Denver Business Journal articles from January 2000

Denver Business Journal archives from January 2000

Firm leaves homeowners in lurch.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Home warranty company has vanished Leonard and Diane Rozek thought the warranty on their newly purchased home near Longmont would buy them peace of mind. "When you buy a house, the last thing you want to do is spend a few thousand...

Rodeo attracts big biz.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Foreign trade deals abound at stock show The National Western Stock Show will entertain Denver crowds with plenty of bull riding, horse jumping and cattle roping during the next two weeks. But behind the scenes, Colorado cattlemen will...

Rounding up the bucks.(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... The National Western Stock Show Rodeo and Horse Show isn't just for cowboys, ranchers and country folk. It's big business. Many Colorado companies, some with no "traditional Western" affiliations; are beginning to pump more promotional...

Riverfront Park idea steps closer to reality.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... East West Partners' plan to build an entire new downtown community in Denver's Central Platte Valley moved closer to reality recently. The Denver branch of the Vail-based resort/residential developer has named its 25-acre site Riverfront...

Ranch readies for office boom.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Qwest said to be eyeing land in suburb Fledgling southeast suburban Highlands Ranch Business Park is expected to explode this year, as companies gird themselves for the widening of the Denver area's transportation spine, Interstate 25. ...

What to do with leftover Y2K supplies.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Now that the champagne has been quaffed, the ball has dropped and the end of the world did not occur, it's time to get rid of fall those additional supplies you stocked up on in anticipation of Y2K. Here are some helpful tips: 10. Turn...

Hyena law?(Brief Article)(Illustration)
January 7, 2000... We've heard of vultures, sharks, eagles, weasels and snakes. But hyenas? Well, why not? Hyenas are apparently the animal of choice at Kelly Haglund Garnsey & Kahn. The Denver law firm sent promotional T-shirts to selected media this...

Denver hosts Barbara Bush.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Former First Lady Barbara Bush will be in Denver Jan. 10 as part of the Denver Distinguished Lecture Series. Her talk begins at 7 p.m. at the Auditorium Theater in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Tickets range from $25 to $52. Students pay...

Volunteers honored.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Mayor Wellington Webb honored several people this week at a news conference for their support and promotion of the Share our Strength Colorado Children's Hour and Denver Best Babies Initiative. Noel Cunningham, a Denver restaurateur, was the...

Cool Internet site.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... If you have an innate curiosity. If you're worried that something isn't operating correctly after the traumatic date change from Dec. 31, 1999 to Jan: 1, 2000. If you're always questioning how things operate, than you should check out...

Fighting piracy.
January 7, 2000... Software companies ask consumers to help As cases of software piracy continue rising like Jolly Roger flags, software manufacturers are fighting back by hoisting public awareness campaigns urging customers to "Take a Byte Out of Software...

Buildings prepared for Y2K.
January 7, 2000... During last week's change to the year 2000, most managers of large Denver-area office buildings were more concerned about outside events they couldn't control than their own preparedness. While most felt confident that Public Service...

Englewood firm goes after med claims.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Colorado hospitals lose millions of dollars a year to health plans because they don't have the time, staff or technology to track down improperly delayed and denied health benefits claims. Back office billing practices don't get as much...

Paper peddler tries high-tech approach.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Kevin Preblud is trying to put paper on the Internet and capture a large share of the $291 billion global pulp, paper and packaging materials market. The Denver-based recycled paper broker has signed on as executive director for secondary...

Manufacturing jobs decline.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Denver and Boulder continue to lose manufacturing jobs as part of a larger U.S. trend of deindustrialization. Metro Denver's manufacturing employment shrunk 1.18 percent, or by 1,100 jobs, from September of 1998 to September 1999, according...

The former Security Life Building.
January 7, 2000... * In the Dec. 24-30, 1999, issue's real estate column, the height of downtown Denver's 1616 Glenarm building was incorrect. The former Security Life Building, once one of the city's tallest structures, includes 31 stories.

Buying goods online complicates returns.
January 7, 2000... To every season return, return, return. The estimates for online sales this past holiday season are coming in between $6 billion and $10 billion according to the National Retail Federation. But chances are, not every gift purchased online...

