ColoradoBiz

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Walking the talk in Highlands Ranch.(READERS [respond])(Letter to the editor)
Being a resident in the eastern hall of Highlands Ranch, I am pretty offended by your article ("A lovely walk," Jeff Rundles, July)--lumping the city into a far-flung development and (saying) we cou . . .

No space for the inconsiderate.(READERS [respond])(Letter to the editor)
As a 40-year advocate of the rights for individuals who are disabled and/or handicapped I can appreciate your experiences ("Handicapped parking spaces," Pat Wiesner, July). My 89-year-old mother h . . .

Being the best in uncertain times.(COTE'S [colorado])
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy--Martin Luther King Jr. A former co-worker gav . . .

If you are working you are probably running: everyone admits that attitude is most important. Well it is!([on] MANAGEMENT)
Being retired now, I often sit on my front porch on these summer mornings and enjoy my coffee. We live in a cluster of what they call "patio homes," and the street is often a short hike from the doo . . .

What's the most important industry in Colorado?([the] ECONOMIST)
Half a dozen different industries claim to be the most important to the Colorado economy--manufacturing, energy, tourism, agriculture, financial services, real estate, to name a few. Although some c . . .

Bank of Washington open for business for clean tech companies.([ENERGY])
In February, when President Barack Obama signed a stimulus bill containing $42 billion for renewable energy and clean tech projects, the promise of thousands of new green collar jobs appeared to be . . .

Nonprofit fund helps couple launch third business.([FINANCE])
It was a good idea from good business-people, but it came in a bad economy. James and Tina Pachorek were well on their way to opening the second location of their Cheeky Monk Belgium Beer Cafe. Then . . .

Fight for Green River water continues.([NATURAL RESOURCES])
Frank Jaeger was in Wyoming in June trying to sell a plan to bring water to Colorado. He was short on specifics, but the general idea is to draw water from the Green River across the Continental Div . . .

Coloradobiz.([Real Estate Roundup])(Statistical table)
[GRAPHIC OMITTED] SINGLE-FAMILY UNITS SOLD MAY 2008 VS. MAY 2009 COLORADO 2008 2009 PERCENT CHANGE 2008 LOCATION UNITS UNITS MEDIAN . . .

Senior housing loses steam to recession: while some major projects have opened, others have stalled due to the financing crunch
Senior citizen developments take place at the intersection of two truisms: "demography is destiny," and "location, location, location." Unfortunately, the economic meltdown has made mock of these . . .

Ranjana Clark: Western Union vice president's Indian heritage prepared her for working with immigrant populations.(EXECUTIVE EDG
Growing up in India, Ranjana Clark understood what it meant to be an immigrant. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After the British divided the country in 1947, Clark's father, a native of Bangladesh, beca . . .

Best companies to work for in Colorado '09.([COVER STORY])
LARGE COMPANIES (250 employees or more) 1. Pinnacol Assurance 2. Edward Jones 3. Omni Interlocken Resort 4. PricewaterhouseCoopers 5. Alpine Bank 6. Cheyenne Mountain Resort 7. Quest D . . .

A model for health-care reform: opting out.
"Concierge" medical practices could help change the face of primary care as physicians establish closer relationships with their patients--and distance themselves from insurance [ILLUSTRATION OMIT . . .

Back to school: sluggish economy prompts renewed interest in higher education as unemployed workers retool their careers and pro
As unemployment rates go up, so does the number of inquiries to college admissions offices. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Higher education is countercyclical to the rest of the . . .

Retirees, upstarts matched at business fair.(SMALL [biz])(Ball Corp.)(Editorial)
Bill Boothby has been retired for seven years from a career that included starting two businesses--one in the 1970s and one in the 1990s--that he built up and sold. In between, he served as director . . .

Tech startup of the month: company OPX Biotechnologies Inc.([small biz])
INITIAL LIGHT BULB: While earning his Ph.D. in chemical and biological engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder from 2000 to 2005, Michael Lynch developed a better way to engineer mi . . .

Colorado cool stuff.([small biz])
JOKA VODKA After a career in real estate development, native New Yorker Joe Nedlin relocated to Aspen in 2004 and wanted to create a self-sustaining business that would give its profits to America . . .

