirement Association unhappy about story in Business Journal.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd Guess who wasn't happy about the story we did a few weeks ago about the Public Employees' Retirement Association of Colorado? The Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado. I got an e-mail from the...

High-tech coupons allow the discount barcode to be scanned by cell phones.
September 15, 2006... Byline: Lon Matejczyk My cell phone battery is slowly getting worse. It is having problems charging and isn't holding a charge as long as it use to. I have a basic Sprint phone with some extra rubber around it so that when I fat-finger it...

Colorado nursing shortage ratio could be construed by low pay in state's hospitals.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Colorado nursing shortage - twice that of the rest of the country - is an artificial creation caused by staffing ratios and low pay in the state's hospitals. That's according to a report from the Nurses Alliance...

Five Colorado Springs charitable foundations move into the historic Burgess House.
September 22, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Five Colorado Springs charitable foundations have moved into the historic Burgess house. Located at 730 N. Nevada Ave., the building was recently purchased by the Pikes Peak Community Foundation and will also house...

Colorado Springs state and city officials unveil design plans for Bijou Street Bridge.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer As state and city officials unveiled design plans for the Bijou Street bridge this week, differing opinions about the construction project's affect on business were uncovered. Downtown business owners appear to be at...

Colin Powell's letter to Sen. John McCain mirrors letter written by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1962.
September 22, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst Last week, as the controversy about President Bush's plan to rewrite the Geneva Convention played out in the Senate Judiciary Committee, I happened to read Colin Powell's letter to Sen. John McCain opposing any such...

Colorado minimum wage supporters and opponents weigh in on voters' opinions before November ballot.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Supporters and opponents of raising the minimum wage in Colorado are ramping up their rhetoric in advance of voters weighing in on the November ballot issue. Amendment 42, which is being spearheaded by Coloradoans for...

The Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. hires Bill Ruskin.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Bill Ruskin is no stranger to economic development, so he should have no trouble adapting to his new position at The Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. Ruskin worked with the city for...

Colorado Springs Finance Briefs: September 22, 2006.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer Citigroup Inc., the largest U.S. bank, lost $20 million buying and selling gold and silver in 2002 and 2003, after a trader hid contracts and reported bogus prices, according to a New York Stock Exchange report. A good...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: September 22, 2006.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will receive a federal grant of $7.2 million for a bioterrorism hospital preparedness program. The money will be used across the state to develop medical...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: September 22, 2006.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley The Fred Fletemeyer Construction Co., a family-owned construction business in Colorado Springs, is one of 15 employers in the United States that received the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award,...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: September 22, 2006.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Can you think of a better way to relax while waiting for a massage or chiropractic appointment than sipping on a coffee or an espresso? Jamie Chaffin and Tamara Steinbach hope the answer is no. The pair opened Brew Me...

Colorado Springs home sales appear to be standing firm.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Even though the National Association of Home Builders revised 2006 building permit numbers to fall by almost 20 percent and the National Association of Realtors reduced its 2006 home sales projections by 8 percent,...

Three University of Colorado professors selected to stimulate Colorado Springs economic development.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine The El Pomar chairs are filled and the three professors occupying them at the University of Colorado have been charged with a daunting task: stimulating economic development in the Pikes Peak region through their...

Colorado Springs Antlers Hilton Hotel hosts 10th Annual Southern Colorado Economic Forum.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Oct. 11 will mark the 10th Annual Southern Colorado Economic Forum. The event will be from 7 a.m. until noon in the Heritage Ballroom of downtown's Antlers Hilton Hotel. Michael Swanson,...

BBB recognizes customer service excellence Colorado Technical University, Endodontic Specialists of Colorado P.C., Handyman Connection and Oral Surgery Associates of Colorado Springs P.C. were selected as winners of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado.
September 22, 2006... BBB recognizes customer service excellence Colorado Technical University, Endodontic Specialists of Colorado P.C., Handyman Connection and Oral Surgery Associates of Colorado Springs P.C. were selected as winners of the Better Business Bureau...

Road construction makes it difficult to get to Colorado Springs businesses.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff They haven't moved. Your favorite stores are still there, but if your main driving artery is Interstate 25, how do you get to them? While businesses caught in the middle of the Colorado...

