Denver Business Journal articles from February 1995

Denver Business Journal archives from February 1995

Festival funds turn corner. (U.S. Olympic Festival)
February 3, 1995... Ogden, Leiweke redouble efforts to solicit funds Organizers of this summer's U.S. Olympic Festival say they have finally turned the corner in their effort to raise at least $12 million for the event, after an admittedly slow start in fund...

Colo. jury awards dropped off in '94. (Colorado courts)
February 3, 1995... The nation's preoccupation with outrageous verdicts delivered by a runaway jury system didn't materialize in Colorado courts in 1994, as plaintiffs watched awards plunge 22 percent. Jury Verdict Reporter of Colorado reported 315 civil jury...

Nuggets, others explore cleanup. (Denver Nuggets)
February 3, 1995... Voluntary state program elicits only 8 responses since July Anxious to kick their high-profile projects into gear, Comsat and Colorado's Ocean Journey may avail themselves of a new state program allowing voluntary environmental cleanups....

State targets rebel counties: refusing to pay for programs irks lawmakers. (Colorado's welfare system)
February 3, 1995... A potential mass exodus by counties from the state welfare system has Colorado lawmakers scrambling to find ways to keep cooperative counties happy and to rein in rebels. If all 63 Colorado counties opted out of the social-services system, it...

Retail shops bemoan glut in snow shovels. (poor sales of snow-removal equipment)
February 3, 1995... Dry winter means stockpiles will go largely untouched For front range residents, this winter's been a cinch: Few snow-laden walks, knee-deep driveways, ice-crusted windshields or treacherous roads. But for some businesses, the balmy winter...

IRS probes HealthOne recruiting. (HealthOne Corp.'s physician-recruitment practices)
February 3, 1995... Federal agency focuses on perks offered physicians The Internal Revenue Service is investigating HealthOne's physician-recruitment practices, sources outside the giant hospital company confirmed. Neither the IRS nor HealthOne would comment...

United Way raises $24M-plus in '94 drive. (Mile High United Way's fund raising)
February 3, 1995... Driven by increase in 'designated' giving, total exceeds '93 number Many local charities can breathe a little easier. Mile High United Way is about to post its second year in a row of fund-raising progress, a welcome relief after suffering...

Airport land sales not set for takeoff. (Colorado)
February 3, 1995... [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] Interest climbs elsewhere in area While the opening of Denver International Airport Feb. 28 should cause sales of surrounding land to take off, the trajectory of those sales may not soar as steeply as hoped. Some...

Denver's brilliant residents outshine most: Metro area beats national average in degree holders.
February 3, 1995... If a city's future is only as bright as the people who fuel it, Denver residents have earned their home a sunny forecast. A recent Denver Business Journal study ranks Denver seventh in the nation when listing metro areas by the percentage of...

Race-based initiative eyed: Colo. conservatives push support for a proposal to ax affirmative action. (Colorado)
February 10, 1995... A fledgling effort to draft an anti-affirmative action ballot initiative in Colorado is likely to ignite an all-out battle over equal opportunity here. Colorado has already won national attention for a local lawsuit now before the U.S. Supreme...

Falcon spreading real estate wings. (Falcon Homes)
February 10, 1995... Falcon Homes has winged its way to Eagle County. The Denver home builder recently hatched Falcon Resort Development Inc., whose first project is a 52-unit, $40 million condominium complex called Elkhorn Lodge at burgeoning Beaver Creek. Because...

DIA contractors speaking out. (Denver International Airport)
February 10, 1995... 'Broad brush' tarnishes good work Like distant relatives who have seen the family name ruined by a ne'er-do-well, contractors at Denver International Airport believe the heavily publicized failings of the DIA baggage system have cast their...

Snyder Oil to slash 75 employees: company blames cuts on low prices for natural gas. (Snyder Oil Corp.)
February 10, 1995... Warm weather and low natural gas prices have forced Snyder Oil Corp. to start passing out the pink slips in Denver. Snyder, which has 500 employees, including 300 in Colorado, plans to cut about 75 jobs within the next three months, said Diana...

Colo. may reject federal branch banking consent. (Colorado)
February 10, 1995... The Colorado House of Representatives has fired the first shot over the nation's financial bow, warning that it will not accept branch banking across its borders. Under the Riegle-Neal Act, which Colorado's federal Congressional delegation...

Colo. mining firms land Ethiopian bids. (Colorado)
February 10, 1995... Canyon, Golden Star to mine for gold Two Colorado companies have gone prospecting - in Ethiopia. Canyon Resource and Golden Star Resources have gained strong footholds in the African nation after the Ethiopian government awarded them the...

