Denver Business Journal articles from November 2001

Denver Business Journal archives from November 2001

Local apartment market loses $800M+.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Industry experts blame skittish economy for deals that have fallen through in the last four months More than $800 million in proposed metro area apartment sales have fallen through in the last four months casualties of the slumping economy...

Young guns.(Foster and Graham L.L.P. opens in Golden Triangle)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Attorneys launch new Denver firm Legal offices are in a house, not a high-rise; power lunches are at Zaidy's Deli, not the Palm; and financial security comes from instinct, not a salary. Dan Foster and Bob Graham recently opened Foster...

Jail bond issue spurs controversy.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Councilwoman accuses city of misleading voters on proposed justice center Councilwoman Deborah Ortega says the City of Denver is not being honest with voters about the justice center whose future rests with a bond issue on the Nov. 6...

Now it's satellite TV vs. digital cable.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... And then there was one. Five years ago, at the peak of satellite television competition, there were five companies vying for subscribers. But last week, the last two standing decided to become one. Pending steep regulatory hurdles,...

How quickly we forget TV legends.(conference featuring old television heroes is canceled)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Legends may never die, but selling tickets to see them in the flesh is another story. Organizers of the America's Childhood Heroes conference Nov. 3 featuring Superman's girlfriend, the caped crusader and Captain Kangaroo was canceled due...

Chamber shows new digs.(South Metro Chamber)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... South Metro Chamber boss Brian Vogt is as proud as a new-daddy these days. Last week, he showed off the chamber's new headquarters building at 6340 S. University Blvd. to the assembled media. The new chamber digs feature n open loft-like...

Venture capital falls off in state.(in Colorado in first three quarters of 2001)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... The nation's economic slow 'down continued to squeeze venture capital investment in Colorado during the third quarter. Venture capital investments in Colorado companies during the third quarter totaled $158 million, a 47 percent drop from...

Anesthesiologists are in short supply.(in Denver, Colorado)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... A Denver patient needing a skin graft will probably wait 10 days before the operation is completed. It has nothing to do with the patient's insurance or busy operating rooms. The procedure is being put off because it's not life threatening...

DIA seeks answers on security.(Denver International Airport)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... While United Airlines and its security company rushed in recent weeks to hire enough people to fully staff Denver International Airport's 18 security screening lanes, the city started looking ahead to the holidays and beyond. Sixteen of...

CU ponders increasing M.D. output.(University of Colorado may increase its class size)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The University of Colorado School of Medicine may graduate more doctors in the coming years and help alleviate shortages in some areas and specialities. The medical school's move to the old Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora is...

Banner Rebar helps hold it all together.(Banner Rebar Inc. makes reinforcing rods)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Contrary to popular belief, it takes more than fan loyalty to hold the new football stadium together. In fact, more than 6,000 tons of rebar, fabricated by local company Banner Rebar Inc., give Invesco Field at Mile High its strength. ...

Corrections and amplifications.
November 2, 2001... * The name of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie was misspelled in a photo caption in the Oct. 26-Nov. 1 edition. The name of the movie is "Eraser." * The story regarding "Blueprint Denver" in the Oct 26-Nov. 1 edition included a photo...

DNA 'not concerned' about circulation dip.(Denver Newspaper Agency)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... JOA content, despite lowest readership in a decade Despite rapid population growth in the metro area in recent years, the number of people buying The Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain daily and Sunday is the lowest it's been since the...

EchoStar to purchase DirecTV in $26B deal.(EchoStar Communications Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Littleton-based EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) will purchase its satellite television competitor DirecTV from General Motors subsidiary Hughes Electronics, which accepted EchoStar's offer of $26 billion in cash and stock. ...

Lockheed-Martin wins it.(contract for Joint Strike Fighter)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... The Pentagon awarded its largest contract ever to Lockheed-Martin Corp. for building the military's newest piece of hardware -- the Joint Strike Fighter. The 40-year contract is worth between $200 billion and $300 billion. The contract...

Qwest's stock price plunges.(Qwest Communications International Inc)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Qwest Communications international Inc. reported a third-quarter loss of $142 million, or 9 cents a share. The news was not greeted well on Wall Street. Investors were not impressed with the latest figures and Qwest's stock plummeted...