Price, value and baseball.(SPORTS [biz])(Colorado Rockies against Pittsburgh Pirates)(Column)
On the evening of Saturday, June 20, Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton stepped up to home plate in the ninth inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, preparing to face reliever Jess . . .

A healthy alternative.(RUNDLES [wrap-up])
With all the talk of health-care reform going on these days, and the scary situation that most of this talk is going on in the United States Congress--where members seem more adept at being against . . .

No quota in ADA and Amendments.(READERS [respond])(Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008)(Brief article)
In response to Theodore A. Olsen's guest column regarding the ADA Amendments Act ("Redefining Disability," April), we at the DBTAC Rocky Mountain ADA Center offer the following points as pulled dire . . .

Coyotes need not be ugly.(READERS respond)(Brief article)
A big thank you for saying something positive about coyotes! ("Redemption for Wile E. Coyote," Mike Taylor, June). There is so much negativity in the press about coyotes, your article was a breath . . .

Corrections.(READERS respond)(Correction notice)
Hallador Petroleum Co. was OMITTED from the Top 100 Public Companies ranking in the June issue. The Denver-based company should have ranked 59th with revenues of $72.5 million last year. The headq . . .

Website helps Hispanic entrepreneurs navigate the business world: coming soon: sites for black and Asian businesses.(COTE'S colo
Back when Salvador Gomez was the first national director of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Denver businessman wanted to create an information database for small businesses that needed en . . .

Handicapped parking spaces: why shouldn't I be able to use them?([on] MANAGEMENT)
I have a confession to make. I'm always the guy giving my opinion and advice like I know it all. And I'm not so sure you should really be paying attention to me. It has been an absolute revelation t . . .

Are you tapping the Asian market?(GUEST [column])
By 2010, India will surpass Japan in purchasing power, according to a recent Morgan Stanley research report. By 2020, China will surpass the U.S. in purchasing power. And, most startling, by 2041, C . . .

The law of unintended consequences.([the] ECONOMIST)
Back when I took college physics, I learned Newton's Third Law of Motion: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I'm not sure that holds in economics. In fact, a better statement may be: M . . .

Minority conferences are moving from coasts to Denver.(TOURISM)(Conference news)
When more than 50,000 people attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver last August, the Mile High City was able to showcase its full potential as a conference destination. [ILLUSTRATIO . . .

[By the numbers] minority business.(Hispanic Chamber of Commerce National )(Conference news)(Brief article)
2,100 - Membership in the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which will play host this year to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce National Convention and Expo, expected to draw as many as 5,000 . . .

On the record.(Quotation)
YOU TALK TO ALL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS LEADERS, AND THEY'RE ALL OPTIMISTS. THEY BELIEVE IF THEY WORK HARD ENOUGH, THEY'LL GET THINGS TO COME AROUND AND GO THEIR WAY. PUT THEM ALL IN ONE PLACE, AND THER . . .

Fat Tire on a roll in 25 states.(BREWING)
Fat Tire's tracks are stretching farther beyond Fort Collins than ever. Earlier this year, New Belgium Brewing began first-time distribution in five states - Georgia, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dak . . .

Boulder's Intrepid Travel named No. 1 place to work in U.S. by Outside magazine.(WORKPLACE)(Company rankings)
Even for a company designed to lead people "off the beaten track," Intrepid Travel's employment policies are a bit hard to come by in the work-a-day world. Four weeks of annual paid vacation, free . . .

Coloradobiz [real estate roundup].(Statistical table)
METRO DENVER TOTAL PROPERTIES SOLD 2008 VS. 2009 2008 2009 JAN -17.3% 2,987 2,469 FEB -17.2% 3,001 2,484 MAR -13.6% 3,709 3,206 APR -13.6% 4,265 3,390 MAY -22.2% 4,664 3, . . .

Holly: after the storm: two years after a tornado killed two people and destroyed or damaged more than 160 homes, the town angle
Holly, Colo., seems to be going through a long, uncanny bad spell. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Holly seemingly has always acted as a magnet for trouble, attracting some of the worst kinds of misfortu . . .

Colorado Sustainable Design Awards celebrate the state's best architecture: awards will recognize outstanding design in resident
ColoradoBiz wants to celebrate building design by recognizing projects statewide that exemplify social, environmental and economic sustainability. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The magazine is now acce . . .

