Denver Business Journal articles from January 2001

Denver Business Journal archives from January 2001

Prices put the heat on gas marketers.
January 5, 2001... Gas marketers, who sell natural gas in bulk to manufacturers, hospitals, school districts and city halls, are in trouble all over the country, leaving customers scrambling for supplies in a tight market with sky-high prices. "There are...

Anschutz sells arena to church for $22.5M.
January 5, 2001... Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, who has contributed heavily to Christian causes and owns an inspirational film company, has been inspired to sell the Great Western Forum sports arena in Los Angeles to a church. Anschutz's L.A. Arena...

Telecom company Jato latest tech firm to close.
January 5, 2001... Telecommunications provider Jato Communications closed its doors last week after a baffle to stay afloat in the up-and-down technology market. The privately held Jato began laying off its 575 employees at the end of the third quarter, but...

Corrections and amplications.
January 5, 2001... * The leasing agent listed in the Largest Denver County Office Buildings list in the Dec. 15 issue is incorrect. The agent is Garth Tait, who can be reached at 303-312-3920. * In the Dec. 22-28 issue's Finance column, two statements were...

Toyota has a hit with new full-size pickup Tundra.
January 5, 2001... Tom: I'm always a little hesitant to definitively declare a model to be the absolute best in class, but it's darn tempting with the 2001 Toyota Tundra. Lu: A lot of buyers seem to agree. Introduced for the 2000 model year, the full-size...

DBJ STOCK REPORT.
January 5, 2001... DBJ STOCK REPORT DBJ Index 9.64% 1867.14 NASDAQ 5.57% 2470.52 S&P 3.56% 1328.28 Dow Jones Industrial 2.8% 10786.85 Top 10 Weekly...

DBJ FUNDWATCH.
January 5, 2001... DBJ FUNDWATCH Our exclusive weekly report ranks the top Denver-managed mutual funds, ranked by year- to-date total return. The information is ...

Bankruptcy reformers will try with Bush.
January 5, 2001... Supporters of bankruptcy reform are optimistic they finally will get a bill signed this year that will force more creditors to repay their debts. Bankruptcy reform legislation passed both the House and Senate by wide margins last year, but...

Let's see some action on convention center.
January 5, 2001... Denver City Council members are poised to make an important decision on the future of Denver. They can take steps to move along the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center and construction of a new downtown hotel, further ensuring the...

Watching the Legislature.
January 5, 2001... It's January, and that means the Colorado Legislature is calling itself to order. At 10 a.m. Wednesday, as prescribed by the Constitution, wooden gavels will fall in the House and Senate chambers, prayers for guidance will be said and the...

Housing costs must be addressed.
January 5, 2001... There was a time, not long ago, when Denver's affordable housing made it an attractive destination for companies bent on relocation. Organizations from California to Illinois to New York came to the Mile High City due to economic incentives,...

Fan of Mark Udall speaks his mind.
January 5, 2001... Most voters are well aware of Congressman Mark Udall's staunch support of a clean and sustainable environment, but I want to assure them, and particularly my colleagues in the business community, that he also does an outstanding job of...

An extra day in: Paris.
January 5, 2001... Everyone loves Paris. When it comes to romance, this beautiful city has no rival. From the ornate architecture to the lovely Seine snaking itself through the city, Paris, not surprisingly, has inspired masters like Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso....

Cabinet ignores small biz.
January 5, 2001... Small-business lobbyists do not appear to be concerned that President-elect George W. Bush is tapping big-business executives, not small-business owners or advocates, for Cabinet positions. "We do feel like small business has a seat at the...

Business groups sue.
January 5, 2001... Five business groups filed a lawsuit challenging a regulation issued last month by the Clinton administration that directs federal contracting officers to deny contracts to businesses that do not have a "satisfactory" record of complying with...

Film loans could expand.
January 5, 2001... The Small Business Administration has gone Hollywood. Independent filmmakers are now eligible for SBA-guaranteed loans for their projects, as long as the films are produced in the United States and part of the distribution rights are...