Tourism outlook bleak.(for Colorado)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Half of Colorado's tourism-related businesses say this year will be worse than last year, and 20 percent say they might have to go out of business, according to results of a a recent survey. The survey, conducted by the Colorado Tourism...

Vari-L loses $1.1M.(Vari-L Company Inc.; fiscal first quarter data)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Denver-based Vari-L Company Inc. (OTC: VARL) announced that net sales in the first ,fiscal quarter fell to $5.6 million from $11.4 million a year ago. The company reported a loss of $1.1 million, or 16 cents per share, compared with a loss of...

Wild Oats announces loss.(Wild Oats Markets Inc.; third quarter 2001 data)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Sales at Boulder-based Wild Oats Markets Inc. (Nasdaq: OATS) increased slightly in the third quarter, rising from $207 million last year to $222 million this year. But the grocer announced a loss of $2.8 million, or 12 cents a share,...

Newmont's earnings rise.(Newmont Mining Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) reported net income of $21.5 million, or 11 cents per share, for the third quarter. That compares with a loss of $36.5 million, or 19 cents per share, for the same time last year. The company...

News, Post circulations drop.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Circulations at both The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News have dropped in the first full reporting year since the pair entered into a joint operating agreement earlier this year. Daily circulation for the Post for March-September last...

CSG enjoys record quarter.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Englewood-based CSG Systems International Inc. (Nasdaq: CSGS) reported a record amount of revenues in the third quarter -- $124.3 million. That's up from $102 million reported the same time last year. The firm reported net income of $296...

On Command gets contract.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... On Command Corp., a Denver-based company that provides movies, interactive entertainment and other video services to hotel rooms, signed a seven-year contract extension for 19 Marriott hotels and a new seven-year contract for a Courtyard by...

Ball Corp. sees earnings fall.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Ball Corp., a Broomfield-based mal maker of food and beverage packaging, reported its third-quarter earnings declined, but the company expects strong earnings growth in 2002 due to new efficiencies in inventory management. The company's...

New phone books are here.(from Qwest Communications International Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... More than 2.2 million Qwest Dex white and yellow pages hit doorsteps through out the Denver area. One of the changes to yellow phone directories include color-coded pages to reference frequently used sections. The books also include...

Ocean Journey slices Staff.(aquarium in Denver announces layoffs)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Colorado's Ocean Journey will lay off 12 management and staff positions in the face of mounting financial difficulties at the Denver aquarium. The cutbacks will save $700,000 a year, aquarium officials said. In addition, Judy Peterson...

Boston Market expands.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Golden-based Boston Market Corp. is teaming with McDonald's Restaurants of Canada to open three Boston Market restaurants in Toronto. The three restaurants will open in the fall of next year and serve as a test market for Boston Market in...

Crown Media cuts jobs.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Greenwood Village-based Crown Media Holdings Inc. will eliminate 15 percent of its work force -- or about 60 jobs -- as part of a consolidation effort. Most of the cuts will come from the company's marketing and finance operations...

Anthem joins NYSE.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Anthem Inc. began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ATH. The company, which operates in Colorado as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, announced it would offer 48 million shares of common stock at $36 per share. The...

Developer changes name.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Stroh Ranch Development LLC, which is overseeing the development of 3,000 acres near Parker, is changing its name to AscentPointe Development LLC. The new firm announced its new management, including Gary Hunter as president. Its...

AMR-Centura sign $5M deal.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... American Medical Response (AMR) and Centura Health have signed a multiyear contract worth $5 million. Aurora-based AMR will provide urgent and non-emergency advanced life support, basic life support, wheelchair and stretcher car services...

Long-term wireless contracts irk customers.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... A friend of mine recently lost his cell phone and set out to replace it. It seemed like a simple task, but his wireless phone provider seemed dead-set against it. He was happy with the service he had for more than a year and just wanted...

Survey: 66 percent say federal taxes too high.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Approximately two-thirds of Colorado residents believe federal taxes are unfair and too high, according to a survey released last week by local pollster Floyd Ciruli of Ciruli Associates. Conversely, about one-third of Coloradans believe state...

