BOULDER - The Unseen Bean Coffee Co., a Boulder-based bean roaster and coffee shop, will be serving coffee for 500 bloggers at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month.

Gerry Leary, owner of The Unseen Bean, was invited to serve coffee by the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado at the Big Tent on 1536 Wynkoop St. next to the Alliance Center, a few blocks from the Pepsi Center. The coffee service will be provided for free from 7 a.m. to noon Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 25-27.

The Big Tent is an 8,000-square-foot two-story temporary structure that will house a state-of-the-art blogging/new media lounge, the Google retreat and a main stage. It is a dedicated space for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters and nonprofit leaders covering the DNC and is a project of Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, DailyKos and ProgressNow.

BOULDER ? The city of Boulder's Economic Vitality Program has received the International Economic Development Council's "Excellence in Economic Development" annual award for its work in sustainable and green development through Boulder's business incentives.

 The program requires companies to verify compliance with community and environmental sustainability guidelines. Companies can choose from guidelines addressing issues such as employee health insurance, nonprofit support, dependent care assistance, energy and water audit, recycling, Eco Passes, and commute trip reduction programs. Requiring these guidelines was key to city council's support and adoption of Boulder's flexible rebate incentive program.
 
"To our knowledge, ours is the only business incentive plan in the country that is specifically tied to compliance with community sustainability guidelines and policies," said city Business Liaison Liz Hanson. "Boulder's incentive program is as unique as its Economic Vitality Program - it's customized to support the long-term sustainability of the community and Boulder's businesses. We are very proud that our flexible rebate program has been recognized by this professional economic development organization."
 
Awards will be distributed to winners at the International Economic Development Council's annual conference in October.
 
The city has approved one application for flexible rebate to Advanced Thin Films this year. Three additional applications have been received and currently are under review by city staff.
 

BOULDER - IBM Corp. signed contract worth more than $300 million with Health Net Inc. to provide the health-care company with information technology infrastructure management services.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) will manage Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Health Net's infrastructure from IBM's "green" data center in Boulder, said Jenna Gable, IBM spokeswoman. Because the deal was signed Tuesday, the data hasn't been transferred, yet.

"I would say transition would begin within the next 60 or 90 days," she said.

Health Net, which had 2007 revenues of about $14.1 billion, has about 6.7 million members and about 10,000 employees.

"By partnering with IBM, Health Net will receive benefits including reduction of IT costs and operation risk while gaining access to IBM's global resources and technologies," said James Woys, Health Net's chief operating officer.

LONGMONT - The organizing committee of the 4th Annual Boulder County Multicultural Small Business Expo is soliciting sponsors for the event.

The expo will be held Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Longmont.

This year's theme is "How to Increase Your Business with Local, State and Government Contracts.

Small Business Administration Colorado District Director Greg Lopez will be the keynote luncheon speaker. Panel discussions and networking opportunities will be available to attendees.

The expo welcomes all business owners but is intentionally sensitive to minority needs. It is a collaborative effort of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County, the Boulder Small Business Development Center and the Boulder County Community Action Programs. It offers sessions in Spanish or simultaneous translation where appropriate.

Sponsorships include corporate sponsorship at $1,000; luncheon sponsorship, $750; refreshment sponsorship, $500; silver sponsorship, $250; plus media and marketing sponsorships.

For more information e-mail Nancy Teksten at nteksten@newfrontierbank.com. 

LOUISVILLE - Bella Energy, a solar company based in Louisville, will exhibit its MoBella mobile solar generator at its Community Solar Day today from 5 to 9 p.m.

MoBella was invented by Bella, and it has been used by 5280, a sports event company in Boulder.

"Four or five of their races have been run on our generator this summer," said Alison Picher, a spokeswoman for Bella. "They are trying to do zero-waste events, and part of it is their energy consumption as well."

Bella plans to make "more than one" MoBella in the future, according to Picher. The generator, which has solar panels on it, also has two batteries in case it is cloudy. The backup batteries are charges at Bella's Louisville office by solar power.

Boulder Beer Co. hosts the Goatshed Revival from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 2880 Wilderness Place in Boulder. Live music, games, giveaways, beer garden and grilled food. Raises money for Community Food Share. Cost: Donations suggested. Contact: Tess McFadden, 303-444-8448 ext. 29.