Denver Business Journal articles from August 2001

Denver Business Journal archives from August 2001

Denver mutual funds take hit.(Janus, Invesco, Marscio )
August 31, 2001... Economic slump sends returns sliding at Janus, Invesco, Marscio Denver's top mutual fund companies, which offer investors everything from small-cap concentrated growth funds to highly diversified large-cap funds, struggled during the...

Tax refunds buoying retailers.(Denver, Colorado)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... When Matt Amann receive d his federal income-tax refund in the mail a month ago, he knew he was going to Hollywood. It wasn't a trip to California, though. Amann was going to watch movies on a DVD player. Within a week of getting his...

Southeast corridor fears dinosaur.(road construction project in Denver, Colorado)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Many landlords, tenants, brokers and commuters to the southeast corridor are looking ahead in terror, fearful about how they will survive the next five years of major highway construction. While some are running from the dinosaur, others...

Businesses getting out of T-REX path.(Colorado business displaced by transportation project)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Moving day has arrived for many businesses in buildings that will be torn down as part of the T-REX project. Employees at one such business, Esprit Homes, are packing up for their move next week to office space about one-half mile south...

Downturn prompts lawyer layoffs.(Cooley Godward LLP and Phleger & Harrison LLP)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Two Denver law offices are the latest victims of the dot-corn downturn. Cooley Godward LLP, based in San Francisco, is laying off more than 10 percent of its lawyers nationwide, and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP has started two...

Rowdy fans should move to club level.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... This place is beginning to look more and more like Animal Farm. The University of Colorado and the Metropolitan Football Stadium District announced that Saturday's CUCSU football game will be alcohol-free. Unless your seat is in the...

Partnership parties.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Speaking of drinking, here's another excuse to do it in the daytime. The Downtown Denver Partnership is throwing a bash Sept. 12 from noon to 1 p.m. to celebrate the extension of the 16th Street Mall. Look for the tents and balloons at...

Snooping on the job.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Cyber snooping of employees is the topic of a seminar in Denver Sept. 25 put on by the Privacy Foundation. Is it legal? Does an employer have to notify workers they're being watched? What sort of software to monitor workplace Web surfing...

But who gets billed?(Patton Boggs LLP's radio ads)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Lawyers, on the air. Taking a new approach to law firm marketing, Patton Boggs LLP is sponsoring a new spot on radio station KOA 850 AM) beginning Sept. 4. The one-minute spot is called "Seeing Things Differently," Patton Boggs'...

Denverites continue to dine out.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Despite the softening economy, Denver diners are refusing to curb their appetites. While nationwide restaurant sales are down for 2001 compared to the same time last year, Denver's restaurant scene is boasting some impressive, if not strong,...

Nonprofits counsel struggling aquarium.(Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Zoo, the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... As a beleaguered Colorado's Ocean Journey flounders in a pool of debt, Denver's largest cultural organizations are pausing to reflect on their own adventurous journeys through the nonprofit world. This week, the Denver Botanic Gardens,...

Airport prepares for hotel takeoff.(Denver Internaltional Airport )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... City hobes to break ground early next year The city of Denver's aviation department is taxiing toward starting site and. foundation work on the $115 million Westin terminal hotel at Denver Internaltional Airport by February 2002. To...

Corrections and amplifications.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... * John R. Dyni received an incorrect photo credit in last week's article about oil-shale development in western Colorado ("Revisiting shale's rocky past". Dyni works for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Pharmaceutical company gets $52.4M in financing.(Myogen Inc)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Myogen Inc., a Westminster-based biopharmaceutical company, closed a $52.4 million private placement of its Series D preferred stock to a group of institutional investors led by JPMorgan Partners. Myogen is dedicated to discovering,...

Lucent lays off 160.(Lucent Telecommunications Inc. lays-off 160 in Denver)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... The ax fell again at New Jersey-based telecommunications company Lucent Telecommunications Inc., which has significant Denver-area operations. The AT&T Corp. spinoff announced nearly 5,000 more layoffs, including 160 locally. Most of...

Volant closes plant.(Volant Sports)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Wheat Ridge-based ski maker Volant Sports shut its plant and laid off 95 workers. The company sent employees home as Volant looked for ways to raise additional funds to remain in business, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The company...

