Denver Business Journal articles from April 2000

Denver Business Journal archives from April 2000

Law makers debate fix to EMS care.(emergency medical service)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Proposal before Legislature would give state control of emergency care system Colorado residents could see substantial improvements in emergency medical care if state lawmakers approve a measure that gives the Colorado Department of Public...

Papers continue their war.(Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News)
April 7, 2000... Publishers at both Denver daily newspapers will be showing circulations gains later this month in their bi-annual reports to Audit Bureau of Circulations. But the circulation tallies alone won't tell who is actually winning the fight in...

Market gyrations weaken Colo. IPOs.(initial public offerings in Colorado)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Technology stocks' wild ride on Wall Street has taken a bite out of investors' returns in Colorado's newest public companies. Though shares of most are still trading above their initial offering price, just as many have seen their value...

Wyo. gas play sparks controversy.
April 7, 2000... Colorado oil and gas producers operating in the Powder River Basin coalbed methane play in Wyoming have come under fire from area landowners upset with how they are handling their drilling operations. But with more than 112 companies...

Volunteers vacation in Kenya.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... A local nonprofit that encourages Denver employees to take a vacation is finding that some employers are more than willing to grant the time off--and pay for it-- in the name of a good cause. The "Vacations With a Purpose" program,...

Cassidy reflects on Colo. economy.(Sam Cassidy of Colorado Association of Commerce)(Interview)
April 7, 2000... President and CEO of CACI shares insights on business climate and growth Sam Cassidy, president and CEO of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry since 1997, announced this week that he will resign on June 1. A former state...

Hudson takes a second job as prankster.(press secretary Andrew Hudson)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Mayor Wellington Webb's Press Secretary Andrew Hudson again has proved that he has way too much time on his hands. It's bad enough that his finger is permanently fused to his computer's e-mail send button and he's worn out 14 mouse pads in...

How to save Currigan.(Currigan Hall)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Mayor Wellington Webb has sent out a request for proposals to save Currigan Hall from demolition. Here are 10 options the city should consider for the 30-year-old exhibition hall. 10. Plunk it down on the Mile High Flea Market site so...

Denver company improves Web cams.(Digitron Inc.)
April 7, 2000... Technology offers viewing near real time The latest and greatest in Web cam technology is now available in the United States, thanks to a Denver company. Digatron Inc. is the first reseller in the nation to distribute the next phase in...

Corrections and amplifications.(March 31 through April 6 issue)(Correction Notice)
April 7, 2000... * In the March 31-April 6 issue, a travel agency was inadvertently left off the Largest Denver-Area Travel Agencies list. Travel by Dana reported 1999 local sales volume of $37 million, which would have placed them at number eight on the list....

Business Journal named among 'Best in Business'.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The Denver Business Journal is one of four weekly business publications nationwide to receive the prestigious "Best in Business" award for general excellence by the Society of Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) SABEW, which has 3,200...

House panel approves ban on Internet taxes.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... A bill that would ban taxes on the Internet in Colorado passed out of the House Finance Committee by a 7-5 vote. House Bill 1440, sponsored by Penn Pfiffner, R-Lakewood, would permanently ban taxes on Internet access, though the tax...

Growth initiative killed.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... A major growth-management bill, HB 1223, got plowed under in the Senate Agriculture Committee on March 16 by a 6 to 1 vote. The legislation, drafted by the Colorado Municipal League and Colorado Counties Inc., died because of the rural...

Privacy bill postponed.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... A House bill designed to protect privacy on the Internet was postponed this week in the House Judiciary Committee. HB 1459 by House Minority leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver, is aimed at stopping the use of Internet "cookies," which are used by...

CET's revenue for year declined.(CET Environmental Services)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Englewood-based CET Environmental Services Inc. reported net revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31 were $7.8 million, down from the $21.9 million reported for the same time period in the previous year. Net income for the same three-month...

Gaiam Inc.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Broomfield-based health products company Gaiam Inc. saw its sales increase to $17.9 million during the fourth quarter, an increase over the $14.3 million reported for the same quarter in 1998. Sales for the year were $45.7 million, a 49 percent...

