Business Digest April 12, 2013

Lafayette-based The Creative Alliance produced a “Report to the Aviation Community: An Investment in Aviation Safety” on behalf of its client Global Aerospace, an international provider of insurance and risk management service for the aviation industry. The report highlights Global Aerospace's cumulative financial investment of $1.5 million in aviation safety programs since 2010, and includes an infographic illustrating this safety program investment. Courtesy The Creative Alliance

OPENINGS

The Boulder-based University Corporation for Atmospheric Research has opened an office in Washington to pursue business-development opportunities with private-sector businesses and foundations that have an interest in atmospheric research. The new office, at 1201 New York Ave. NW, is co-located with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Michael Henry will oversee government relations in the office, and Ari Gerstman will join the office as director of business development.

Organizers of the Bolder Boulder 10-K running race opened a store April 1 at the Twenty Ninth Street retail district in Boulder. Registrations will be accepted and race gear will be on sale at the store, which is located at the top of the escalator and across from the movie theater at Twenty Ninth Street. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The 35th annual race will be held Memorial Day, May 27.

The Kitchen Coop in Broomfield is up and running with six small natural-food companies renting food manufacturing space and culinary equipment to produce their products. Clients include Jen's Zen LLC of Louisville, a chocolate sauce maker; Bella Gluten-Free LLC, a gluten-free baking mix company incorporated in Longmont; and Kolat Inc., the trade name of Kolat Superfood Fusions, a nut butter company registered in Denver, according to documents filed with the Colorado Secretary of State's office. The Coop is planning a grand opening May 1, to show off its commercial kitchens, the co-working office spaces and other amenities. Clients pay a monthly minimum rent of $1,000, and rent varies based on time, space used and which amenities in the kitchens are used. Located in a 22,000-square-foot office and warehouse building at 8835 W. 116th Circle, the Coop has five employees.

Picasso's Olive Oil Co. opened at 2055 Ken Pratt Blvd. in Longmont, offering extra-virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The store will feature daily tastings and will assist with recipes. Piccasso's also carries sea salt, gourmet mustards, hand made pastas, pestos, relishes and gourmet olives. Phone is 928-242-3708. Website is picassosoliveoil.com.


MOVES

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Longmont has moved from 1707 Main St., to 600 S. Airport Road, Suite J, in the Meadow View Shopping Center. The new office will continue to be managed by Kris Anderson, a longtime Colorado Realtor and branch manager for Coldwell Banker. To reach the office or Anderson, call 303-772-7478.


BRIEFS

Tensentric Inc. was approved to receive rebates of up to $40,000 in sales and use taxes and permit-related fees from the city of Boulder. Boulder-based Tensentric, founded in 2009 by Wade Lukianow and Jeff Gentry, designs and develops medical devices and life-science equipment for original equipment manufacturers. It recently purchased and remodeled a building at 2900 Center Green Court.

The Thomas Stix Guggenheim family has donated $2.25 million to the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder to establish a faculty position that will educate students on the core drivers of successful businesses. The classes offered will explore the factors that allow some firms to succeed while others fail. A global search has been launched to find a professor for the start of the fall semester in 2014.

The Firestone-based National Honey Board is looking for four new volunteer members: one "first handler" honey company representative, a person from a company that handles honey directly; one importer company representative; a marketing cooperative representative; and a honey-producer company representative. It also wants an alternate member for each seat, according to a press release. The all-volunteer board reviews marketing and research activities that benefit the honey industry. More information is online at www.honey.com.

The unemployment rates in Boulder and Broomfield counties slightly increased in February compared with January, while Colorado's jobless rate decreased one-tenth of one percentage point over the month to 7.2 percent, according to a labor report released by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The rate in Boulder County in February increased two-tenths of a percentage point to 5.7 percent compared with January's 5.5 percent. The rate was 6.6 percent rate in February a year ago, the report said. In Broomfield County, the rate increased three-tenths of a percentage point in February to 6.8 percent compared with January's 6.5 percent. The rate was 8.4 percent in February a year ago.

A study commissioned by Broomfield-based Webroot Software Inc., a web-security software company, revealed that eight in 10 companies suffer Web-borne attacks. The study found that a vast majority of organizations that allow employees to freely access the web are experiencing high rates of malware threats, including phishing attacks, spyware, keyloggers and hacked passwords. The major trends that are driving businesses and information technology today — mobility, social networking, BYOD (bring your own device) and cloud computing — also are making organizations more susceptible to security attacks, according to the report.

