Denver Business Journal articles from August 1996

Denver Business Journal archives from August 1996

Ascent hooks a player; Gary Wilson to get stake in SpectraVision deal. (Ascent Entertainment Group Inc.)
August 30, 1996... The man who helped Northwest Airlines take off and who saved the Walt Disney Co. a bundle has set himself up to cash in on Ascent Entertainment Group Inc.'s future fortunes. Los Angeles-based financial guru Gary L. Wilson will receive...

DPS lags in going high-tech. (Denver Public Schools)
August 30, 1996... Payroll software delayed until '97 After more than two years of research and $5.3 million in costs, the Denver Public Schools' computerized financial system is still full of glitches. The payroll portion of the district's software package,...

Fax charges at DIA soar sky high. (Denver International Airport)
August 30, 1996... Forget high airfares. Denver International Airport is one of the world's most expensive places to send a fax. A short fax sent from DIA will cost a traveler almost double the price of any other airport business center in the United States. It...

Vail Resorts posts 200% jump in real estate biz.
August 30, 1996... Revenue for the Vail and Beaver Creek resorts showed strong growth last ski season, fed by extended spring skiing and the sale of prime home sites at Beaver Creek. Revenue for resort operations at the two areas increased 10.7 percent during...

Despite record revenue, M.D.C. takes a hit. (M.D.C. Holdings Inc.)
August 30, 1996... Strong housing markets in Colorado, California and the Southwest propelled Denver-based M.D.C. Holdings Inc., the seventh-largest home builder in the country, to record revenue in its second quarter. However, the company got hammered by its...

Apollo hunts Denver deals. (Apollo Partners Ltd.'s joint venture with Pacifica Holding Co.)
August 23, 1996... Pacifica joins Leon Black firm for real estate buys Englewood-based Pacifica Holding Co. has hooked a whopper of a partner - Apollo Partners of New York. Pacifica has forged a joint venture with Apollo Real Estate Investment Fund II, part...

Lincoln Park in spotlight. (North Lincoln Park Homes public housing project in Denver, Colorado)
August 23, 1996... Project hopes to end poverty cycle When North Lincoln Park Homes opens its doors to residents next month, it will be in the eye of a political storm. President Bill Clinton is expected to be one of the first visitors to the $13.5 million...

QualMed boss rattles health care. (Health Systems International CEO Malik Hasan)(includes related article on Malik Hasan's comments on nonprofit health plans)
August 23, 1996... Nation debates Hasan's column Colorado health-care entrepreneur Dr. Malik Hasan has taken plenty of heat in the nation's leading medical journal for his view that nonprofit health plans are obsolete. But he said in an Aug. 21 interview...

Alliance claims dereg'd utilities can't play fair. (Colorado Business Alliance for Cooperative Utility Practices)
August 23, 1996... Charge: PSCo reach stifles competition Public Service Company of Colorado and other local power utilities have hopped the fence into providing new services - and smaller rivals are worrying about the big guys' potential clout. They charge...

Gates family divides spoils. (family of Charles Gates Sr.)
August 23, 1996... When Charles Gates St. and Hazel Rhoads acquired the Colorado Tire and Leather Co. in 1911 for $3,500, they probably didn't realize they would someday leave a $1.2 billion legacy from rubber. The Gates family has sliced up the huge pie of...

Inland Resources stock price soars 60%. (Inland Resources Inc.)
August 23, 1996... Utah field produces profits, pads payroll A small Denver-based oil and gas company, which wasn't even registering on investors' radar three years ago, has suddenly made its presence known in the industry. Inland Resources Inc.'s stock...

Office space swells southeastern suburbs. (Denver, Colorado)
August 23, 1996... Century Park latest project on the drawing board A new business center called Century Park finds itself among the 1 million square feet of office space on the drawing board for the southeastern suburbs. The 30 acres on the east side of...

Business coalition could reduce health-care rates. (Colorado Business Group on Health)
August 23, 1996... Group boasts $410 million in coverage The new Colorado Business Group on Health, a coalition of companies and other organizations with $410 million worth of influence, is getting ready to flex its collaborative muscle power. Eventually,...

Gateway plan shifts to offices. (Gateway Park)
August 16, 1996... DIA project doubles A hot topic at Gateway Park owner Bill Pauls' posh broker party Aug. 8 was his airport project's shift toward office development. The 200-plus commercial brokers - feted "Dynasty"-like at Pauls' palatial home with fine...

