Denver Business Journal articles from July 2000

Denver Business Journal archives from July 2000

New economy fuels 'energy shortage': Power industry suffers recruitment problem.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... As the nation's energy industry cautiously ponders a return to good times, two major requirements -- investors and an educated labor force -- remain in the thrall of the dot-com "New Economy." It's a situation that frustrates players in the...

New economy fuels 'energy shortage': Energy execs will meet investors at conference.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... A new feature of the annual Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy Conference will put investors and oil-and-gas company executives in the same room for two days. The Rocky Mountain Investment Forum is scheduled for Aug. 8-9 in Denver, the...

FILLING THE GAP.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Woman accepts key dental post This year, Dr. Roberta Shaklee will make history as the first female president of the long-standing Metropolitan Denver Dental Society. However, she hopes her legacy will be based on her ability to enhance the...

PacifiCare pacifies providers.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Relationships with doctors are strained, premiums are increasing about 15 percent and a popular Medicare HMO will no longer be offered in all or part of six Colorado counties. All of this is happening at PacifiCare of Colorado, the state's...

Qwest forges identity as phone provider.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... "Refreshingly honest" dealing with a company that listens." These are just two of the slogans Qwest Communications unveiled this week for an audience of about 10,000 merged Qwest and U S West employees at the Pepsi Center. The slogans...

Qwest gives U S West a clean slate.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Reputation for poor service can now fade into history, luring back former customers For the past few years, phone companies have lured away business customers by capitalizing on U S West Communications' poor service record. But now...

How long will the shine on the 'Q' last?(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Yeah, but will our calls go through? Qwest boss Joe Nacchio made a grand entrance to a Pepsi Center event last week to tout the recently completed merger of Qwest and baby bell U S West. Nacchio drove one of the company's new service...

Duckin' the question?(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Mayor Wellington Webb will be giving his annual "State of the City" speech this week. Expect hizzoner to put to rest speculation that he might leave office before his term is up if Democratic Party pal, Vice President Al Gore, is elected...

When the end is near.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... There's good news from Lee Hecht Harrison, the firm that specializes in executive and group outplacement. (That means they help displaced workers find new jobs or learn skills to get new ones.) "MOST DOWNSIZED EXECS ANTICIPATED NEWS" shouts...

Work duds can sizzle or fizzle.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Nobody ever wants to be considered a fashion victim. Yet when the temperature rises, you see them all around you. The man in the shorts with the black socks and blue flip-flops. The woman sitting next to you on the bus sporting the sheer body...

Investment squabble goes on and on.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Just when Daniel Lynch thinks he's out of the Rev. Charles Blair's orbit, his past pulls him back in. Lynch, a Denver lawyer and former co-owner of what's now The Denver Business Journal, represents a member of Blair's former church,...

Frontier wins right to fly into National.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Denver flyers soon will see new service from Denver International Airport. Frontier Airlines learned this week it was granted two of the coveted 12 landing and take-off slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the heart of...

Businesses carry brunt of property-tax burden.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... One way Colorado home owners keep their property taxes relatively low has caused businesses' property taxes to go up at a faster clip. Property tax revenues rose 9.3 percent to $3.5 billion in 1999, their largest percentage jump in the...

Inc. 500 event in Vail to attract 1,000 CEOs.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... State hopes to entice some companies to move here This eco-devo meeting may be better than a snowstorm on Monday Night Football. About 1,000 CEOs and their families are gathering in Vail next week for Inc. magazine's annual event...

Service workers struggle to afford rent in Boulder.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The housing crunch may not be as bad as Aspen or Vail, but service workers in Boulder County are struggling to live there because of the gap between earnings and rents. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 38 percent of...

Qwest finalizes merger.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Qwest Communications International Inc. completed its acquisition of U S West on June 30, almost a year after the deal was announced to be in the offing. The merger of the two Denver-based companies heralds a new era for U S West...

