Denver Business Journal articles from June 1995

Denver Business Journal archives from June 1995

E-470 needs new partner. (Morrison Knudsen Corp.'s partnership with another firm to build the E-470 highway in Denver, Colorado)
June 2, 1995... Morrison-Knudsen eyes joint venture The financially troubled firm charged with designing and building E-470 wants to bring in an outside partner to help complete the next two sections of the toll road. "Morrison Knudsen has advised us that...

Aquarium backers 'certain' of launch. (construction of Ocean Journey public aquarium in Denver, Colorado)
June 2, 1995... Denver seems all but certain to see ground broken for a $64 million public aquarium next spring. Leaders of the effort to build Colorado's Ocean Journey are so confident of success that they've authorized design work to begin for the site just...

Rain puts damper on cash crop. (Colorado's 1995 crop harvest)
June 2, 1995... Livestock industry foresees bullish year Thanks to rainy weather, the Colorado countryside looks mighty green, but not all the state's farmers are optimistic that the verdant prairie will yield more greenbacks in the 1995 harvest. State...

Fill 'em up. (Western Standard Services Corp.'s planned chain of automobile repair service stations)
June 2, 1995... Western Standard Services pumping old gas-station concept for new profit Once, not long ago, neighborhood service stations served a thick slice of Americana, with gossip and chit chat about the weather flowing as readily as talk on engine...

Pueblo HMO targets Denver. (Southern Colorado Health Plan Inc.'s expansion to Denver, Colorado; health maintenance organization)
June 2, 1995... Health plan will ask permission to expand area A tiny pueblo health-maintenance organization intends to reach into metro Denver by the fall. Southern Colorado Health Plan Inc. expects to ask the Colorado Division of Insurance within the...

Stapleton parking promoted. (parking lot near the Denver International Airport)
June 2, 1995... Park and Ride' facility will ease shortage at DIA Parking problems at Denver International Airport have pushed an entrepreneur to put more than 2,000 parking spaces available at the old Stapleton site-back in circulation. Businessman L. J....

Rain drenches sales of sports equipment. (outdoor sports equipment sales in Denver, Colorado)
June 2, 1995... Outdoor retailers foresee brighter days Denverites aren't the only ones water-logged by the wet weather. Outdoor sports-equipment retailers also report soggy sales in the metro area. "Nationwide, we're up 10 percent over last year," said...

Magnets attract success. (interview with Master Magnetics Inc. President Jack Nellessen)(Interview)
June 2, 1995... Based in Castle Rock Master Magnetics makes all kinds for myriad uses When The Denver Business Journal learned Master Magnetics Inc. was based in Castle Rock; we wanted to know more about this local business that produces millions of magnets -...

H-P land in Longmont eyed for houses. (sale of the Hewlett-Packard Co. lot in Longmont, Colorado)
June 2, 1995... The sale of a 320-acre tract of land in northeast Longmont could trigger a major new residential development in a part of the city that has remained largely unchanged in recent years. The property, owned by Hewlett-Packard Co., reportedly is...

Looking for work. (employment for accountants in Denver, Colorado)
June 2, 1995... CPAs look to other industries as RTC contracts end this year With graduation ceremonies highlighting the calendar, talk of Denver's job outlook for accountants is as likely overheard at the back-yard barbecue as the boardroom. This year, the...

OneComm, Nextel deal could boost Unicator. (OneComm Corp. and Nextel Communications merger to improve sales of Unicator communications service)
June 2, 1995... With the merger back on track between Denver-based OneComm Corp. and Nextel Communications, Unicator sales along the Front Range could get a boost. The deal was rejuvenated last month when Craig McCaw - who sold his cellular-phone empire to...

DIA retail bests records. (retailers at the Denver International Airport)
June 9, 1995... Some stores lead U.S. in sales Denver International Airport is turning into a retail gold mine. After little more than three months of operation, many DIA retailers are setting sales records that rival the numbers at America's best-known...

Lowry's real estate lures 'real' interest. (redevelopment of Lowry Air Force Base)
June 9, 1995... Like one of the sleek jets that once flew there, Lowry Air Force Base's redevelopment is barreling toward the end of the runway and headed for takeoff. What's more, the effort to transform the former military base into a civilian development,...