Why Wall St. put Nordstrom on sale.
August 16, 1996... Attention, metro-Denver shoppers: Just in time for the opening of the Park Meadows Town Center mall in Douglas county, Nordstrom has put itself on sale. Shares of the retailing legend plunged to 52-week lows Aug. 9 as the company stunned...

Between two Bells and a hard place. (US West Communications Inc. may be acquired by Ameritech Corp. and merging SBC Communications Inc. and Pacific Telesis Group)
August 16, 1996... Insiders, telecom analysts speculate on reshaping U S West turf Flanked by giant Ameritech Corp. and two merging Baby Bells, the U S West Communications network in states such as Arizona, Minnesota and perhaps Colorado could be acquisition...

Kinko's goes uptown in pursuit of business. (Kinko's Inc.)
August 16, 1996... Kinko's Inc. has put on a suit, knotted an Italian silk tie and moved downtown. After chasing college students and small-business owners in the suburbs, the nation's largest group of document production shops wants to duplicate its success...

Tosh's fetes fifty years of fajitas. (Ruben Macintosh's Hacienda Restaurant marks 50th anniversary)
August 16, 1996... Ten years ago, Ruben Macintosh wasn't sure his Hacienda Restaurant would stay open another year. This summer, however, Tosh's Hacienda is not only open but is marking its 50th anniversary in north Denver. The restaurant started in 1946 when...

Hewlett-Packard close to choice of developers. (The Galbreath Co. as Hewlett-Packard Co.'s choice for builder of Denver site)
August 16, 1996... California-based computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. has narrowed its search for a Colorado development partner to two companies, leaning more toward one, according to real estate sources. Opus Northwest LLC, the Denver-based arm of...

US West well-positioned for interactive TV. (US West Inc.)
August 16, 1996... Two power blocs of Baby Bells may merge to launch "interactive" television across the nation. As the sole independent, would U S West Inc. stand tall or be cast to the side? The Englewood-based local phone company may already have all it...

Malone holds the cards as TCI investors shuffle. (Tele-Communications Inc. President John Malone and Chairman Bob Magness take control through their majority shares)
August 16, 1996... At the Tele-Communications Inc. annual meeting Aug. 15, executives will attempt to dazzle investors in the cable giant by offering a glimpse into the company's array of new technological offerings. But Wall Street continues to be less than...

Battery maker plugs in HQ. (Bolder Technologies Corp.)
August 9, 1996... Bolder Technologies looks at Jeffco property for expansion Bolder Technologies Corp. plans to build a large manufacturing headquarters in an expansion that could increase its payroll from 50 to more than 300 in the next two years. The...

Why the towers of telecom are tilting. (telecommunications industry)
August 9, 1996... Suddenly, Tele-Communications Inc. and US West, the twin towers of Denver's telecom industry, are looking a little shaky. US West has severed its faster growing entertainment, cable and directory businesses from telephone operations that now...

Payless Cashways builds new strategy. (Payless Cashways Inc.)
August 9, 1996... Hugh M. Woods parent targets contractors to cement market share With the home-improvement wars heating up, Hugh M. Woods parent company hopes to stay cool with a new strategy to increase business with professional contractors. Kansas City,...

America's Most Wanted newest publishing twist. (Footnotes Creative Inc.)
August 9, 1996... In a few weeks, Englewood entrepreneur Carol Boos will be working with some of the most wanted criminals in the United States. Boos soon will begin publishing a national newsletter called "Manhunter" as a monthly adjunct to the popular...

Harley rentals revving up sales. (EagleRIder Motorcycle Rental)
August 9, 1996... California entrepreneur's story offers lessons for everyone "We're not renting bikes, we're renting dreams," says Chris McIntyre, president of EagleRider Motorcycle Rental. The Torrance, Calif. company rents its fleet of about 130...

Performance powers Westcore's new pitch. (Westcore Funds)
August 9, 1996... Fund firm shuns cult of personalities In an age when mutual funds have become pop culture and their managers "hot" icons, Westcore Funds wants to prove that performance can win out over personality and a quiet voice can still be heard....

Trustee: Intercap CEO mismanaged firm. (Intercap Funds Joint Venture CEO John Walsh)
August 9, 1996... The president and CEO of Englewood-based Intercap Funds Joint Venture mismanaged the company and overstated its assets by millions of dollars, according to a recent report filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The preliminary report, issued by...

