Denver Business Journal articles from March 1995

Denver Business Journal archives from March 1995

Space startup orbits city. (Space Imaging Inc.; Westminster, Colorado)
March 31, 1995... Lockheed-backed satellite venture eyes Westminster Lockheed Corp. is beaming its latest $450 million satellite venture tO Colorado. Space Imaging Inc., a startup company funded by Lockheed, will open offices in Westminster in coming weeks....

Hunter calls plays in life after Leiweke. (Gary Hunter; Tim Leiweke; Rocky Mountain Entertainment)
March 31, 1995... Forget "Where's Waldo?" A big question in Denver is who's Gary Hunter? While Tim Leiweke takes a vacation from professional sports, reportedly in Hawaii, his successor, D. Gary "Bear" Hunter, continues to claw his way through contract...

Not all saying 'uh-huh' to Pepsi Center design. (Denver Nuggets' sports arena)
March 31, 1995... The Denver Nuggets' planned $110 million arena isn't even off the drawing boards, but it's already drawing catcalls. Critics contend the design of the Pepsi Center looks like it was done on the cheap, and the arena would be a tacky addition...

Pacifica unveils air-cargo project. (Pacific Holding Co.)
March 31, 1995... Pacifica Holding Co. strikes again. The Englewood developer has joined the recent rush to Denver International Airport's Gateway with a new industrial project. Tentatively called the Pacifica DIA Cargo Center, the phased development will...

Crime infiltrates Internet: 'cyberscams' vex Colorado law enforcers.
March 31, 1995... Once a tool reserved for academics and scientists, the Internet is fast becoming the domain of everyman. And where consumers go, crime is sure to follow. Law enforcers report that seam artists working through the Internet have replaced the...

Marcum banking patience will pay: waiting for anti-gasoline revolt. (Marcum Natural Gas Services Inc.)
March 31, 1995... Phil Marcum and Brad Gabbard entered the corporate world like a couple of wildcatters looking for tomorrow's big hit. Tomorrow has since taught them the value of waiting. "I've tried to take off the rose-colored glasses," said Marcum,...

I-70 closed this winter more often. (Interstate 70)
March 31, 1995... Denver-to-Vail pass blocked twice as much as average Interstate 70 of late has suffered more blockages and closures than the arteries of a retired Sumo wrestler shoveling snow. And it's giving state transportation officials a heart attack....

Tow trucks await start of Coors Field baseball: 'play ball' means no parking and tow away zone.
March 31, 1995... When the Colorado Rockies play their first game in Coors Field, the only "bat" Skip Haulman plans to hold will be one to chase illegal parkers with. "I will be out there with a big stick making sure people keep the docks clear," said...

One of LoDo's last holdouts gives in: 85-year-old property owner puts handful of buildings up for lease. (downtown Denver)
March 31, 1995... You know LoDo's for real when Joe Replin puts some buildings up for lease. Replin, 85, owns some of lower downtown's best-located properties, but he's been among the area's most stubborn holdouts, refusing to sell or renovate his buildings...

Denver 18th in nation in registering patents: Boulder County ranks as tops in metro area.
March 31, 1995... Denver area lands in Top 20 for patents Patent-seekers have been busy in Denver - and busier still in Boulder County. Patents per 1992 ...

Salsa-maker eyes hot sales on QVC Network. (Two Chefs Inc.; cable TV shopping network)
March 31, 1995... Eric Walton's life is pure hell. The chef-turned-entrepreneur spends well more than 40 hours a week keeping his business, Two Chefs Inc., in the red. In red-toned salsas, that is. Walton's Denver company mixes three super-hot salsas dubbed...

Will Pepsi Center go flat? Minneapolis bails out Target Center. (includes related article)
March 24, 1995... Tim Leiweke fathered two sports arenas - Minneapolis' Target Center and Denver's Pepsi Center - but he won't be around to see his second "baby" even toddle. With Leiweke's sudden resignation this week as president of Rocky Mountain...

