Denver Business Journal articles from May 1997

Denver Business Journal archives from May 1997

Rockies swing for grand slam on suites. (Colorado Rockies' contract with Coors Field)
May 2, 1997... For the Colorado Rockies baseball club, the sweetest deal at Coors Field may carry a 10-year term. The Rockies, off to the hottest start on the field in the club's short history, have sprinted to an equally fast start off the field by signing...

Another summit for Denver: these delegates room in DU's dormitories. (Denver University)
May 2, 1997... The Summit of Eight won't be the only conference in Denver gabbing about the global economy. Another economic summit, actually named The Other Economic Summit or TOES for short, is ramping up for its own meeting of the minds. But don't look...

Defusing deadly situations. (Martin/Martin Inc., specialist in blast design)
May 2, 1997... In April 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City didn't just blow up, killing 169 people - 19 of them children - in an explosion of jagged glass, concrete and steel. It also collapsed. The ammonium nitrate bomb demolished...

Frontier has plans for Denver; phone giant may offer local service. (Frontier Corp.)
May 2, 1997... Frontier Corp. is not in the common mold of telecommunications companies. Take local competition. While the Baby Bells were dragging their feet, Frontier jumped the gun. Two years ago, it voluntarily opened its local market monopoly in its...

Buying binges buoy Mail-Well stock price; envelope maker attracting attention.
May 2, 1997... As early investors know, Mail-Well isn't without its risks. So far, the company has done well in not over-paying for its purchases, but a wrong move or two could put a dent in its bottom line. When it first went public in the fall of 1995,...

Hickenlooper brewing pub in Cincy. (John Hickenlooper of Wynkoff Brewing Co.; Cincinnati, OH)
May 2, 1997... New Reds home could delay efforts CINCINNATI - The developer of one of the world's largest brew-pubs who helped lead the revitalization of part of downtown Denver wants to build a restaurant in Cincinnati and spur the same kind of...

FCC ready to dive into telephone fund debate.
May 2, 1997... The Federal Communications Commission is caught between a rock and a hard place over how to support affordable local phone service, but the time has come for the agency to reveal its solution. At a public hearing May 6, two days ahead of the...

Fax broadcasters find low-cost niche.(Small Business Strategies)
May 2, 1997... The Internet explosion has relegated the fax machine to the old-technology category. But the screeching tone that signals a connection is still signaling big money for some Denver-area businesses. Fax broadcast, or the business of...

Last-resort survival options: entrepreneurs talk about how bankruptcy saved them.(Small Business Strategies)
May 2, 1997... Wisdom Industries Ltd., a carnival ride manufacturer, strives to give customers a thrill, but its business loop-de-loops have provided executives with a different breed of white-knuckler. The Merino, Colo., operation is poised to emerge from...

Feds find fraud cases follow viatical company. (Life Partners Inc.)
May 2, 1997... WASHINGTON - As federal regulators crack down on the viatical settlement industry, more cases of fraud and deceit are coming to light. Just two weeks ago, the U.S. attorney's office charged four individuals with fraud alleging they ran a $50...

Schools flock to southeast corridor.(Education & Careers)
May 2, 1997... Colorado Tech latest entrant among colleges serving DTC area Denver's rapid expansion to the southeast has spurred incredible growth in the Denver Technological Center and surrounding business parks, and educational institutions are benefiting...

Internships evolve into recruiting tool.(Education & Careers)
May 2, 1997... Keys to successful program are screening, feedback, guidance, flexibility There was a time when hiring a student intern meant taking advantage of cheap labor and interns were often given only menial tasks. Times have changed. Today, employing...

Manufacturing school sinks roots at Lowry; educational center takes off at old air base. (Rocky Mountain Manufacturing Academy; Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado)(Education & Careers)
May 2, 1997... Colorado's manufacturing industry can stop complaining about the lack of skilled high-tech workers in the state. The Rocky Mountain Manufacturing Academy is opening its doors May 12 to fill the educational gaps in the state's burgeoning...

Take proper steps when computer training; controlling cost requires determining exactly what you need before approaching vendors.(Education & Careers)
May 2, 1997... Keeping employees up to date with the newest technology is expensive, especially when a company doesn't know where or how to look for the right trainer. Selecting the right computer training firm requires a company to determine exactly what it...

Making the most of industry conferences.(Education & Careers)
May 2, 1997... Preparation, organization will help you learn while enjoying your out-of-town seminar You've just talked your boss into sending you to an important out-of-town conference. With registration, airfare, hotel, meals, etc., it's turned out to be...

Finding new homes for the arts.
May 2, 1997... One more sign of Denver's ambition to grow into a major cosmopolitan city is the desire to develop alternative museums and arts spaces. Several new diverse groups, within the city as well as from outside, are developing concepts for new art and...

'Colorado National' name is history. (Colorado National Bank)
May 23, 1997... Merger with U.S. Bank prompts change Colorado National Bank, one of the state's oldest business names, will fade into the sunset soon, the victim of mergers and a switch to interstate branch banking. Colorado National will change its name to...

Workers in short supply: contractors scramble to keep job sites filled.
May 23, 1997... M.A. Mortensen Co., the contractor for the $160 million Pepsi Center, isn't worried about finding the 300 construction workers it will need to build Denver's new sports palace. But Mortensen, metro Denver's biggest general contractor, is...

Invesco scouts southeast suburbs. (Invesco Funds Group Inc.)
May 23, 1997... Denver-based Invesco Funds Group Inc., whose parent is of one of the world's largest mutual-fund managers with $165 billion in assets, is scouting metropolitan Denver's southeastern suburbs for a new home. Currently occupying 150,000 square...

