Denver Business Journal articles from August 2000

Denver Business Journal archives from August 2000

Growth initiative concerns area leaders.
August 4, 2000... Denver business leaders are suiting up to fight proposed Initiative 256, "Citizen Management of Growth," a measure they argue would significantly harm local government, housing prices, real estate development and Colorado's economy in general...

Qwest tackles service problem.
August 4, 2000... How phone provider will deal with US West mess Qwest Communication International's point man on service problems promises that the company won't resort to legal or economic maneuvering to hide from U S West's legacy of chronic service...

Study analyzes Denver's tight labor market.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... A recent study of the Denver area's labor market gives hard statistics to what local employers and job seekers already know from experience. This area has an employment problem, but the local economy remains strong anyway. The Metro Denver...

Gambro settles fraud allegations.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Local health care provider agrees to pay $53 million Lakewood-based Gambro Healthcare Inc. and two of its Florida subsidiaries agreed to pay $53.1 million to settle allegations of health care fraud. The Department of Justice alleges...

State losing $19M in fed funds for kids.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Millions to provide health care to be forfeited Unable to boost enrollment in a federally and state-funded program, the State of Colorado will probably forfeit $19 million in federal funds it could have used to provide health care for poor...

Who will be named Notary of the Year?(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The National Notary Association is seeking nominations for the "prestigious Notary of the Year" award. A breathless press release says the association is looking for "a very special Notary, one who will serve as a role model for the 21st...

Denver's. not so hot.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Think Denver is a hot city for business? Think again. We're not even on the top 20 list for business travel cities. Here's the list. compiled by WCITIES.com: 1. New York, 2. London, 3. Hong Kong, 4. Tokyo, 5. Los Angeles, 6. Paris, 7....

Who moved the cheese?(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... With only token opposition to the proposed Joint Operating Agreement between The Denver Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post, more News staffers are looking around for new cheese. The latest to go are business news staffers Dana Coffield and...

FlatIrons' store is organized.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Cleaning up your act will be easier with a new store called Organized Living at the Village at FlatIron Crossing. Opening Aug. 11, Organized Living will be nearly 20,000 square feet of organizational products designed to help consumers...

P.F. Chang's to open Aug. 21.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Northwest suburban diners won't have to go too far east to get their Chinese food served in an upscale setting. Starting Aug. 21, they can head to the new P.F. Chang's China Bistro located in the Village at FlatIron Crossing. It will...

On Command links movies, Internet.
August 4, 2000... On Command Corp. thinks it will be an entirely different company a year from now. The soon-to-be-local provider of movies to hotel rooms is working to create an entirely new medium. It wants to offer a huge variety of entertainment and...

Gas storage facility gets tentative OK.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Backers of what would be Colorado's first independent -- and largest natural gas storage facility cleared a major hurdle this week with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Totem Gas Storage Co. hopes to turn an old natural gas well...

Denver to reuse water in new $139M project.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Recycled water to be used for irrigation In an effort to meet the metro area's spiraling need for water, Denver Water plans to break ground this fall on a $139 million project to reclaim and reuse wastewater. "This is the single...

Corrections and amplifications.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... * In the July 21-27 issue of the Denver Business Journal in the story "Just click a mouse to get a job," the recruiting company Gotajob.com was inadvertently referred to as Getajob.com. * In the July 21-27 special section on Education and...

Repairs made to pipes without usual distruption.
August 4, 2000... New 'trench less' technology keeps work underground Replacing old, leaky sewer pipes has traditionally meant several men with big. machiaes spending a lot of time digging up a street, tearing up the old pipe and putting in the new. It...

Metro home prices climb even higher.
August 4, 2000... The average price of a single-family, house in the Denver metro area reached a record $246,939 in July. The median home price rose to $199,900. Both indicators were up about 15 percent from a year ago, according to a report issued by Perry &...

State woos German biz.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Colorado this week opened a trade office in Frankfurt, Germany. The office will assist Colorado companies with European market entry strategies. It will also promote Colorado to European companies seeking to: expand into the United States. ...

Convergent reports loss.
August 4, 2000... Convergent Communications Inc. reported a net loss of $78.1 million, or $2.79 a share, in its second-quarter results fair the three months ended June 30. Despite the loss and the company's plummeting stock-market performance, Convergent...

Extant changes hands.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Extant Inc., privately held broadband company in Aurora, announced Wednesday it had been acquired by Houston-based Dynegy Inc., one of the country's leading energy dealers. Extant is valued at $188 million; Dynegy's net investment is $60...

Navigant settles abroad.(Navigant International Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Navigant International Inc., a Denver-based travel management company, completed its acquisition of KR International Travel, the fifth-largest agency in Rio de Janerio. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. KR International Travel...

