Denver Business Journal articles from July 1997

Denver Business Journal archives from July 1997

Women MIA from top pay. (missing-in-action; highest-paid executives of Denver, Colorado's major public companies)
July 4, 1997... Not a single woman is among the 50 highest-paid executives of Denver's major public companies. For the first time since 1993, The Denver Business Journal's list of the Highest Paid Executives of Denver-area Public Companies, which ranks...

Cadillac reverses ad script. (Cadillac Motor Car Div. advertisement showing financial planner in bad light)
July 4, 1997... Financial planners want spots pulled Under pressure from the Denver-based Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Cadillac has tweaked television ads that portrayed a "certified financial planner" in an unfavorable light. But a...

Elitch's old feel returns. (Elitch Gardens amusement park)(Company Profile)
July 4, 1997... When the Elitch Gardens amusement park moved from its 104-year-old home in northwest Denver to the banks of the South Platte River in 1995, longtime residents grumbled about a loss of history and the dramatic change in the park's character....

Qwest's game plan unveiled. (Qwest Communications International Inc.)
July 4, 1997... Billionaire Anschutz used to taking risks Some top Hollywood names appear to have missed a chance to make big bucks in what may become the telecom deal of the decade. Philip Anschutz, according to sources, met in Los Angeles with Michael...

Progress flows again for Colorado pipeline. (TransColorado Gas Transmission Co.'s pipeline)
July 4, 1997... Natural gas producers and analysts in Colorado doubted that the TransColorado pipeline project would ever be built. But thanks to a shuffle of holdings among the project's financial partners, construction is moving ahead, and Rocky Mountain...

Activist dishes up suit to Ben & Jerry's. (Colorado Scooper's Inc.'s franchise)
July 4, 1997... A Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop franchise has landed on the opposite side of a pet issue of its do-gooder progenitors. Colorado Scooper's Inc., which has one Ben & Jerry's in Boulder and hoped to open a second shop in Larimer Square, claims it...

Corporate Express shares rebound from March fall.
July 4, 1997... After taking a nasty fall in March, the stock of Corporate Express Inc. has gotten back on its feet and started running again. The Broomfield company's stock is up 41 percent in the second quarter as investors regain confidence the office...

Proposal would clean mine sites. (Abandoned Mine Land Initiative)
July 4, 1997... Under a proposal by the Western Governors' Association and the National Mining Association, a number of Colorado's oldest and dirtiest mines may get cleaned up. The Abandoned Mine Land Initiative would campaign to eliminate regulatory barriers...

Prospective partner's $57M debt delays deal. (merger of Phoenix Networks Inc., U S One Communications Corp. and Resurgens Capital Group Inc.)
July 4, 1997... Phoenix Network's three-way merger stalled Golden-based Phoenix Networks Inc. offered a glimpse into its proposed three-way merger with U S One Communications Corp. and Resurgens Capital Group Inc., but details remained sketchy. During a...

Claims adjuster battles IRS demand for $2.4M. (Eberl's Claim Service Inc.; Internal Revenue Service)
July 4, 1997... WASHINGTON - It didn't take Eberl's Claim Service Inc., long to file a claim of its own. The independent Lakewood insurance claims adjustment firm filed a petition labeling an Internal Revenue Service demand for more than $2.4 million in back...

Taking charge: credit cards fuel startups' growth.
July 4, 1997... Credit cards can be the financial ace up an entrepreneur's sleeve if used properly. For the budding entrepreneur with little in the way of collateral, credit cards offer a quick and easy cash source - particularly if you're having trouble...

Aliens invade company. (Interstellar Productions Inc.'s product lines feature scenes from 'Men In Black')
July 4, 1997... Castle Rock's IPI banks on success of new movie Castle Rock manufacture Interstellar Productions Inc. is banking on the success of the next alien invasion. Specifically, the one that hit hometown theaters July 3. The company is producing a...

Punching up video games. (Reality Quest's new video game controller, The Glove)
July 11, 1997... Reality Quest wants to help your kid beat the snot out of his video-game rivals. The tiny Longmont company isn't offering secret moves or fast-twitch bionics to help young and old players alike annihilate foes in the latest home releases....

Ciao Baby! serves up Chapter 11. (Italian restaurant in Denver, CO)
July 11, 1997... Bankruptcy filing is second in three years Ciao Baby!, the well-known Italian restaurant in the Tiffany Plaza shopping center, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in three years. The eatery, owned by Pasquale...

New TCI boss Hindery remakes a giant. (Tele-Communications Inc Pres Leo J. Hindery Jr.)
July 11, 1997... Tele-Communications Inc. is hurtling through changes faster than the space shuttle, but one of the most significant happens when AtHome Corp. begins Wading on the Nasdaq exchange. Pre-offering, TCI owned 40 percent of the high-speed Internet...

'Dirt' bonds funnel $5.4M beneath Gateway's wings. (sale of dirt bonds for the development of Gateway Park in Denver, CO)
July 11, 1997... Development in the Denver International Airport corridor received a shot in the arm with the sale of $5.4 million in long-term, municipal "dirt" bonds. The unrated, tax-exempt bonds were sold last month on behalf of the Sand Creek Metropolitan...

U S West ready to enter fray for PCS customers. (personal communications service)
July 11, 1997... Sometime around the end of July, the 50 millionth U.S. customer will sign up for a wireless phone, according to data compiled by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. And sometime shortly after that, U S West Communications will...