Health REIT to distance psych assets. (Americal Health Properties Inc.)
June 9, 1995... American Health Properties Inc. hopes to distance itself from its portfolio of ailing psychiatric hospitals. The publicly held real estate investment trust has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission for permission to sequester its five...

Bank founder steps down. (Women's Bank Pres./CEO LaRae Orullian)
June 9, 1995... Orullian hands president, CEO job to successor After 17 years of running the Women's Bank, LaRae Orullian has handed the management baton to another woman. Virginia Berkeley, a Denver native with 20 years of banking experience, has taken on...

Leiweke explores ad-agency position. (Tim Leiweke)
June 9, 1995... Ex-Nuggets exec eyes sports marketing The Denver advertising scene might have a new player in the form of ex-Nuggets president Tim Leiweke. The high-profile Leiweke said he'd like to sink roots in Denver with a national sports-marketing...

Tipperary finds huge gas pocket: Australia discovery boosts company's investment rating. (Tipperary Corp.)
June 9, 1995... Denver-based Tipperary Corp. dug deep Down Under, uncovering a huge reservoir of methane gas in Australia that could potentially quadruple the company's value. "We are awfully excited about what we have accomplished," said Carter Mathies, the...

Reflecting on success. (Crystal Window and Blind Cleaning)
June 9, 1995... Partners' last-resort window cleaning now a thriving business (Editor's note: This is the first in a series about thriving small businesses whose owners got them going with less than $5,000.) Fearing a check he wrote to the Internal Revenue...

Western Starr covets RTD's airport route. (Western Starr Charters Inc.; Regional Transportation District)
June 9, 1995... Charter company seeks approval for shuttle service Western Starr Charters Inc., a private bus service, wants to give the Regional Transportation District a run for its money and ridership on the popular Stapleton-to-Denver International Airport...

Nock tapped for entrepreneur post at CU. (Denis Nock; University of Colorado at Boulder)
June 9, 1995... Four months after vacating his post as president of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Denis Nock wrangled the job of heading the Joint Center for Entrepreneurship, a new venture at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The center is a...

Denver firm nets $1.5 million for growth. (Cryenco Sciences Inc.)
June 9, 1995... Funds to be used to pump up gas-hauling business Cryenco Sciences Inc., a small-cap Denver public company, has netted another $1.5 million in capital to fuel its expansion into liquefied natural gas-powered transportation. "Our problem is...

United overhauls managers. (United Airlines Inc.)
June 9, 1995... Airline gives locals some self-control For the longest time, United Airlines has managed its Denver operations like it flies its planes - long-distance. But a management overhaul under way at the airline will give Denver its own vice...

Will small business be ignored at confab? (Colorado small businesses; Western Hemisphere Trade Ministerial and Commerice Forum)
June 9, 1995... Effort under way to avoid slights Just how much exposure will Colorado small businesses get at the upcoming hemispheric trade conference? That's a question that continues to swirl around the upcoming conference officially titled the Western...

Columbia tab nears $1B. (acquisitions by Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. in Denver)
June 16, 1995... Rose acquisition's final bill at $222M Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp.'s investment in Denver is nearing the $1 billion mark. The Nashville, Tenn., company, which reported assets exceeding $16 billion last year, has committed more than $500...

Lowest-paid execs not quite paupers. (Denver wage survey)
June 16, 1995... Who's making the least Lowest-paid executives of largest Denver-area companies Rank Executive Company Salary 1. C. Richard Piazza Marquest Medical Products Inc. $20,769...

Industrial inventory faces glut. (construction of new industrial buildings in Denver, CO)
June 16, 1995... In the next 18 months, a whopping 1.5 million square feet of speculative industrial space is likely to break ground, thanks to single-digit vacancy rates and rising rents. In its midyear industrial-market report, Grubb & Ellis Co. predicts...

Renken vs. the Goliaths. (Lyle Renken, owner of The Rhythm Section music store)
June 16, 1995... Two decades in business give proprietor gumption to face his biggest competitors Lyle Renken has fought on the front lines of the music retail business for 20 years, but now he feels as though he's in the middle of the mother of all retail...

Exports to Mexico take dive. (Colorado)
June 16, 1995... Shipments out of Colo. up overall for first quarter Colorado's export muscle continued to bulge in the first three months of 1995, despite an anemic performance in Mexico. The state's exporters enjoyed 26.7 percent trade growth in the first...