WIN wins in Portland.(Western Integrated Networks L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Denver-based Western Integrated Networks LLC received unanimous approval from the Portland City Council for a permit that authorizes the company to begin construction of a new high-tech Internet, telephone and expanded cable television system...

ASAP Payroll purchased.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Advantage Payroll Services, a national payroll and tax service based in Auburn, Maine, acquired ASAP Payroll, a Denver-based payroll services company that serves business in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain area. ASAP is Advantage Payroll...

Team owners would like to pass on estate tax.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The bill to kill the federal estate tax has even attracted the attention of professional football team owners. Several National Football League owners fear that if the estate tax stays in place their families could lose the teams, according to...

FirsTier Bank.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Northglenn-based FirsTier Bank is benefiting from Colorado Springs' economic strength. The lender's Colorado Springs branch opened in October 1999, but it already has $20 million in deposits and $15 million in loans.

Bank of America.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Bank of America, the country's second-largest bank, has proved that a lender's assets can't grow indefinitely. The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank recently announced it will sell assets such as loans and securities to boost operating income that's...

Colorado Association of Mortgage Brokers.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Colorado Association of Mortgage Brokers just voted to license mortgage lenders in the state. Licensing as well as a new relationship the association has forged with the Better Business Bureau are designed to help consumers get fairer, more...

Camden Property Trust.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... One reader was disappointed that a favorite real estate investment trust, apartment REIT Camden Property Trust, wasn't included on a list of REITs with local holdings. Houston-based Camden, which recently leased up its The Park at Caley...

Better schools on top of entrepreneurs' list.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Tax relief and regulatory reform may dominate the public policy agenda for traditional small businesses, but entrepreneurs have other things on their mind. The struggle to find quality people to fuel their growth was the top cha1lenge...

Plan helps large employers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Large employers who sponsor health plans for retirees would save more than $5 billion in 2003 if Medicare began providing prescription drug coverage, according to a new study conducted by Hewitt Associates for the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation....

Lost computer data means lost business.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... How to protect yourself from the big one During these dog days of summer, not many Coloradans are surprised to see heat waves rising off the pavement or a barrage of lightning bolts produced by afternoon, thunderstorms. Imagine the shock,...

The Eyes Have It.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Denver becomes a laser eye surgery battleground Picture this: You're at Coors Field on a warm summer evening, enjoying a cool beverage and America's favorite pastime. As you lean back in your seat, a metallic glint from above catches your...

Hospitals gird for new federal rules.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 could cost billions U.S. health-care companies are facing an overhaul of their information systems that could not only put them in a time crunch but also cost them big bucks. ...

Companies vie to push doctors to the Web.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Insurance companies and a growing number of start-ups are trying to figure out how physicians can process claims and make referrals online, eliminating mounds of paperwork that float through a time consuming process. Healtheon/WebMD is....

Choosing a health-care plan needn't be painful.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... When picking a health plan for their employees, business owners are often faced with a bewildering array of choices. Managed care has spawned an alphabet soup of plan options, including health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred...

Cholesterol drugs may benefit more patients.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... The other shoe has dropped for heart disease treatment. Armed with recommendations for a healthy lifestyle and cholesterol-lowering drugs, doctors now say that heart disease is entirely preventable. The bad news is that if every American...

Work-related stress could prove fatal in the long run.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Imagine what it would be like to live in Paleolithic times. At first it sounds nice -- no morning commute, no deadlines, no boss: Life is peaceful. Then the hunter becomes the hunted and a lean and hungry tiger corners him. In such a case,...

Companies go online to improve bottom line.(Tracking health care costs on bizhealthcheck.com)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Use of occupational nurses on the rise Companies can use the Internet to find out how health-care spending impacts their bottom line with the Bottom Line Business Health Checkup -- http://www.bizhealthcheck.com -- a 2-month-old site...

Linux is new operating system of choice.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Small businesses like it because it's free, runs on older computers and can be easily customized As the revolutionary operating system known as Linux gains momentum with major endorsements from computer makers such as IBM, Compaq and Dell,...

BREAKING THE CHAIN.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Boulder may limit lookalike superstores In response to the growing number of superstores such as Wal-Mart and uniform chain outlets like Starbucks, a few local business owners in Boulder have taken a controversial stand to preserve the...

Can we ever level the playing field?(Affirmative action in Denver)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... When the federal court found Denver's affirmative action ordinance Denver's unconstitutional in March, the city went from having a clearly defined policy for contractors in construction projects to virtually no policy. Responding to the...

Ball veep to receive medal.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Cary Ludtke, vice president of Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp.'s Products & Technology unit, will receive the NASA Public Service Medal at an Aug. 14 ceremony at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. He will be honored for his work as...

Revisit your Web page.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Small Business Deve1opment Center at Front Range Community College's Westminster campus is offering a class on "E-Commerce and Internet Marketing" from 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 29. The class is designed for small businesses that have a Web...