Goodbye, Disney Store.
January 7, 2000... The Disney Store will close its doors at the Cherry Creek shopping center, confirmed a store manager. The Cherry Creek location was Disney's first retail store in Colorado. Company officials did not give word on the official closing date.

Chapter 11 forces Barami to shut Colorado locations.
January 7, 2000... A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, is claiming the Denver Pavilions' first casualty. Barami, a Manhattan-based women's clothing store, is closing both its Colorado operations -- the Pavilions outlet and the store at Park Meadows. Although no...

Boulder seeing boom in speculative projects.
January 7, 2000... The new year will bring Boulder's finite commercial real estate market even closer to capacity. In the next 12 to 18 months, roughly a dozen speculative buildings including 20,000 to 50,000 square feet of space each should get built,...

Warren Buffett offers tip.
January 7, 2000... Chicago-based First Industrial Realty Trust Inc., a large investor in Denver-area warehouse and distribution space, got a shot in the arm when investor extraordinaire Warren Buffett recently auctioned the contents of his wallet for charity. ...

New federal health rules keep lawyers busy.
January 7, 2000... Health-care practice groups at Denver-area law firms are busy getting up to speed on new federal rules for hospitals, physicians and nurses who provide medical care to Medicare and Medicaid patients. The Office of Inspector General of...

Technological unease reflected in Y2k scare.
January 7, 2000... Like revelers who drank too much on New Year's Eve, some people are starting to ask if the estimated $500 billion spent worldwide on the Y2K computer problem was really worth it. Banks and financial institutions were among the first to...

Will indicator prove true?
January 7, 2000... Several Denver mutual funds reported incredible years in 1999, but a southbound stock market has cut their celebrations short. One of the more reliable indicators of how a market will perform in any given year is how it does in January....

Trio remains on Fed board.
January 7, 2000... President Bill Clinton reappointed Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan to another term, but he wasn't the only one getting an extension. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has renamed Kathryn Paul, retired division president of...

American Century Investments.
January 7, 2000... American Century Investments, the Kansas City mutual fund family with a large contingent of Denver workers, has crossed $100 billion in assets. American Century had $16 billion in 1992.

Charles Schwab & Co.
January 7, 2000... Charles Schwab & Co. has opened its sixth Colorado branch at 9601. E. Panorama Circle in Englewood

The Bank of Cherry Creek.
January 7, 2000... The Bank of Cherry Creek has received permission to open a retail branch at 1516 Ogden St. on Capitol Hill.

Small businesses win gamble with Y2K bug.
January 7, 2000... Most of the estimated 1.5 million small businesses that didn't prepare for the Year 2000 problem apparently dodged the millennium bullet. Most Y2K observers were confident the date change would pass without disrupting the economy, but they...

Food banks want extras.
January 7, 2000... The nation's nonprofit community was quick to suggest a new use for the canned and packaged food that many citizens stockpiled in anticipation of a millennium meltdown: give it to food banks to help feed the 31 million people that go hungry in...

Social causes supported.
January 7, 2000... American companies doing business in Mexico should consider forming partnerships with nonprofit organizations, concludes a Mexican consumer survey. The survey, conducted by researchers at Mexico's largest private university, found that 68...

Clinton backs tax credit.
January 7, 2000... Congressional Republicans welcomed President Clinton's endorsement of giving tax credits to families who purchase health care on their own instead of through their employers. "Now that the president is on board, there's no reason we can't...

Bill penalizes drug makers.
January 7, 2000... Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., plans to introduce legislation that would deny tax credits to pharmaceutical companies that sell drugs for a lower price in other developed countries than they do in the United States. "It is totally unfair for...

Authors reach fans on the Net.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Michael Connelly is a best-selling novelist, adroit at keeping the reader turning the pages of his mysteries. But Connelly also has proved himself adept at getting readers clicking their way through his Web site. Web sites are nothing new...