Cars, buses crowding turnpike at dizzy rate. (Denver-Boulder corridor)
February 10, 1995... Traffic becoming more congested in each direction Commuters on the Denver-Boulder corridor received a quick-moving cure for their congestion headaches Feb. 1 - a dip into the car-pool lane on U.S. 36. The Colorado Department of...

Corridor boom gains steam: retail, hotel, office developments keep U.S. 36 hopping. (Denver-Boulder Turnpike)
February 10, 1995... Development cruised along last year on the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, also known as U.S. Highway 36. As home sales softened, slowed by escalating interest rates, commercial development blossomed. In the commercial category, the retail flame...

Jeffco airport eyes Stapleton vacuum. (Jefferson County Airport; Stapleton International Airport)
February 10, 1995... Facility will become closest port to downtown for corporate craft As Stapleton International Airport makes its final bow from Denver's aviation scene, Jefferson County Airport stands behind the curtain, ready to woo corporate flyers. Jeffco,...

Tabor lands investor. (Tabor Center; Yarmouth Group Inc.)
February 17, 1995... Yarmouth joins Miller-Anschutz Miller-Anschutz Properties LLC has snagged a new investment partner for Tabor Center. The Yarmouth Group Inc., a New York-based real estate investment adviser that manages a global portfolio worth more than $6...

Business travelers lament DIA costs. (Denver International Airport)
February 17, 1995... After waiting 16 months for Denver International Airport to open, some business travelers are finding that they may miss it being closed. "A lot of people more enthusiastic in the past are questioning whether any of this is adding value to...

DTC planning to sell buildings. (Denver Technological Center)
February 17, 1995... Texas firm wants package of properties The Denver Technological Center is selling a package of office buildings to Crescent Real Estate Equities Inc. of Texas, according to informed sources. Crescent has put the properties under contract and...

Harald exits Broomfield job. (Broomfield Economic Development Corp. head Clif Harald)
February 17, 1995... Development official joins private firm Clif Harald, head of the Broomfield Economic Development Corp. for five years, is leaving to take a private-sector job. He is the second high-profile economic development official in Boulder County to...

Partnership plans 'mini Denver Dry.' (Downtown Denver Partnership; renovation of commercial building)
February 17, 1995... Building to house apartments, retail Taking a cue from the successful transformation of the Denver Dry, another century-old building on the 16th Street Mall is about to be transformed into a red-brick showcase. The A.T. Lewis building at...

DIA spurs confusion at airports. (Denver International Airport)
February 17, 1995... Smaller facilities around Colorado unsure of impact Speculation over the impact of Denver International Airport is as scattered as the locales of Colorado's regional airports awaiting the opening day. Most are optimistic that confusion will...

Boats known as 'punts' will float to downtown. (Denver, Colorado's Punt the Creek project)
February 17, 1995... A project that will bring boats into the middle of downtown Denver will break ground next week. Punt the Creek is a $1.5 million plan to erect a small lock on Cherry Creek and float flat, English-style boats - known as "punts" - down the creek...

DIA struggles to keep the 'I.' (Denver International Airport)
February 17, 1995... International service pales compared with other cities While International flights at Denver International Airport will be scarce when the facility opens, more may land later. In the long run, DIA's superior runway configurations, baggage...

Bill: some nurses may dispense prescriptions. (House Bill 1007)
February 17, 1995... Physicians say that's OK if they share oversight Need a prescription? Call a nurse. That's the scenario that would become commonplace if a bill wending through the legislative process becomes law. Under House Bill 1007, some Colorado...

Peeling the deal: home-grown CEOs sign juicy merger; now they're pitted against the 'big guys.' (chief executive officer)(Just Squeezed Juices) (Strategies)
February 17, 1995... Denver's Just Squeezed Juices is ready to take on the world. A fresh merger signed Jan. 31 with California-based Odwalla has handed Just Squeezed the reach required to start picking off competitors ripe for the taking. For partners Michael...

Elitch's marches in to Valley. (Elitch Gardens amusement park; Central Platte Valley) (Dealmakers)
February 17, 1995... Fun park first in U.S. to locate in urban setting An excited buzz has been going around downtown Denver the past few months. It goes something like this: Have you seen the roller coaster going up? The Ferris wheel lights are on! The observation...

