Denver Business Journal articles from October 2000

Denver Business Journal archives from October 2000

Banks suffer from shortage of tellers.
October 6, 2000... Colorado's tight labor market is hitting banks especially hard on the teller line. Bank customers often handle financial transactions elecronically, via computers and automated-teller machines, but they also still like to go to a person...

Lifting the lid on Area 51.
October 6, 2000... Golden-based. startup Pixxures Inc. leveraging alien mystique and close ties to the former Soviet Union to help bolster its presence on the Web and attract new customers to its mapping capabilities. The producer of high-resolution aerial...

Impact of arts at $844M.
October 6, 2000... Figure climbs 31% from survey in J997 Denver's scientific and cultural organizations are flourishing at an unprecedented rate, simultaneously fattening the state's pocket book and elevating the quality of life for its residents, according...

FDIC issues warning on area overbuilding.
October 6, 2000... Commercial lenders don't seem too worried Concern about future overbuilding of commercial real estate in the Denver area, and its possible negative effect on banks, is something to pay attention to, according to local lenders. But...

Thinning of the ranks at troubled ICG.
October 6, 2000... Arapahoe County-based ICG Communications Inc. is apparently laying off 10 percent of its work force, or about 300 employees, adding to a long series of bad breaks for the telecommunications company. ICG Communications offered no comment on...

And you thought P-o-t-a-t-o was tough!
October 6, 2000... News release from George W. Bush's Colorado campaign headquarters: "GOP to Watch Presedential Debate" Sean Murphy, Colorado GOP executive director said, "When Coloradans hear about George W. Bush's vision for America, we are confident...

Finger in many pies.
October 6, 2000... Boulder Concepts runs local eateries From Spanky's to Wazoo's to the Giggling Grizzly and now the Denver Buffalo Co., the Boulder Concepts Restaurant Group and its clients are serving up what Denver diners want. While the company...

State devours 303, 720 area codes.
October 6, 2000... The Colorado Public Utilities Commission chose Washington D.C.-based NeuStar Inc. last week to be the phone number administrator in its battle to slow the state's consumption of phone numbers in the 303 and 720 area codes. Colorado added...

But who cleans up?
October 6, 2000... The Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners Association (PCUCA) of the Rocky Mountain Region will hold their 24th annual convention in Denver Oct. 13-14. Attention downtown hotels: Make sure there are no stains in their rooms.

Now we have the record.
October 6, 2000... Councilwoman Debbie Ortega warned the Denver Broncos prior to last Sunday's Broncos-Patriots game to "protect public safety" by alerting people to the dangers of hearing loss by being in Mile High Stadium during the attempt to break the...

Didn't they just do that?
October 6, 2000... That's not a new form of graffiti on 17th Street, it's a blueprint for traffic headaches. The multi-colored spray paint up and down Denver's financial corridor is locating utility lines for yet another upgrading. It comes on the heels...

Biohybrid receives $2M federal grant.
October 6, 2000... Denver company accelerates R&D efforts Denver-based Biohybrid Inc. received a $2 million grant from a federal agency to accelerate, research and clinical testing of its organ transplant drugs. The grant, awarded Oct. 4, is part of the...

Skandia moving to Denver.
October 6, 2000... American Skandia Life Assurance Corp., a large financial services company is establishing a presence in Denver. The Connecticut-based company offers mutual funds, annuities, life insurance and qualified plans. American Skandia, which...

Corrections and amplifications.
October 6, 2000... In the Sept. 29-Oct. 5 "Structures" special section, the photo of architect Steve Newman accompanying his submitted column was incorrect. Here is a correct photo of Steve Newman. In the Sept. 29-Oct. 5 corrections column, Daniel Brogan's...

SE project may send businesses packing.
October 6, 2000... The Southeast Corridor highway improvement project isn't slated to start for almost another year, but many in the real estate industry say it's starting to affect decisions that businesses are making now. The project, which will include...

Another telecom firm to call Denver home.
October 6, 2000... Expanets will relocate its headquarters to Denver. The move from Berkley Heights, N.J., to the Meridian Office Park is expected to take place in December. The company designs technology used by voice mail systems and call centers, among...

