Denver Business Journal articles from June 1999

Denver Business Journal archives from June 1999

Battle brews over historic property; Denver City Council prepares to pick concessionaire for campground.(Chief Hosa Lodge & Campground)
June 4, 1999... The fight for the right to run the Chief Hosa Lodge & Campground in Genesee - what's become a battle between glitz and homespun - could be resolved as soon as next week. Because the dispute has been on that brink a couple of times before...

Signs of the times: parking in the mountains can be an uphill effort.(shortage of public parking spaces in Vail, Colorado)
June 4, 1999... In the late 1960s and early '70s, ski bums who descended on Vail pulled their cars into a free dirt lot at the foot of the mountain, crammed a half-dozen people in a cheap room nearby and skied hard until the lift lines closed. Those days...

Anschutz keeps deals turning at Qwest.(Qwest Communications International principal owner Phil Anschutz)
June 4, 1999... Amid the late May meltdown of Internet stocks, some fascinating developments in the dealmaking world were taking place at Denver-based Qwest Communications International. For one thing, Qwest was showing signs of acting like a real...

DIA's bank contract up for grabs.(contract for bank or credit union branch at Denver International Airport)
June 4, 1999... City will consider new airport vendor The city of Denver wants to locate a bank or credit union branch inside the Jeppesen Terminal at Denver International Airport. The city's banking concession at DIA, along with many other airport...

Janus invests in science; fund takes chance on health holdings.(Janus Mercury Fund)
June 4, 1999... John Klobnak first told Janus Mercury Fund manager Warren Lammert that the eximer laser would someday make eye surgery a popular alternative to messy contact lenses and nose-pinching eyeglasses in 1992. Klobnak knew it would take more than...

Ernst & Young honors entrepreneurs.(top Colorado business people to be given Entrepreneur Of The Year awards)
June 4, 1999... Colorado's top entrepreneurs will be honored by Ernst & Young LLP on June 24 at its annual Entrepreneur Of The Year awards dinner. This is the 11th year in this region for the awards, which recognize entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hard...

Colorado resists urge to spend more freely.(reports high fiscal surplus)
June 4, 1999... Almost every state, Colorado included, basks in an unprecedented revenue windfall as the '90s come to a close. But in a detailed study from the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, Colorado is among only a handful of states that has...

Defections worry Denver nonprofits.(possible impact of relocation of several corporate headquarters from Denver on local nonprofit community)
June 4, 1999... As Colorado loses the corporate headquarters of some of its largest businesses, the nonprofit community is afraid they will stop or scale back their local philanthropic giving programs. U S West Communications Inc., Media One and New...

Medigap coverage cost varies widely in Colo.(Colorado)
June 4, 1999... Colorado senior citizens could pay more than double the price for the same health insurance coverage depending on where they purchase Medicare benefits. A nationwide study released May 27 by Florida-based Weiss Ratings Inc. found huge...

Ranchers can have a cow, and that's not bull.(XY Inc develops technology for predetermining gender of cattle)
June 4, 1999... A Fort Collins-based biotech company has devised a method to help cattle ranchers and horse breeders predetermine the gender of their animals. XY Inc. uses a high-speed cell sorting machine, called a MoFlo, to find and separate X...

Watch out, Denver: K.C. wants to lure firms.(Kansas City, Kansas)
June 4, 1999... KANSAS CITY - Kansas City, which more than a century ago made its name as a transcontinental junction, now stands at another crossroad just as critical to the area's growth in an evermore competitive world. The city is enjoying a period of...

Lending more than financing: new alliance to help startups get support.(Colorado Alliance for Microenterprise Initiatives)
June 4, 1999... Several area lenders specializing in the smallest of small business loans are joining forces to better reach budding entrepreneurs. The Colorado Alliance for Microenterprise Initiatives is the first effort by microlenders to work together...

Slow pay plagues small biz; subcontractors suffer despite building boom.(Denver, CO)
June 11, 1999... Subcontractors suffer despite building boom It doesn't take a genius to know that Denver's economy is red hot, home prices are soaring and construction cranes are sprouting across the metro area. But record times in the building...

Time Warner's upstart.(Time Warner Telecom Inc.)
June 11, 1999... It has one of the best known corporate pedigrees in the country, but Time Warner Telecom Inc. has a decidedly low profile in its home state. With good reason. The competitive phone company has opted to stay off the DSL and Internet...