Negotiations collapse for convention hotel.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Plans for a 1,100-room Marriott hotel in downtown Denver fell through this week. Denver developer Bruce Berger planned to build a $217 million hotel on the site of the former Denver Post building at 15th and California streets, but city...

Liberty selling Ascent.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... AT&T Corp.'s Liberty Media Group, which just acquired Ascent Entertainment Group Inc. for about $755 million, already has designs to sell off its sports franchises. It announced plans to sell of the Denver Nuggets basketball team, Colorado...

Frontier flies to D.C.
April 7, 2000... Frontier Airlines is applying to the U.S. Department of Transportation to operate two daily round-trip nonstop flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Denver International Airport. The filing comes hard on the heels...

PCL wins bid.(PCL Construction Services, Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... PCL Construction Services Inc. won the job of building a new, $75 million federal courthouse annex on 19th Street in downtown Denver. The award came from the U.S. General Services Administration, which is overseeing the construction of the...

Convergent names CEO.(Convergent Communications, Joseph Zell)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Convergent Communications Inc. announced the appointment of Joseph Zell as president and chief executive officer. Zell joins Convergent Communications from U S West, where he has led their !nterprise Networking Division, an industry leader...

MediaOne to sell stock.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... MediaOne Group is preparing to sell 14 million shares of its Time Warner Telecom Inc. stock. The total shares to be offered will be approximately 15.3 million, including the underwriters' over allotment option, which represents all of...

SCC signs agreement.
April 7, 2000... SCC Communications Corp. announced a three-year agreement with Connect.com to provide Enhanced 911 database management services. Connect.com is growing, competitive local exchange carrier incorporated in the 48 contiguous states and the...

Settlement announced.(Colorado receives fine monies from tobacco industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... The state of Colorado will receive a $48.8 million base payment from its tobacco statement on April 15, 2000. This payment will bring Colorado's total tobacco payments received to $112 million. Colorado received its first payment from the...

Status quo remains despite insurer's deal.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... There's been no change in the relationship between local developer Westfield Development Company Inc. and its financial partner, General American Life Insurance Co., since the insurer was purchased earlier this year. General American, which is...

Fleisher-Smyth Co.(takes loan for building purchase in Denver)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Boulder-based Fleisher-Smyth Co. got a $15 million permanent loan for its purchase of the Hudson's Bay Centre office building in downtown Denver via Keystone Mortgage Partners LLC of Denver. Keystone, in turn, arranged the loan through National...

Kaufman and Broad Home Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Kaufman and Broad Home Corp., a California company that's one of the biggest home builders in Colorado, started the year 2000 with a bang. The company's net income jumped to $64 million in the first quarter compared to first-quarter 1999 net...

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
April 7, 2000... Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, made more than $600 million available for public and American Indian housing, according to a recent government report. Those funds were used for the building, buying and...

Coors makes list of ethical companies.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The Adolph Coors Co. of Golden, once criticized for discriminating against minorities and boycotted by the AFL-CIO for 10 years, was the only Colorado-based company to make Business Ethics magazine's recent ranking of this country's 100 best...

Echostar signs up a partner.(Gilat Satellite Networks of Israel)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Echostar Communications Corp. created its second partnership this year that will bring high-speed Internet and satellite television to the desktops of small businesses with only one dish the size of a spare tire. Echostar and Gilat...

U S West slides by Colorado regulators.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... It's true. The squeaky wheel gets the grease -- or in this case, the cash. Arizona became the most recent state to lay out costly provisos before it will approve the planned merger of U S West Communications and Qwest. It likely won't be...

Denver doctors help refine new method.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Area physicians will offer critique of Web-based electronic patient record system A group of Denver physicians will play a pioneering role in the nation's first Web-based electronic patient record system. Created by New Jersey-based...

New site aims at sales people.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... SalesRepOnline is aiming its sales pitch at the country's top sales people. Englewood-based SalesRepsOnline has developed an Internet portal targeting sales professionals and their online needs. The company was founded a year ago by a...