Lawsuits filed against ICG.
October 6, 2000... Three law firms have filed suit against ICG Communications Inc., an Englewood-based company that has suffered from a falling stock price and an exodus of its top executives recently All were filed in U.S. District Court in Denver and all...

Xcel Energy to sell debt.
October 6, 2000... Xcel Energy Inc., formerly Public Service Company of Colorado, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell $1 billion in debt securities. The S-3 registration allows the company to register the securities in advance and then...

Firstar buying Bancorp.
October 6, 2000... Firstar Corp. of Milwaukee is buying Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp in a stock swap worth $21 billion. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2001, creates the eighth-largest bank holding company in the country. The...

Delta buys stakes in wells.
October 6, 2000... Delta Petroleum Corp., an oil and gas company based in Denver, will buy a stake in wells in the southwestern United States. The seller is Saga Petroleum Corp., which will pocket $49.5 million in cash and stock from the deal. The 680...

Samsonite licenses name.
October 6, 2000... Denver-based Samsonite Corp., one of the better known names in the luggage industry, has licensed that name to two companies. Athalon Sportgear Inc. of New York will begin manufacturing a line of sports equipment, including bags for skis...

MEDtech says no thanks.
October 6, 2000... Boulder-based medical products company Colorado MEDtech Inc. has rejected a request by a suitor to address the company's board of directors. Anthony Fant, chairman and CEO of HET Inc., last month asked for a meeting with the board to make...

Bio firm now independent.
October 6, 2000... Denver Biomedical Inc. is now independent following a management-led buyout of the firm. Formerly known as Denver BioMaterials, Denver Biomedical makes shunts and catheters. The company previously was a, wholly owned subsidiary of...

Genomica Corp. prices IPO.
October 6, 2000... Boulder-based Genomica Corp. priced its initial public offering of 6,440,000 shares of common stock at $19 per share. All of the shares will be offered by Genomica.. Gross proceeds from the offering are expected to be $122.4 million. The...

Digitial libraries combined.
October 6, 2000... Pixxures Inc., based in Golden, has joined with Phoenix-based AirPhotoUSA LLC to create one of the largest digital libraries of earth imagery in the world. The two companies plan to combine the aerial photography and satellite imagery they...

AP agrees to 'Net feeds.
October 6, 2000... News gatherer The Associated Press has reached an agreement with a Denver company to send its audio feeds over the Internet. Denver-based WarpRadio.com will stream AP newscasts to its 350 affiliates.

Fake dairy magnate pulls con on farmers.
October 6, 2000... A man impersonating an heir to the Robinson Dairy fortune tried to purchase two farms in New Mexico, writing bad checks before disappearing with cash and trucks. The man, who called himself Jonathon Robinson from Denver, entered a contract...

Area telecom firms struggling to stay afloat.
October 6, 2000... In recent months the telecommunications industry has been looking like the Titanic after it hit the iceberg, and the telecom players are scrambling for the life rafts. Many Denver-area companies, such as ICG Communications, Jato...

FDIC report doesn't fret area experts.
October 6, 2000... Last week, reports pointed to a possible softening of Denver's real estate market. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. added Denver to its list of 13 cities on the verge of being overbuilt and the Homebuilder's Association of Metro Denver...

PacifiCare drops out of small-business plan.
October 6, 2000... A couple or weeks ago, PacifiCare of Colorado said it will pull out of the Cooperative for Health Insurance Purchasing program next year because it is hard to administer. That puzzles Tom Rockers, chief executive of the company that runs...

Nurse, quality issue studied.
October 6, 2000... Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Nursing will examine the influence of nurse staffing levels on the quality of patient care thanks to a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The research, led by Mary...

Nearly half of HMOs in red.
October 6, 2000... Although 47 percent -- or seven out of 15 -- of the state's HMOs reported a loss in 1999, it could be worse. Thirty-two states had a larger percentage of health plans in the red, according to a recent report from Weiss Ratings Inc. in Palm...