DIA ranks l0th.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Denver International Airport is among the 10 busiest airports in the world, as ranked by the number of passengers in 1999. A survey by the magazine FVW International put DIA in 10th place with 38 million passengers, a 3.3 percent increase from...

Home prices climb.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... The average resale cost of a single-family house in the Denver metro area reached a new record in June, jumping to $241, 518, according to two recently released reports. Home buyers closed on 4,543 purchases in June for a record total of $1.15...

FDIC limit could be lifted.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., introduced a bill that would require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to increase the amount of deposits it insures. That limit is at $100,000 currently. The legislation further asks that the FDIC, as...

State to sell notes.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Colorado Treasurer Mike Coffman plans to sell $150 million in notes to cover any cash shortage the state might have in its fiscal 2001, which started July 1. Although the state expects to have an overall budget surplus, it anticipates some...

Business executives predict a rosy future.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Attitude differs from what analysts think Business leaders in this country are more optimistic about their operations than they have been in 10 years, according to a Dun & Bradstreet Corp. survey completed in May. While analysts see...

South Dakota becoming a haven for trusts.
July 7, 2000... South Dakota has its own spin on the dollar bill's motto, "In God We Trust." The state that's just two states north and east of Colorado wants wealthy individuals and others to think "In South Dakota We Trust." Its pro-business government...

Channel 31 enters newscasting fray July 16.
July 7, 2000... New newscast touts 'freshness' at 9 p.m. The truth is out there but it's not Mulder and Scully who are on the case. KDVR-Channel 31 will debut its newscast on Sunday, July 16 and will feature Libby Weaver and veteran Colorado...

Dot-coms face closer scrutiny from PR firms.
July 7, 2000... Business turned down, finances are examined You've just started a brand-new dot-com company in Denver and you want to make a big marketing splash right off the bat. You head to a local public relations agency for help and... get a door...

Sending out a successful e-mail newsletter.
July 7, 2000... It's time to stop procrastinating. I've been promising an e-mail newsletter to clients and prospects for some time. Now is the time. An e-mail newsletter makes good sense to help me promote my consulting and speech practice. The four...

Image: It counts even more now than before.
July 7, 2000... It has been said image is everything. And in today's hypercompetitive economy, it has become more important than ever. Companies have always relied on image and branding -- witness the success of Nike and Coca-Cola -- but the tremendous surge...

Disabled workers turn entrepreneurial.
July 7, 2000... After years of battling discrimination and a deplorable unemployment rate, a growing number of disabled workers across the country are taking matters into their own hands by choosing an entrepreneurial path. The latest statistics from the...

Keeping currency current.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Cash upgrade designed to deter counterfeiters Cash may seem obsolete in this high-tech era when fast-food restaurants and vending machines accept credit cards and more consumers are making more transactions over the Internet. But high...

A look at small business in the nutshell.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... An exclusive group of journalists -- those of us who write about small business for a living -- gathered in Kansas City, June 23 for the first Small Business Reporting Conference. The two-day event, sponsored and hosted by the Kaufman...

Broadcast presentation features Microsoft CEO.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Ev Sequira, the Edward Jones investment representative in Aurora, will host a broadcast for individual investors July 13 at 2 p.m. The broadcast will feature Steve Balmer, the president and CEO of Microsoft.

Building your strategy.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Aurora Small Business Development Center is sponsoring a small-business workshop, "Building Your Financing Strategy," on July 14 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Free how-to guides.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Service Corps of Retired Executives and EqualFooting.com created two how-to guides, "A Guide to Online Purchasing" and "A Guide to Small Business Leasing" to help entrepreneurs make decisions with their spending capital and to evaluate...

Tech fair slated.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Colorado's largest technical job fair, TechConnect 2000, will be held July 17, 18 and 19. The job fair will be held at the Wyndham in Colorado Springs in July 17, at the Raintree Plaza in Longmont on July 18 and at the Marriott Denver Tech...