Yen for cool car slams right into roadblock.
January 5, 2001... "People drive Mercedes," someone once said. "because it's impolite to walk around showing people your paycheck." I have to agree. No matter how sweet the ride, or how smooth the leather, a set of wheels isn't worth the 140 large you've got...

Tax-law change relieves small businesses.
January 5, 2001... A year ago, Congress turned George and Margaret Willard's dream of selling their Nova, Ohio-based business and retiring to Florida into a nightmare. The Willards had sold their home and bought a new home in Williston, Fla., where they...

The art of enterprise.
January 5, 2001... Bard Center teaches students entrepreneurship Taking that first leap of faith is a critical step for any entrepreneur with a sound business idea and the determination to make it work. But a little business savvy, some strokes of...

Get ready for more online extensions.
January 5, 2001... The Internet may end up with more dots than a domino factory. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which coordinates Internet domain names, announced in November more new top-level domains (TLDs). They are: .aero...

Web confabs: the next best thing to being there.
January 5, 2001... Now that the year 2000 has come and gone, "the future" has arrived. Here we are, trying to survive in a global economy, yet budget and time severely limit the amount of face-to-face contact we can have with long-distance clients and employees....

Chambers of Commerce.
January 5, 2001... Chambers of Commerce (Ranked by number of members) Rank/ Last Chamber Number Year's Address Phone/ ...

SCORE releases tally on small biz in 2000.
January 5, 2001... Small businesses generated 52 percent of all sales in the United States and 50 percent of the private-sector output, according to recently released statistics for 2000 compiled by the nonprofit SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)...

Excellence WebAward.
January 5, 2001... Denver-based BedanBreakfast.com, a source for online information about bed and breakfasts and inns, was honored for the second consecutive year with a 2000 Standard of Excellence WebAward in the online travel category. The site was selected...

Denver Art Museum.
January 5, 2001... Architect Daniel Libeskind, the lead architect for the Denver Art Museum's new addition, will be awarded the first Gio Ponti International Design Award on Jan. 11 at a special event to be held at the museum. The award was created in honor of...

The Denver Zoological Foundation.
January 5, 2001... The Denver Zoological Foundation chose the design-build team led by Haselden Construction Inc. and RNL Design for construction of an underground parking garage at City Park. The team also includes Jirsa+Hedrick and Associates for structural...

Colorado Coagulation Consultants.
January 5, 2001... Colorado Coagulation Consultants, a blood testing laboratory in Aurora, is now Esoterix Coagulation. Esoterix Inc. of Austin, Texas, which owns several other health-care related labs, recently acquired the Aurora operation.

NEWSMAKERS.
January 5, 2001... Engineering CH2M Hill's Denver team now includes Ken Sturgis as senior facilities manager. Additionally, James A. Degenhardt assumed responsibility for leading system certification technicians in CH2M Hill's Communications Group and Roger...

Before you go abroad, get useful tips online.
January 5, 2001... Traveling abroad has always been a bit difficult, but the Internet has made it a bit easier -- if you know where to look. Here is a sampling of some useful sites for foreign travelers: If you are headed to a country where you don't know...

Child Advocate of Year named by Colo. foster parent group.
January 5, 2001... Bunny Nicholson, executive director of Nicholson, Spencer & Associates, a training institute focused on child welfare, was named Child Advocate of the Year by the Colorado State Foster Parent Association. The award recognizes Nicholson's...

Oldsmobile rolls out unique Alero coupe.
January 5, 2001... Last month's death announcement of General Motors' Oldsmobile brand wasn't that much of a surprise to the automotive world. Oldsmobile is expected to sell only 300,000 cars this year; that's about a third of what it sold as recently as 15 years...

What's for lunch? Ordersup.com has the menu.
January 5, 2001... Online selection of what to eat at noon It might have a dot-com in its moniker but Ordersup.com isn't serving the usual e-commerce fare. The Denver-based company provides information to subscribers about lunch specials offered by local...

Coors finalizes deal.
January 5, 2001... Golden-based Coors Brewing Co. finalized a joint venture with Molson Inc., a leading Canadian brewer. The joint venture calls for Coors to import, market and sell Molson beers in the United States. The joint venture has the exclusive rights to...

