Denver Business Journal articles from November 1999

Denver Business Journal archives from November 1999

DU earmarks $50M for culture.(University of Denver to develop campus structures)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... The concrete has barely hardened at the University of Denver's new athletic and business school facilities, but that hasn't stopped the school from embarking on another multimillion-dollar building project. The university will begin...

Leid takes the field for Broncos.(Kelly Leid)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... On the afternoon of Jan. 28, 1996, Kelly Leid had an epiphany. The man who's now helping to build the new Mile High Stadium near downtown Denver stood on the 50-yardline of Tempe, Ariz.'s scenic Sun Devil Stadium, which nestles between two...

Office market heats up in western 'burbs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... While the Interlocken-dominated northwestern office market along the Denver-Boulder Turnpike revels in its status as the new darling of the Denver area, its cousin to the west is quietly booming. At about 7 million square feet in size, the...

Controversy splits pork producers.(Colorado Pork Producers Council accused of misspending funds)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Council members say board went 'hog wild' with checkoff dollars Members of the Colorado Pork Producers Council have accused the board of wallowing in the muck of internal politics. A group of independent hog producers have accused the...

Sniffing out lost productivity.(eSniff.com offers product to detect internet misuse at work)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Device finds workers misusing computers As businesses scramble to provide their employees with the tools they need to compete in the new information age, the workplace is being altered in fundamental ways. But are these winds of change...

Startups overlooking ethics training.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Hundreds of small, rapidly growing Colorado companies have left themselves vulnerable to hefty fines and costly lawsuits because they've overlooked a crucial precaution that's become standard policy at large corporations. For Fortune 500...

Former E-470 employee disputes firing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Government agencies and private companies that put large contracts out to bid often have some of the strictest ethical codes around. Most attempt to avoid conflicts of interest and keep the bidding process as fair as possible. But in some...

Boulder takes natural products to bold, new level.(may utilize natural gas-powered shuttles)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Boulder's air quality is getting a boost from the Regional Transportation District. The independent republic is testing out three natural gas-powered shuttle buses as part of its SKIP transit service. A study by the U.S. Department of...

Trail at crossroads.(Maroon Bells Wilderness Area may become off limits to visitors)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... I bet every hiker in Colorado has made at least one pilgrimage to the state's world famous Maroon Bells Wilderness Area near Aspen. Well, that could change if the U.S. Forest Service has its way. The agency has proposed cutting off all trail...

Art makes an impression.(Denver Art Museum's exhibition economically affects city)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... "Impressionism: Paintings Collected by European Museums," on exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, already has impacted Denver economically, according to a study conducted by BBC Research and Consulting in Denver. The study predicts that the...

Foundation grants wish.
November 5, 1999... The Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition received a $600,000 grant from the Ford Foundation in New York to aid literacy instruction efforts in nine Denver public schools. The coalition is made up of representatives from the...

Donaldson breaks silence.
November 5, 1999... ABC News White House Correspondent Sam Donaldson is coming to Denver as part of the Denver Distinguished Lecture Series Nov. 8. He will debate the finer points of politics with former Wyoming Sen. Al Simpson, who now serves as director of the...

Brown-bag it.
November 5, 1999... Einstein Brothers Bagels on 16th Street may be serving up more than bagel sandwiches for its lunch crowd. Perhaps the store's bug zapper is strategically placed above the restaurant's microwave and vegetable storage bins for a little added...

Evolving Systems tries for turnaround.
November 5, 1999... The aptly named Evolving Systems Inc. is riding the crest of another turnaround. The 15-year-old-company Englewood software company, which has seen its share highs and lows, halted a string of six consecutive losing quarters with a...

Quizno's expands in Florida.
November 5, 1999... Quizno's Classic Subs plans to add 25 restaurants in the Jacksonville, Fla., area over a three-year period. Denver-based Quizno's Corp., the franchisor of Quinzo's Classic Subs, already has one restaurant in Jacksonville. The sandwich...

Correction.
November 5, 1999... * In the October 15-21 issue, the Boettcher Foundation should have placed at No. 5 on the largest Colorado foundations list. The Boettcher Foundation reported total assets for the fiscal year of 1998 at $192.5 million.