Investment seminar.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... "Smart Women Finish Rich," an investment seminar for women, will be held July 28 at the Wellshire Inn. It is free and open to the public. The seminar will he taught by Valorie Havercamp, CFP, an investment executive at Dam Rauscher Inc. in...

OZ Architecture.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... OZ Architecture, Boulder Associates and Civitas were hired to provide architectural, interior design, site planning and landscape architecture services on the new Boulder Community Hospital East Campus Facility. The integrated team will also...

Denver Bar Association.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Denver Bar Association honored community members, judges and attorneys at its annual party, June 21 at the Colorado History Museum. Steven Choquette of Holland and Hart received the Award of Merit for his years of service to the bar...

Business-to-business transactions growing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... But will the e-marketplace exclude small biz By 2004, $3 trillion in business-to-business transactions will be conducted through electronic marketplaces, AMR Research estimates. The rapid rise of these B2B exchanges is good news for...

Lease can be practical, but read the fine print.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... High-tech equipment ain't cheap these days, with price tags that easily run into the high thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. Rather than coughing up the cash up front, if your company has low cash reserves and limited bank credit,...

SBA raises construction size standards.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... The Small Business Administration raised its size standards for companies in construction, dredging and waste-related industries, allowing more than 2,500 additional companies to qualify as small businesses when competing for government...

Bankruptcy reform.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Despite President Clinton's threats to veto the legislation, supporters of bankruptcy reform hope to find a legislative vehicle for the long-stalled measure. But, says Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, "There are not a lot of viable...

Bargaining rights DOA.(Collective bargaining legislation.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Legislation that allows independent doctors to negotiate managed care contracts as a group appears to be dead on arrival in the Senate, despite a healthy margin of victory in the House. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., opposes...

Let the whole person have a place at work.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... We often speak to executives who are concerned about keeping their best employees. As one manager put it, "This company is in the heads of about 10 people who work for me. If I lost even one of them, it would be difficult to train someone...

Small Business Strategies.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Advertising Teresa Forrester joined TDA Advertising & Design as senior designer on the Thule, Corporate Express and Sol Lingerie accounts. Since 1997, Forrester had been a designer at Werkhaus Design in Seattle working on Starbucks,...

Aldrin's latest novel an out-of-this-world tale.(Buzz Aldrin)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Buzz Aldrin killed Michael Jordan. Not really, of course, but in Aldrin's new novel, "The Return," he quickly does away with a Michael Jordan character a much-beloved retired basketball player named Michael James who's chosen as the third...

Talking with the second man on the moon.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Buzz Aldrin is heading to town for a series of book signings in Denver and Colorado Springs between July 8-10. He's set to appear July 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek. Before leaving Los Angeles Aldrin spoke with L. Wayne...

New truck is truly Ford tough.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... The tallest vehicle that can fit into Denver's Writer Square underground parking lot is 6 feet 6 inches high. Why's that important? Because the 2001 Ford F-150 four-by-four SuperCrew truck is 6 feet 5 inches high. It's a scary fit. If...

Business should care about Medicare HMOs.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Criticizing HMOs and other forms of managed health care is a national pastime. The news programs are replete with so-called "horror stories" of alleged managed care abuses; there's a push onto give people greater ability to sue their HMOs;...

Court ruling aids employees.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion that should make it easier for employees who believe that they have been fired as a result of discrimination to get their cases decided by a jury. In a routine employment discrimination...

Governor encourages everyone to help out.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Colorado will celebrate its 124th anniversary of admission to the union the weekend of July 29. As we reminisce about the exciting changes that have occurred in Colorado between its founding and today, I ask that our citizens remember that...

The truth behind Sherman.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... With the intense media focus on Microsoft's battle with the Department of Justice, the Sherman Act of 1890 has been referenced as if everyone knows exactly what that historic legislation is. But assumptions can be dangerous, so this might...