Partnership picks CEO.
January 5, 2001... The Southeast Business Partnership, a business organization representing Denver's Southeast corridor, named Thomas E. Flavin as president and chief executive officer. Flavin replaces Peter Neukirch, who semi-retired as of Dec. 31. Flavin,...

Consumers aren't buying online banking.
January 5, 2001... Banks have rushed to offer Internet services to customers -- and hyped them accordingly -- but banking customers aren't embracing those services as fast. The number of national banks that offer Web sites where customers can conduct...

'Geeks' unite, raise money for charity.
January 5, 2001... A national grassroots organization composed of self-proclaimed computer geeks is joining forces to help those less fortunate in their communities -- and to zap the tech community's time- and money-stingy reputation. The group, called Geeks...

Reps request investigation.
January 5, 2001... The skyrocketing price of natural gas, and Xcel Energy Inc.'s third request for a price hike in six months, led the Office of Consumer Counsel to call for an investigation into the utility company and a delay in raising prices for consumers....

Newspaper sale completed.
January 5, 2001... Denver Post owner MediaNews Group has completed its $200 million acquisition of The Salt Lake City Tribune. MediaNews owns 48 daily newspapers. The seller was AT&T, which didn't want to remain in the newspaper publishing business.

Cable TV rates increased.
January 5, 2001... Englewood-based AT&T Broadband will increase its rates for cable television next month by an average of 4.8 percent. The biggest increases will hit those customers with expanded offerings of channels. The company said those customers, which...

Norton named to Cabinet.
January 5, 2001... Gale Norton, the former attorney general of Colorado, has been picked to head the Interior Department. President-elect George W. Bush named the Republican as his choice to be Secretary of the Interior. Norton, attorney general from 1991 to...

Making yourself at home.
January 5, 2001... Suite hotels show staying power The extended-stay hotel has been around for nearly 20 years, and -- like its guests -- it's not going anywhere anytime soon. By offering guests larger, suite-style rooms with most of the same amenities...

To build or to relocate?
January 5, 2001... Growing businesses answer the question When BVP Media Inc. outgrew its space on two floors of the Centex Homes building in the Denver Tech Center, CEO Steve Gray was forced to think about moving the company to a larger home. It was 1997 and...

Satellite imaging industry stalls.
January 5, 2001... The aerospace industry is experiencing a slowdown that could hinder one Denver aerospace business, but may help another Denver-area satellite company. One of the biggest disappointments in aerospace has been in the satellite imaging market...

Flight of Red Robin.
January 5, 2001... Eatey chain sees profits soar higher Since landing in Denver almost 20 years ago, Red Robin International Inc. has seen both its locations and its revenues take flight. Building a reputation on its signature line of gourmet, hamburgers...

The kids say thanks!
January 5, 2001... Children's Museum executive director Patricia Cooper is stepping down after engineering a spectacular turnaround. With attendance up, a new Center for the Young Child in place, Cooper said it's time for new leadership. She wants to spend more...

Clinton appointee moves on.
January 5, 2001... Dr. Margaret Cary, the former regional director for the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, has signed up with Philadelphia-based Vox Medica. Cary, a Clinton appointee who oversaw health and social services in Colorado, Montana,...

Fireworks get 'A-plus,' RTD a 'C'.
January 5, 2001... Congratulations to the city of Denver for putting on a thoroughly splendid "Millennium" bash last Sunday night. The 16th Street Mall was jammed with revelers, the sky was lit with impressive fireworks and not a single building burned to the...

Ballpark area steps up to the plate.
January 5, 2001... Neighborhood redevelopment offers winning mix The construction of a baseball stadium in Denver has meant more than an increase in the number of home runs hit every season. For downtown Denver, Coors Field has led to a renaissance in the...

Colorado hospitals ready to fight over $19M in cuts.
January 5, 2001... Despite an upswing in profits during 2000, Colorado hospitals are gearing up to fight a proposed $19.1 million cut in state Medicaid reimbursements they say will compromise quality and access to health care for the state's poor. The cut in...