Doctors increase use of electronic records.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Doctors are using electronic medical records more, according to a recent survey by the Medical Group Management Association's Center for Research and Pfizer Health Solutions Inc. Nearly 22 percent of the 593 medical practices surveyed use...

Coloradans sicker.(based on 17 parameters)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... The nation is sicker than it was a year ago and so is Colorado, according to a recently released public health survey. A review of health indicators in all states showed a 3.3 percent decline in scores. The report blames an increase in the...

Staffing offices open.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... A Florida medical staffing company has opened two offices in the Denver area, targeting local hospitals that need various types of employees. Boca Raton-based Medical Staffing Network Inc. is the largest per diem medical staffing company...

Riley joins Policy Studies.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Pat Riley has joined the health division of Policy Studies Inc. in Denver as a public affairs and marketing consultant. Riley was previously the director of public affairs and marketing for HealthOne and held similar positions at Centura Health...

Athletic club reopens.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Displaced by T-Rex, the Colorado Athletic Club recently opened its new $8 million facility at 5555. DTC Parkway. The 40,000-square-foot location is three blocks south of the old club and able to serve 20 percent more members. New to the...

Acme Brick Co. acquires competition in Colorado.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The country's largest brick manufacturer, Acme Brick Co., has purchased Colorado's second-largest brick producer, Denver Brick Co., which had been owned by the same family since its founding in 1899. Representatives from both companies...

Lockheed Martin official: contract will help Denver.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... A $200 billion contract with the Pentagon will have a positive effect on Lockheed Martin Corp.'s operations in the Denver area, says Grover Hall, Lockheed's vice president of technical operations for space systems. The Pentagon awarded its...

MARKET WATCH.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... MARKET WATCH ABOUT OUR STOCK TABLES Each week, The Denver Business Journal ranks the performance of all publicly traded companies in Colorado that have a market capitalization equal to or greater than $10 million. All data is...

MUTUAL FUNDS.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... MUTUAL FUNDS Our exclusive weekly report ranks some of Colorado's top-performing mutual funds by year-to-date percent return. For the Seven-day period ended Oct. 30, 2001. Colorado Sector Funds ...

Energy program getting much-needed help.(Colorado Energy Assistance Foundation gets grant from Boettcher Foundation)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... CEAF was slowed in its mission last winter by lack of computers, equipment The Boettcher Foundation is well known for supporting bricks-and-mortar projects, but is now offering its help getting basic office equipment in place to help...

Firm sets sights on evolving e-mail, voice mail.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Evolving Systems Inc. has developed an application that could potentially change the way people receive voice mail and e-mail. But first, the Englewood-based software developer must get wireless carriers to notice the technology at a time...

Xcel, five utilities join to connect networks.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Responding to federal efforts to open the nation's big electric transmission lines to competition, Xcel Energy Inc. and five other utility companies hope to create a new, independent company to operate nearly 30,000 miles of lines serving 6.9...

Economists favor cut for payroll tax.(to stimulate economy)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... A panel of financial industry economists gave poor reviews to the economic stimulus package passed by the House. "It actually doesn't have much stimulus to it," says Richard Berner, senior U.S. economist for Morgan Stanley. Berner and...

Xcel Energy sharpens its scrap metal policy.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Small pieces of scrap electrical cable look like trash, but when $82,000 worth of copper cable "disappeared" in just one month and the five-month theft total of $160,000 included a 3,500-foot spool of new cable, Xcel Energy Inc. decided enough...

Largest Colorado Health-Maintenance Organizations.(Directory)
November 2, 2001... Largest Colorado Health-Maintenance Organizations (Ranked by number of enrollees statewide) Rank -- No. of Last enrollees year's...

Largest Colorado Preferred-Provider Organizations.(Directory)
November 2, 2001... Largest Colorado Preferred-Provider Organizations (Ranked by number of enrollees statewide) Rank -- No. of Last enrollees Year's...

Campaign aims to save Colorado's 'great spaces'.(Nature Conservancy launches fund-raising campaign)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The founder of the Discovery Channel is taking the lead in an effort to save Colorado's last great natural spaces. John Hendricks, CEO and chair of Maryland-based Discovery Communications, and his wife, Maureen Hendricks, are the flagship...