It's time to do away with inheritance of wealth.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Whether it's welfare for the poor or inheritance for the rich, whoever gets something for nothing does so at the expense of someone else. There is no good reason why the children of wealthy parents should receive an unearned inheritance....

Largest Denver-Area Public Sector Employers.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

DBJ STOCK REPORT.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

DBJ FUNDWATCH.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Savings Account Yields.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

National Interest Rate Index.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Borrowing Rates.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Current Tax-exempt Bond Offerings.
July 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Colorado high on list of dot-coms.(state is fourth in domain names per capita)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... Coloradans cruising through the Convergence Corridor are registering for their online vanity plates in record numbers. Network Solutions Inc., the world's leading Internet registrar with 10 million domain names listed, released data for...

Making a love connection.(matchmaking services)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Where do lonely professionals in go to find romance? More and more turning up at matchmaking services hoping for help where Cupid failed. For a fee, these agencies will assess their clients and find them a potential match. Professionals in...

Doughnut company picks site.(Krispy Kreme buys plot in Colorado)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Krispy Kreme buys land on County Line Denverites eagerly awaiting Krispy Kreme's tasty treats will be warmed to know the doughnut franchise bought a $2 million plot of land at Quebec Street and County Line Road near Park Meadows mall and...

Why one deal went smoothly.(purchase of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche)
July 14, 2000... Local financier Don Sturm may have lost out on buying Denver's pro hockey and basketball franchises to Missouri businessman Stan Kroenke because Sturm is the fiercer competitor. Kroenke may have gotten the teams because he convinced the...

Asbestos blocking convention center.(asbestos removal from Currigan Hall, Denver)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... City to start abatement process for Currigan One of the biggest impediments to doubling the Colorado Convention Center's size is getting closer to being removed. The city and county of Denver has officially started looking for an...

We're gonna to party like it's ... 2000?(Denver mayor plans New Year's Eve celebration)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, stung for being a "party pooper" last year while the rest of the world celebrated the dawn of the new Millennium, wants the city to party down this New Year's Eve. Arguing that Jan. 1, 2001 is the "real start" of...

New man in the borough.(Larry Burrough joins the Denver Post)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... The Denver Post has a new managing editor. He's Larry Burrough, deputy editor of The Orange County Register. It's the No. 2 post in the Post newsroom. Even before Burrough arrives, however, some staffers are grumbling about yet another...

Courses break par.(Denver renovates golf courses)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Denver spends millions to attract golfers The city is overhauling the moneymaking opportunities at its golf courses to make more money, and the venerable City Park Golf Course continues to be the frontrunner in that change. The 18-hole...

Firm delivers for postal service.(Merrick and Co. wins post office contracts)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Aurora-based Merrick & Co. wins one Post office project after another In 1987, an Aurora-based engineering and architecture firm responded to a newspaper advertisement from the U.S. Postal Service for building a new Aurora post office. ...

Jake takes a jab at JOA.(Jake Jabs, Joint Operating Agreement)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Colorado furniture retailer Jake Jabs says he's a bit startled at the lack of reaction to a letter he sent last week calling for Attorney General Janet Reno to hold a public hearing about the pending Joint Operating Agreement between The Denver...

South Table land off market for now.(Denver area land not currently for sale)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Study on possible uses now under way The attorney representing the owners of the private land atop South Table Mountain says he would like to forget about possibly selling the property -- at least for awhile. Last week lawyer Leo...

Corrections and amplifications.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
July 14, 2000... * In the July 7-13 issue, the last sentence in an article about summer fashions was cut short. Here's what the sentence should have said: "Footwear is so exciting this season with great options," Shonk-Simmons said. "Showing off footwear is...

U S West workers leave; voluntarily and not so.(after merger of US West and Qwest)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... The day the U S West-Qwest merger closed June 30, the new company boasted it was 71,000 employees strong. About 10,000 gathered at Denver's Pepsi Center to watch Qwest boss Joe Nacchio stand next to a horse and rider to say the new company will...