Ride 'em, cowboys.
January 5, 2001... Cutting horses a growth hobby A surging economy and loads of discretionary income have lifted a lot of boats and spawned some expensive hobbies. One of those hobbies in Colorado and nationwide is keeping and competing cutting horses....

Utah firm courting Winter Park.
January 5, 2001... City group mulls whether to keep ski resort Grand County's Winter Park Resort, one of the country's largest ski areas, isn't officially for sale yet, but it already has a suitor. Powder Corp. of Park City, Utah, confirmed this week...

Health reforms target small firms.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Bigger bills likely if Legislature adopts Division of Insurance recommendations Colorado business owners already have their eye on what is sure to be one of the hottest and most contested issues in the state Legislature this session --...

DIA makes concessions: retail's hot at the airport.(Denver International Airport concession revenue)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 12, 2001... Planes aren't the only things soaring at Denver International Airport. Retail revenues for the airport's 136 concessions have risen steadily since the nation's sixth-busiest airport opened in early 1995. DIA reported about $117 million in...

Supplier pullout will cost.(Western Natural Gas promise to reimburse customers that had to buy gas on the open market)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Western Natural promises payments Western Natural Gas LLC will have to come up with millions of dollars to reimburse customers after announcing just before Christmas it was abandoning long-term fixed-price contracts to supply natural gas to...

Telecom giant buys land for new HQ.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Time Warner Telecom Inc. is planning to develop a large corporate campus in Douglas County for its Denver headquarters. Time Warner Telecom (Nasdaq: TWTC) announced Jan. 12 that it has placed 24 acres of land near Peoria Street and E-470...

WINfirst stakes its claim on West.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... But Denver-based company won't offer voice, data services in its back yard A Denver-based fiber-optic company is attempting to bring bundled voice and data services to customers in 13 Western cities, but Denver didn't make the short list....

Strip club business taking off.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... More cowboy hats than usual were spotted last week in local clubs better known for scantily clad women than their music selection. "We see an increase in business every year for the stock show," said Alex Snyder, manager at the downtown...

Eateries curry favor with the simple spud.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Denver's trendiest restaurants and caterers are discovering what truck stops and diners have known for years: People love mashed potatoes. Englewood-based catering company Occasions by Sandy began serving its smashed spuds in martini...

DIA group makes go on its own.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Bender takes over as full-time CEO The economic group that rallies around Denver's northeast corridor is broadening its presence to keep up with the district's fiery real estate market. The DIA Business Partnership. (DIABP), a regional...

Search for the right workers carries companies outside U.S.(data management gurus and software techies)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... The scarcity of data management gurus and software techies in the Denver market has companies hunting far beyond U.S. borders for people who fit their needs. Some companies use H1-B temporary work visas to bring foreign staff to the United...

Slow Lotto start in '01.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... If you think that recent Lotto jackpots have grown rather slowly, you're right. The current Lotto jackpot has inched up since late December by increments of $500,000, which hasn't happened for a long time, Lotto officials say. Usually,...

She scores!(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Barbara Allen has been tapped to become the CEO of the new Women's United Soccer Association. Allen, 48, is president of Denver-based Paladin Resources LLC, a startup that works with Internet and other communications companies. She...

Broncos rank No. 3.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... In a season that started with key injuries and losses but ended with a record performance by rookie Mike Anderson, the Denver Broncos' most middle-of-the-road statistic in 2000 may be that they had the third-best attendance in their conference....

Pass the Thin Mints.(Girl Scout Aloha Chip cookie with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... It's that time of year again. Be on the lookout for Girl Scouts peddling cookies; the annual sale begins Jan. 13, although deliveries won't be made until Feb. 13. New this year: the Aloha Chip cookie, made with macadamia nuts and white...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... 2000 Book of Lists: supplement The following is corrected and updated information to the 2000 Top 25 Book of Lists, published by The Denver Business Journal last month. In addition, this issue contains four pages from the Book of Lists...

Doctors turn away patients on Medicare.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... More than a third of Denver primary-care physicians are not accepting new Medicare HMO patients and nearly 40 percent are not, accepting new patients with traditional Medicare, according to a recently released survey from the Denver Medical...