Engineer wins $40M Energy job. (Aguirre Engineers Inc. awarded contract by the Dept. of Energy)
June 16, 1995... Contract calls for Aguirre, partners to support U.S. labs Aguirre Engineers Inc. has landed one of the largest technical contracts ever awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to a small business. The Englewood-based firm, headed by...

Trillium chides city on Commons Park. (housing developer urges city of Denver to develop park)
June 16, 1995... Central Platte's largest landowner urges Denver to assemble park land The Central Platte Valley's largest landowner is telling the city it will not develop a huge tract of land until plans for a showpiece park along the South Platte River are...

Arsenal's master plan aims for refuge by 2000. (Rocky Mountain Arsenal to be transformed into a National Wildlife Refuge site)
June 16, 1995... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Commerce City stand close to approving master plans to help convert Rocky Mountain Arsenal from Superfund site to National Wildlife Refuge. Fish and Wildlife has narrowed its refuge design to a "preferred...

Union heads take sides in AFL-CIO war.
June 16, 1995... Membership drop, other factors spur call for new ideas A major shakeup in the leadership of the U.S. labor movement has Colorado labor leaders watching intently, wondering how it will affect unions here. Lane Kirkland, president of the...

Street-Beazley put Telephone Express on fast track. (John Street, Mary Beazley, president and executive vice-president of Telephone Express Corp.)(Entrepreneur of the Year)(Company Profile)
June 16, 1995... Rarely does one person walk through the door with all the traits required to start a successful business. At Telephone Express, they made the doorway a little wider, to accommodate a team that comes pretty close. President John Street and...

Falcoln Homes, partner will finish Plum Creek. (Holmby Leisure Country Club Ltd.; planned golf course community in Castle Rock, CO)
June 16, 1995... Area developers recently sunk a $200 million putt at the Plum Creek golf course community in Castle Rock, cementing relationships that will complete the unfinished project over the next five years. Via a joint venture between Englewood-based...

Meeting the Challenge assists disabled in workplace.(Entrepreneur of the Year)(Company Profile)
June 16, 1995... As an engineer working primarily on defense contracts in the 1980s, Randy Dipner recognized that technology devoted to producing weapons could instead be used to improve lifestyles. From this realization, Meeting the Challenge was formed....

Income growth lags inflation. (Denver, CO)
June 16, 1995... Denver ranks 43rd nationwide in income growth rate Denver-area residents earn more money than residents of many of the nation's other largest cities. But that doesn't mean they're more well off. With per capita income of $23,463, the metro...

Centex, Longmont pursue housing-golf venture. (Centex Homes Corp. to build new golf course in Longmont, CO)
June 16, 1995... In two years, residents of northern Boulder County should have one more option when they want to hit the fairways. The city of Longmont is close to breaking ground on an 18-hole, 220-acre municipal course in the northeast section of the city....

Top execs earn more than cash. (Denver wage survey)
June 16, 1995... Milton Ward, co-chairman, president and CEO of Cyprus Amax Minerals Co., earned a salary of $601,919 last year. But his salary isn't what boosted him to the top of The Denver Business Journal's highest-paid executives list. It's a combination...

Lakeside unfazed by flashy Elitch's. (Lakeside Amusement Park in Lakeside, Colorado)
June 23, 1995... Lakeside is a city with a solitary landmark. St. Louis has its arch. Seattle boasts of the Space Needle. But the city of Lakeside can lay claim to an aging roller coaster called the Wild Chipmunk - and not much else. Lakeside runs alongside...

Hamilton Sweeney folds tent. (Hamilton Sweeney Advertising Inc.)
June 23, 1995... Ad agency president ran 'out of miracles' Saddled with mounting debt and the loss of two of its largest accounts, Hamilton Sweeney Advertising will close its doors. "I have run out of miracles, and I'll probably close next week," Sherman...

Lottery retailers ring up pots of gold: independents rank among top sellers. (Colorado Lottery)
June 23, 1995... While most retailers aren't getting rich from the Colorado Lottery, a handful of small stores are prospering from the dream-crazed crowds lining up to take their 5.2 million-to-1 chance at hitting the jackpot. According to figures released to...