Some tech companies turning clients away.(if they are not profitable)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... It's hard to believe that any business would actively attempt to unload clients during an economic downturn. However, many software, professional services and hosting companies are doing just that, in the managed service pieces of their...

Colorado faring better than rest of nation.(economically speaking)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Economies of Denver and Fort Collins are among the strongest of any U.S. metro areas Colorado -- particularly Denver and Fort Collins -- is doing better than most parts of America, economically speaking. Colorado is one of only five...

Applying for help.(Small Business Administration might offer help to businesses affected by September 11 attacks and their aftermath)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Local businesses consider SBA disaster loans Small businesses reeling from the fallout of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are beginning to find disaster loan applications from the Small Business Administration in their mailboxes. Since...

Firms coordinate sales and marketing efforts.(consulting firms work together on sales and marketing training)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... As rivalries go, the tenuous relationship between sales teams and marketing departments is one that is just as heated as the historic battle between Coke and Pepsi. While that battle is fought between competitors, the contest between sales...

Ex-AOL exec brings message to Denver.(Mary Foley, America Online Inc.'s first corporate training manager)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The first America Online Inc. insider to write a book about the company's meteoric rise to fame is coming to Denver in early November. Mary Foley, AOL's first corporate training manager -- who retired a multimillionaire at the ripe old age...

D&K Printing gets new owner after 37 years.(D and K Printing Inc., new owner Gary Bennett)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... D&K Printing, a commercial printer in Boulder, is under the new ownership of Gary Bennett, a longtime employee of the 37-year-old company. The Kinkead family finalized the sale to Bennett in October, saying that they would rather sell to a...

Firms offer crisis help.(Quo Vadis Inc., Kennedy Group join for services)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Security consulting firm Quo Vadis International and The Kennedy Group, a public relations agency with expertise in crisis communications, have joined forces to provide a comprehensive suite of security and crisis-planning services to industry...

Wooing skiers nationwide.(Barnhart/CMI Inc. receives contract from Colorado Ski Country USA, Red Hawk Industries)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Barnhart/CMI Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations was chosen to handle marketing and advertising efforts for Colorado Ski Country USA and Red Hawk Industries. Colorado Ski Country USA, a nonprofit trade association, retained the...

Greyspace adds clients.(Greyspace Studio, Turnkey Solutions Inc., Raindance Communications Inc., PhosphoSolutions, International Tourism Marketing)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Greyspace Studio, a Denver-based design and marketing consulting agency, increased its client roster with the signing of four new clients: PhosphoSolutions of Aurora, Turnkey Solutions of Denver, Raindance of Louisville and International...

Exabyte signs with IBM.(Exabyte Corp., IBM, IBM Global Services sign contract)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Exabyte Corp., a Boulder-based manufacturer of high-performance tape drives and tape libraries, has signed with IBM to provide proof-of-concept testing and installation services in Storage Area Networks (SAN) environments. Proof-of-concept...

NeoForte picks firm.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Strategic Advantage Communications of Denver was retained by Neo-Forte to provide public relations and marketing services. NeoForte, also a Denver company, offers clients technical support for business applications.

CTI's Technology Fair expects sell-out crowd.
November 2, 2001... The Colorado Technology Incubator (formerly the Boulder Technology Incubator) will hold its Fall Conference & Technology Fair on Nov. 14 at the Qwest Advanced Technology Building, 4001 Discovery Drive, in Boulder. The annual event...

Keep research skills sharp.
November 2, 2001... The Colorado Chapter of the American Marketing Association will hold a marketing research seminar on "Keeping Your Skills Sharp: Tools for the 21st Century Researcher" Nov. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Hilton Denver...

Holiday Market planned.
November 2, 2001... The Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce will hold its first-ever Holiday Market from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Marble Empire, 2025 Welton St. in Denver. Holiday gifts suitable for everyone from clients to family will be for sale, and...

Awards.
November 2, 2001... The National Trust for Historic Preservation presented Recreation Equipment Inc. (REI) its 2001 National Preservation Honor Award for restoring the 1901 Denver Tramway Building. Once the power plant for Denver's trolley system, then a...

Openings.(Champ Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Champ Systems Inc., which develops business management software, opened an office in Denver. It is located on the 11th floor of the Corporate Center II building at 7900 E. Union Ave. Delores Thompson, who has more than 20 years of accounting...