Competition heats up in Japanese fast food.
November 5, 1999... Lately the Denver restaurant market has been inundated with national chains, but when it comes to the fast-growing niche of healthy, fast Japanese food, it's the locals that seem to be dominating the trend. "The national chains are similar...

Desire for mountains drives Snowmass firm.
November 5, 1999... In the mid-1970s, a client of Aspen residential real estate broker B.J. Adams' scraped together $10,000 to buy a small lot in the mountain town of Snowmass Village, just west of Aspen, with the idea of sometime building a small house on it. By...

Ohio developer eyeing Denver area market.
November 5, 1999... An Ohio real estate developer is nosing around metropolitan Denver for opportunities. Corporex Development Services Inc. of Cincinnati quietly established a presence here recently by hiring Glen Sibley, former senior managing director and...

Level 3 levels the field with unique stock plan.
November 5, 1999... Perhaps it was driving past the abominable FlatIron Crossing mall or looking out on the muted suburban purgatory that is Rock Creek, but I was in no mood for the breathless presentation of Level 3 Communication Inc.'s new campus. The...

Retail execs touchy about the 'mall' word.
November 5, 1999... When did "mall" become a dirty word? With only a few weeks covering retail under my belt, one thing has already become abundantly clear. The area's shopping centers go out of their way to avoid the "M" word. Take Park Meadows Town...

KBkids invests $43M to spread the word.
November 5, 1999... With a $43 million investment in a new advertising campaign, KBkids.com is capitalizing on a second chance to have its first holiday shopping season. Formerly BrainPlay.com, the company changed its name when it partnered with toy store...

FTC steps up attack on Net 'cramming'.
November 5, 1999... The Federal Trade Commission used a Senate hearing on "cramming" -- the placement of unauthorized charges on a customer's telephone bill -- to announce its largest enforcement action yet against an alleged crammer of Internet services. To...

NFIB teams with Microsoft.
November 5, 1999... David is hitching a ride with Goliath on the information superhighway. The National Federation of Independent Business, a leading small business advocacy group, hopes its new partnership with Microsoft, the world's dominant software...

EPA seeking more input.
November 5, 1999... The Environmental Protection Agency will seek more input from small businesses before it proceeds with a new regulation concerning the disposal of lead and lead compounds. EPA hit the brakes after Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., scheduled an...

Food industry says ouch.
November 5, 1999... One of the industries most affected by a proposed ergonomics regulation says it would cost at least $500,000 per food distribution center. That's just the cost of establishing an ergonomics program, says Food Distributors International, a...

New foundation gets ready to work.
November 5, 1999... Blues sale creates Caring for Colorado Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado is hammering out the final details of its pending sale to Indiana-based Anthem Insurance Companies Inc., but leaders of a charitable foundation spawned by the deal...

Dante's eatery will remain open.
November 5, 1999... Despite the fact that Colorado Rockies' left fielder Dante Bishette is leaving town for the Cincinnati Reds, management at his 17th Street namesake restaurant is emphatic about staying open. "We knew this was coming," said Janet Sanders,...

Focus on the Family expands HQ.
November 5, 1999... COLORADO SPRINGS -- The opening of a new building on the campus of Focus on the Family's headquarters site means everyone will be together again. A shortage of space has forced about 100 employees to occupy leased space. Those employees will be...

College nearing its goal.
November 5, 1999... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Colorado College is more than two-thirds of the way toward meeting its fund-raising goal. The college hopes to raise $83 million, and already has raised $58 million. The remainder of the funds should come in during 2001....

CACI honors legislators.
November 5, 1999... The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry has named 13 legislators with its Business Legislator of the Year Award. The award goes to those legislators whose votes coincided with CACI's legislative agenda. The honorees are: Sens....

Looking for a job? Here's where to go.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... As tight as the labor market feels in Denver, 50 other cities endured even lower unemployment rates last year. Denver ranked 51st the country with an unemployment rate of 3.16 percent at the end of 1998, according to an analysis of 184...