DirecTV cuts Denver jobs.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Satellite television provider DirecTV Inc. will continue to thin its staff until the end of September as a cost-saving measure. El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV spokesman Bob Marsocci said he did not know how many workers would lose their...

Liberty deal on again.(Liberty Media Corp. to acquire Deutsche Telekom AG regional cable networks)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Liberty Media Corp. seems to be back on track to make even further inroads into European broadband markets. The Englewood-based cable company's deal to buy six Deutsche Telekom AG regional cable networks, which was supposedly falling...

Qwest announces deals.(contract with DirecTV Broadband Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Even as Qwest Communications International Inc.'s chairman, Joe Nacchio, publicly stands his ground on his company's accounting practices, Qwest (NYSE: Q) continues to chug along in other areas. The Denver-based company just agreed to...

Exabyte, Ecrix to merge.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Boulder-based Exabyte Corp. (NasdaqNM: EXBT), a company started by tape storage innovator Juan Rodriguez, is merging with his current company, Ecrix Corp. Under the terms of the deal, which is expected to close by the end of this year,...

Center picks contractor.(contract to build convention center)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... The city of Denver obviously likes the work the Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Greeley did on the original Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. A city selection committee has recommended the general contractor to build a...

News names publisher.(Rocky Mountain News gets new publisher)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... John Temple, editor and president of the Rocky Mountain News, is now its publisher as well. Newspaper owner E.W. Scripps Co. said the promotion is effective immediately. Temple replaces Larry Strutton. Temple, 48, became editor of...

Xtrana gets grant.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Xtrana Inc. was awarded a $400,000 grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to develop a faster, cheaper testing method for viral and bacterial infections for use in health-care clinics as well as for food processing and...

Cancer drug tested.(clinical trials on new cancer drug)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Boulder announced the start of a new phase-one clinical trial of its Herzyme drug intended to treat breast and ovarian cancer. The drug is being developed by RPI in conjunction with Elan Corp. The...

Gold company defaulting.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Crown Resources Corp. (OTC BB:CRRS.OB), a Denver-based gold exploration company, is having trouble repaying debt and getting new financing, so it may have to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The company announced it will default...

Businessman sentenced.(executive convicted on price fixing)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... A Minnesota businessman who operated pharmaceutical companies there and in Colorado has been sentenced to 46 months in prison. James Bottineau, 49, also must pay $4.7 million in restitution. He pleaded guilty in May in federal court...

Krispy Kreme expands.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Less than a year after opening its first Denver-area location, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is preparing to expand again. The area franchisee will break ground Sept. 5 on the third Krispy Kreme in the area, this one in Aurora. Krispy Kreme...

Day stepping down.(Frank Day to vacate position as president of Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Restaurateur Frank Day has announced that he will vacate his post as president of Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc. The Louisville-based Rock Bottom operates a number of high-profile restaurant brands located in the Midwest and West, including...

Brokerage founder dies.(Boyd Jefferies)(Obituary)
August 31, 2001... Boyd Jefferies, founder of the Jefferies Group Inc., died of an apparent heart attack in his Aspen home. He was 70. The Los Angeles-based brokerage, founded in 1962, has a market capitalization of nearly $900 million and employs more than...

Berger donates $1M.(Berger Funds, Gold Crown Foundation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 31, 2001... Berger Funds, a Denver-based mutual fund manager, has given $1 million to the local Gold Crown Foundation for a new youth center. To be called the Berger Funds Youth Center, the 55,000-square-foot, indoor facility will be part of a...

5th Avenue Club caters to Denver's 'upper crust'.(Saks Fifth Avenue)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Behind a set of discreet French doors on the second level of Saks Fifth Avenue at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center is a shopping service that few consumers will ever witness. It's a place where the Moet flows freely, the latest line from...

Fitzsimons bioscience center nurtures startups.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority has quadrupled the number of tenants in its Bioscience Park Center, a 1-year-old incubator they hope will cook up a burgeoning biotechnology community east of Denver. In exchange for competitive...

Quartet takes over software tester firm.(SysTest Labs)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Jones gives high-tech library to hometown Proprietorship of Denver-based SysTest Labs is changing hands -- and genders. The quartet will have a controlling interest in the company, which will make it one of just a few women-owned...

Deal made with Sun-Times.(PublishMail L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... PublishMail LLC in Boulder is the new distributor of e-mail to the readers of the Chicago Sun-Times. The provider of e-mail publishing services has signed a contract with Digital Chicago Inc., the handler of the Sun-Times' electronic...

