Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) articles from September 2008

Colorado Springs Business Journal (CO) archives from September 2008

What to do with vacant, deteriorating buildings in historic Colorado Springs neighborhoods.
September 5, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst During the last two decades, the city has clashed frequently with Douglas Bruce, both in his capacity as the author of statewide and local initiatives curbing the power of government and as a supposedly negligent...

Troubled banks sign of deeper economic woes?
September 5, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Economists are in two camps. The majority are predicting an economic turn around during the second half of 2009, but some believe U.S. economic woes are only beginning -- and they point to the latest Federal Deposit...

Commentary: This year's presidential politics really are personal.
September 5, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst It's easy to be cynical about politics. And after spending last week in Denver, covering the Democratic National Convention, surrounded by preening, narcissistic pols, listening to endless speechifying, ears and...

Strang ready to put Colorado Springs on the corporate map.
September 5, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report Amber Strang made a name for herself in the competitive commercial real estate market of Dallas before moving to Colorado Springs earlier this year. And as the Jones Lang LaSalle company's first broker in Colorado...

Budgeting versus modeling.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn A financial model is not a banker wearing hundred dollar bills taped to a designer suit. It's a tool that's helped many business owners plan for the future, said Austin Buckett, a manager at BiggsKofford. Last week, he...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: September 5, 2008.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Which is better -- an SUV or a subcompact? While one gets better gas mileage, it could also be contributing to higher insurance costs because of increased medical claims. The Insurance Research Council researched the...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: September 5, 2008.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Nunn Construction Co. has begun work on a $22 million LEED gold-certified student union building at Western State College in Gunnison. The project was designed by Slaterpaull Architects and WTW Architects. Nunn senior...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: September 5, 2008.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater Adventures in Books has opened at 606 N. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs. Owner Bill Porter plans on operating a generalist bookstore where something for everyone can be found, but he also will emphasize the...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: September 5, 2008.
September 5, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report Volunteers needed for Make a Difference Month Make a Difference Day has turned into Make a Difference Month locally, making October the largest communitywide volunteer effort in the history of Colorado Springs....

G.B. Value Partners shift strategies with new economic realities.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley As lenders tighten loan criteria and increase down payment levels for commercial real estate, private investments funds are challenged to come up with new strategies -- and new sources of cash. The National Association...

There's nothing to fear but unwarranted financial fear.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Rebecaa Tonn The financial sky really isn't falling. Newspaper headlines are making people think that 117 banks will fail, said Ed Sauer, president and CEO of The Bank at Broadmoor, referring to an Aug. 26 Associated Press story....

More than $2 million in stimulus payments still unclaimed in El Paso County.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine More than $2 million in stimulus checks from the Internal Revenue Service are still available for residents in El Paso County. That's the estimate from the Pikes Peak United Way and the Piton Foundation. Taxpayers...

Tax proposal in El Paso County makes times tougher.
September 5, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report Last Thursday, a divided El Paso County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to place a 1 percent sales tax on the November ballot. The proceeds of the tax, estimated to be more than $70 million annually, would be...

Commentary: Hurricane Gustav and media hype.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk When the levee breaks I have no place to go. -- Led Zeppelin What a non-event for TV watchers. CNN coverage had you waiting for a levee breach, while internally I was hoping nothing bad would happen to good ole'...

Commentary: Just another manic Monday on the e-mail front.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd Mondays usually aren't too exciting in my world, but this past Monday was an exception. At 12:33 p.m. I received an e-mail from an Ambrose Harbin. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't know any Ambrose Harbins --...

Goodwill's Enchanted Evening in Colorado Springs.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Diane Wengler A three-piece music ensemble played as 220 guests arrived at the beautiful 1898 Broadmoor home of Laura and Jim Johnson for An Enchanting Evening to benefit Goodwill Industries on Aug. 22. The expansive yard, filled...

Colorado College committed to policy of preservation.
September 5, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Not all aging structures in Colorado Springs are destined for a date with the wrecking ball. Last month, Colorado College announced that the State Historical Fund had awarded the school $115,000 to begin restoration...

Ebay makes real estate auctioneer's life a lot easier: ----Going once, going twice ...
September 12, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Ebay has certainly made life as a real estate auctioneer a lot easier. Doug Marsh, owner of Marsh Auction Group, credits the online bidding site for much of the growth in the industry. With $60 billion in transactions...

Economic downturn means less tourism tax revenues for Colo. Springs convention bureau.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Pike may have to return money to the city later this year because revenue from the lodging and automobile rental tax has fallen short of budget projections. Although the shortfall...