Census Bureau hangs out `Much Help Wanted' sign.
November 5, 1999... The U.S. Census Bureau's Denver office needs more than a few good men -- and women. It's now hiring about 30,000 part-time employees to count heads in 10 Rocky Mountain-area states and compile information about them for the 2000 census. ...

Boll'e sees jump in sales.
November 5, 1999... Denver-based Boll'e Inc. reported an increase in net sales for the third quarter ended Sept. 30. Sales were up to $14.9 million compared to the $13.7 million reported in the 1998 third quarter. Earnings also increased, by 70 percent. Boll'e...

Commercial Federal.
November 5, 1999... Commercial Federal Corp. announced that operating earnings for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2000 are at $26.2 million compared to the $28.9 million for the same period in 1999. The company said net income for the first quarter of fiscal...

Horizon Organic Holding.
November 5, 1999... Horizon Organic Holding Corp. reported record-setting net sales numbers for the third quarter ended Sept. 30. Net sales for the company increased 79 percent to $22.8 million, an increase over the $12.8 million in sales generated during the same...

Charles Schwab launches charity fund.
November 5, 1999... But tax break provision for investors leaves IRS feeling less than charitable Charles Schwab Corp. has launched a philanthropic fund that it hopes will help 2,000 good-hearted investors donate $100 million in its first year -- and land a...

New Web tool keeps e-shoppers buzzing.
November 5, 1999... A San Francisco startup with an odd name is cutting through the Internet clutter to change the way people obtain information and go shopping on the Web. Flyswat Inc. has created a small tool that works within a user's browser,...

The business of magic.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... This magician pulls the boss's message out of his hat If you think making a profit sometimes requires a bit of magic and success is just an illusion, Danny Archer has something up his sleeve for you. Archer, a 43-year-old Denver...

Y2K jitters infecting investors.
November 5, 1999... Some skittish workers pull out 401(k) funds Have you completed your Y2K checklist? The personal computer is bug-free, the car will start on New Year's Day and the kitchen is stocked with food, water and flashlights. But have you given...

Taxes, goals, savings -- a checklist you can use.
November 5, 1999... As we approach the end, of the year and head into the next millennium, now is a good time to get some "chores" done. Here is my list of "fall cleaning" items that will get you off to a good start in January 2000: Tax planning In the...

Deadline nearing for SBA award nominations.
November 5, 1999... The deadline is approaching for nominations for the Small Business Administration's Colorado's Year 2000 Small Business Person of the Year award, Small Business Advocate awards and other special category awards. The eligibility criteria...

Chamber to host trade fair.
November 5, 1999... Providing area businesses with a venue to showcase their goods and services, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 11th annual November Business Trade Fair on Nov. 15, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Raintree Plaza in Longmont. This...

NAIOP chapter honored.
November 5, 1999... The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties honored the NAIOP Colorado Chapter with a 1999 NAIOP Chapter Merit Award for Special Events for its annual awards luncheon. NAIOP is the trade association for developers, owners...

Entrepreneur of Distinction.
November 5, 1999... OZ Architecture was awarded the Boulder Chamber of Commerce's Entrepreneurial Esprit Award. The company's Boulder studio was recognized as an "Entrepreneur of Distinction." It was the only architectural firm recognized in the 15-year history of...

Graebel Movers wins award.
November 5, 1999... A Denver international moving company achieved the only global quality award that exists for its industry. Graebel Movers International joins a growing number of international moving companies around the world to obtain the coveted FIDI...

Dentist lauded for training.
November 5, 1999... Michael J. Raizen, DDS, of Denver, was honored for his role as a preceptor by the University of Colorado School of Dentistry. Raizen, a dentist at the Eastside Family Health Center, was honored for five years of outstanding clinical training of...

Name change.
November 5, 1999... Colorado-based design firm Schafer Aspinwall West changed its name to Spincreative Studio. The studio also moved to a new location at 105 E. Adams Ave. in Breckenridge.

On the move.
November 5, 1999... Omni Promotional, a manufacturer of custom banners and event supplies, moved into new offices and manufacturing facilities in the Colorado Tech Center in Louisville. Omni's new facility is located at 258 S. Taylor Ave. Bovis, a...