Inventor hopes to hit jackpot with Scratch Book. (Odell Orr)
May 23, 1997... Odell Orr's invention seems to have hit the jackpot with lottery sales at an area grocery store. Orr, owner of Lakewood-based OK Products, has invented the Scratch Book, a new way of displaying the Colorado Lottery's Scratch tickets that he...

U S West turns attention to wireless launch. (U S West Communications)
May 23, 1997... U S West Communications expects to deploy wireless personal communications services in Denver shortly, throwing yet another player into the rapidly expanding local PCS arena. Peter Mannetti, vice president and general manager of U S West...

Parking becomes key issue in downtown vs. DTC rivalry. (Denver Technological Center)
May 23, 1997... In the office-space war raging between downtown and the southeastern suburbs, the central business district's higher parking rates and the 'burbs' higher rents almost cancel each other. The gulf between how much it costs to rent space and park in...

Office parks may break retail grip; new developments could bring enterprise to 'bedroom community.'(Small Business Strategies)
May 23, 1997... High lease prices and a glut of national retail chains and restaurants have chased many small businesses from southern Jefferson County, but two new office parks in the works along C-470 could be the small business booster shot the area needs....

Colorado cities reach the summit. (cities of Boulder, Longmont, Denver and Colorado Springs hold top spots in new national economic survey)
May 30, 1997... National survey ranks Front Range No. 1 WASHINGTON - Go West, young man or woman. That is if you want to make your money stretch as far as you can. A nationwide study of the largest 99 metropolitan areas in the country show cities in...

PUC boss charges ahead. (Bob Hix, chairman of Colorado Public Utilities Commission)
May 30, 1997... Bob Hix straddles some tough issues Bob Hix apologized for his sluggishness as he showed a reporter into his office. He slumped behind his desk, put his head on his hand, and turned his back to a great view of downtown Denver. Hix, the...

Mayors scramble for funds. (Colorado municipalities at a loss on how to pay insurance premiums for police officers and fire fighters)
May 30, 1997... Police, fire pensions hitting budgets hard Cash-strapped municipalities are struggling to find ways to pay a hefty insurance premium for police and fire fighters now that Colorado has stopped putting money into the pool. Local governments...

Time for a meeting of international minds. (Denver Summit of the Eight)
May 30, 1997... Opportunities like the Denver economic summit don't come along every day. That's why it was smart for the Colorado International Trade Office and Denver's World Trade Center, a private advocacy organization, to team up on a June 1011 event...

TeleTech plots Texas expansion. (TeleTech Teleservices Inc. to open call center in Houston, TX)
May 30, 1997... HOUSTON - A Denver-based customer service company is planning to open a 900-person call center near the Astrodome if the city of Houston agrees to grant a tax abatement for the deal. TeleTech Holdings Inc. has asked the city for a 10-year,...

This shack nears the top of growth list. (The Computer Shack Corp. ranks as one of the fastest-growing small businesses in the US)
May 30, 1997... The Computer Shack Corp. made national headlines recently because the Tandy Corp. - owners of Radio Shack - is suing the company in federal court for the use of the word "Shack." But the Lakewood-based store earned some positive press and this...

CDI hopes to groom better board members. (Corporate Directors Institute)
May 30, 1997... Corporate governance is a hot topic in management circles across the country. Now a Denver nonprofit is trying to help small to medium-sized companies get their corporate boards in order. The Corporate Directors Institute is working to help...

U.S. listing sheds light on ski firm. (Intrawest Corp.)
May 30, 1997... Intrawest rivals Vail Resorts shares Vancouver-based Intrawest Corp., the new owner of Colorado's Copper Mountain ski resort, always thought coming to America would prompt peak performance. Making that speculation fact, Intrawest's recent...

Billboards spell relief for PCS rivals. (billboards loom as possible telecommunications towers as Denver bans such structures in residential areas)
May 30, 1997... Wireless carriers are being forced to become innovative as more municipalities impose stricter rules on tower and antenna sites. The wireless industry - which includes personal communications services, or PCS, as well as paging and cellular...

CarrAmerica emerging as big player in Denver. (CarrAmerica Realty Corp.)
May 30, 1997... CarrAmerica Realty Corp., the well-heeled Washington, D.C.based real estate investment trust that blew into metro Denver last year, is riding the crest of a new wave in REITs. An office building developer before it became a REIT, CarrAmerica...

Hasan takes expanded role at Calif. HMO. (Hasan Malik appointed chief executive officer of Foundation Health Systems Inc.)
May 30, 1997... But state regulations will keep Pueblo neurologist from making any medical decisions SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Employers and doctors alike are heartened by the change in management at Foundation Health Systems Inc. Now that Dan Crowley has...

Where the llamas and emus roam. (Denver Buffalo Co.; Buckhorn Llama Co.)
May 30, 1997... Alternative livestock markets meet varying degrees of success In the world of alternative livestock, the least exotic animals seem to have the best track record captivating consumers and making a good living for breeders. Ostrich and emu, an...

Congress could slash R&D funds.
May 30, 1997... Proposed cuts might affect small business WASHINGTON - Thousands of small businesses relying on government research and development contracts and grants likely will see a big reduction in awards later this year. As Congress wrangles over the...

Survey shows global companies grow faster.
May 30, 1997... No one can assess the risks and rewards of international business with the sensitivity of a company's creator or owner. That may explain why companies run by their founders grow faster than those run by second-generation managers, according to a...

Ways to convert Lotus 1-2-3 files to Excel.
May 30, 1997... A question arrives from Tony from Boulder: "I have some old Lotus 1-2-3 files that I need to convert to Excel. I know that I can open 1-2-3 release two files in Excel, but when I do I get a bunch of #VALUE! errors in different cells. When I...