Commentary: Are we driving down the same dead-end road as Detroit?
September 12, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Detroit: fading and moribund, plagued by crime, with a decaying central city, a public school system in crisis, a disgraced mayor, plummeting property values and chronically high unemployment. Colorado Springs:...

Gappmayer knows he has big shoes to fill as new CEO of Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.
September 12, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report Sam Gappmayer, the new CEO of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, said that he's excited about coming to Colorado Springs, and acknowledges that former CEO Michael De Marsche is a hard act to follow. What Mike...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: September 12, 2008.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Although we are, arguably, in a recession, the current one differs from the last one. The 2001 recession was caused by over-investment in technology -- a business-led recession, said Dr. Tucker Hart Adams, president of...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: September 12, 2008.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Nearly 9,500 children are accidentally taking their parents' prescription painkillers every year -- leading to serious medical issues. A report was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine shows an increasing...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: September 12, 2008.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley A tough housing market, a credit crisis and the highest gas prices in history are contributing to slow new home sales. American ingenuity is alive and well, however, spurring builders to embrace bold home sales...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: September 12, 2008.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater Steve and Barry's, which operates a two-level 60,000-square-foot store in The Citadel mall, was recently purchased out of bankruptcy by B.H. S&B Holdings, a newly formed affiliate of investment firms Bay Harbour...

Commentary: Term limits limit the bad, and the good.
September 12, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Editorial Just what were they thinking? Most political observers were scratching their heads about the suddenly floated, and just as suddenly abandoned, scheme by the Board of Commissioners to increase term limits for El...

Pikes Peak region auction results get brokers' attention.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley Auctions provide a trading platform where the market determines the value of items, and in these times of economic volatility, when home values have stagnated or dropped and credit has tightened, their appeal is on the...

Pikes Peak Hickory Classic tees off in Colorado Springs.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Report The Pikes Peak Hickory Classic teed off just after sunrise Sept. 6 on the East Course at The Broadmoor. The 1920s-style game, which was hosted by the George B. Lee Golf Foundation...

Commentary: Our city's brand, economic development and a DOOG.
September 12, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk What if Colorado Springs was known throughout the world as the place to go to see the interactive space museum, science center and children's museum? A one of facility and a place for inquisitive minds of all...

Under-Insured: More Americans struggling to afford the coverage they have.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Colorado Springs Business Journal Staff Report More than 72 million American are struggling to pay health care bills -- and most of them have insurance. It's called being under-insured, and as insurance premiums rise between 5...

Sustainability an attitude, not a checklist.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley We shape our buildings; therefore they shape us. -- Winston Churchill Since its inception during 2000, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification principles have been used in the construction of at...

Commentary: The economy: Little common ground between McCain/Obama.
September 19, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Voters may be forgiven if they assume that candidates for office, even the highest in the land, have no detailed economic plans, but merely collections of talking points. But this year, both Sens. John McCain and...

Commentary: While Obama slept, McCain was producing a blockbuster sequel.
September 19, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Remember Sarah Connor? In the first Terminator, she was the apparently simple-minded young woman who found herself at the center of history, with the fate of all mankind hanging on her courage, intelligence and...

Amendments could change face of Colorado economy.
September 19, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst On Nov. 4, Colorado voters will weigh in on 18 proposed amendments to the Colorado constitution, 14 stemming from resident initiatives and four referred by the legislature. Of the questions on the statewide ballot,...

Q&A with Denise DeLeo, senior financial adviser in Colorado Springs firm.
September 19, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report Denise A. DeLeo began her professional career as a chemist, and has extensive marketing, publicity and sports tournament directorship experience. Organized and methodical, DeLeo trained for six months before...

Economy is moderate so far, but there are some headwinds on horizon, says economist.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Although he expected a sluggish and mild environment during the beginning of the year, Keith Hembre, chief economist and chief investment strategist for FAF Advisors, said that the economy was instead moderate, with...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: September 19, 2008.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine People have been traveling abroad for medical treatment for at least a decade, but there's a new twist. Employers have started encouraging workers to travel within the United States for medical treatment, taking...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: September 19, 2008.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley The 28,000-square-foot Family Furniture building on the southwest corner of East Pikes Peak Avenue and South Academy Boulevard has been purchased by Freedom Furniture and Electronics of North Carolina for $2.51...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: September 19, 2008.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater King's Chef Diner has expanded, and while regular customers can still go to the old castle abode on Costilla Street, they'll also have lots more room to enjoy the restaurant's entrees on the southwest corner of Nevada...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: September 19, 2008.
September 19, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report 'Fill the Boot' campaign sets state record After receiving a final tally from the bank, the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced that the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Association raised...