Docs may win right to unionize.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Federal legislation that would bring sweeping change in the way physicians contract with HMOs recently passed a U.S. House of Representatives committee with overwhelming support, despite opposition from the White House and the managed-care...

Businesses fall victims to office supply fraud.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The Federal Trade Commission recently slapped a $500,000 fine against Ultra Ribbons, whose 700 telemarketers sold computer ribbons, printer cartridges and other office supplies from a Southern California boiler room. The Ultra Ribbons...

Congress tries to fix stock options problem.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman traveled to Capitol Hill to endorse legislation that would overturn her department's ruling that profits from stock options must be included when calculating overtime pay for rank-and-file employees. Many...

Tax break for software.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Small businesses could immediately deduct the full cost of software instead of writing it off over three years under legislation introduced by Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif. Current law governing software purchases requires businesses to...

Banks may pay interest.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Banks would be allowed to pay interest on business checking accounts under legislation passed by the House Banking Committee. Small business groups and community banks wanted to repeal the prohibition on interest-bearing business checking...

Lobbying urged for China.(to improve manufacturing trade)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... House Majority Leader Richard Armey, R-Texas, said small manufacturers need to enlist their employees in the lobbying effort for permanent normal trading relations with China. It would be particularly helpful to "have your unionized...

Leaders help schools.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Public school officials in the nation's largest urban areas rate business leaders and foundations as the most helpful outside groups. Congress and the news media ranked at the bottom of the survey conducted by the Council of the Great City...

'Side Man' focuses on the family.(Denver Performing Arts Complex production)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Early on in the play "Side Man," the narrator hears the sound of a trumpet being played in a nondescript New York City bar and he instantly recognizes who is playing. Of course, the trumpet player is the narrator's father, Gene, but it...

Driven to distraction.(survey of millennium's worst cars)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Are you driving one of the worst cars made? And the people have spoken. A nationwide survey of 25,000 people has uncovered the "Worst Car of the Millennium." Actually, that's probably not an accurate title, considering cars didn't...

New Insight rebel with a cause.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... The Honda Insight is full of firsts: It's the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle for sale in the United States. It's the first vehicle to smash the once elusive 70-mile a gallon barrier to pieces. And it's the first production car that...

Dixons serves a spread that's hard to resist.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Denver diners have shown they're more than willing to take a gamble on newcomers to the city's restaurant scene, but when it comes to doing lunch downtown, Dixons Downtown Grill is a sure thing. The LoDo mainstay is no secret to Denver...

Frontier Airlines to hire 20 in Kan.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Denver-based Frontier Airlines will employ about 20 people in Kansas City as the airline ramps up service between Denver International Airport and Kansas City International Airport. Frontier has about 2,000 employees. Kansas City will...

DAs get tough on bad checks.(district attorneys set up program to deal with bad check writing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Local businesses now have a way to track down and punish customers who write bad checks. Area district attorneys have organized a "Bad Check Restitution Program" to increase the accountability of those that write bad checks without...

Monfort unveils plans for restaurant growth.(Steak Escape to open 100 more restaurants)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Beef tycoon Charles Monfort and the owner of the Steak Escape restaurant at Denver International Airport has struck a deal to open 100 more eateries in Colorado and California within the next 10 years. Monfort opened his first Steak Escape...

Dot coms lure venture capitalists.(makethemove.com)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Dot com companies are taking the center stage of America's free enterprise system. But behind every cyber star on stage there's a good chance venture capital is backstage doing its part. "Venture capital is the lifeblood, it's the fuel --...

SAMURAI CONSULTANT.(Samurai Success Inc.'s David Olcott)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Exec applies martial-arts principles to business David Olcott is one of the rare Denver-area businessmen who wears a sword to work. The founder of a Lakewood-based executive coaching company is blending the defensive martial art of...

Remembering yesterday's cliches.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... They are words that conjure memories of long and unproductive meetings. Words only a middle manager could love: "consensus-building," "collaborative-decision making," "mentoring," "mission statements," "core values"... For the most part,...