Denver butlers off to Atlanta Olympics. (150 trained butlers sent)
March 24, 1995... Next summer, 150 fully trained Denver butlers will step off a plane in Atlanta, ready to - ever so tastefully - show their stuff during the 1996 Summer Olympic games. They'll be there to train an army of 4,000 household employees, who will...

Construction industry seeks road tax hike.
March 24, 1995... A group of well-financed engineers and road builders plans to ask Colorado voters to raise taxes in 1996 to help rebuild Colorado's highways and jump-start mass transit here. Steve Holt, an engineer and founding member of the Coalition for...

Business Journal honored by SBA. (Denver Business Journal; Small Business Administration)
March 24, 1995... Thanks largely to its 6-month-old "Strategies" section, The Denver Business Journal and its publisher have been named the nation's 1995 Media Advocate of the Year for small business. The U.S. Small Business Administration made the...

Homart plans Sears rehab; Cherry Creek discount center pushed for site. (Homart Development Co.; Sears, Roebuck and Co.)
March 24, 1995... The highbrow may soon meet the lowbrow in tony Cherry Creek. A proposal under consideration by Sears Roebuck and Co. would create a new discount-oriented retail center across the street from the booming Cherry Creek shopping center. The plan...

Newspapers deluge fast-growing county; Castle Rock Chronicle latest in fray. (Douglas County, CO)
March 24, 1995... The one-newspaper town has become a fact of life in many parts of the country, but in booming Douglas County, newspapers are sprouting almost as fast as subdivisions. Parker and Castle Rock are served by three different newspapers, while...

Atlas Air files $45M stock IPO; air-freight carrier shoulders cargo for other airlines. (Atlas Air Inc.; initial public offering)
March 24, 1995... After ascending as a private company, Atlas Air Inc. has turned to an initial public offering for the extra lift it needs to dominate the international air-freight business. Golden-based Atlas has registered with the Securities and Exchange...

Colo. small businesses profit from state's help; study: those helped saw sales jump. (Colorado)(includes related article)
March 24, 1995... Small companies that tapped the state's Small Business Development Centers for help were more likely to successfully close loans, increase profits and add jobs, according to a new study. "I was surprised," said Rick Garcia, director of the...

Dental HMO widens reach; Kay McFarland helps Alpha Dental Care take root. (health maintenance organization; Alpha Dental Care Vice President for Marketing Kay McFarland) (Health Care)
March 24, 1995... After experiencing the rapid expansion of managed care first-hand, Kay McFarland decided to take a bite out of the health-care market and develop an organization dedicated to providing dental care in the same financial fashion. After playing...

Pru office towers to sell? REIT negotiates for huge portfolio. (Crescent Real Estate Equities Inc.)
March 17, 1995... The Texas real estate group that's looking at buying office buildings owned by the Denver Technological Center has shifted its gaze to The Prudential real estate giant's remaining 2 million-square-foot, $250 million local portfolio. Crescent...

Grocers, rival chains face off in food fight.
March 17, 1995... Denver's grocery business has entered a period of unprecedented competition, as unlikely retailers such as Kmart jump into the food-selling fray and Denver's longtime grocers struggle to retain market share. Millions of dollars are being...

Bhasin pays a price for empire building: lawsuits dog low-key entrepreneur. (Vinod Bhasin)
March 17, 1995... Vinod "Vinnie" Bhasin, an aggressive Denver businessman with stakes in three disparate industries, has realized his dream, although accusations of misconduct and a plot by a former partner to see him dead have sometimes made it a nightmare....

Aurora lures new airport's cargo whiz. (Aurora Economic Development Council; Denver International Airport; Susan Stanton)
March 17, 1995... Cargo marketer jumps DIA ship to tout neighbor On the same day Denver opened the airport, Aurora lured away DIA's queen of cargo marketing. "I saw this as a great opportunity to take the next step in airport development," said Susan...

DTC Hyatt Regency put on sales block.
March 17, 1995... The owner of one of metropolitan Denver's premium hotels may be checking out of that property. Texas Teachers Pension Fund has stuck a "for sale" sign on the Hyatt Regency Tech Center hotel at 7800 E. Tufts Ave., according to hotel sources....

