Denver Business Journal articles from February 1998

Denver Business Journal archives from February 1998

Level 3's high tech game plan. (Level 3 Communications Inc. plans to build a telecommunications network based on Internet technology)
February 6, 1998... Advanced switches will speed network Level 3 Communications Inc. wants to become the first company to build a national telecommunications network from the ground up entirely based on Internet technology. The Omaha-based scion of Peter Kiewit...

Putting a chill on pollution. (environmental services firm Planetec Utility Services' refrigeration technology)
February 6, 1998... A small Evergreen company has reduced pollutants spewing from Ultramar Diamond Shamrock's refinery north of Denver by putting a new spin on an old technology. Refrigeration technology has been around for decades, but Planetec Utility Services...

Nike's opponents wage high-tech fight. (Just Don't Do It Coalition opposes Nike Inc.'s plan to build headquarters in Golden, Colorado)
February 6, 1998... The opposition to Oregon-based Nike Inc.'s interest in building a headquarters expansion on South Table Mountain in Golden appears to be better organized than the proponents. Only a month old, the Just Don't Do It Coalition already has its own...

Dailies make hay on Broncos. (Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post fight for market share)
February 6, 1998... Rocky, Post print extras ad nauseum The Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers battled hard in Super Bowl XXXII. Behind the scenes, both Denver dailies were fighting even harder for the hearts of fans. The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver...

Stadium builds support. (Denver Chamber of Commerce determined to find new stadium for professional football club Denver Broncos)
February 6, 1998... Chamber's task force to study issue If there is a way for the Broncos to get their new stadium and stay in Denver without costing the city or residents an unreasonable amount, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce is determined to find it....

American Family expands in suburbs. (American Family Mutual Insurance Co. builds headquarters in Denver, Colorado)
February 6, 1998... American Family Insurance is ensuring that it has plenty of room to grow in the Denver area by building a new Rocky Mountain headquarters at the Meridian International Business Center. The insurer hopes to close in a couple of months on its...

U S West losing fight against use of LADS. (Colorado Public Utilities Commission denies U S West Communications Inc.' use of local area data transmission)
February 6, 1998... PUC refuses to curb transmission method U S West Communications Inc. is trumpeting plans to boost bandwidth in the metro area, but it's losing a battle to quash what some tout as an inexpensive solution to the slow transmission woes that plague...

Software company ready for television revolution. (Columbine JDS Systems Inc.)
February 6, 1998... Columbine JDS welcomes proliferating channels To Wayne Ruting, president and CEO of Columbine JDS Systems Inc., more television channels mean one thing; more commercials. And more commercials mean more business. Operating from its new...

Kaiser CEO predicts more financial woes. (Kaiser Permanente CEO David Lawrence's forecast for the healthcare industry for 1998)
February 6, 1998... But HMO membership grows at fast pace SAN FRANCISCO - Kaiser Permanente, which added a record 1.5 million new HMO enrollees last year, expects to enjoy equally explosive membership growth in 1998, according to CEO David Lawrence although...

Gambs' biggest gambit. (Senior Vice President and Branch Manager of the Denver Branch of the Federal Reserve bank of Kansas City and Century Date Change project head Carl Gambs)
February 13, 1998... Denver Fed chief grapples with 2000 The country's banking industry is looking to the 16th Street Mali for answers to the Year 2000 Problem. The man with the answers is Carl Gambs, senior vice president and branch manager of the Denver Branch...

Denver loses weekly flight to Germany.
February 13, 1998... Denver aviation officials may have hoped otherwise, but LTU International Airways will not continue nonstop flights between Denver and Germany past March 28. Still undecided is whether the Dusseldorf-based airline will offer an encore of its...

Doctors running out of patience. (career changes among Colorado physicians)
February 13, 1998... Frustrated by the changing medical profession, some physicians switch careers Some physicians are walking away from their practices, disgruntled by the squeeze health-care companies put on their independence, their time and their pocketbooks....

Financial advisers could get oversight. (Colorado)
February 13, 1998... State close to enacting regulations Colorado is getting closer to regulating people who dispense financial advice for a living. House Bill 1224 would require financial advisers not already covered under federal rules to pass an exam and...

Metro hospitals find ways to use Internet. (Denver-based hospitals)
February 13, 1998... Patients embrace technology before MDs With a growing array of information technologies to choose from, Denver-metro area hospitals are jumping online and making greater investments in Internet and intranet services, while keeping an eye on...

Labor begins pushing minimum-wage hike. (Denver, Colorado)
February 13, 1998... City contractors would pay $7.72 an hour Denver labor and community organizations are pushing a minimum-wage increase that would hike the pay of city contractors, or anyone working for a project that received financial assistance from the city,...

NEON lights up over partisanship with IBM. (New Era of Networks Inc.'s joint venture with IBM Corp.)
February 13, 1998... NEON is about to radiate a shade of Big Blue. The Englewood-based New Era of Networks Inc., or NEON, announced a partnership with IBM Corp. for its MQSeries network communications product. NEON's technology will be available this spring on...

Intradenver visitors bypassing the Internet. (virtual home page)
February 13, 1998... Denver's latest virtual city doesn't want you to visit its site on the Internet. Although Intradenver does have a backdoor entrance on the Internet, the welcome mat is out for free dial-up access directly to the site's servers. A local...