We lost Ziff, but landed Merrill. (Merrill Lynch and Company Inc.'s move to Denver, Colorado) (Dealmakers)
February 17, 1995... Denver bested 161 other cities to snag firm The wood stakes planted by Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. still poked out of the ground when financial services giant Merrill Lynch & Co. opted to buy the prime suburban parcel the East Coast publisher...

Tabor Center fetched $123 million. (Dealmakers)
February 17, 1995... Miller-Anschutz forged powerful purchase team In the early months of 1994, the owner of Tabor Center vigorously denied the downtown mixed-use property was for sale. "Tabor Center is not for sale," the property's asset manager, Kim Bonfield...

Keystone owners unlock future. (Keystone Resort, Denver, Colorado) (Dealmakers)
February 17, 1995... Mountain resort chases competition with $400M expansion The Keystone Resort's owners took a giant step toward unlocking the ski area's potential this year, finalizing a $400 million expansion plan that will transform the property's off-mountain...

U S West crafting wireless network. (U S West Inc.'s merger with AirTouch Communications) (Dealmakers)
February 17, 1995... AirTouch adds competitive edge U S West Inc. reacted to a fast-changing cellular telephone landscape by agreeing last July to merge its domestic cellular interests with those of AirTouch Communications Inc. The agreement was designed to...

Pak Mail considers stock split: ailing firm seeks to bolster share price. (Pak Mail Centers of America Inc.)
February 24, 1995... An Ailing Pak Mail Centers of America Inc. will ask shareholders to approve a reverse stock split today in an effort to get the franchiser's stock price up and to get shares trading again. The company, which lost $1.2 million during the past...

Chesrown buys Friendly Ford. (businessman Marshall Chesrown)
February 24, 1995... Deal comes after Ford terminates Friendly franchise over fraud case Marshall Chesrown will buy Wheat Ridge-based Friendly Ford in a deal expected to close Feb. 28. The deal comes in the wake of a Jan. 20 arbitration hearing that terminated...

Ala. firm bids for Intercap. (Masada Security Inc. bids for InterCap Funds Joint Venture's accounts)
February 24, 1995... An Alabama alarm company has offered more than $30 million for about 40,000 alarm-monitoring accounts owned by InterCap Funds Joint Venture of Englewood. The sale to Birmingham, Ala.-based Masada Security Inc. is proposed in a Feb. 3 letter of...

Classified ad paper starts. (Denver Recycler Classifieds)
February 24, 1995... A Southern California-based newspaper that features classified advertising may be about to give Denver's daily newspapers a run for advertising dollars. The weekly Denver Recycler Classifieds will offer consumers free classified ads. Denver's...

Barnhart seeks buyout from Benton nephew. (Barnhart Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Inc. owner David Becker)
February 24, 1995... Speculation continues to swirl over the present and future ownership of Barnhart Advertising, as Terry Barnhart, chief operating officer and now president of the agency, strengthened his resolve to lead an employee buyout. "Our No. 1...

Village Inn ad account stays with Colo. shop. (Sterling-Rice Group)
February 24, 1995... Boulder's little-known Sterling-Rice outlives national competition for job After perusing a nationwide menu of ad shops, Village Inn selected Boulder-based Sterling-Rice Group to handle its multimillion-dollar ad account. Ilene Block,...

Stapleton hotels brace for Feb. 28: DIA boasts zero hotels - for now. (Denver Stapleton International Airport; Denver International Airport)
February 24, 1995... Many local hoteliers, anticipating Denver International Airport's liftoff Feb. 28, are figuratively biting their nails and jiggling the loose change in their trouser pockets. Nobody knows for sure what will happen. All in all, though,...

Forget pros, Coors Field is the draw. (baseball)
February 24, 1995... Look for me to be among the first to experience the splendor of Coors Field, strike or no strike. This April, barring a settlement, the Colorado Rockies organization will send a team of former pro players and novices to take the field, and we as...

Sultans of shine: Rocky Mountain Marble Restoration carves new niche from ground floor up.
February 24, 1995... They secretly call themselves the "Marble Busters." Grinding down marble, leveling floors and polishing all kinds of stone surfaces, Ronald Griffin and Robert Miller of Littleton-based Rocky Mountain Marble Restoration Ltd. are the superheroes...

Masters of the details: Corporate Facility Consulting carves niche helping tenants.
February 24, 1995... Got a bone to pick with your landlord over a niggling - but pricey - detail on your lease? Need a satellite dish on the office roof? But lack real estate know-how? That's where companies such as Englewood-based Corporate Facility Consulting...