The Walgreens drug store at 2870 28th St. in Boulder will be among 22 in Colorado to have solar panels installed during the coming months. Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) hired Solar City (Nasdaq: SCTY) based in San Mateo, California, to install the systems. The systems cumulatively will reduce more than 47.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years, which is comparable to planting 25,711 trees, according to a Walgreens press statement.


EARNINGS

NeoMedia Technologies Inc., a pioneer in mobile barcode management solutions, reported a net loss of $19.4 million for its fiscal year 2012, while its revenue increased by approximately 3.4 percent from fiscal year 2011. Boulder-based NeoMedia (OTC BB: NEOM) reduced operating costs by 6.3 percent because of the continued adoption of its barcode scanning app, NeoReader, its barcode management platform, NeoSphere, and its new intellectual property licensees, the company said. On a cash basis, NeoMedia recorded $4.9 million in sales, a 61 percent growth rate compared with 2011. On an accrual basis, NeoMedia generated $2.3 million in revenue. On an accrual basis, revenue is recognized over the life of a deal; on a cash basis, it is recognized when the cash comes in.

Real Goods Solar Inc. reported a loss of $3.8 million for its fourth quarter and a loss of $47.2 million for its fiscal year that ended Dec. 31. Louisville-based Real Goods Solar (Nasdaq: RSOL) installs solar-energy systems for residential, commercial and utility customers, and is a subsidiary of Louisville-based Gaiam Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA). Revenue for the quarter declined to $26.8 million, compared with $40.2 million for the same period a year ago. Revenue for 2012 declined to $92.9 million compared with $109.2 million in 2011. Operating expenses were approximately $8.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with $9.5 million for the same period last year.


CONTRACTS

UQM Technologies Inc. will begin a two-year refurbishment program on the generators and motor controllers used in the Regional Transportation District's fleet of hybrid buses. Financial details of the contract were not released. These 30 hybrid buses have covered more than 1 million miles in daily service since 2004, according to Longmont-based UQM Technologies (NYSE: UQM). The buses use UQM's PowerPhase Select electric generators and controllers as part of the hybrid powertrain.

The federal General Services Administration has awarded Broomfield-based Level 3 Communications Inc. a multiyear competitive contract worth up to $285 million. The contract, called GSA Region 4 Integrated Telecommunications Services II, allows Level 3 (NYSE: LVLT) to bid on and provide communications services to all federal agencies and organizations authorized to use GSA sources of supply and services in the southeastern United States. The contract, which has an economic price adjustment built in, has a total estimated potential value of up to approximately $285 million, which includes the four-year base term with six additional option years. Level 3 was named as a provider in all four categories, including voice, data, converged services and other wired telecom services.

Longmont-based Dot Hill Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: HILL), a provider of SAN storage solutions, entered into an agreement with Mega Networks Pvt Ltd. in India, which will market Dot Hill's AssuredSAN Pro 5000 Series real-time tiering solution for mid-range environments. Dot Hill also signed distribution agreements with Synnex Corp. (NYSE: SNX) and CMS Distributionto distribute Dot Hill's products. Synnex will reach resellers and markets throughout the United States and Canada, and CSM will reach clients in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Boulder-based Campus Publishers added the University of North Dakota to its family of 40-plus Official University Visitor Guides. The Guide will reach 40,000 members of the UND community. Campus Publishers also publishes the University of Colorado and University of Northern Colorado Guides.

Boulder-based Catapult PR-IR, a public relations firm targeting technology companies, was retained by the nonprofit Agile Alliance as its agency of record for the seventh consecutive year. to provide public relations services and counsel. The Agile Alliance supports the advancement of Agile software development principles and practices.

Boulder-based advertising agency TDA_Boulder, was hired by French's, a division of Reckitt Benckiser, as design agency, handling package design, print and nontraditional efforts for both existing products, including French's Mustard, French's French Fried Onions and French's Worcestershire Sauce, and for a new product under development. Budget is undisclosed. First work, for French's Mustard, breaks in April.


MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Dallas-based Texas Industries Inc.'s shale and clay aggregates manufacturing business near Boulder was part of an exchange of subsidiaries with Dallas-based Trinity Industries Inc. The plant near Boulder, renamed Trinity Shale and Clay, is located at 11728 Colorado Highway 93 in unincorporated Jefferson County but has a Boulder mailing address. It has 26 employees.


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