Retired work force reliable, inexpensive.
April 7, 2000... What business today could not use a couple more dependable, responsible, diligent and flexible employees who probably do not need benefits? Want to know where to find these fabulous employees -- the retired. Hiring retirees in these days...

Event honors film stars.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star June Allyson returns to Denver for the sixth annual "Bridges of Love" Awards Dinner benefitting Rainbow Bridge to be held April 27 in the Imperial Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Denver Hotel. Allyson, last year's...

Journey of caring.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Lutheran Family Services of Colorado and WB2 Charities, a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, are sponsoring" A Journey of Caring" Benefit Gala at Ocean Journey on April 28 to raise funds to serve the vulnerable in the...

Portable voice recorders going digital.
April 7, 2000... Small-business owners have been using portable voice recorders for years to record their latest marketing brainstorm or that crucial decision-making meeting. In the market for one today? You probably won't be surprised to discover that these...

The art of turning a company around.
April 7, 2000... American journalist Ambrose Pierce once remarked that a man is known by the company he organizes. In today's business climate we could say that an entrepreneur is known by the company he or she turns around. Who buys a failing business? Just...

Learn the fine points of trading in Mexico.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Small business executives will learn the fine points of doing business in Mexico. The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Area Small Business Development Center are sponsoring a workshop titled "Winning the Trade Game in the...

The Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... The Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce will hold a business-after-hours event April 13 at 6 p.m. Hosted by Coors Brewing Company, the meeting will offer networking with the Asian Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Women Business...

Marketpartners' contracts.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Marketpartners, Results By Design Inc., a marketing, communications and graphic design firm, contracted with J.D. Ford & Company and Bestfoods Baking Company. Marketpartners will design and develop a corporate identity for J.D. Ford & Company...

IBM 1999 Annual Report.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Jagged Edge Mountain Gear, a designer, manufacturer and retailer of technical outerwear and rugged mountain-wear, was featured in the IBM 1999 Annual Report. The IBM 1999 Annual Report can also be accessed directly at...

Pearl Izumi.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... C, a performance apparel manufacturer, has a new Web site at www.pearlizumi.com. Designed by SpireMedia, the new site now provides a complelte listing of apparel with links for purchases and profiles of Peral Izumi's sponsored world-class...

C Lazy U Ranch.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... C Lazy U Ranch, a dude and guest ranch located in the Willow Creek Valley in Granby, has a new Web site at www.clazyu.com. Visitors entering the site are met by a virtual ranch wrangler and his trusty steed. They can then navigate the site to...

Sonnenalp Resort of Vail.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The Sonnenalp Resort of Vail, recipient of Conde Nast and Travel & Leisure magazines' reader's choice awards, offers an online meeting planner on its new and improved multi-media Web site at www.sonnenalp.com.

On the move.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... JG Johnson Architects PC, this week announced the official launch of their new Web site at www.jgjohnson.com. Brian Richardson will operate the new Allstate Insurance Co. office 1510 Glen Ayr Dr. #9 in Lakewood. The full-service insurance...

Receptionists make the first impression.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... So who do you think is the most important person in your office? If you answered yourself, deduct two points and look for a dose of humility. Right up front, point person, numero uno, supreme commander, the holiness who rules the office,...

NEWSMAKERS.
April 7, 2000... Architecture Klipp Colussy Jenks DuBois Architects P.C. named Foroozan Manoochehri assistant job captain on Montbello Parkfield Middle School for Denver Public Schools. Manoochechri brings a unique design talent, adapted from his...

Expressing regret over Cassidy's exit.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Sam Cassidy's retirement as president of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry (CACI) must be viewed with understanding and regret by the state's business community. It is regrettable because, during his tenure, CACI emerged as...

DIA steps away from 'super'.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... So the city of Denver has been anointed as one of 10 "supercities of the future" by the World Development Federation. A big reason? Denver International Airport. I've never been a huge fan of DIA. Some of the early real estate deals were...