Growth debate is Aug. 22.
August 4, 2000... The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development Group will host "The Strategic Growth Debate" focusing on both sides of Initiative 256 with a panel of speakers at a breakfast forum Aug. 22. The forum will be at the...

Dentist's work featured.(Gary M. Radz)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The American Academy of Dentistry honored Denver dentist Dr. Gary M. Radz by featuring one of his patients on the cover of the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry and on the AACD's home page at www.aacd.com. The patient had her teeth bleached and...

Done deals.(includes brief articles)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Estes Park-based 105[degrees] Meridien, a manufacturer of sports bags and luggage, was recently sold for $23 million to Group One Capital of St. Louis, Mo. The Denver-based architectural firm RNL Design finalized an acquisition that brings...

Name change.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Office Pavilion, which has been in business in Colorado for 15 years, changed its name to Herman Miller Workplace Resource. Interim Assessment Services is now called Spherion's Assessment Group. Its local office is at 2121 S. Blackhawk St....

On the move.
August 4, 2000... OfficeOnWeb Ltd. moved its Evergreen office to 27902 Meadow Drive, Suite 370. EDAW's Denver office moved to 1809 Blake St., Suite 200.

On the Web.(Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau debuted its newly enhanced Web site at www.Bouldercoloradousa.com.

Lucas Group.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Lucas Group, a national recruitment firm specializing in accounting and finance professionals, opened a Denver office at Colorado Center 2, Suite 2-660, at 2000 S. Colorado Blvd.

Anti-bundling bills win bipartisan support.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Bipartisan agreement in Congress these days is as rare as a double bogey by Tiger Woods in a major golf tournament. But both Republicans and Democrats are frustrated that thousands of small businesses have lost federal contracts in recent...

Take steps now to lower your 2000' tax hill.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... It's summer time and you are busy enjoying the weather, The longer days and the joys of vacationing. Tax planning probably is the last thing from your mind. But now is the best time to review your strategy for lowering your tax bill for 2000....

Stop agonizing over all those tough decisions.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Several years ago, a 35-year-old "rising star" manager was offered a high-paying and more responsible position in another company. The new post would be a major step toward becoming a high-paid management executive. Before a decision was made,...

Fight back against costly employee turnover.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... One of the most important things you'll ever do in your business is find the right people to help make it a success. Another is not only keeping those people happy, but just keeping them in your employ long enough for your recruiting and...

NEWSMAKERS.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Accounting Levine, Hughes & Mithuen Inc. promoted Clint Roberts to manager of the Englewood-based firm's IT department. Advertising PRACO Ltd. hired Christine O'Donnell as advertising supervisor to lead the account team for the...

Truck/SUV hybrid offers best of both.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Is it a pickup truck? Or is it a sport utility vehicle? Ford is pegging its new Explorer Sport Trac as a unique sport utility vehicle but let's call a duck a duck. When paying for gas at a station in Brush on Sunday, the attendant...

Cirque du Soleil goes to the big screen.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The new Cirque du Soleil TIMAX film "Journey of Man" is simplistic and sometimes overacted to appeal to children. It's also full of the offbeat Cirque's signature blend of whimsy and athleticism for adults who still enjoy childish fantasy. ...

MSEC consistently meets needs of employers, business community.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Born of the labor movement of the 1930s, Mountain States Employers Council has been a Denver fixture for more than 60 years, unfailingly serving the interests of Rocky Mountain employers. Not insignificantly, the consistent track record...

MSEC members provided unique legal resource.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Quietly tucked away on three floors of the west wing of MSEC headquarters in downtown Denver, 25 staff attorneys spend their days -- and some nights -- representing the interests of MSEC members in what has become one of today's most...

Mountain States Employers Council: a membership organization unlike any other.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Mountain States Employers Council defies comparison, simply because there is no: other organization quite like it. A membership organization? Yes, definitely, It exists to serve its employer members. But is it like a chamber of commerce,...

Business leaders value MSEC membership services.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Whether it is as a professional or legal resource, an extension of the human relations office, or an always-available training partner, two prominent Denver business and civic leaders place high value on Mountain States Employers Council, their...

MSEC meets training needs of employers and their employees.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Training. Not all that long ago, the word training generally applied to employees who were hired and subsequently trained to acquire the specific skills needed to perform their jobs. Today, training has evolved as a sophisticated...

MSEC Surveys Department dominates Mountain West.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... If knowledge and information are power, then Mountain States Employers Council and its member companies, through the information provided by the MSEC Surveys Department, are a force to be reckoned with. Since 1947, when MSEC conducted its...

Vote 'Yes' in Denver cable ballot issue.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... It's a pity turnout in next Tuesday's election in Denver will be so low because the lone issue on the ballot is an important one for the future of the city. Voters will be asked to approve a non-exclusive franchise for WideOpenWest, the...