Colorado telecom supports GOP; business leaders favor John McCain.
June 11, 1999... Business leaders favor John McCain Sen. John McCain is proving popular with Colorado's telecommunications companies, Tom Marsico's donor status with the Republican party went platinum and the company formerly known as TCI has cozied up...

Newcomer shakes up HMO biz.(Rocky Mountain HMO founder Mike Weber)
June 11, 1999... When Rocky Mountain HMO brought its version of affordable health care to Colorado in January 1974, the health plan was among only a handful of companies nationwide bold enough to "manage" the way doctors treated patients. Today, the...

Humana to try out AMR program in Fla.(American Medical Response's Pathways program)
June 11, 1999... Humana Inc., the nation's third-largest health plan, has agreed to test Aurora-based American Medical Response's Pathways program in Miami and surrounding Dade County, Fla., for three months beginning this summer. The pilot project is one...

Raytheon Co. poised to grow or downsize.
June 11, 1999... Defense giant Raytheon Co.'s recent belt-tightening may hit the Denver area in a big way - for good or ill. The Lexington. Mass.-based conglomerate, which makes products as disparate as Tomahawk missiles and small private airplanes, is...

Atlas Air soaring despite Asia woes; firm's earnings, stock price climb.
June 11, 1999... Firm earnings, stock price climb Atlas Air has flown through the global economic crisis relatively unscathed despite ranking as the world's third-largest air cargo carrier behind Federal Express and United Parcel Service. Problems in...

Call center firm tries new model to expand.(Intek Information Inc.)
June 11, 1999... Call center operator Intek Information Inc. hopes to dial up a huge new clientele in the growing mutual fund industry. The Denver-based operation is targeting small and medium-sized mutual funds with a new outsourcing service called Impact....

Survey: Colo. companies slow to tackle Y2K work.
June 11, 1999... Although the champagne hasn't begun to chill for New Year's Eve, at least 12 percent of Colorado's largest companies already have a hangover, thanks to Year 2000 computer failures, according to a recent survey by a Denver law firm. "The...

Bolle shows strain of last year's deals; sports eyewear manufacturer hurt by higher debt, volatile foreign currencies.
June 11, 1999... Sports eyewear manufacturer hurt by higher debt, volatile foreign currencies Colorado-based Bolle Inc., a major maker of sports eyewear, was still reeling somewhat early this year after its 1998 spinoff from Lumen Technologies Inc. and...

New software puts photo proofs online.(TCM Productions)
June 11, 1999... Englewood photographer Thomas Christopher Moore had all the basics down: He had the professional expertise to produce quality, artwork, and his company, TCM Productions' Party Crashers, was growing in popularity for photographing special...

Behind Qwest's big bid.(Qwest Communications International Inc.'s bid for U S WEST Inc.)
June 18, 1999... CEO Nacchio talks about U S West deal If phone companies were cars, one could equate U S West Inc. to a model that was built on Friday afternoon before a three-day weekend, but Qwest Communications International Inc. doesn't see it that...

The connection that's driving this Qwest.(Qwest Communications International's bid for Inc.U S WEST Inc.)
June 18, 1999... A single skill separates the merely average entrepreneur from the superstar. That skill is the ability to see connections where others don't. If my sources are correct, the connection that's driving the Qwest Communications International's...

Denver joins Linux bandwagon.(Esoft Inc.)
June 18, 1999... Operating system threatens Microsoft Linux, a revolutionary new computer operating system, has Denver businesses running into the surf with their long-boards scrambling for a prime position to ride out technology's next wave. ...

Behind sky-high grocery prices.(high grocery prices in Colorado)
June 18, 1999... Why do Colorado shoppers pay more? Does your wallet feel a little lighter than usual when you leave the supermarket? Maybe that's because the prices Coloradans pay for groceries are 11 percent above the national average. And things are...

Marketing push pays in Chief Hosa contract.(Periscope Marketing and Management Inc.'s contract to market Denver, Colorado's Chief Hosa Lodge and Campground)
June 18, 1999... David Peri showed why he will be a better marketer of the Denver-owned Chief Hosa Lodge & Campground than the incumbent concessionaire at Monday night's City Council meeting to decide if he and his company, Periscope Marketing and Management...

Corporate Express decides to keep its HQ.(headquarters)
June 18, 1999... Corporate Express Inc., the beleaguered Broomfield office products supplier, is staying put in its extravagant corporate headquarters building, according to the company. Real estate insiders and sources knowledgeable about Corporate...