Commentary: Ballot is no place for grudge settling.
September 19, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Editorial The November ballot will include not only contests for state and national office, but will also require voters to determine the fate of 14 initiatives and four referenda. None are simple or straightforward, and...

Commentary: Rebuilding after the storm.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd Reading the accounts and seeing the photos and video images of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike left me with a somewhat helpless feeling. I grew up on the mainland, just across the bay from Galveston Island. The majority of...

Colorado Festival of World Theatre celebrates its fifth anniversary.
September 19, 2008... Byline: Diane Wengler The Colorado Festival of World Theatre celebrated the genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein and its fifth anniversary Sept. 4-9. Festival patrons, members of the board of directors, staff and special guests gathered at...

Beware of Sharks: Consumers warned about advance-fee loans.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Advance-fee loans promise to restore a business or individual's credit by holding money in an account to build credit. But there's a hitch -- such lenders demand upfront fees of up to 3 percent of the loan's value, and...

Colorado lenders explain benefits of reverse mortgages for some seniors.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Reverse mortgages have increased exponentially since 1990 when the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program was first administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, many myths and...

Aerospace industry handcuffed by regulations.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Government regulations are keeping America's space and computer technology grounded domestically -- much to the detriment of small businesses and start-ups that might want to export their technologies to other...

Commentary: Some lessons from last week's epochal financial meltdown/bailout.
September 26, 2008... Byline: John Hazlehurst Here are some lessons from last week's epochal financial meltdown/bailout. On the good side, we learned that the federal government can be powerful and decisive at a time of real crisis. Whatever you might think...

Colorado Springs business broker brings insight, entrepreneurial experience to the job.
September 26, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report When her father and mentor, A. Jay Hoyal, took her under his wing four years ago to learn about business brokerage, Kim Hoyal took every opportunity to attend after-hours meetings, work through weekends and get...

Colorado Springs Financial Briefs: September 26, 2008.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Entrepreneurs have marketable ideas, perhaps a few prototypes and plenty of chutzpah -- but, invariably, they need capital. Chris Blees, chief executive officer of BiggsKofford P.C. and a founding member of High...

Colorado Springs Medical Briefs: September 26, 2008.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine The National Institutes of Health is establishing a multi-site research network to conduct clinical trials for common menopausal symptoms. The initiative, the Menopause Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers for...

Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: September 26, 2008.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Becky Hurley This summer, several health care providers formerly located near Penrose Community Hospital moved north to the Northcare office building adjacent to the St. Francis Medical Center. Only an urgent care facility at the...

Colorado Springs Retail Briefs: September 26, 2008.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Scott Prater Sparrow Hawk Gourmet Cookware has moved to 120 N. Tejon St. At 8,000 square feet, the new store dwarfs Sparrow Hawk's old location (2,800 square feet). Owner Sam Eppley spent $40,000 on a new facade for the building...

Seniors preparing to retire and their adult children don't talk -- about finances.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Rebecca Tonn Seniors preparing to retire and their adult children don't talk -- about finances, that is. Half of all families on the brink of retirement have less than $40,000 in liquid assets, and more than 50 million households...

Colorado Springs Business Journal News Briefs: September 26, 2008.
September 26, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Report Flight for Life Colorado honors heroes Flight for Life Colorado has recognized crews from two incidents of gun violence with Wings of Honor awards. The first award honors the crews on the scene at the New Life...

Colorado insurers claim legislation will lead to demise of small business market.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Amy Gillentine Colorado's small group insurance market could disappear during the next few years -- replaced by high deductible plans or individual insurance. That's the word from major insurance companies, who say that legislation...

Commentary: Ballot initiatives 200 and 201 not in Colorado Springs' best interest.
September 26, 2008... Byline: CSBJ Staff Editorial If there is such a thing as a perfect storm in local politics, it will happen Nov. 4, when voters will decide the fate of three ballot proposals. The proposals include two City Charter amendments and a...

Commentary: Taking the plunge into social networking with Facebook.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Lon Matejczyk OK, now I am cool. I have a Facebook page. Some of our younger staff here at the CSBJ said I had to get one to be cool and understand younger people. Pretty much right away I had e-mails from high school friends and...

Commentary: The bailout comes up just short of being comprehensive.
September 26, 2008... Byline: Mike Boyd Dear President Bush, Secretary Paulson and Chairman Bernanke: I know the three of you are fairly busy at the moment saving the world from an economic meltdown of biblical proportion, but I was hoping that you might have a...