Bam! Thwack! Pow! Trainers hit success: seeking new clientele for defense classes, Model Mugging kicks up its marketing. (includes related article)(Small Business Strategies)
June 23, 1995... Bill Kipp, 37, and Eugenie Morton, 38, are accustomed to winning confrontations. As founders of Model Mugging of Colorado Inc., an enterprise that teaches the art of fending off street-style assaults, the partners know just what's needed to stop...

Small business benefits can compete.(Employee Benefit)
June 23, 1995... Employees value opportunity to grow with small companies, creative benefits Small and startup companies often forego offering savings plans and medical insurance, because benefits are expensive and business owners often believe employees will...

Mayor IDs 11 projects he'll pursue. (business-related projects of Mayor Wellington Webb of Denver, Colorado)
June 23, 1995... Mayor Wellington Webb, acknowledging he didn't pay as much attention to the business community during his re-election campaign as he would've liked, is now promising to accomplish a handful of projects dear to corporate Denver in his second term....

Dallas builder eyes Denver. (residential construction in Denver, Colorado by D.R. Horton Inc.)
June 23, 1995... D.R. Horton shops for lots in Grant Ranch One of the country's biggest home builders has joined the wave of out-of-state residential construction firms establishing a beachhead in Denver. D.R. Horton Inc., a builder of upscale houses based...

Hispanic businesses among U.S.'s top 500: dozen Colorado enterprises land on national magazine's list of 'players.'
June 23, 1995... A dozen Colorado Hispanic-owned companies made the Hispanic Business magazine 500, and most don't think the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action will slow them down. The survey, in its 10th year, ranks the largest Hispanic...

Flick firm drums up $2.5M pool: college-town movie operator filling niche left by film Goliaths. (movie house chain Cinema Saver's public offering)
June 23, 1995... The chance to buy a slice of Hollywood has arrived, and Cinema Saver hopes investors will gobble it up even if the fare tastes like the cinematic equivalent of day-old donuts. The upstart, Denver-based movie house hopes to expand its...

Pepsi Center talks flat, expect to percolate soon. (discussion on sports arena construction in Denver, Colorado)
June 23, 1995... First order of business is signing new hockey team to McNichols lease Negotiations between Comsat Video Enterprises and the city of Denver to build the $132 million Pepsi Center sports arena have fizzled since Gov. Roy Romer nixed a bill to...

Stock options grow as benefit offering. (includes related article)(Employee Benefit)
June 23, 1995... Companies motivate executives to perform effectively, profitably Last year, J. Michael Jenkins signed a sweetheart of a deal. In exchange for becoming president and co-CEO of Vicorp Restaurants Inc. last August, Jenkins took home a $1 million...

Workers' comp insurer now $97M in red. (Colorado Compensation Insurance Authority)
June 23, 1995... CCIA says it's digging out of hole, but regulators haven't yet verified figures Colorado Compensation Insurance Authority has managed to dry up more than $100 million in red ink from its bottom line during the past four years. Completely...

With jet noise departed, Park Hill's worth rises. (real estate value rise resulting from closure of Denver Stapleton International Airport)
June 23, 1995... Now that the jumbo jets have flown for the last time from the old Stapleton International Airport, home buyers have landed in neighboring Park Hill. Since the airport closed Feb. 28, property values have jumped 10 percent to 15 percent,...

Ground breaks on first DIA hotel. (Marriott Fairfield Inn in Denver International Airport)
June 23, 1995... Other Gateway abodes may soon follow Marriott Like a baby cutting its teeth, Denver International Airport crossed a major threshold this week with the start of construction on its first hotel. The Marriott Fairfield Inn will have 107 rooms...

Rockies' top 10 'entrepreneurs' named. (1995 Rocky Mountain Entrepreneur of the Year)
June 23, 1995... Ernst & Young award winners move on to national competition The entrepreneur, er, envelope, please. At the seventh annual Rocky Mountain Entrepreneur Of The Year awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Denver Thursday night, 10 envelopes were...

Rumors swirl around possible newspaper sale. (The Denver Post; Rocky Mountain News)
June 23, 1995... "Pssst... want to buy a newspaper?" If you're not interested, you may be the only one. Judging by the Denver rumor mill, that is. Every couple weeks a new rumor about a potential buyer for either The Denver Post or Rocky Mountain News seems...