Catholic Health expects $37M loss.(Catholic Health Initiatives)
June 18, 1999... Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the nation's largest health-care systems and joint owner of Centura Health, which operates an extensive network of hospitals in Colorado, is expected to report an operating loss of $37 million for fiscal year...

AT&T stamps out TCI, readies name change.(AT and T Corp.'s acquisition of Tele-Communications Inc.)
June 18, 1999... It's getting down to the nuts, bolts and "How's my driving?" bumper stickers of AT&T Corp.'s blockbuster purchase of the local cable company. The long-distant giant, which swallowed Tele-Communications Inc. in March, is preparing to put...

American Family reaches for the Rockies.(expansion of American Family Mutual Insurance Co. in Colorado)
June 18, 1999... The economies of the Western states are booming and Madison, Wis.-based American Family Insurance doesn't plan to miss out. As part of its expansion, the nation's 11th-largest property/casualty insurer is opening an $18 million office...

Riding the retro wave.(production of cars and trucks with retro styling)
June 18, 1999... Vintage look emerges as hot auto trend Americans love nostalgia. From music to fashion, we continue to remake our culture by borrowing from the past. And now automakers are trying to boost sales by tapping into this obsession with...

He's no dummy.(John Kilcullen, chairman of IDG Books Worldwide Inc.)(Company Profile)
June 18, 1999... Book publisher finds a profitable niche John Kilcullen is no dummy. But he's capitalized on helping millions of so-called "dummies" do everything from working on their computers to selecting the fight wine with dinner. Kilcullen...

FAA grounds Westin's airport hotel.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Revamped design skirts radar problem The $87 million Westin airport hotel sits on the tarmac awaiting take-off because of design problems: Much of the high-end hotel to be built at Denver International Airport's teepeed terminal is...

Health care's Denver giant.(Catholic Health Initiatives)
June 25, 1999... From the early days of war-time nursing, when heroines like Florence Nighghtingale and Clara Barton braved battlefields to bring wounded soldiers medical care, to modem-day health and human rights crusaders like policy maven Elizabeth Dole and...

How not to play 'Let's Make a Deal'.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
June 25, 1999... Dealmaking is supposed to be stealthy and artful. It's supposed to be tough but disciplined, ruthless but effective. My biggest complaint about the sale of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and the Pepsi Center has nothing to do with...

AMR loses staff in Calif.(Rural/Metro Ambulance)(American Medical Response)(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... San Diego scene of dispute with rival An accelerating Rural/Metro Ambulance has tapped the rear bumper of Aurora-based American Medical Response, which refuses to pull over in the race to dominate the nation's ambulance industry despite its...

Qwest proceeds despite skeptics.(U S West Inc.)(Qwest Communications International Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Execs: U S West will bolster strategy It's a deal that few seem to love. U S West Inc. snubbed it, analyst panned it, shareholders scorned it, but despite the paucity of support, Qwest Communications International Inc. is pressing...

Charities sing 'the Blues' over merger.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
June 25, 1999... Our "boo of the week" award for lame ideas goes to Catholic Charities and its call for an "open, unfettered" auction of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Colorado. Catholic Charities doesn't like the sale of Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Indiana-based...

Elway for sale.(John Elway)(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... John Elway's toothsome mug is being immortalized by famed sports artist LeRoy Neiman. The painting shows John doing what he does best: scrambling to pass the football. A 300-copy, limited-edition serigraph will be produced from...

SPOTTED.(Mark Holtzman)(John and Michelle Sie)(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... A breakfast at the Brown Palace turned up Colorado International Trade chief Mark Holtzman dining with John and Michelle Sie of Encore media.

Ocean Journey arrives.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Denver's newest attraction is worth the wait Colorado's Ocean Journey opened with a splash June 21, after nearly 11 years in the planning and a price tag of $93 million. The question is, was it worth the fuss and money? The answer is,...

Down and out in Denver.
June 25, 1999... Public companies losing their luster It's a value investor's worst nightmare -- a long, dark alley of bruised, neglected companies unable to forge a comeback, ones that spend investor patience and capital, giving nothing but heartache in...

Ernst & Young names top entrepreneurs.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Some of the Rocky Mountain region's top entrepreneurs were honored Thursday night with Ernst & Young's 1999 Entrepreneur Of The Year awards. Sixteen individuals in 13 categories received the awards at a banquet at the Downtown Marriott City...

Indian casinos far cry from glitzy counterparts.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Casinos owned by Colorado's American Indians are doing big business, but not that big. The Ute Mountain Ute tribe's Ute Mountain Casino and the Southern Utes' Sky Ute Casino & Lodge, both located near Durango in the far southwestern corner...