Openings.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Randy Duzan, a registered landscape architect, opened a new design firm specializing in land planning and landscape architecture. Landesign is located at 9447 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 200 in Lone Tree. Market Studio Inc., a consulting firm...

NEWSMAKERS.
November 5, 1999... Accounting Bondi & Co. hired Michael A. Babich as the company's tax and accounting services manager. As a manager, his role at Bondi & Co. includes overseeing the tax and accounting services functions. Previously, after 13 years of serving...

Creating the image your business needs.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Good management, good service, good price and good products do not necessarily guarantee the success of your new business. Sometimes businesses don't do well even though they have those basic ingredients. The problem is often that they are not...

Self-awareness improves office ergonomics.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Like most people, I've heard a lot over the last few years about the subject of ergonomics: the design of furniture and equipment so that people can use it without developing problems like carpal-tunnel syndrome. The trouble was that all I ever...

Awards honor Colorado's innovators.
November 5, 1999... Whoever said "necessity is the mother of invention" was right on target when it comes to the winners of the sixth-annual Colorado's Most Innovative New Products contest. This year's award winners range from a service that provides...

A light that never goes out.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Applied Innovative Technologies invents a renewable-energy flashlight For anyone who has reached for that flashlight in the emergency kit only to find dead batteries, there is now a better way. The Fort Lupton-based Applied Innovative...

Products help with everyday life.
November 5, 1999... Both the HANco LLC's Deep Pocket Money-Clip Wallet and Tower Enterprises' Magnetic Pen are consumer products that make people's day-to-day lives a little easier. After suffering back pain from carrying his wallet in his back pocket, Hal...

Lanza links languages together.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Program aims to carve a niche by helping the rapidly growing immigrant work fore Business Journal Assistant Managing Editor David Slade works in the communications industry, but his trade isn't cable television, cell phones or even the...

POSSE makes life easier for sales personnel.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Software lets sales executives access essential applications through one easy-to-use menu ADP Securities Industry Software, a finalist in the business products and services category, has created a desktop solution that allows sales...

e-Stork kit delivers.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... What do you get when you cross a newborn, a stork and the Internet? A personalized Web site that brings families together, say Kathryn and David Besemer, co-creators of e-Stork. The two own Boulder-based Cognitio Products Inc., which was...

Kids' products benefit parents.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... This year's finalists in the children's products and services category both offer innovative solutions to common problems that every parent experiences. Descente North America Inc.'s "Growth Sleeve" ski jacket for children helps parents...

PositiveLok marks advance in aviation.
November 5, 1999... The next time you are looking out an airplane window during a patch of rough air, watching the wings bend like a diving board and praying they don't snap off, remember Stanley Aviation. Aurora-based Stanley has invented a new type of...

Industrial finalists help builders.
November 5, 1999... Both finalists in the commercial and industrial products category, Data West Cable Corp. and Gage Brick Block Form Inc., have developed products that make construction labor easier. President Tom Lavoy, of Data West Cable Corp., said its...

Omega Tech hatches idea.(eggs with docosahexaenoic acid for good health)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Boulder-based company fortifies eggs with DHA People at risk of heart problems can stop eating salmon once a week and popping gel caps stuffed with fish oil daily to lower their cholesterol. A Boulder-based company has developed and...

Simple ideas go on the market.
November 5, 1999... The wide diversity of health products available on the market is demonstrated in the 1999 nominations for this category. Feel Good For Life Inc., located in Lakewood, developed the Comfort-U Total Body Support Pillow after being approached...

Water Pik brings spa experience home.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Ft. Collins company develops a new showerhead with misting control options The sensation of a spa is now available in the privacy of your home. The new Misting Massage shower head from Teledyne Water Pik, based in Fort Collins, brings...

Home and garden runners-up find new twists.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Lifting Buddy. Great Grips Doorknob Twisters designed to ease `handy work' Finalists in the home and garden category both developed products that make life easier on your hands. ChanWesCO Inc. developed the Lifting Buddy, a manual...