Have an idea on how to spend $158 million?(Caring for Colorado makes plans to spend funds)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Concerns about mental health resources and access to health care, particularly for low-income residents, were among issues raised at public forums designed to help a nonprofit spend $158 million. Caring for Colorado, the foundation formed...

Top students learning to lead at CU seminar.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Twenty-eight top-notch minority M.B.A. students from around the country are tackling real world business scenarios this week at the 9th annual Andersen Consulting Leadership Seminar The seminar, which runs from July 12-16, is sponsored by...

Colorado man wins $100,000 for forecast.(William Schwartzkopf, Forbes.com Inc.'s $100,000 Decade Contest)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... A Colorado man beat 6,000 other contenders to win Forbes.com Inc.'s $100,000 Decade Contest. William Schwartzkopf, a Denver lawyer, engineer and construction consultant, copped the six-figure price for predicting the current economy. In...

New president named.(Storage Technology Corp. appoints Patrick J. Martin president)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... Patrick J. Martin is the new president, CEO and chairman of Louisville-based Storage Technology Corp. He succeeds David Weiss. Martin, 59, spent 23 years with Xerox Corp., most recently president of Xerox's North American Solutions Group,...

Case to continue.(University of Colorado vs American Cyanamid)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... A federal judge in Denver will go ahead with a trial to determine how much American Cyanamid will pay in punitive damages to two University of Colorado chemists. Judge John Kane Jr. three years ago awarded them each $500,000 in punitive...

Visa moves operation.(Visa U.S.A.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... Credit card giant Visa U.S.A. will move part of its Denver-area operation from the Denver Technological Center to the new Highlands Ranch Business Park. The business park's developer, Shea Properties, will build and own a two-building,...

Facility breaks ground.(Aviation Development Services LLC)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... Aviation Development Services LLC of New York broke ground on its WorldPort cargo facility near Denver International Airport this week. The initial phase of what will be a half-million-square-foot complex of buildings should begin construction...

Energy companies merge.(Forest Oil Corp. to purchase Forcenergy Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... Forest Oil Corp. of Denver plans to buy rival Forcenergy Inc. of Metairie, La., in a $542 million stock swap. Denver businessman Phil Anschutz, whose interests include Qwest Communications International Inc., is a major investor in Forest. ...

Contract worth $270M.(Qwest Communications International Inc., Winstar Communications Inc.and AT&T get government contract)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 14, 2000... Telecommunications companies Winstar Communications Inc., Qwest Communications International Inc. and AT&T have been awarded a 4-year government contract with a potential value of $270 million. The contract is a Metropolitan Area...

EchoStar agreement OK'd.(EchoStar Communications' contract with KTVX and WWOR TV stations)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Littleton-based EchoStar Communications has resumed broadcasting stations in New York and Salt Lake City. A contract dispute between EchoStar and WWOR and KTVX kept EchoStar, a direct-broadcast satellite company, from broadcasting those...

Firm agrees to merger.(American Educational Products and G.C. Associates Holdings Corp. to merge)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... American Educational Products, a publicly held company based in Boulder, has agreed to merge with G.C. Associates Holdings Corp. G.C. Associates is the largest shareholder of American Educational. The merger should close in the fourth...

Solitario wants to deal.(Solitario Resources to merge with Altoro Gold Group)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... Denver-based Solitario Resources Corp. has reached an agreement with a Canadian company, Altoro Gold Group, to merge. Solitario wants to acquire all outstanding shares of Altoro. Every three shares of Altoro will be exchanged for one share...

Net firm picks Denver.(ReservedMovieSeats.com)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2000... ReservedMovieSeats.com, an Internet company that will allow moviegoers to buy tickets online, will open in Denver. The company expects to open for business in the Mile High City in the spring of 2001.