NFIB accuses EPA of 'betrayal' on Superfund.
October 6, 2000... The National Federation of Independent Business accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of "a total betrayal of small business" by opposing legislation to exempt companies with 100 or fewer employees from liability for garbage dumped at...

Campaign targets schools.
October 6, 2000... The U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers launched a new public service campaign to interest middle-school students in high-tech careers and encourage them to take the necessary math and science courses. ...

Disagreement over report.
October 6, 2000... The American Medical Association said the decline in the number of Americans without health insurance disproves the argument that HMO reform legislation would lead employers to drop health coverage. The Census Bureau annnounced that the...

High-tech lures Snell & Wilmer to Denver.
October 6, 2000... Oil and gas didn't draw Phoenix-based Snell & Wilmer LLP to Denver in the '80s, but like many other law firms, a booming economy fueled by growth in the technology industry has been too much for the firm to pass up. One of the largest law...

Offices offer concierge services as a perk.
October 6, 2000... When sales administrator Steffany Tucker learned that she had to plan a regional sales meeting with less than two weeks' notice, she picked up the phone and called concierge Lori Cavagnaro to help. Fortunately, Tucker's employer, Haliburton...

CU weighs institute for biotech industry.
October 6, 2000... Program intended to ease labor shortage University of Colorado administrators are proposing a new graduate program that would address a labor shortage in the biotechnology and health information technology industries in the state. The...

Boulder firm banks on interest in PBS shows.
October 6, 2000... Boulder-based Digital Directions International, Inc. is bringing some public television favorites from the small screen to computer screens with a Web site that offers interactive learning channels. Viewers of Rocky Mountain PBS can click...

Owens reveals ideas for growth legislation.
October 6, 2000... Gov. Bill Owens has spoken out against Amendment 24, "The Citizen Management of Growth" amendment and pledged to work with the Legislature to pass growth-related measures in 2000, a feat that could not be accomplished in 1999. But if...

SEC rules ease the way for execs to trade stocks.
October 6, 2000... The Securities and Exchange Commission's new of rules about insider trading not only clarify existing law, but also provide something of a loophole for insider trading. They open the way for freer trading of stock by a public company's own...

Small businesses too often get wrong answers from IRS site.
October 6, 2000... A recent study found the Internal Revenue Service's Electronic Tax Law Assistance system provides more accurate information than commercial Web sites. But the fact that small-business taxpayers got correct answers 54 percent of the time...

Prison PC program target of investigation.
October 6, 2000... The General Services Administration is conducting a criminal investigation of Federal Prison Industries, a government corporation established in 1934 to provide job training and employment for inmates. FPI's sales of surplus government...

THE GRAPES OF BALISTRERI.
October 6, 2000... Family business starts vineyard and winery in Adams County Amid the warehouses, industrial parks and truck-laden roadways, of the north metro area is a scene you'd more likely expect to find on a rolling hillside in the country: a vineyard...

Bill aims to revive estate-tax relief.
October 6, 2000... A group of House Democrats is trying to bring estate tax relief back from the dead. Republican leaders gave up on the issue after the House failed to override President Clinton's veto of legislation that would phase out the estate tax over...

When do you need an IT pro?
October 6, 2000... Full-time computer help an expensive proposition Network, crashes,. Web pages that haven't been updated in months and no employees who understand the computer manual: It's a small-business person's worst nightmare. CVO Worldwide, an...

Lawyers to give briefing on affirmative action.
October 6, 2000... The National Employment Law Institute will present its 18th annual Affirmative Action Briefing to explain regulatory and policy changes, how to develop affirmative action programs, how to prepare for the upcoming Equal Opportunity Survey and...

Health-care programs set.
October 6, 2000... Denise Thornton, community relations director for Balfour Retirement Community of Louisville, will present a series of sales and marketing certification programs on behalf of the Assisted Living Federation of America's Colorado chapter on Oct....

Tips on keeping employees.
October 6, 2000... Peggy Simonsen, managing vice president for talent management of Right Management Consultants, will present a free program on "Where Has All the Talent Gone?" from noon until 2 p.m. Oct. 26. The session, which will be held at the Denver...