Publicity on gambling profits blamed for drop in donations.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The Boulder-based Native American Rights Fund, which is suing the federal government for billions of dollars allegedly owed Indian tribes in one of its biggest legal fights yet, also is battling a perception problem that cost it more than a...

Tribes to help ensure next census' accuracy.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... American Indians were the most undercounted population group in the 1990 census, and the U.S. Census Bureau doesn't want to make that mistake again in 2000. The miscount probably cost Indians, the most poverty-stricken minority in this...

Small starting to pay for real estate brokers.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Small is big for some Denver-area commercial real estate professionals. They are taking advantage of the demand among relatively diminutive companies and groups for their own space, whether they're buying an existing structure or building a new...

Hospital faces scrutiny, but keeps certification.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center has avoided the loss of its Medicare certification and escaped financial disaster. The HealthOne owned and operated hospital has been the subject of a complaint investigation by the Health Care...

Nonprofit turns volunteering into corporate team-building.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... A little marketing muscle is helping one Colorado nonprofit mobilize. The Denver-based Greenbucks Foundation, an environmental volunteer program, has tapped into the metro-area's corporate marketing departments to increase its volunteer...

Deciphering wisdom of a true Jedi Master.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Federal Reserve officials communicate in cryptic ways, not unlike Jedi Knights speaking of a disturbance in the force or Yoda starting sentences with verbs and answering questions with questions: After Federal Reserve Chairman Alan...

Opportunity knocks with fed law changes.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... For decades, military installations and private companies have drawn millions of government contract dollars into Colorado. This so-called stealth economy didn't fade with the fall of communism, though the focus of many government programs has...

Englewood franchise broadens base.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The Denver Tech Center helped to build the metro area's reputation as a telecommunications hub. But plenty of non-telecom companies have established national headquarters along the 1-25 corridor. One such company, SAMPA Corp., is the...

Castle Rock road project near completion.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Colorado Sen. John Evans, Douglas County Commissioners Mike Maxwell and Melanie Worley and Castle Rock Mayor Al Parker will take part in a June 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the $9 million interchange reconstruction and...

Y2K celebration.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The Inverness Hotel & Golf Club will celebrate the dawn of the new millennium with a New Year's Eve party. Party goers can revel in New Year's Eve concerts by the Rolling Stones, Sting and Pink Floyd as celebrations from Paris, London,...

Realtor honored.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... South metro real-estate professional Hank Edler, broker/partner of The Kentwood Company, received the highest honor granted by Lions Club International.. Edler, a longtime member and former president of the Lions Club of Denver, was named a...

Retailer makes pledge.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The shootings at Columbine High School have prompted Bloomingdale's to, for the first time, participate in a nationwide fundraising effort involving all of its 23 stores. Funds will go to The Healing Fund, initiated by the Mile High United Way...

Family creates foundation.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The family of Lauren Townsend, the valedictorian at Columbine High School who died in the April 20 shooting massacre, has established The Lauren Townsend Memorial Scholarship/Wildlife Foundation as a fund with The Denver Foundation. Nearly...

South Metro Newsmakers.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... LDSI Consulting, an IT consulting company located in the Denver Tech Center, hired Jim Pettigrew as a consultant and Quinn Engle as an account executive. Pettigrew brings more than 16 years of experience in systems analysis and design,...

Largest Colorado-Based Franchisers.
June 25, 1999... Largest Colorado-Based Franchisers (Ranked by total number of locations) Rank/ last Total year's ...

Railroad moving, but farmers hurting.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Low commodity prices pinch growers Union Pacific Railroad Co. has finally solved the operational problems caused by its merger with Southern Pacific Railroad. The company has begun moving forward under its own head of steam, slowly...

Online university in the works.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- It is not unusual for a college to have its own publishing company. What's unusual is a publishing company with its own college -- and based on the Internet, to boot. Harcourt General Inc., one of the nation's...

Evesta.com screens Internet for families.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... As parents, businesses and even the U.S. government struggle to steer the good, the bad and the ugly currently running wild on the World Wide Web, an Englewood-based Internet service provider is offering a choice. Evesta.com provides...

Here's the perfect present for couch potatoes you love.
June 25, 1999... With a six-figure price tag and 10-foot wing span, it's not exactly heading to a living room near you, but a Japanese company has big plans for its new television to be built in the metro area. The Stratavision, from Louisville-based...