Quark eases Web route.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Product removes busy-work for Internet sites While the World Wide Web has opened the door to seemingly endless possibilities, the problems associated with getting to those possibilities have been just as numerous thus far. In short,...

Product provides a link for 'Net users.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... eTetra.com has developed a product to make surfing the Web less frustrating. The company is a finalist in the Internet products and services category for iConnect, a customer service product for use with company Internet sites. iConnect...

HMO superhighway.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... XCare.net plugs docs to the Web Englewood's XCare.net's new Web-based invention for doctors, patients and HMOs sounds like something out of the latest box-office techno-thriller. By using a computer language called Extended Markup...

Company makes a better DNA test.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... After serving as an expert witness for the O.J. Simpson trial, Dr. John Gedes developed a new system to identify the specific sequences of DNA. He joined with Jack Wheeler in creating Molecular Innovations Inc., a finalist in the medical...

CCS sets the pace.
November 5, 1999... Company engineers elliptical running machine CCS Fitness has made great strides in the fitness equipment industry with its new Reebok Fusion machine, the first elliptical machine designed for running. "It's a low-impact way to run....

Nominees improve free time.
November 5, 1999... Developments in sports and outdoor products are numerous. This year's finalists in this category have introduced products that help people get more enjoyment out of their free time. Best Shot Golf Inc. has developed electronic scoring...

Invention detects sources of interference.(telecommunication equipment)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... You're cruising along Interstate 25, talking to a client on your cellular phone when you experience ear-piercing static. The conversation becomes unintelligible and the frustrated business associate hangs up. It has happened half a dozen times...

Products useful for home, office.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... The finalists in the telecommunications products and services category have developed products to help a wide variety of consumers. SpectraLink Corp. developed the NetLink Wireless Telephone System that provides high-quality mobile voice...

Seminar to focus on turning ideas into products.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... The Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center, a nonprofit organization designed to help small and mid-sized manufacturers, will present a seminar entitled, "Streamlining the Product Development Process" on Nov. 16. The one-day seminar...

Focus on older work force.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Seniors! Inc. is working with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce to organize a series of employer focus groups composed of executives and human resource personnel from a variety of Denver area industries. The main objective of the focus...

Hotel Teatro wins award.
November 5, 1999... Hotel Teatro received the Community Preservation Award from Historic Denver Inc. The award was presented recently to Michael Brenneman and Jeff Selby, the owners of Hotel Teatro, during Historic Denver's annual dinner. The 116-room...

Hall of fame nominees.
November 5, 1999... Nominations for the seventh annual Boulder County Hall of Fame are currently being accepted. The deadline is Dec. 1. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have been instrumental, through business-related efforts, in providing...

Garner Galleria offers a play with pizzazz.
November 5, 1999... It takes two words to sum up the essence of "Swingtime Canteen," the swing and big-band musical at the Garner Galleria theater: personality and pizzazz. "Swingtime Canteen" is filled with both of those key ingredients wrapped around a...

Largest Denver-Area Travel Agencies.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Largest Denver-Area Travel Agencies (Ranked by local sales volume) Rank/ Local sales last ...

City, Sturm should close the deal soon.
November 5, 1999... Close the deal. The news this week that a snag has delayed Don Sturm's plan to buy the sports-related assets of Ascent Entertainment Group Inc. came as a surprise, but what's more surprising is what the holdup is. As we understand it,...

CACI needs help to prepare for future.(Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry effort to identify what the business community needs to survive and thrive in the 21st century)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry is thinking ahead. CACI, as the Denver-based organization is commonly known, has created the Colorado Millennium Blueprint, an effort to identify what the business community needs to...

Some puzzling priorities.(teenagers and smoking)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... A recent study by the British Medical Journal has revealed that smokers as young as their early 30s are five times more as likely to suffer heart attacks. Nevertheless, despite the jawboning of the Clinton administration, teenagers are smoking...

Payne Stewart: A real champion.(Column)
November 5, 1999... I don't have sports heroes any more, but if I did, Payne Stewart would top the list. Ironically, Stewart is one reason I don't have sports heroes any more -- and why I have a hard time watching professional sports other than golf these...