Revised 'Fantasia' comes off flat.
January 7, 2000... When the first "Fantasia" debuted in 1940, it was described as an attempt to show what music could look like. The movie succeeded in elevating cartoons to animated art and popularizing classical music for a new generation of children. Some...

New Audi TT designed to turn heads.
January 7, 2000... Major kudos to Audi for taking its concept car to production without losing its futuristic appeal. It's a "wow" and not badly priced. Lu: The Audi TT is unlike any car you've seen. And with only 10,000 vehicles for sale in the United...

Largest Denver-Area Commercial Radio Stations.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Largest Denver-Area Commercial Radio Stations (Ranked by audience share) Rank/ last Audience Share/ year's Phone/ No. of...

Where businesses should go for help.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Resources can make or break entrepreneurs It's the American dream; being your own boss, calling the shots, controlling your destiny. For would be entrepreneurs, it's a very seductive dream. But for those who are already waist-deep in...

Law makes 'cashing out' tougher.(sales of small businesses affected)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Congress pays for tax credits by redefining how business sales are taxed A new tax law will make it harder for small-business owners to cash in on their life's work by selling their enterprises. At the end of its 1999 session, Congress...

Preparing for your tax appointment.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... It seems as if we will not have many Y2K issues to deal with this January, so it is a good time to prepare yourself for your tax appointment. There are several things you can do to be better prepared and thus limit the time your accountant...

Business owners laud SBDC.(Small Business Development Center)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... The Red Rocks Small Business Development Center sees about 500 clients a year, according to Jayne Reiter, director. Here are a few clients who have sought counseling and benefited from a variety of services offered. Castlegate Garage Door...

NEWSMAKERS.(selections and appointments in Colorado business)
January 7, 2000... Accounting JoAnn T. Cambruzzi and Pamela D. Weems are new tax managing directors for KPMG LLP. Cambruzzi joined the firm in Denver in April 1987. She began her career with Main Hurdman in 1983 and joined KPMG with the merger. Weems joined...

Believe it or not, journalists are people, too.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... At the first thought of having to deal with reporters, columnists and photographers, one might have have a churning stomach and the feeling of impending doom (and that's just from the editor's perspective). Having worked with reporters in...

Computer advice for the new year.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Unfortunately, the speed at which today's hot new technology becomes yesterday's embarrassing clunker in the closet doesn't show signs of letting up anytime soon. It may even be getting worse. This has a real effect on future purchases:...

Let employees know about the cost of benefits.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Most companies do not spend enough time communicating the cost factor of the total compensation package to employees. If you ask your employees how much their fringe benefits are as a percentage of their hourly pay or salary, you would probably...

Kudos to builders for taking first step.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... It matters little whether self-interest, political necessity or altruism made it happen. Either way, the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Denver should be commended for sit1 ting down with representatives of the Wirth Chair at the...

There's still time for a blowout bash.(Denver plans for New Year 2001)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Let's have a party. While the rest of the world jumped the gun and celebrated the start of the new millennium, Denverites sat on the sidelines, watching the festivities and fireworks on television. True, there wasn't a big hue and cry...

Boom economy's other side.(homelessness)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... "City economy on a roll.." "Denver's place in the world as we enter the 21st Century is defined as a model American city..." "We are ending the '90s decade with perhaps more optimism for its future than has ever been experienced..."...

Giving credit for the drop in crime.(private crime control plays a role)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Crime rates, according to the FBI's preliminary report for 1999, fell 10 percent per 100,000 population. It's a considerable drop, given that crime rates had fallen 7 percent in 1998, and about 16 percent from their 1991 peak to 1997. ...

Behind the city's anti-party stance.(Denver, Colorado)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Did we hear correctly? Some metro residents are grumbling about the failure of Denver to throw them a millennium party? Hey, this is America. You're not only free to throw your own party, you're presumed capable of doing so without help...

Good advice: Do unto others in office.
January 7, 2000... Brody Communications Ltd. has some ideas about creating a civilized workplace environment. I know, you're saying that's impossible, but I like Marjorie Brody's notions; they make perfect sense... to everyone but me. Here are Brody's Rules...