Barons of beef: despite bigger competitors, Oliver's keeps clientele returning from all over Denver. (Oliver's Meat market)
March 17, 1995... Oliver's Meat market on East Sixth Avenue in Central Denver has been run by the Oliver family since 1923, and the stories handed down four generations from father to son to grandson prove it. "We have some customers whose families have been...

Mark Hickey: proud of rise to the tip-top. (general manager, The Inverness Hotel & Golf Club)
March 17, 1995... Name: Mark Hickey Title: General manager, The Inverness Hotel & Golf Club How he got there: He started as a dishwasher at a club in his Massachusetts hometown when he was 16. Foresight, hard work and top-notch mentoring kept him moving...

Key to staying power: look under every rock. (Etta Industries)
March 17, 1995... Name: Fazle Quazi, CEO, Etta. Industries Featured: October 1994 Summary: Etta received authorization from the U.S. Small Business Administration Dec. 1 for its guarantee on a $900,000 bank loan; the company has moved to a new, 20,000...

U S West re-engineering effort gets another look. (U S West Communications Inc.)
March 17, 1995... U S West Communications Inc. has made high-level personnel changes to help get its re-engineering back on track. Re-engineering is designed to help U S West reduce its work force by 9,000, through efficiencies from new computer systems, work...

Investor quits Pavilions. (Yarmouth Group Inc.; Denver Entertainment and Fashion Pavilions)
March 10, 1995... Yarmouth places money on Tabor Efforts to bring a massive entertainment and retail complex to downtown's 16th Street Mall have been dealt a setback by the loss of the project's major investor. The Yarmouth Group Inc., a real estate...

RTC to maintain some Denver ops. (Resolution Trust Corp.)
March 10, 1995... Many of Denver's Resolution Trust Corp. wranglers have saddled up in anticipation of the end of the local operation's trail, but not everybody will ride off into the sunset March 31. Some 200 RTC workers, who have been beating the bushes for...

Developers vie for open space. (Jefferson County, CO)
March 10, 1995... Jeffco landowners offered 'better' deal Developers, hoping to out-bid possible Jefferson County Open Space purchases, are notifying ranchers and other landowners that they will better any offer the county puts on the table. Last year,...

Barnhart's rapid demise. (Barnhart Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Inc.)
March 10, 1995... After 21 years, ad agency collapsed in 14 just days Strips of black electrical tape loop around the arms of the more spirited employees as people begin to fill the bar for Barnhart Advertising's wake. Terry Barnhart leans against the bar...

Developer will build office space. (Pacifica Holding Co.)
March 10, 1995... Tight office market prompts Pacifica to eye construction Riding the tidal wave of activity washing over Denver's real estate market, Englewood's Pacifica Holding Co. is cruising along with plans to build two suburban, multitenant buildings,...

Super A survives two-year lawsuit. (motel in Commerce City, CO)
March 10, 1995... Super 8 fails in its attempt to see tiny motel pick a new moniker When super 8 motels, an 800-pound gorilla of economy lodging, first notified Billie and Clark DeWitt that their Super A Motel would have to change its name or suffer the wrath...

Underpass or viaduct? (Broadway viaduct, Denver, CO)
March 10, 1995... Denver will take the low road rather than the high in replacing the rickety Broadway viaduct. The 2,700-foot-long Broadway viaduct will become the Broadway underpass if a final design plan wins approval from community groups. "The public...

Cuts slam business helpers. (Colorado Small Business Assistance Center; International Trade Office)
March 10, 1995... Two state agencies charged with helping businesses got their wings clipped at the Capitol this week. Members of the Joint Budget Committee, the six-member board that controls the state's purse strings, voted to wipe out funding for three...

Colo. women will convene conference. (Valuing Women's Work)
March 10, 1995... Workplace issues top the agenda Last fall, when a U.S. Labor Department survey on working women was released, the silence was deafening. But a group of Colorado women plans to pick up where the national survey - lauded by first lady...