United explains Frankfurt delay.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... International expansion out of Denver International Airport has been the subject of a number of stories in the press recently, including a stimulating March 31st Viewpoint by Leslie Madsen in The Denver Business Journal ("The reason why flights...

DBJ STOCK REPORT.
April 7, 2000... DBJ STOCK REPORT DBJ Index -2.51% 2310.50 NASDAQ -7.86% 2552.65 S&P 500 -1.9% 1498.58 Dow Jones Industrial -1.7% 10921.92 Top 10 Weekly...

DBJ FUNDWATCH.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Our exclusive weekly report ranks the top Denver-manager mutual funds, ranked by year-to-date total return. The information is derived from a database of more than 2,000 mutual funds. Data provided by Lipper Analytical Services Inc. For week...

At least in Houston, Coors Miller are working together.
April 7, 2000... HOUSTON -- After 15 years as a major league third baseman, followed by a quarter of a century in the beer business, Bob Aspromonte is shifting gears once again. The former Houston Astro has sold the majority of his family-owned Aspromonte...

Savings Account Yields.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Listed are the effective annual yields, after compounding, on a variety of savings instruments offered in the Denver area. Yields are fixed rate for all certificates of deposit (CD). Rates paid are for deposits of $2,500, except jumbo CDs,...

National Interest Rate Index.
April 7, 2000... National Interest Rate Index Current rate Previous Net change (%) week (%) (+ or -) SHORT-TERM INTEREST RATES Prime rate ...

Borrowing Rates.
April 7, 2000... Borrowing Rates Auto terms: $10,000 loan. 48-month ...

Current Tax-exempt Bond Offerings.
April 7, 2000... Current Tax-exempt Bond Offerings Issue Coupon rate Maturity Yield Eagle, Garfield & Routt Cnty Sch Dist 4.95 12-01-01 4.50 Poudre Valley CO Hosp Dist 5.00 ...

'The Donald' stumbles.
April 7, 2000... Anthony Robbins is probably sorry lie invited Donald Trump to participate in his Results 2000 road show, which came through Denver April 4. Trump, who was supposed to talk about the art of the business deal, ended up negating everything...

Internet security concerns grow.
April 7, 2000... Experts worry hackers will beome more prevalant as technology advances Everyone has heard the stories about law-abiding citizens having their identity stolen or their credit cards maxed out or their bank accounts drained because someone...

EarthProxy.com protects privacy of Internet users.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The lack of privacy on the Internet has spurred many small startup companies to find creative ways to help users protect their personal interests. EarthProxy.com runs out of its owner's basement but it provides a free service that is...

NETdelivery develops tamper-evident e-mail.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... When e-mail hits that global highway it is subjected to all sorts of indignities. One of which is packet sniffers. They are programs that lurk on the Internet and check e-mails for certain words. Someone can lurk outside a server and check...

PentaStar buys resource.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... PentaStar Communications Inc. of Denver completed the acquisition of Resource Communications Inc. Resource is one of the largest Cable & Wireless PLC long-distance master agents and a significant Pacific Bell authorized sales...

RMI.NET reports revenue.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... RMI.NET Inc., reported record annual revenue of $30.12 million for 1999, tripling its 1998 revenue of $10.09 million. RMI.NET's customer base has tripled in 1999, surpassing 100,000 during the fourth quarter of 1999, up from the 31,000 at...

Companies offer online training.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Ai, FirstNet teach OSHA compliance Once upon a time all corporate training was done in classrooms, with instructors and whiteboards and training manuals. Now the World Wide Web and other technologies have enabled two Denver-based companies,...

Linux distributor battles Microsoft.(LinuxMall.com)
April 7, 2000... Supplier spreads word on operating system A company in Denver's own backyard is stepping forward to lead the Linux rebellion against Microsoft's domination of the computer operating system marketplace. Aurora-based LinuxMall.com, the...

Wireless Web weds old and new technologies.
April 7, 2000... For those who are still suspicious about the role wireless connections for LANs and the Internet are going to have in the near future, they should take a look at what network systems giant Cisco Systems thinks about the future. Recently...