Jones donates library.(Glenn Jones)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Glenn Jones, founder and CEO of Jones Knowledge Inc., is giving the gift of technology to his rural hometown of Hermitage, Penn. Jones has dedicated a newly renovated high-tech library to his alma mater, Hickory High School, which serves...

Corporate lingo avoids 'firings,' 'layoffs'.(Lucent Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Staff cutbacks called everything from 'involuntary attrition' to 'separations' When Lucent Technologies Inc., a spinoff of phone giant AT&T Corp., announced last week that it's letting go another 5,000 people worldwide, 160 in the Denver...

New OSHA chief says safety good for business.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration, John Henshaw)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... New OSHA Administrator John Henshaw wants to sell small businesses on the idea that safety programs will help their bottom line. Henshaw says he knows the value of safety programs because of his 26 years of experience in the chemical...

Bankruptcies set record.(Congress to work out differences in bankruptcy-reform bills)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Bankruptcy filings jumped 25 percent in the second quarter of 2001 compared with the same period in 2000, breaking the 400,000 mark for the first time. At this rate, bankruptcy filings will surpass 1998's record of 1.44 million. ...

Small biz: Help wanted.(survey by NFIB Education Foundation)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... The economic slowdown has only slightly eased the tight labor market for small employers, according to a new survey by the NFIB Education Foundation. The survey, conducted in late spring, found that 71 percent of small businesses that...

Number of PACs drops.(political action committees)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 31, 2001... The weakening economy may be taking its toll on political action committees. The number of federally registered political action committees dropped from 3,907 on Jan. 1 to 3,877 by July 1, according to the Federal Election Commission....

Developer seeking tenants for 2nd Centennial project.(SunBorne Cos.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... SunBorne Cos. going forward with Two InterPort The SunBorne Cos. of Englewood is trying to land tenants for a second, proposed building at its Centennial InterPort office park at Centennial Airport in the metro area's southeastern...

Seven home builders chosen for Stapleton.(Stapleton development's first neighborhood)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... First neighborhood to offer homes priced from the $90,000s to above $500,000 Forest City has identified seven home builders that will help shape the massive Stapleton development's first neighborhood. The builders, McStain, John...

Qwest still waiting to offer long-distance.(Qwest Communications International Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Company can't make federal application until testing is completed in November Even after several delays, the date for Qwest's application to reenter the long-distance market is still a moving target. Qwest Communications...

Architectural firm is a real family affair.(Littleton, Colo. general practice firm)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
August 31, 2001... When Chris and Renee Fisher took full ownership of Fisher Associates Architects and Engineers at the beginning of this year, the siblings' biggest adjustment may have been becoming the boss to their father, David Fisher. "He's supposed...

Qwest won't offer refunds for Code Red DSL outages.(Digital Subscriber Line customers complain)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Despite temporary outages to Digital Subscriber Line customers earlier this month caused by the Code Red virus, Qwest Communications International Inc. will not provide refunds for interrupted service. The Code Red worm virus traveled the...

Denver-based tech pub folds.(Broadband Week reabsorbed by Cahner's Multichannel News)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... One more casualty was added to carnage from the technology slump last week when the Denver-based technology publication Broadband Week was reabsorbed by Cahner's Multichannel News. Broadband Week, which spun out of Multichannel News in...

Ball Dynamics keeps the ball rolling.(2000 revenues increase 38%)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Longmont company gets a sales bounce from fitness trend To figure out how Ball Dynamics International Inc. is on pace to end 2001 with a 38 percent increase over 2000 revenues, start with its warehouse. A couple years ago, the...

Workplace homicides in decline.(Violence in workplace down to 16,644 in 1999)(Statistical Data Included)
August 31, 2001... Experts say employers should remain cautious Local workplace safety experts agree that employers should be concerned about violence in the workplace -- even if the number of deaths stemming from such incidents are on the decline. ...

Easy ways to deal with difficult employees.(workplace negative behavior)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Look around. Do you know anyone who is difficult? Think about the people you work with. Admit it -- some of them are a real pain in the neck. There isn't a workplace out there that doesn't have a difficult co-worker, manager or owner. It's...

Even smaller businesses use branding strategy.(Insurance ad campaign)(Advertising)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... So you think your business isn't big enough for a branding campaign. You're not Coca-Cola. And your company doesn't own a blimp. The promotional budget won't buy much more than the bowl of matchbooks on your counter and the ad in the phone...