Game-day parking could be squeeze. (Coors Field)
March 10, 1995... Downtown workers might compete for spaces on some days In their effort to gauge demand for parking spaces on Colorado Rockies game days, Coors Field officials, the Downtown Denver Partnership and local parking-lot operators have arrived at a...

Colorado Gambler buys competing publication. (Colorado Sports, Fun & Casino News)
March 10, 1995... Two of Colorado's best-known gaming papers will soon be under the same ownership. Villager Newspaper Group, publisher of the biweekly Colorado Gambler, has agreed to purchase the biweekly Colorado Sports, Fun & Casino News for an undisclosed...

Airport's opening paves way for new air-cargo directory. (Denver International Airport; Denver Airport Directory)
March 10, 1995... Now that Denver International Airport has finally opened, directories telling everyone who's where at the airport can hit the press. Hugh Gardner plans to republish the Denver Airport Directory, a guide to air-shipment facilities and support...

Federal judge joins Denver law firm. (Sherman Finesilver; Popham, Haik, Schnobrich and Kaufman Ltd.)
March 10, 1995... Ex-chief judge will mediate for Popham Haik Former U.S. District Court chief judge Sherman Finesilver will land at the Denver office of Popham Haik Schnobrich & Kaufman. Finesilver, who retired at the end of 1994 after serving 12 years as...

Pizza Hut operators phased out. (call-in customer service)
March 10, 1995... New telephone technology will displace 255 jobs Thanks to new telephone technology from Englewood-based US West Communications Inc., Pizza Hut will close its 255-employee, call-in customer-service center in Denver by June 24. In the past,...

Moore adds three offices, opens mortgage company. (Moore and Co.)
March 10, 1995... Venerable firm owns half of new Acacia Moore and Co., already metropolitan Denver's biggest residential real estate brokerage, has ballooned even more. In the first quarter of this year, the brokerage opened the doors to three new offices,...

Couple business. (Serna Enterprises Inc.) (Company Profile)
March 10, 1995... Serna's printing enterprise is growing on motto of quality and good service Joe Serna stopped work one day to drive over to a customer's office. There he spent more than an hour in a storage room, digging through boxes and shelves, searching...

Stout Street seeks more high-end retail. (Denver, CO)
March 10, 1995... Property owners promote cohesion in street's design A strong union between area retailers, developers and the Downtown Denver Partnership has kept the barrel rolling toward a new Stout Street. "This is a very cohesive group, which is...

City leads central business district on development track. (Denver, CO)
March 10, 1995... Commitment to restoring downtown brings capital projects worth $500,000 Denver recognized the need to revitalize its downtown area in the mid-1980s, and city leaders have revived the central business district to make it one of the nation's...

Downtown's crown jewel for Trillium. (Denver, CO)
March 10, 1995... Developer holds control of 165 strategic acres What would you do if someone sold you 165 acres of mostly vacant land, located between an often-abused riverfront and the busy downtown of a major American city? That's the situation Trillium...

RTD plans to upgrade well-used shuttle buses. (Denver Regional Transportation District)
March 10, 1995... After carrying 13 million passengers each year, agency looks for replacements After a dozen years of faithful service, the old yellow, orange and red-striped shuttles that ply the 16th Street Mall are getting tired. The Regional...

Longtime downtown business shines. (shoe shiner T.T. Lewis)
March 10, 1995... T.T. Lewis polishes the shoes of people who trek through downtown, and he's kept Denver's shoes shining for more than 50 years. Lewis, who promotes himself as the Baron of Buff, shines shoes from his three-seat stand in the corner of The...

Partnership targets locals, out-of-towners. (Downtown Denver Partnership)
March 10, 1995... Marketing plan promotes as destination to area workers, state's visitors The heart of Denver went from a sickly ticker in cardiac arrest to a healthy pump feeding a vibrant business district, and marketers for the inner city would like to...

Stadium offers business amenities, luxury to fans. (Coors Field)
March 10, 1995... Companies count on ballpark for fun If you're going to watch replacement players, you may as well have the best seats in the house. Go for the gusto. Eat well. And if you want, at least in Coors Field's 52 luxuriOus loge suites, you can...