Trillium looks for Platte Valley partner. (Trillium Corp)
February 20, 1998... The Trillium Corp. of Bellingham, Wash., is considering taking on a partner to help develop its huge mixed-use project in Denver's Central Platte Valley. Talks last summer with Atlanta-based Post Properties Inc., which is tackling the $80...

Buckley poised for battle: technology upgrades will help U.S. soldiers. (Buckley Air National Guard Base)
February 20, 1998... America's military could enjoy vastly improved access to reconnaissance reports from space in its pending strike against Iraq, thanks to enhancements to several Colorado-based operations. Upgrades to the powerful group of spy satellites likely...

The Bug is back in town. (new Volkswagen Beetle)
February 20, 1998... When the new Volkswagen Beetle rolls into town next month, buyers who aren't lucky or don't have their names on a list can expect a long wait. Area dealers pre-selling the car have reserved their initial allotments and expect frenzied demand...

WestPac legacy: $225M in losses. (Western Pacific Airlines)
February 20, 1998... When all is said and done, how much did the rise and fall of Western Pacific Airlines cost investors? Stranded travelers lost in delays and disrupted travel plans. But shareholders, lenders and creditors may he out $225 million or more, and...

Management company approaches destination: Denver's DH&R among top hoteliers. (Destination Hotels & Resorts)
February 20, 1998... With two recent acquisitions under its belt and another one in negotiations, Denver-based Destination Hotels & Resorts has become the 10th-largest hotel-management company in the country, counting more than $1 billion in assets. The company,...

At long last, project nearing its start date. (retail project in Superior, Colorado)
February 20, 1998... Spring start expected for retail effort In spite of numerous delays, problems securing the land and issues surrounding water service, a 600,000-square-foot retail project planned for Superior is expected to break ground this spring. "The...

CD-ROM adds search for venture funding. (DataMerge Inc's VentureTrack 2000 CD ROM package)
February 20, 1998... Database lists 900 venture capitalists Denver-based software developer DataMerge Inc. hopes its CD-ROM database product will help entrepreneurs slip into the lucrative loop of venture capital. The VentureTrack 2000 software program catalogs...

Troubles in Denver derail Florida attraction; SEC filing reveals First American Railways ran into financial woes quickly.
February 20, 1998... POINCIANA, Fla. - Is the Florida Fun-Train poised to derail? Hollywood, Fla.-based First American Railways has chalked up more than $5 million in red ink, lost 80 percent of its scheduled riders, laid off 20 employees and watched its newly...

Northern suburb retools image. (economic development in Thornton, Colorado)(Small Business Strategies)
February 20, 1998... Why a diverse economic mix defines the city of Thornton In the '60s and '70s, families flocked to the North Star Drive Inn, just off Interstate 25 and 84th Avenue, to catch the latest flicks. Today they come to the same spot, on the southern...

Centura launches battle for the 'burbs. (Centura Health's plans to build a health care center at the Denver West business park)
February 27, 1998... Centura Health, Denver's second-largest hospital system, is poised to expand its presence into Jefferson County and strike a blow to Exempla Healthcare's Lutheran Medical Center. Centura is solidifying plans to build a health-care center on 9.7...

U.S. West's man on the go. (Bob Knowling, US West Communications Inc.'s VP of network operations)
February 27, 1998... When Bob Knowling squeezed himself out of a tiny prop plane in Grand Canyon, Ariz., Mike Palmer witnessed something unseen during his 21 years with U S West Communications Inc. Deplaning with a load of Asian tourists in the August heat was the...

Sears plots big revamp. (Sears, Roebuck & Co.)
February 27, 1998... Chicago-based retail giant Sears, Roebuck & Co. finally is ready to redevelop its 45-year-old store near Cherry Creek mall in Denver, informed sources said. The four-block, roughly 10-acre Sears compound off First Avenue includes a store of...

Regulators brace for blitz of Y2K fraud. (Year 2000 computing crisis)
February 27, 1998... The Colorado Division of Securities is bracing for the next wave of financial chicanery to follow today's headlines: Year 2000 Problem fraud. "Whenever an issue is pushed to the front of the news, it creates an opportunity for fraud to...

WestPac departure lifts American.
February 27, 1998... The demise of Western Pacific Airlines has left the No. 2 slot at Denver International Airport wide open. American Airlines stands poised to jump from the airport's fourth to second-busiest carrier, however, thanks to a 47 percent increase in...

Making a big splash. (Ocean Journey's hiring of Trautman & Shreve Inc. to design and build its aquarium plumbing and mechanical systems)
February 27, 1998... Colorado's Ocean Journey is betting $93 million that its Platte Valley aquarium project will kick the fins off the competition when it opens in the spring of 1999. But even the best aquarium in the world would be up to its gills in trouble...

Credit unions launches intense lobbying effort.
February 27, 1998... Supreme Court decision prompts action Credit unions will pressure Colorado's congressional delegation to help them bypass a U.S. Supreme Court decision severely restricting their ability to add new members. Emboldened bankers countered they...

Dry-cleaning store comes clean. (Cleaner by Nature)(Company Profile)
February 27, 1998... Cleaner By Nature offers new, environmentally safe alternative Chris and Stephanie Comfort. operators of a recently opened dry-cleaning store in Greenwood Village, plan to do more than just clean clothes. They want to keep the environment...