Record company buys distribution business.(Fahrenheit Entertainment buys Electric Kingdom Distribution)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Fahrenheit Entertainment has completed its acquisition of the independent national music distribution company, Electric Kingdom Distribution. Operating under a merger agreement since February, the completion of the deal was seen as...

Firm gets German contract.(geographic information system data )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... GE Small world Spatial Technology, which provides network solutions to the utility industry, is working with a German natural-gas company to store its geographic information system data and to support its queries for identifying assets in...

Environ.com buys RMS.(Environmental Support Solutions buys RMS Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Environmental Support Solutions, also known as Environ.com, finalized its acquisition of Denver-based RMS Systems Inc., the award-winning developer of PC Compliance-Compliance Suite software. Compliance Suite is a software package...

Agency retained by gas cos.(National investor relations programs)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Two oil and gas companies -- Harken Energy Corp. (Amex: FIEC) of Houston and Quest Resource Corp. (OTCBB: QRCP) of Kansas -- have retained Carl Thompson Associates of Louisville to implement national investor relations programs over the next...

Wireless retains CS&A.(CS&A Public Relations Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Denver-based Wireless Source Inc. announced that its public relations agency is now CS&A Public Relations Inc. The company will communicate corporate messages to the local, national and trade press, as well as conduct strategic planning...

Johnson adds client.(Johnson Communications)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Johnson Communications, a public relations firm based in Lafayette, added Silicon Mountain Memory of Boulder as a new client. Silicon Mountain Memory provides Random Access Memory and Flash for all major makes and models of computer...

Ad agencies team up.(Ryden & Associates and Summaato)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Two Denver advertising agencies, Ryden & Associates and Summaato, have formed a strategic alliance to expand their services to clients locally and nationally. Established in Denver in 1975, Ryden & Associates has been involved in...

Stratecom adds clients.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Stratecom of Boulder has added three firms as clients for marketing programs: * CreekPath Systems Inc., a solutions development company based in Longmont. * The City of Boulder Downtown and University Hill Management...

Inteck snags contracts.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Several health-care organizations have contracted with Inteck, a Denver-based information technology consulting firm, for various IT services. The organizations include Poudre Valley Hospital of Fort Collins; Angel Medical Center of...

Horizon chooses PR firm.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Horizon Organic Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: HCOW) chose Access Communications as its public relations agency. The agency is based in San Francisco and was founded in 1991, the same year as Horizon Organic. Horizon, of Boulder, produces...

CU program picks GD&A.(University of Colorado's Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... The University of Colorado's Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program has selected GD&A Advertising and Public Relations to handle its national marketing campaign and national promotions. The LoDo-based agency also added Transvirtual...

Is trip-cancellation insurance worth it?(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Do you buy trip-cancellation and interruption insurance? Should you? First, you should know what is covered under these insurance programs. It is important to remember that trip cancellation insurance generally does not cover mechanical...

Tip of the week.(renting a car in a foreign country)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Before you try to rent a car outside the country be sure to check the rental company's policies regarding driver's licenses. Some countries will allow you to present your US. driver's license at the time of the rental, but others require an...

Travel facts.(lost luggage coverage)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... It's amazing sometimes to see the number and variety of "carry-on" bags that today's travelers somehow manage to actually carry onto each aircraft. It's a good idea, though, because most airlines no longer have security guards at...

An extra day in: Milwaukee.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... An ethnically diverse, culturally rich locale, Milwaukee is known as the "Genuine American City." From downtown excitement to lakefront relaxation, there's surely something to keep you satisfied. Lake Michigan is host to a variety of...

Philip E. and Corry Doty.(2001 Public Service Award )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Philip E. and Corry Doty of Littleton are the recipients of the 2001 Public Service Award given by the Colorado Society of CPAs. Corry Doty has served as chair of the board of several organizations, including the Colorado Children's Chorale...

Center for Information Technology Innovation.(CIO of the Year Award )(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Bruce A. Benham, chief technology officer at Re/Max International Inc., received the CIO of the Year Award from the Center for Information Technology Innovation, a center at the business school of the University of Colorado at Denver. It is...