Stadium renews neighborhood. (Coors Field)
March 10, 1995... Area gets ready to host crowds drawn to field Ed Maestas was born in the area surrounding Coors Field, now dubbed the Ballpark Neighborhood. Maestas grew up there - amid the winos and drunks who wandered the rundown neighborhood....

Feds cut 2,000 jobs here. (Denver, Colorado; downsizing of federal agencies)
March 3, 1995... Denver's federal workers swatted Metro Denver quietly lost nearly 10 percent of its federal work force in the past year and likely will lose several hundred more federal jobs in the next four years. The reductions stem from the effort to...

Gateway builders face impact fees. (Denver International Airport)
March 3, 1995... Developers hoping to reap the benefits of Denver International Airport will face the bane of builders everywhere: impact fees. For the past several months, while DIA's opening has been in the spotlight, landowners, developers and city...

United's concourse drawing the crowds. (United Airlines Inc.'s Concourse B; Denver International Airport)
March 3, 1995... On opening day it became immediately apparent who has the jet engines that will power Denver International Airport. Concourses C and A feel like secluded getaways compared with the traffic on United Airlines' Concourse B, which was packed...

Wine flows like water at DIA's bars. (Denver International Airport bars and lounges)
March 3, 1995... Travelers take airport lounges seriously Mark Rossiter, a health-care consultant, travels five to seven days a week. When he steps off the airplane, he wants a drink, a comfortable chair and a place to plug in his laptop. He takes airport...

Deals raising eyebrows. (Oren Benton's sale of Fuller and Co. and Barnhart Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Inc.)
March 3, 1995... Oren Benton's recent asset sales trigger questions from creditors Oren Benton's sale of Fuller and Co., Barnhart Advertising and other assets in the months leading up to his bankruptcy is likely to raise allegations of preferential treatment...

Big O returning to private hands. (Big O Tires Inc.)
March 3, 1995... Management, tire dealers may assume ownership of company Since last summer, Englewood-based Big O Tires Inc. has been in the midst of a very public dispute that's seen shareholders square off against longtime management and Big O dealers....

Employee shortages face firms. (Colorado companies)
March 3, 1995... A labor shortage appears to have discomforted several executives of Colorado's fastest-growing companies. A Coopers & Lybrand survey of 61-area CEOs has found that after years of excess capacity, labor supply has become a concern again....

Jones moves ahead in teaching via TV. (Jones Education Networks Inc.)
March 3, 1995... Glenn Jones' vision of making Colorado the distance-learning capital of the world is making progress on three fronts. In the last few months, his Englewood-based Jones Education Networks Inc., an affiliate of cable-TV operator Jones...

U S West may reduce office space. (U S West Inc.)
March 3, 1995... U S WEST Inc. affiliates could vacate more than 130,000 square feet of downtown Denver office space within 19 months. U S West has nearly finalized a deal to add a one-year lease extension for five of its 10 floors at 1999 Broadway, but it...

Integral predicting revenues will triple. (Integral Peripherals Inc.)
March 3, 1995... Employment expected to double Integral Peripherals Inc. expects to triple its revenues during the next fiscal year to more than $100 million as the demand for its tiny computer hard-disk drives continues to explode. Integral's employment...

Bear Valley wakes from long slumber. (Bear Valley Shopping Center, Denver, Colorado)
March 3, 1995... $18.5M renovation rejuvenates center For years, the Bear Valley Shopping Center in southwest Denver has been the victim of jokes and snide comments. One Denver radio station even went so far as to play a fake advertisement that said: "Come...

Who got hit the hardest. (Denver, Colorado federal agencies; Bureau of Reclamation; downsizing) (Special Report: Shrinking Government)
March 3, 1995... Bureau called 'poster child' of reinvention The Bureau of Reclamation is the hardest-hit of all Denver agencies in the federal government's effort to downsize and reinvent itself. While it's a dubious distinction that at times has left...