DBJ STOCK REPORT.
January 7, 2000... DBJ STOCK REPORT Top 10 Weekly Gainers Close Net % change % change Company Name 12/31/99 change in week YTD Coram Healthcare...

DBJ FUNDWATCH.
January 7, 2000... DBJ FUNDWATCH General equity funds 1 Wk. 4 Wk. YTD 3 yrs. Fund Name 12/30/99 12/02/99 12/31/98 01/02/97 Berger Mid Cap Gro Fund...

AMA wants HMO reform.
January 7, 2000... Presidential candidates are discovering the nation's doctors still make house calls, at least when it comes to the American Medical Association's political agenda. The AMA will drive its "National House Call" Winnebago to all of the major...

AFL keeping watch.
January 7, 2000... The AFL-CIO plans to build a database of consultants hired by businesses to defeat organizing efforts. The database, which union organizers can access at a password-protected area on the AFL-CIO's Web site, also will include information on...

Small business optimistic.
January 7, 2000... The nation's small businesses continued to be in a sunny mood as winter approached. The Small Business Optimism Index, compiled by the NFIB Education Foundation, rose nearly two points in November to 103.2. A growing number of...

CarrAmerica readies its newest office park.
January 7, 2000... CarrAmerica Realty Corp. broke ground this week on its second suburban, Denver-area office park, Dry Creek Corporate Center at Interstate 25 and Dry Creek Road. The Washington, D.C.-based, publicly traded real estate investment trust already...

VeloCom lands $250M.
January 7, 2000... Denver-based VeloCom Inc., an international broadband telecommunications company, has received $25.0 million in the largest private equity offering ever done in the state. Investors in the offering included Centennial Funds, Telecom...

Asthma center picks base.
January 7, 2000... Lowry Business Park at the old Lowry Air Force Base has snagged a new company. Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centers plans to move into 20,000 square feet of a historic, 35,000-square-foot building that's being renovated at the office park's...

Alamo Plaza sold.
January 7, 2000... Denver-based Miller Global Properties LLC recently purchased downtown Denver's Alamo Plaza office building for an undisclosed sum. The 192,000-square-foot property at 17th and Market streets previously was owned by California-based Legacy...

Dairy picks new CEO.
January 7, 2000... Boulder-based Horizon Organic Holding Corp. announced CEO Barney Feinblum has stepped down from his post. Current present and COO Chuck Marcy will also take on the role of CEO. Marcy arrived at Horizon last November after serving as...

Retailers pleased with '99.
January 7, 2000... Item: The Colorado Retail Council is calling the 1999 holiday shopping season a record breaker. Sales figures point to a 6 to 7 percent increase over sales during November and December of 1998. Coloradans spent $8:75 billion during the last...

New man at the top.
January 7, 2000... Donald Anderson, the vice chairman and CEO of Denver-based TransMontaigne Inc., an oil company, has assumed the additional duties of president. He replaces Richard Gathright, who resigned.

Extra Y2K food wanted.
January 7, 2000... Safeway stores in Colorado are accepting donations of surplus food bought in anticipation of problems from any Y2K problems. The grocery chain will give the food to local food banks.

Fund gets sole manager.
January 7, 2000... Tino Sellitto is now the sole investment manager of Denver-based Berger 100 Fund. He previously shared the job with John Jares.

Qwest changes exchanges.
January 7, 2000... Qwest Communications International Inc. can now be found on the New York Stock Exchange. The Denver-based telecommunications company trades under the letter Q. Qwest moved from Nasdaq.

Company cancels IPO.
January 7, 2000... Denver-based securities brokerage firm D.E. Frey Group has asked the SEC to withdraw its planned initial public offering because of some unresolved issues. The company filed a prospectus in late November in which it anticipated selling 2...

Blinder in trouble.
January 7, 2000... Meyer Blinder, once the king of penny stocks, has a $5 million tax lien on his Englewood home. The lien was placed there by the Internal Revenue Service, which claims Blinder owes taxes. Blinder was convicted of racketeering and securities...