Small biz remains tough despite slowdown.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Small-business attitudes darkened after the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, yet owners continue to show considerable resiliency, the quarterly Small Business InSight survey shows. Owners are clearly showing less confidence in economic...

Travelers should heed government warnings.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Safety is a primary concern among today's travelers. Do you know if you should be especially cautious at your next foreign destination? The U.S. government is diligent about issuing cautions and warnings about potential threats to...

Documentation critical in family leave requests.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... One of the most common scenarios that employers confront when trying to administer the Family Medical Leave Act is an employee's failure to provide medical certification of the need. Frequently, employees will provide one doctor's note....

Is your organization prepared for a crisis?(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... If regular, run-of-the-mill ways for your business to stub its toe weren't reason enough, there is a new urgency now to think about how your organization would respond in a crisis situation. What we're witnessing now is a national master...

NEWSMAKERS.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Architecture and design HNTB Architects Engineers hired Shu-I Hsu as a landscape architect. She is working on the Denver Public Schools site designs project and the T-REX Southeast Corridor Light Rail Stations. She has a degree in business...

Isuzu Axiom breaks the SUV paradigm.(sport-utility vehicles)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
November 2, 2001... It's not as if the world needs another sport utility vehicle. And it's not like Isuzu doesn't make a bunch already -- the company also makes the Trooper and Rodeo. But none looks like the new Isuzu Axiom, which was introduced this spring. ...

'Dinner' serves audiences an emotional feast.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Being married or divorced may be a requisite to get the full meaning out of "Dinner with Friends," a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that explores the evolution of marriage and love through the friendship of two couples. The Denver Center...

Movies blur the line between realty and reality.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Location, location, location." "Put, that coffee down. Coffee is for closers." "A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing." "We're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. First prize...

SBA lenders blame high fees for drop in loans.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The dollar volume of loans issued through the Small Business Administration's flagship 7(a) loan program fell 6 percent in fiscal 2001, but SBA lenders do not blame the weakening economy for the decline. Instead, they say high fees make...

Downtown Denver Partnership sponsors workshop.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Looking to head off a downtown retail downturn, the Downtown Denver Partnership Inc. will sponsor a one-day workshop on Nov. 14 focusing on attracting new tenants and keeping existing retailers in business. "We want to educate people about...

Medical lab training program makes recovery.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... In July, hospitals were nervous that a much-needed training program for medical lab technicians would close due to low enrollment. Just a month later, puffing a class online boosted enrollment 300 percent. There are 25 students instead of...

Bad timing is everything.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The day after Pennsylvania-based Hershey announced it was shuttering Wheat Ridge's Jolly Rancher plant and idling 240 workers, the Golden Pioneer Museum put out this news release: "The Golden Pioneer Museum is proud to present 'The Pot of...

Studying monorail worthy investment.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Fifty-million dollars is a lot of money to spend on an experiment. And, in uncertain times, it is reasonable to question that amount of money going toward an untested idea. Conservatives argue that individual taxpayers are better equipped...

It's time to tell the truth.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... The truth hurts sometimes, and lately, it's hurting a lot. But I sure hope that one of the things that can emerge from this new world we face is some maturity about hard facts, about the truth and what it means. About honesty in our...

Give I-70 monorail a chance.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Living in a democracy offers us so many choices that it's often difficult To recognize an idea whose time has come. The high-speed monorail is this kind of idea. Its time has come. In fact, it can easily change the course of this state's...

LETTERS.
November 2, 2001... PUC order may spur telecom competition In light of your article on the competitive telecommunications environment in Colorado. ("Critic: Colo tough for telecom' Sept. 28-Oct. 4), I wanted to take this opportunity to alert you to a recent...

Innovation shines brightly in Colorado.
November 2, 2001... For eight years, it's always been amazing to witness the creativity exhibited by Coloradans when it comes to the entries received for The Denver Business Journal's Most Innovative New Products special section and breakfast awards event. ...

Vox Proxy adds to presentations.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Board meetings can be so dull. A boring PowerPoint presentation can put an audience to sleep. But suppose you introduce talking characters to the presentation? Golden's Right Seat Software Inc. created Vox Proxy software that allows the...