Howe's law firm honored.
October 6, 2000... The law firm of Edwin A. Howe, P.C., was named in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers by the Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory, which recognizes distinguished attorneys and law firms worldwide. Howe's Cherry Creek office was cited in...

OZ Architecture.
October 6, 2000... OZ Architecture was named the "Firm of the Year 2000" by the. American Institute of Architects' Western Mountain Region Chapter. The award recognizes one firm in the six-state region for outstanding architectural design and contribution to the...

Amica Mutual Insurance Co.
October 6, 2000... Amica Mutual Insurance Co. earned the highest ranking in J.D. Power and Associates' inaugural National Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study. Scoring 909 out of 1,000, Amica was noted for excellence in service, billing and handling claims....

George Gilbert.
October 6, 2000... George Gilbert, president of EDC Moving Systems, was presented with the Heritage Award at the Southwest Movers Association conference for his outstanding contributions to the moving industry and to the association. EDC Moving, founded almost 25...

Colorado Chiropractic Association.
October 6, 2000... The Colorado Chiropractic Association honored the following with awards for the year 2000 at its 66th annual state convention: * Chiropractor of the Year -- Robert C. Nelson, whose practice is in Lakewood. * Young Chiropractor of the...

Arioso.
October 6, 2000... Arioso, a Denver-based application service provider that connects employers, group insurance carriers and brokers through the Internet, formed an alliance with Paymaxx, which processes payrolls, administers 401(k) accounts and handles tax...

Fees for your 401(k) plan may be taking huge cut.
October 6, 2000... Employers may be able to eliminate some costs Did you know that a I percent difference in 401(k) plan fees and expenses could reduce earnings by 28 percent? Take a recent example from the Department of Labor. An employee with 35 years...

Drop-off sites needed for Toys For Tots drive.
October 6, 2000... The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve is gearing up for its annual Toys For Tots program this holiday season and is seeking businesses that are willing to serve as drop-off locations. The program, founded on the premise that "Every child deserves a...

Pink Tie Affair is Nov. 4.
October 6, 2000... The Pink Tie Affair, an annual dinner, dance and fund-raiser of the Denver affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, is scheduled for Nov. 4 at the Westin Tabor Center. The event attracts guests from throughout the country...

Accelerators vs. incubators.
October 6, 2000... The Rockies Venture Club will explore the virtual explosion of "accelerators" and how they differ from incubators at a dinner meeting Oct. 10. The program will begin with registration at 5:15 p.m. with the dinner and panel discussion starting...

Fall lectures scheduled.
October 6, 2000... The Colorado Layers for the Arts has scheduled its Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series for the fall, as follows. The lectures will be held from noon 1 p.m. at the Art Students League, 200 Grant St., Denver. * Oct. 10 -- Marketing Your...

Tasty fund-raisers planned.
October 6, 2000... Two evenings of gourmet tastings to raise money for the March of Dimes are scheduled in October, each with 16 participating restaurants. On Oct. 10 from 6:30-10:30 p.m., the March of Dimes Star Chefs of Boulder will host a tasting event at...

Award nominees sought.
October 6, 2000... The Colorado Business Committee for the Arts is now accepting nominations for its 14th annual Business in the Arts Awards and its Leadership Award. The awards, sponsored by KMPG LLP, are presented each year to salute businesses that have...

Shopping for Life Oct. 21.
October 6, 2000... Forty-one stores in Cherry Creek North will donate 5 percent of their sales made on Oct. 21 to Project Angel Heart as part of the second annual Shopping for Life event. Project Angel Heart is a nonprofit organization that provides hot,...

NEWSMAKERS.
October 6, 2000... Accounting Hein + Associates promoted Larry D. Unruh, CPA, to partner-in-charge of its Denver office. Unruh has 28 years of experience consulting for mergers and acquisitions, compensation planning, tax and financial structuring for...

Buddy Holly returns -- bluegrass style.
October 6, 2000... Feb. 3, 1959, may well be the day the music died, as some have said. Fortunately, even after Buddy Holly's death in a plane crash that night, his music lives on. And now Buddy's music is reborn. A Denver band, Runaway Express, has...