Frontier adds airplanes.
January 7, 2000... Frontier Airlines has leased four additional Boeing 737-300 jets from GE Capital Aviation Services. Two of the aircraft are scheduled to enter service in February 2000. The other two aircraft are scheduled to be go into service in April....

Webb elevates his Foote.
January 7, 2000... Mayor Wellington Webb appointed his chief of staff, Stephanie Foote, as manager of the Denver Department of Public Works and as deputy mayor. The appointment is effective Feb. 1. Foote's replacement as chief of staff will be Wayne Cauthen,...

The financial institutions list.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Listed are the effective annual yields, after compounding on a variety of savings instruments offered in the Denver area. Yields are fixed rate for all certificates of deposit (CD). Rates paid are for deposits of $2,500, except jumbo CDs, which...

National Interest Rate Index.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... National Interest Rate Index Current rate Previous Net change SHORT-TERM INTEREST RATES (%) week (%) (+ or -) Prime rate 8.50 8.50 ...

Borrowing Rates.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Borrowing Rates Auto terms: $10,000 loan, 48-month ...

Current Tax-exempt Bond Offerings.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Current Tax-exempt Bond Offerings Issue Coupon rate Maturity Yield Arapahoe Cnty Co Sch Dist No Taxable 6.64 12-01-01 6.75 Pueblo Cnty Co Sch Dist No O 4.70 ...

Largest Boulder County Office Buildings list.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... * In the Dec. 31, 1999 - Jan. 6, 2000, issue's Largest Boulder County Office Buildings list, the No. 3 and No. 5 were inadvertently left off the list. The No. 3 building is the Array Building, 4775 Walnut St., Boulder, 80301, with 103,408 total...

State zeroes in on deadbeat parents.(by enlisting banks, credit unions, mutual funds)
January 14, 2000... Financial institutions are being forced to join in search for any hidden assets Colorado will soon enlist banks, credit unions and mutual funds in finding deadbeat parents, but some bankers question if their entry into messy domestic...

Success follows La Voz.(La Voz Hispana de Colorado)(Company Profile)
January 14, 2000... La Voz Hispana de Colorado, the weekly Hispenic bilingual newspaper, is celebrating its 25th year on the Denver media scene, by all accounts the established Hispanic voice of Colorado. Along the way, La Voz editor and publisher Wanda...

Truckers want Colorado to back off.(on vehicle taxes)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2000... Truckers are fighting to reduce irksome vehicle taxes they claim are pushing them to buy and register their rigs out of state. State rules base the sales tax and subsequent ownership tax charged for a new vehicle on its actual sale price,...

Child welfare system faces reform.
January 14, 2000... Task force wants to reduce inefficiencies Colorado's system of caring for troubled children, intertwined with private insurance, welfare programs and the court system, could be overhauled under a proposal to be submitted to Gov. Bill Owens...

The e-commerce debate.(Industry Overview)
January 14, 2000... Cities' retailers buck heads with e-tailers Taxing retail sales on the Internet is a national debate with implications for Denver's e-commerce boom companies, traditional retailers and consumers alike. Today, there is a moratorium on...

GOP chair discusses party's future.(Jim Nicholson)(Interview)
January 14, 2000... Jim Nicholson, chairman of the Republican National Committee, met for an hour this week with staffers of The Denver Business Journal discussing politics, the economy and trade. Nicholson, the GOP's point man on national issues and...

Don't rain on MLK's 'Marade'.(Martin Luther King Jr. Day planning)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2000... The Mayor's office is touting the 19th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Marade. King has become such an important figure in our society that our city leaders decided the name March or Parade didn't fully express what they wanted to do on...

Business Hall of Fame makes room for 7 more.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2000... This year's Colorado Business Hall of Fame laureates range from a penniless miner in Leadville to a local, cutting-edge software developer. The seven inductees -- including Horace Tabor and J.D. Edwards co-founder and chairman C. Edward McVaney...

Corrections and amplifications.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2000... * An opinion piece in the Jan. 7-13 edition was incorrectly attributed to Andrew Hudson, the spokesman for Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. The column actually was from the Denver Rocky Mountain News. Hudson was merely circulating a copy of the...