Resume spelling errors could cost you a job interview.
September 22, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd My favorite part of job interviews is when I'm asked the standard question about what I think my weakest skill is. My response: "I can't spell." Sometimes I even expand the response to provide added emphasis: "I can't...

Colorado businesses hope upcoming Court decision will set precedence for punitive damage awards.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer After a more than decade-long hiatus, business cases -- and especially anti-trust cases -- are a high priority for the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court session. Corporate America is eyeing the session, which opens Oct. 2, in...

Colorado Springs local hospital administrators count on the healing power of art.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Administrators at local hospitals are counting on the healing power of art. "From our perspective and from a clinical perspective, we work to heal people and to cure them," said Rob Ryder,...

Battle brewing over internet access for blind Web surfers.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson In 1992, The Americans with Disabilities Act became law. The act provides "equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services...

Members of Congress direct money to their favorite projects.
September 29, 2006... Byline: John Hazlehurst We've all heard about congressional "earmarks" -- the sly, sleazy and virtually invisible process by which members of Congress direct money to their favorite projects. It's simple -- just stick some language into...

Colorado Springs Business Women's Association selects Egbert as one of its top 10 women of 2006.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Michelle Egbert specializes in peeling back the layers of a business to see how performance can be improved. And she's obviously pretty good at what she does, because the American Business...

Colorado Springs banking and finance briefs: September 29, 2005.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Rob Larimer It's not uncommon that when taxes become too high, a business moves to a more favorable climate. And it now appears that the world of rock 'n' roll has embraced the principal. Irish rock star Bono and his band U2...

Colorado Springs youth organizations receive $2.3M in grant money.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine Two Colorado Springs youth organizations have received grants from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment. The grant, part of a $2.3 million Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program, went to 72...

Freddie Mac expands military mortgage plans.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Freddie Mac is expanding the Home Possible affordable mortgage program to boost the home buying power of nearly 1.5 million U.S. military personnel. Proponents included the Senate Armed Services Committee, the...

Motorola Inc. unveils a robotic store stocked with phones and phone accessories.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Motorola Inc. has unveiled "Instantmoto," a "robotic store" stocked with phones and phone accessories. Not exactly a stuffed animal or a bag of chips, but a similar format. The giant vending machines have a robotic...

Pikes Peak Real estate investment funds show solid growth.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Becky Hurley Since 2003, the Pikes Peak region has nurtured two private real estate investment funds, accounting for more than $75 million in equity and more than $300 million in asset investment. The first was a $30 million...

More employers are focusing on "soft skills" when seeking out new employees.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Joan Johnson Instead of what's in it for me, job seekers probably should be asking prospective employers what do you need from me? More employers are focusing on "soft skills," including communicating, relationship building, work...

U.S. Chamber and Visa USA team up to help businesses protect themselves against risks of fraud.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Mike Boyd The U.S. Chamber and Commerce and Visa USA are trying to help businesses understand and protect themselves against the risks of fraud by identifying the leading causes of data breaches and offering prevention strategies...

New Orleans Superdome is full of emotion at Saints' first game since Hurricane Katrina.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Lon Matejczyk If you are a weekly reader of these pages, you might remember when I welcomed Kathleen Gannon and Jeremy Sanders to our merry band here at Colorado Publishing Co. Kathleen and Jeremy worked for our sister paper, New...

Volunteers needed to 'Make a Difference' The Pikes Peak United Way is in need of about 400 additional volunteers to participate in this year's Make a Difference Day --.
September 29, 2006... Volunteers needed to 'Make a Difference' The Pikes Peak United Way is in need of about 400 additional volunteers to participate in this year's Make a Difference Day -- Extreme Community Makeover, which is scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28. Make a...

Rich Schell and Greg Wragge host Third Annual PAYO Garden Party.
September 29, 2006... Byline: Diane Wengler Guests walked through a door designed by artist Mary Chenoweth and into the spectacular gardens at the North End home of Rich Schell and Greg Wragge for the Third Annual PAYO Garden Party on Sept. 10. Although dark...