Von Trier's latest isn't your Mom's musical.
October 6, 2000... I used to dream that I was in a musical, because in a musical nothing dreadful ever happens," says Selma, the main character in Danish director Lars von Trier's new film, "Dancer in the Dark." The film polarized nearly everyone at the...

SLK320: Drive this one just for the fun of it.
October 6, 2000... The Mercedes-Benz SLK230, introduced in 1997, was a fun little roadster to drive up to the mountains or around town, but its practicality was in question. With the top down, there wasn't much room in the trunk for anything large such as a piece...

Q&A on airline seating; what to see in Seattle.
October 6, 2000... Q: Why can't I always get my preferred airline seating? A: Airlines overbook most flights by 20 percent or more because they know at least that many travelers will not show up on any given flight. They keep records and know which flights...

DIA is the biggest draw city has to lure business.
October 6, 2000... Early next year, Denver will mark the fifth anniversary of the opening of Denver International Airport. Over budget and opened a year later than expected, DIA's early years were plagued with baggage system problems, parking woes and runway...

Cutting through the drivel.
October 6, 2000... In our wacky dot-com Web economy, fortunes are made and lost at the speed of e-mail. Pick, at random, 10 stocks from the NASDAQ and I'll bet two-thirds are trading at or near their historic lows. Companies that only a few months ago seemed...

Say no to medical marijuana.
October 6, 2000... There is no adequate scientific basis for approving the use of for medical purposes, as defined in Amendment 20, and the Denver Medical Society opposes its passage. The lack of data to justify medical use is the primary reason for our...

LETTERS.
October 6, 2000... Amendment 21 wrong answer for Colo. I applaud the Denver Business Journal for providing the space for frequent and thoughtful articles about Amendment 21. Your paper has done a great job of exposing the potentially disastrous consequences...

Need a tummy tuck? Buy it on the Internet.
October 6, 2000... Doctors say patients who bid for surgical services online could be walking onto a medical minefield. In the past year, dozens of Internet sites offering name-your-own-price bidding for surgery have sprung up across the country. Buying...

Fast 50 in Colorado.
October 6, 2000... Converging Technologies exemplify Fast 50 The Year of Convergence Converging technologies exemplify Fast 50 If there's anything that typifies this year's Colorado. Technology Fast 50 winners, aside from their stunning average...

CBCA Executive Summary.
October 6, 2000... The Economic and Social Impact of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District Purpose and Goals Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA), an organization of businesses whose goal is to encourage business support for the...

DBJ STOCK REPORT.
October 6, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

DBJ FUNDWATCH.
October 6, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Largest Colorado Health-Maintenance Organizations.
October 6, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Largest Colorado Preferred-Provider Organizations.
October 6, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

City's first minibond issue pays off.
October 13, 2000... The city and county of Denver's first issue of minibonds matured this week to generally good reviews. The minibonds were sold in November 1990 to fund $300 million in improvements OK'd by Denver voters in the late 1980s. The sale mostly...

Demand puts industry in bind.
October 13, 2000... The tiny strips of yellow paper on Jeff Salen's wall seem to multiply almost daily. Each paper scrap is a request -- in some cases a plea -- for Salen to send a drilling rig out to open a new natural gas well in the Denver-Julesburg Basin,...

Million-dollar home market: Reaching right people is key.
October 13, 2000... F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that "the rich are different from you and me." And when it comes to buying a home, the difference shows up in giving away homemade cookies at the open house vs. giving away a Bentley and a Hummer. The metro...

What life is like for men in the fields.
October 13, 2000... In summer the work is hot and dusty. Winter brings snow, frozen mud and bitter cold. And whatever season, life on a drilling rig is 24 hours of non-stop hard, dirty labor for $14 to $20 an hour. Typically, rig workers -- who call...

CU Hospital seeing black and red.
October 13, 2000... Investments pay off but operating income is down $19M Gov. George Bush and Vice President Al Gore want to protect the future solvency of Medicare, and the American Hospital Association has television ads about restoring the program's...