Some agencies avert carnage. (downsizing of federal agencies; Colorado) (Special Report: Shrinking Government)
March 3, 1995... Science, crime spare several departments Despite sizable cutbacks in almost every area of the federal government, a handful of agencies are actually growing. Among them are the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in...

Feds channel more dollars to Denver. (federal agencies; Colorado) (Special Report: Shrinking Government)
March 3, 1995... Per-person spending higher here than in average U.S. metro area Federal spending is a big issue in Washington, D.C. With the possibility of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. constitution and calls for cuts in federal spending, every...

Denver GSA tagged as federal 'reinvention lab.' (General Services Administration) (Special Report: Shrinking Government)
March 3, 1995... During the next five years, the General Services Administration will surface as one of the most changed agencies in the federal government. Designated by President Clinton as one of three cabinet departments and two major agencies targeted...

Researching job levels turned into federal case. (downsizing of Denver, Colorado federal agencies) (Special Report: Shrinking Government)
March 3, 1995... Last October, I mentioned to my editor that I'd heard of a couple organizations at the Denver Federal Center facing cutbacks. Would he want me to look into it and find out which agencies and how many people may be affected? Sure, he said....

Richfield taps industry vet for hotel post. (Richfield Hotel Management VP-economy lodging Richard Ferree) (Strategies)
March 3, 1995... Richard Ferree likes to give his competition a little extra business - his. The new vice president of economy lodging for Denver-based Richfield Hospitality Services says his hotels benefit from the time he spends in properties he doesn't...

A step at a time. (Gayton Dance World) (Strategies)
March 3, 1995... Sisters' Thornton studio waltzes its way into the world of 'legitimate' business Robin Gayton is not your typical businesswoman. Instead of business suits and pumps, this entrepreneur dons leotards and pointe shoes for work. But Gayton...

Strength in their number. (Rocky Mountain Small Business Consortium) (Strategies)
March 3, 1995... Small environmental businesses form one-stop consortium Like tribesmen looking for mutual support and protection, eight small environmental companies have banded together to form a consortium they hope will help them survive in an industry...

Feds' Climate Wise plan boosts small businesses. (federal program promoting industrial energy efficiency and pollution prevention) (Strategies)
March 3, 1995... Innovative program debuts in Colorado Small- to medium-size businesses now can get loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, technical assistance and a pat on the back from the federal government for installing...

The "TOBY" tradition. (The Office Building of the Year award; Denver Metro Building Owners and Managers Association) (BOMA Update)
March 3, 1995... The Office Building of the Year "TOBY" Award was created in 1985 to salute excellence in the office building industry. Ten years later, it remains the most prestigious and comprehensive program of its kind in commercial real estate, recognizing...

BOMA presents TOBY awards. (Building Owners and Managers Association; The Office Building of the Year Awards) (BOMA Update)
March 3, 1995... The Office Buildings of the Year - Denver's finest BOMA members and their guests gathered on February 25, 1995 at the Petroleum Club to honor the recipients of the prestigious 1994 TOBY (The Office Building of the Year) Awards. The Roaring...

Local BOMA leaders visit Capitol Hill. (Denver, Colorado Building Owners and Managers Association) (BOMA Update)
March 3, 1995... Senators Bob Dole (R-Kansas) and Orin Hatch (R-Utah) and Congressman Tom DeLay (R-Virginia) were featured speakers at the 1995 BOMA International Legislative Conference held January 23-24 in Washington, D.C. Denver BOMA's leadership team,...

Denver to host BOMA International convention. (Building Owners and Managers Association International) (BOMA Update)
March 3, 1995... Ed Bradley, Robert Kriegel head list of 1995 Convention speakers CBS News Correspondent and "60 Minutes" Co-Editor, ED BRADLEY, will be the Keynote Speaker at BOMA International's 88th Annual Convention and The Office Building Show[R], June...

Denver office market conditions year end 1994. (BOMA Update)
March 3, 1995... The Denver metropolitan office market continued its positive trend of declining vacancy rates during the fourth quarter of 1994. The overall vacancy rate dropped 0.4 percentage points from third quarter to finish the year at 14.0% vacant. This...