Low unemployment beats the alternative.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Incredibly, it is becoming fashionable in Colorado to whine about low unemployment. Every day we read about another business person complaining that they can't fill vacant positions, that competition for jobs is boosting wages or that turnover...

Lessons in the new economy.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... "Dad, I've been reading the papers and I've decided it's time for me to make some money. I'm wondering if you'll help me get started." "Of course, son. What did you have in mind?" "Well, I've got this great idea to earn money by mowing...

COO relishes challenge.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Qwest's Mohebbi leads customer-service charge Afshin Mohebbi gets riled up when he talks about providing customers with high-quality service. Mohebbi, who was born in Iran and raised in California, doesn't have an easy task, but he...

Practical experience supports consulting.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... With over 75 professionals on staff, Mountain States Employers Council prides itself on the wealth of business experience represented in its workforce. "One of the major things that makes us successful," said Vice President Nancy Cain, "is that...

Screening, flex staff growing rapidly.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Pre-employment Screening and Flex Staff Services are proving very popular with MSEC members. In today's tight labor market, employers are anxious to prevent turnover, hire the right people and avoid liability. MSEC's Pre-Employment...

DBJ FUNDWATCH.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

MSEC 2000: building for the future.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Mountain States Employers Council: 60 years of service to business 1938 -- National Labor Relations Act passed. Union movement begins with 2 million members nationwide; collective bargaining. 1939 -- Colorado Employers Council formed;...

50 St. Joseph's workers opt for union.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... Labor leaders hope for further organizing More than 50 workers at Exempla Health-care's St. Joseph Hospital on Tuesday became the first hea1th-care employees to unionize in Colorado in more than 20 years. The question is, how many more...

Realtors forced to support fund to oppose initiative.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... When the Colorado Association of Realtors recently required that every member pay a $20 special assessment to fight a statewide ballot initiative to control growth, Englewood Realtor Nancy Nelson got angry. The association is raising money...

Initiative 256 could hurt agriculture.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... The anti-growth initiative heading for the fall ballot aims to save open space by controlling commercial, residential and industrial development, but the state's agriculture community believes Initiative 256, Citizen Management of Growth, would...

Will United ever recover from its problems?(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... When they look back on it, United Airlines employees and passengers will undoubtedly remember it as "The Summer from Hell." And they won't be talking about the weather. By far Denver's biggest carrier, United is taking a beating, not...

United back on road to public ownership.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... Lost in this summer's United Airlines disaster is the fact that the company, over the last six years, has gone from a public company to the world's largest employee-owned company and is now reverting to a public company once again. United...

Bigelow & Co. loses top executives.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... Locally owned investment banking firm may be for sale after downturn Bigelow & Co., one of the Denver area's largest local investment banking firms, has bled top talent over the last several months supposedly because of the company's...

Saving affordable housing.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... Tax credits keep developers from raising rents When Jim Tiemann moved into Los Caballeros Apartments 16 years ago, the federally subsidized Thornton development was so crime-ridden he was afraid to let his children play outside. "The...

Seeing spots could mean seeing green.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... 'First Tuesdays' link ideas with investors A local investment banker and his company hope a hot, new British way of hooking up entrepreneurs and investors will put the Denver area's high-tech community on the map globally. Tom...

SE corridor's RFP issued via the Web.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... When the group overseeing the southeast corridor construction project released its draft request for proposals, not many trees died. The draft document, thousands and thousands of pages long, was released last week to a short list of three...

Talk about a really wrong number.
August 11, 2000... Oops! It must have been the biggest thing to hit the National Notary Association ever. Last week, the group sent out emails to newspapers across the country soliciting reader nominations for the prestigious "Notary of the Year" award, a...

Remember downsizing?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 11, 2000... Sure, the economy's booming, but here's a statistic that will give you pause. Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc., the international outplacement firm, says job cut announcements in July were up 270 percent over the previous month's...

Have computer problems? Maybe it's a 'defrag' thing.(preventing disk fragmentation in computers can save hardware replacement costs)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... Many companies that struggle to stay current with today's rapidly evolving technologies take it for granted that hardware performance problems requiring constant upgrades are a necessary, though expensive, fact of life. However, this...

Corrections and amplifications.
August 11, 2000... An Aug. 4-10 story about Initiative 256 incorrectly said that the Coloradans for Responsible Reform was only recently organized on July 31 to fight the growth management amendment. In fact, the group was organized previously and only reported...

Slow pace of hotel deal costs Denver $35M.(slow hotel plans delay Denver, Colorado's plans for a convention center expansion)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2000... The slow progress of negotiations for a new downtown hotel to be built as part of the voter-approved convention center expansion already has cost Denver approximately $35 million in lost revenues, a figure that will increase as negotiations...