Ecrix tackles Exabyte in lawsuit over patent.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Ecrix Corp. is launching a pre-emptive strike to protect its patents against future legal action from one of its competitors in the data storage industry, Exabyte Corp. Boulder-based Ecrix, which manufactures a line of tape storage units,...

Old-fashioned truck stop opens in Commerce City.
June 25, 1999... Travel Centers of America has opened a new prototype for the old-fashioned truck stop in Commerce City. The first-of-its-kind facility at Interstate 70 and Quebec Street will serve as a model for a $250 million capital improvement program...

VC fund ready to spend $8.5M.
June 25, 1999... Integra Bio-Health Inc., a venture-capital firm, has finished raising $8.5 million to invest in health-care companies and now is ready to spend it. The venture capital fund expects to invest in eight to 10 companies within the next 18...

A model job building the future.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The model makers at Fentress Bradburn Architects Ltd. of Denver finished building the gleaming, newest mock-up of the new Mile High Stadium at the last minute. Actually, they were later than that. "The model was mostly for the city's...

Turn your proposals into sales strategies.
June 25, 1999... Many small businesses depend largely, or even solely, on contract work, much of which is won -- or lost -- on the basis of written proposals. So, you'd think that the people answering those RFPs would be well-seasoned at the task with various...

Advertising to disabled customers.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Disposable income exceeds that of teens It's the largest minority group in America and one that few businesses can afford to ignore. An estimated 54 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population, have some type of...

NEWSMAKERS.
June 25, 1999... Architecture Michelle Hughes and Craig Welsh joined Melick Associates Inc. Hughes most recently worked for Humphries Poli Architects on a variety of commercial, residential and retail projects. Welsh joins Melick after working for...

The Internet's fine, but library is remarkable.
June 25, 1999... This is a continuation of my last column, "The Right Research Can Set You Apart," in which I outlined Internet sites that are very useful in uncovering information to help your business stay competitive. However, the most valuable market...

Computers can easily be made accessible.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... If you are, as they say, "temporarily able-bodied," it may not have occurred to you how hard it is to use typical computers if you can't see well, have to type with a tool called a mouth stick or can't hear the computer's occasional chimes and...

SDB tag can help you in federal contracts.
June 25, 1999... The Colorado district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Service Corps of Retired Executives will host a training seminar on obtaining federal certification as a small disadvantaged business (SDB) on July 15. SDB...

McGibbon Asset Management.
June 25, 1999... Brent McGibbon opened McGibbon Asset Management, a fee-based investment firm, at 1873 S. Bellaire, Suite 1110, in Denver. McGibbon recently completed a six-year tenure as a broker and investment specialist with Charles Schwab.

Fuller Towne & Country Properties.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Fuller Towne & Country Properties, a residential real-estate firm formed in January 1999, opened two new offices. The offices are located at 8400 E. Crescent Parkway in the DTC and in Writer's Squaare Plaza downtown.

Colorado Creative Multimedia, LLC.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Gregory Baker formed Colorado Creative Multimedia, LLC., in Denver. Baker is a former public information officer for Denver International Airport. His business provides video production services, Internet site development, interactive CD-ROM...

Century Business Services Inc. (CBIZ).(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Century Business Services Inc. (CBIZ) opened an office at 6530 S. Yosemite, Suite 200, in Englewood, and chose Silvia Varpa as office head. CBIZ provides payroll-related services to small and mid-size companies.

CV Technologies.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... CV Technologies, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company, opened its U.S. office in Boulder. The office will operate as ChemBioPrint USA.

Bailey Co.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... Arby's franchisee, The Bailey Co., opened its first Arby's Roast Beef restaurant in Castle Rock at 742 Genoa Way.

On the move.
June 25, 1999... Kinko's relocated its corporate printing and finishing center to a 6,500-square-foot facility at 700 W. Mississippi in Denver. The production facility serves corporate customers and accommodates production overflow from Kinko's 23 Denver area...

Robinson Brick Co.
June 25, 1999... Robinson Brick Co. of Denver acquired the remainder of Robinson Brick Co. of Colorado Springs. Robinson Brick purchased the remaining 40 percent of Robinson Block from partners Larry Boothby and Wayne Nielson.

Courage Classic Bicycle Tour ready to roll July 16-18.(Brief Article)
June 25, 1999... The 10th annual Colorado Credit Unions' Courage Classic Bicycle Tour, to be held July 16-18, is expected to break its previous participant and fund-raising records. Two thousand cyclists will spend three days biking through the Rocky Mountains,...