Rocky Flats group boosts efforts to grow jobs. (Rocky Flats Local Impacts Initiative)
July 11, 1997... The cleanup of Rocky Flats and surrounding areas could create more than 2,000 new jobs during the next five years, according to a group that's guiding the former nuclear weapon plant's transition to an environmental technology site. The group,...

Consortium looking to jolt enviro industry. (Colorado Environmental Business Ambassador and Export Resource Network)
July 11, 1997... International marketing push on to promote Colorado as center of innovation Growth in Colorado's environmental industry has flat-lined in the past decade, but a consortium of local government and trade organizations is hoping to jolt the...

Walnut cracks suburbs with Park Meadows site. (opening of the Walnut Brewery restaurant in Denver, CO)
July 11, 1997... Rock Bottom Restaurants will crack into the south suburbs July 14 when it opens its newest restaurant across from the Park Meadows mall. The Louisville-based chain of microbreweries and restaurants will open a Walnut Brewery at 9627 E. County...

Colorado overlap draws scrutiny to Total deal. (federal investigation of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp's planned acquisition of Total Petroleum Inc)
July 11, 1997... San Antonio, Texas-based Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp.'s pending acquisition of Total Petroleum Inc. may be drawing more rigorous regulatory review due to the companies' overlapping operations in the Colorado market, according to industry...

GolfWatch elevates viewing pleasure of fans.
July 11, 1997... Just about every sporting and entertainment event has a premium ticket available for fans who want a front-row seat and are willing to pay for it. That hasn't been true for golf, until this year. GolfWatch, a Greenwood Village company founded...

Probe widens in financial firm's failure. (Financial Instruments Corp.)
July 18, 1997... According to a court-appointed bankruptcy supervisor, the FBI has joined an investigation of Financial Instruments Corp., allegedly one of the largest Ponzi schemes to hit Colorado this decade. Documents gathered from federal bankruptcy court...

Bigger seems to be better. (Park Meadows Town Center)
July 18, 1997... Strategy paying off for Park Meadows Park Meadows Town Center celebrates its first anniversary next month, but the mall that has changed retailing in Denver is far from finished. Since about 70 percent of the center's stores opened Aug. 30,...

Center upgrades image. (Cable Labs)
July 18, 1997... Cable Labs brings Gates to the table After languishing as the telecommunications industry's wallflower, cable television now finds itself with a powerful suitor - Microsoft Corp. CEO Bill Gates. It isn't love at first sight. In fact, an...

Boston Chicken in need of a good meal.
July 18, 1997... Have you eaten at Boston Market lately? I didn't think so. The 1,150-store restaurant chain that at one time was the hottest new concept in family dining is having its problems. Sales growth has slipped below management's aggressive...

Delta stalls WestPac's name hunt. (name of company resulting from Western Pacific Airlines Inc.-Frontier Airlines Inc. merger)
July 18, 1997... An airline by any other name can still fly. But finding a name for the combined Western Pacific and Frontier airlines is proving the most emotional decision in the proposed merger. How about Western Airlines or Western Frontier or Frontier...

Chamber execs talk strategy. (Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce)
July 18, 1997... Lay may launch search for new job After its second major restructuring in a decade, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce is looking to the future with one eye on economic development and the other on the executive suite. In some of the most...

Space race heats up in the suburbs.
July 18, 1997... The leap to commercialize high-resolution pictures taken from space is feeling the tug of gravity. EarthWatch Inc., of Longmont, has postponed the launch of its EarlyBird satellite from August to late this year, citing technical glitches in...

EchoStar cancels hunt for partner with money. (EchoStar Communications Corp.)
July 18, 1997... EchoStar Communications Corp. plans to launch its third high-powered satellite on Sept. 25, once again proving its ability to defy the odds. And despite a highly public split with News Corp. in May and declarations of financial troubles, the...

Denver prepares to whittle away at DIA bond debt. (Denver International Airport)
July 18, 1997... Thanks to lower interest rates and a more favorable debt rating, the city of Denver is ready to unroll more than a half-billion dollars in airport bonds. Most of the offering, set for the second week of August, replaces higher-rate bonds or...

CACI offers alternative to replace OSHA's regs. (Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry)
July 18, 1997... The state's largest industry trade group continues to butt heads with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over how to proceed with regulatory reform. The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, along with the Colorado...

Delta lawsuit lashes out at Denver promoter. (Delta Air Lines Inc.; travel promoter Lorin A. Tarr)
July 18, 1997... Delta Air Lines Inc. is suing a former Colorado travel promoter and several others for allegedly stealing and misusing at least $8 million worth of promotional air-travel coupons. In a lawsuit filed July 2 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, the...

Directors crowd table in bank merger deal. (First Bank System Inc.-U.S. Bancorp merger)
July 18, 1997... When First Bank System Inc., the parent of Colorado National Bank, merges with U.S. Bancorp, it will not only create one the region's largest banks, but one of the country's largest boards of directors. Bring out the chairs. All 30 directors -...

Failed business leave SBA holding the bag.
July 18, 1997... Examination of property portfolio reveals agency willing to take discounted price WASHINGTON - Despite a healthy national economy, there are still too many failed businesses as far as the U.S. Small Business Administration is concerned. The...

Religious differences break up a deal. (St. Catherine's Hospital-Kenosha Hospital and Medical Center)
July 18, 1997... Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives now looking for new merger partner MILWAUKEE - After three years of courting, the marriage between St. Catherine's Hospital in Kenosha, Wis., and Kenosha Hospital & Medical Center looked like a sure...