Reno approves JOA between Post, Rocky.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Attorney General Janet Reno a joint operating agreement between Denver's two Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspapers. The Denver Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post last year agreed to a 50-year JOA in which the business side of both...

PUC approves rate hike.(Colorado Public Utilities Commision approves natural gas price doubling)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Natural gas rates for small businesses and residential consumers will double over last winter's bills following the state Public Utilities Commission's approval of Xcel Energy Inc.'s third price hike request in six months. The third...

Owens to appear in summit.(Colorado Gov. Bill Owens to go to World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Gov. Bill Owens is among four governors from the United States invited to the World Economic Forum which takes place at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland. The economic summit's prestigious guest list includes Jack Welch, CEO of General...

Qwest, unions OK contract.(Qwest Communications International Inc.,Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Two unions, which represent 30,000 employees of Denver-based Qwest Communications International Inc., approved two-year contract extensions. The unions are the Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of...

ICG will cut 500 jobs.(ICG Communications)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Englewood-based ICG Communications will cut 500 jobs as it struggles to cut costs. The telephone and Internet company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November. The company expects to whittle away at its 2,262 jobs by...

Evoke to cut jobs.(Evoke Communications)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Louisville-based Evoke Communications will cut 112 jobs, nearly a third of its work force. The layoffs will leave the company will 208 employees. Evoke provides teleconferencing services. The layoffs are part of a restructuring...

Anschutz looking at chain.(Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz and Oaktee Capital Management have acquired movie theater assets)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz could become the largest operator of movie theaters in the United States. He and Los Angeles investment fund Oaktree Capital Management LLC have acquired about $350 million of Regal Cinemas Inc.'s $1...

CopiersNow launches.(sells and services digital copiers and other office equipment)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... CopiersNow Inc., a company backed by Denver billionaire Donald Sturm, opened for business in Denver Jan. 10 and announced plans for similar launches in 50 U.S. markets within three years. The company sells and services digital copiers and...

VeloCom raises $260M.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... VeloCom Inc., a Denver-based telecommunications company, secured an additional $260 million from private investors to continue its expansion of broadband communications projects in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The investments are a...

Error standards issued.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 12, 2001... Accredited hospitals must not only identify medical errors but also inform patients of those mistakes, according to standards approved last month by the board of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is...

Ribozyme names COO.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced Jan. 8 the appointment of Howard Robin to the newly created position of chief operating officer and president. Based in Boulder, RPI is a biotechnology company trying to commercialize the Nobel...

Mercy looking for an angel to help residents.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Affordable housing company needs computers, training, career development Affordable housing provider Mercy Housing is sponsored by 11 "communities of Catholic women religious." Given its connections, it doesn't seem like the organization...

Decision tabled for now.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... When the Colorado Commission on Taxation, the group that has been charged with studying Colorado's piecemeal taxation system, met Jan. 8, part of its agenda included the selection of a subcontractor to execute an extensive study on Colorado...

An online open house.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Rather than trying to rally brokers during the busy holiday season, Frederick Ross Co. recently held a virtual open house to showcase a new property it had listed. Brokers signed on to the 48-hour event, which featured Neenan Co.'s Golden...

Can venture capitalists be socially responsible?(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... 'Green' companies, with hard work, can find money Venture capital and social responsibility -- two concepts rarely seen hanging out with each other. But last month the two made an appearance together at the Rockies Venture Club, a...

Savings accounts dwindle; recession fears mount.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 12, 2001... In 1999, American households all together accumulated record wealth of $10 trillion, largely by betting on the stock market and winning. About the same time, their savings rate dipped into negative numbers for the first time since the 1930s....

Regulation FD's effect draws mixed reviews.
January 12, 2001... Analysts, investors debate new SEC rule's impact The playing field may now be level between individual investors and analysts, but debate rages on about whether that's a good thing. Before the SEC'S Regulation FD was put into place in...

Know who really runs the economy.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Don't believe all you've read or heard from the Washington politicians, pundits and beltway consultants. All the chitchat about who is to blame for this slowing economy and abysmal market performance and, more importantly, who is going to fix...