Denver West cuts losses as key tenants retrench. (office park in Denver, Colorado)
August 9, 1996... Businesses wait in wings for space in park Denver West, the largest office park in western metropolitan Denver, has lost a little ground but gained most of it back. The park, which rambles over 750 acres and includes more than 20 buildings...

Small print may loom large at TCI meeting. (Tele-Communications Inc.)
August 9, 1996... Tele-Communications Inc. will convene its annual shareholders meeting in its Denver Tech Center offices Aug. 15, during tense times for the nation's largest cable concern. Cable television is only the foundation of TCI's business; the...

SCC data vital to emergency response. (SCC Communications Corp.)
August 9, 1996... Boulder firm serves up information to US West, sibling Baby Bells As competitors line up, lean and mean is the name of the game for Baby Bells. Part of the fitness plan of US West Communications Inc.: Hire specialist firms to make customer...

Young IBM rep wires firms for 21st century. (Steve Sundstrom)
August 9, 1996... Steve Sundstrom of IBM Corp. says he can wire high-growth companies for the 21st century. The Colorado native and mountain biker is turning the mammoth manufacturer of personal computers into an information services company located right...

AAA shuts tow truck call center. (National Labor Relations Board probe of closure of AAA Colorado Inc.'s Emergency Road Service Center)
August 2, 1996... Probe launched into labor dispute The National Labor Relations Board has launched an investigation into the closing of AAA Colorado Inc.'s Emergency Road Service Center. The Communication Workers of America Local 7777 has accused the road...

New builder risks all to explore new career. (custom homes builder Jake Gaffigan)
August 2, 1996... Gaffigan's gambling on success Jake Gaffigan unfurls a set of blueprints with all the enthusiasm and pride of a new father. But his baby carries a high price. Gaffigan turned his back on the security of a steady paycheck earlier this...

Downtown best spot for Pepsi Center. (Ascent Entertainment Group Inc.)
August 2, 1996... Despite rhetoric, Ascent and Webb have good reasons to cut a deal For all of Ascent Entertainment Group Inc.'s recent posturing about scouting the suburbs for a new site for the $150 million Pepsi Center, downtown Denver remains the most...

Fond goodbye to Gates Corp. PR guy Keim. (Lou Keim)
August 2, 1996... First, a fond farewell. For a number of years our operatives have come to rely on Gates Corp. PR guy Lou Keim as an unfailing source of good humor, straight talk and, on occasion, a free cup of coffee. Keim is one of those PR pros who...

New role for Jeffco property. (Jefferson County)
August 2, 1996... Warehouses in demand After a hiccup last year, Jefferson County businesses are booming again - and running out of warehouse space. Companies that crammed goods into storage space on their own sites or trucked it across metropolitan Denver...

U S West to troops: big job cuts coming. (U S West Communications Inc.)(includes related article on Sol Trujillo's memo to U S West executives)
August 2, 1996... Memo outlines survival strategy In an internal memo obtained by the Denver Business Journal, U S West Communications Inc. mapped out its survival plan. In saying the company will slash 5,000 jobs from its 14-state workforce of 50,800, U S...

Amstar puts Texas office tower on market. (Amstar Investments)
August 2, 1996... AUSTIN, Texas - One of downtown Austin's largest office buildings has hung out a "For Sale" sign. Bank One Tower on West Sixth Street has been put on the market by owner Amstar Investments of Denver. "We just believe it's the appropriate...

Intro Television clears space for new networks. (Tele-Communications Inc.'s network)
August 2, 1996... New cable television channels are pushing for space on the networks of Tele-Communications Inc. and other carriers. Intro Television eases the pressure. Owned by TCI, the channel doles out airtime to more than 30 startup cable networks that...

Lab invention drives down air pollution. (catalytic converter by National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Benteler Industries Inc.)
August 2, 1996... Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden have made a breakthrough that could cut air pollution from automobiles by at least 60 percent. NREL and its private sector partner, Benteler Industries Inc. of Grand Rapids,...

Cut Pepsi Center deal by cutting theatrics. (Ascent Entertainment Group Inc.)
August 2, 1996... "Strength should be lord of imbecility." - William Shakespeare, "Troilus and Cressida" For local theater, it wasn't all that bad. Using a pliable reporter as a stage prop, Ascent Entertainment CEO Charlie Lyons donned the cloak of "Snidely...

Denver law firms falter when discussing minorities.
August 2, 1996... If an issue's volatility can be measured in unreturned phone calls and reluctant responses, race and gender in the law office of the '90s remains a hot-button topic. Ranking right up there with hourly billing rates and impending layoffs, a...