Colorado Society of CPAs.(2001 Distinguished Service Award)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... The Colorado Society of CPAs honored William T. Diss of Denver with its 2001 Distinguished Service Award. The award is given annually to a CPA who has shown a lifetime of commitment to the accounting profession. Diss has worked for Ralph B....

NEWSMAKERS.
August 31, 2001... Advertising Thomas & Perkins Advertising added Danielle Tergis as an account executive to its sales promotions department. She comes to Thomas & Perkins from Rhythms NetConnections of Denver, where she worked as an Oracle administrator....

Hoping to put Dracula on the payroll.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 31, 2001... Imagine that Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park dreams are reality. We can take DNA from long-departed life forms and breed them in labs, cloning new versions of creatures that have not walked the Earth for centuries. Once the technology...

Mazda pays Tribute to the SUV market.(sport-utility vehicle)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Seems like a new sport utility vehicle joins the ranks more often than Jeff Gordon takes NASCAR'S checkered flag. One of this year's arrivals comes from Mazcia, which has been absent from the SUV game for seven years. Dubbed "Tribute,"...

'Family Man' gets lost in silly fantasy.(Film from Universal is issued as a Collector's Edition)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 31, 2001... A dumb, unoriginal fantasy comedy that inevitably pushes the right buttons and works its Hollywood charm, "The Family Man," has been issued by Universal as a Collector's Edition, title ($27). Nicolas Cagestars as a hot-shot financial...

Survey: Firms waiting for T-REX.(employers consider transportation and telecommuting policy changes)(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
August 31, 2001... A survey of 100 local employers showed that most have not made changes to their transportation or telecommuting policies in anticipation of the T-REX project. The survey, conducted by Mountain States Employers Council Inc., found that...

Government's ideas are the wrong ones.(evaluation of Colorado economic policies and programs)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 31, 2001... No wonder so many people distrust government. It behaves so stupidly sometimes, you wonder if anyone thinking at all. Some recent examples... The Colorado General Assembly earlier this year adopted a toothless law to curb telephone...

The honeymoon is over.(high technology industry leaves Colorado)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 31, 2001... The tiny red car, apparently broken down, sat empty on the shoulder of U.S. 36 near Broomfield. It had been there a while. A state patrol tag hung from the radio antenna. Painted on the back window were the words "Just Married." Now,...

Story of a life sold and found.(John Freyer sells possessions on the Internet)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 31, 2001... There's this guy I read about who had a cool idea. He decided to sell all of his worldly possessions on eBay. And then with the proceeds, he'll hit the road and visit the people who bought his stuff. See what their lives are like with his...

Smoking study stubs out decency.(Philip Morris Inc. releases controversial study)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 31, 2001... I don't believe in kicking someone when they are down, unless it makes me feel better about myself. But the tobacco industry can't be down enough for me to give them a pass. If the tobacco companies relocated to a chewed wad of gum stuck...

Denver-Area Public Golf Courses.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 31, 2001... Denver-Area Public Golf Courses (Ranked by number of rounds played) Rank -- No. of Last rounds Year's Business name,...

Some people don't have a hellish commute.(Teh T-REK construction project on I-25 in Denver)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... What's T-REX? Avoiding the mess on I-25 Editor's note: If you 're new to the area, or thinking about relocating to the area, one gigantic upcoming feature of Denver that's going to have a huge effect on your life is the I-25 construction...

Pick the right builder, build a dream home.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Building a new home is often the biggest financial investment that a person makes in his or her lifetime. That's why hiring the right home builder is such a crucial step in the construction process. Making the right choice obviously...

Moving can be easier with proper planning.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Moving is stressful enough without the added pressure of choosing a moving company. One thing's for sure. The choices can seem daunting. A good place to start is to gather names from other individuals or companies who have been through...

How to pick the right real estate professional.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Buying or selling a home is not to be taken lightly. For some, it is the largest single transaction they will ever make in their lifetime. It involves a myriad of professionals and companies, including bankers, escrow and title...

Area offers wide range of housing choices.(From $40K to $6.9M, the market in the Denver area has everything)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... From $40K to $6.9M, the market has everything Today's low interest rates -- compliments of Alan Greenspan -- have many people out shopping for a new home. And the Denver-area housing market has a lot to offer for just about any sized...

Take special care when relocating employees.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2001... Whether it's a move across state or a move across town, it is easy to underestimate the daunting task of relocating an employee. Much is at stake, particularly in today's tight labor market. Whether transferring an existing employee to...