Jeff Campos: Denver Hispanic chamber CEO leads state's second largest chamber.(EXECUTIVE EDGE)
Growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood on Chicago's Southside, most kids saw only three options for their future: work for the city, become a cop or fire-fighter, or end up getting into crime. " . . .

Under contract: minority businesses have found success securing work with the federal government, but it takes organization and
Billions of dollars in federal stimulus money for a dizzying array of projects must seem like manna from heaven to minority-owned businesses in Colorado laid low by the recession. And for some, that . . .

Ayuda Management repeats as top-growing firm.(TOP 50 minority-owned companies)
A year ago when Ayuda Management Corp. posted the best year-over-year growth of any firm in the ColoradoBiz Top 50 Minority-Owned Companies ranking, Ayuda founder Maria Vogt reacted to her firm's 97 . . .

Spirit in small batches: Denver's Leopold Bros, distills vodka, gin, whiskey and other liquors under 14 different labels.(VINE A
In 2002, brothers Scott and Todd Leopold launched an in-house distillery at their eponymous microbrewery in Ann Arbor, Mich.--making everything from vodka and gin to vermouth and triple sec--because . . .

Other Colorado distilleries: Colorado's micro-distillery industry growing statewide.(VINE Arts & Entertainment)
Leopold Bros. began distilling in 2002, making it the most wizened liquor-maker operating in the state--followed closely by Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey--but the micro-distillery movement is thrivin . . .

Top picks for A&E statewide: summer fun abounds, from circuses and film festivals to rodeos and music festivals.(BUTLER'S [choic
PERFORMING ARTS Cirque du Soleil: Kooza Cirque du Soleil brings its show to Denver, Aug. 20-Oct. 4, under a special "Grand Chapiteau" big top to be erected next to the Pepsi Center. Kooza tells . . .

Dial up savings: hidden assets abound in telephone system maintenance.
When was the last time anyone in your company took a close look at the phone system, its maintenance costs, and the value proposition of moving some or all of the company's employees to an Internet . . .

Backyard experiment has a business purpose.(SMALL [biz])
Credit - or blame - for the experiment taking shape behind my house goes to a guy named Manny Howard, a freelance writer who set out to subsist for a month on what he could grow himself in his Brook . . .

Company: TopSchool Inc.(TECH-STARTUP)
INITIAL LIGHT BULB: In 2006, an L.A.-based startup called TopSchool came across the radar of Matthew Schnittman and Justin McMorrow, two longtime employees of Denver-based e-learning provider eCol . . .

Derailed ink T-shirts.(COLORADO COOL STUFF)
Last fall, Rob Bell and John McCaskill saw their careers get, well, derailed. They also saw it as a great opportunity to start a business. "We were both unemployed and wanted to do something differe . . .

Blosm flavored whipped cream.(COLORADO COOL STUFF)
Inspiration struck Michael Markley in a restaurant several years ago. "I finished half my milkshake, but there was no more whipped cream. I told my wife, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we had little tiny c . . .

Mama's Little Yella Pils.(COLORADO COOL STUFF)
A play on words for something a Southern mother might take at the end of the day to calm her down, Oskar Blues Brewery defied its reputation for big and bold canned micro-beers with its new offering . . .

Hippie Dawg dog treats.(COLORADO COOL STUFF)
"I've always made homemade dog food and treats for my dogs," Susan Mountjoy says. "I don't like reading unpronounceable ingredients on the back of a box." She gave out a batch of her treats as gifts . . .

Track man.(SPORTS [biz])
Ron Schneider keeps a jet-black Porsche and a BMW M5 in a pristine garage behind his company's Englewood office, but it's his 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner, bathed in burgundy paint and looking every bit . . .

A lovely walk.(RUNDLES [wrap-up])
When I was a kid, I thought we were rich. We lived in a 2,500-square-foot Cape Cod, four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a full basement and a two-car garage, one of the nicest properties in a very nice neig . . .

VC is out there - if you've got the right stuff: active investors advise entrepreneurs at 21st Annual Colorado Capital Conferenc
The good news is venture capitalists are still funding Colorado startups. The bad news is VCs are taking far fewer risks. Entrepreneurs need to create business plans that require less money; they . . .