Who Knew ... That the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado Would Lead the Country in Lobbying the Federal Government Aug
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NEWSMAKERS NEWSMAKERS 2014 2014 THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF THE BOULDER VALLEY AND NORTHERN COLORADO VOLUME 33 | ISSUE 25 | DEC. 26, 2014 - JAN. 8, 2015 Who knew ... that the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado would lead the country in lobbying the federal government Aug. for an open Internet, 8 dwarfing the response of larger tech-savvy communities such as Silicon Valley, or that home Feb. affordability was slipping away 7 with each passing month, or even that the National Center for Atmospheric Research was struggling to maintain its climate research Oct. initiatives in the face of shrinking staff 17 and a budget that for years remained essentially flat. These and other stories have shaped our lives, our communities and our businesses. With this inaugural edition of Newsmakers 2014, the staff at BizWest has brought you the top news stories of 2014 and the latest updates on where things stand now. Top stories of 2014 n Front Range wineries outpacing Grand Valley .........................3 n Employers shifting health-care costs to employees .............. 29 n Developer embarks on $180 million multiuse plan .................4 n Gessler rule stifles B corp signups ...................................... 30 n Otterbox moves to settle suit .................................................6 n JBS fine highlights meatpacking dangers ............................ 31 n Mall redevelopment clears hurdle ..........................................8 n Oil and gas firms dig deep for new water ............................ 32 n NoCo home affordability takes a dive .................................. 10 n Area voice strong for net neutrality ...................................... 33 n Boulder, Xcel feud over system repair ................................. 12 n More cities eye broadband bandwagon ............................... 34 n NoCo factories slow to add jobs, boost wages ..................... 14 n A year later, a long road back ............................................. 35 n Group envisions brand for region ........................................ 16 n Fort Collins, Loveland eye independent airport commission .. 36 n FirstNet opens technical HQ in Boulder ............................... 18 n Recovery spurs cities’ spending surge ................................ 37 BY STEVE LYNN n Cash-only pot sales irk state, owners .................................. 20 n As budget stagnates, staff shrinks at NCAR ......................... 38 Wineries in the Front Range n Thousands in area face ACA penalties ................................ 22 n Local clinics snared in DaVita settlement ............................ 39 for the first time produced more wine than those in Western n Private railway wins federal grant ....................................... 24 n More injections sought despite quakes ............................... 40 Colorado’s Grand Valley dur- ing fiscal 2013, according to the n n Colorado Wine Industry Devel- Banner Health, others sue MediCare ................................... 26 Credit cards hacked? Who pays ‘em back? ......................... 41 opment Board. n n The Front Range produced Life science VC deals hit post-recession high ...................... 28 Local drillers see shares tumble as oil price drops ............... 42 583,000 liters of wine in 2013, outpacing Grand Valley produc- tion of 551,000 liters of wine last year. That’s a big jump from a decade ago, when Front Range Adam Sweetman, Clinton Baker, Partner, wine production totaled just Kennedy and Coe Sweetman Investments 118,000 liters, or one third of Grand Valley production of 339,000 liters. The Grand Valley still produced 80 percent of the state’s grapes last year, but more wineries are locating closer to the state’s most populated region, said Doug Caskey, executive director of the Colora- GET THE BUSINESS do Wine Industry Development Board, a division of the state Department of Agriculture that promotes OUT OF THE OFFICE. the Colorado wine industry. At Kennedy and Coe, we have the courage to do something GLHUHQWWRJHWWRQHZSODFHV Even if it means rolling up our sleeves, and our trousers. www.kcoe.com | 800.303.3241 Consultants 2 | Dec. 26,2014 - Jan. 8, 2015 BizWest | www.bizwest.com BizWest | www.bizwest.com Jan. 10-23 n Employers shifting health-care costs to employees .............. 29 Top stories n Gessler rule stifl es B corp signups ...................................... 30 online: Front Range n OtterBox unveils n JBS fi ne highlights meatpacking dangers ............................ 31 slimmest case yet n Oil and gas fi rms dig deep for new water ............................ 32 n Arc Thrift Store to n Area voice strong for net neutrality ...................................... 33 relocate to Midtown wineries outpacing Commons n More cities eye broadband bandwagon ............................... 34 n Sunset Events n A year later, a long road back ............................................. 35 Center building sold Grand Valley for $1.5 million n Fort Collins, Loveland eye independent airport commission .. 36 n DORA: Level of n coercion from Udall Recovery spurs cities’ spending surge ................................ 37 ‘zero’ BY STEVE LYNN $1 More than half of the state’s 108 WATER MALL INTERRUPTED Storm brewing over Revised plan heads to wineries now are located on the n As budget stagnates, staff shrinks at NCAR ......................... Public Trust Doctrine. FC Council Jan. 14. 38 3 5 n Brinkman to build Wineries in the Front Range Volume 19 Issue 9 | Jan. 10-23, 2014 Front Range, Caskey said. Some Mortgage loan rules tighten today new headquarters for the fi rst time produced more BY MOLLY ARMBRISTER of the Grand Valley vineyards have ing and home-buying, two sectors of expensive as banks cover the costs of affecting borrowers with weaker n [email protected] the economy that saw improvement the added paperwork, according to financials. Local clinics snared in DaVita settlement ............................ 39 in 2013. the Colorado Bankers Association. More than a year in the making, New federal mortgage underwrit- The rules call for stricter docu- Others, including non-bank lend- the final rule was created in early ing rules going in effect today may mentation of the borrower’s ability ers and Realtors, believe the new rules 2013, and then amended several times wine than those in Western cause a slowdown in residential lend- to pay and could make loans more impact will be more muted, largely ➤ See Lending, 8 opened locations everywhere from Northern Colorado Business Report Avago/LSI Colorado’s Grand Valley dur- Northern Colorado Business Report Centennial to Boulder. n More injections sought despite quakes ............................... 40 combo to ing fi scal 2013, according to the boost NoCo Wine drinkers in Colorado tech sector BY STEVE LYNN Colorado Wine Industry Devel- [email protected] are now imbibing 3.1 gallons per FORT COLLINS – The $6.6 bil- n Credit cards hacked? Who pays ‘em back? ......................... lion acquisition of LSI Corp. by Avago 41 Technologies will play a critical role in shoring up Northern Colorado’s opment Board. ailing technology economy, as Avago capita annually, 24 percent more moves to nearly double its worldwide market share in the lucrative world of custom networking applications. IMAGES BY JONATHAN CASTNER Avago (Nasdaq: AVGO), a spinoff The Front Range produced Jack Cantley uncorks a bottle of wine at Loveland’s Sweetheart City Winery. The winery is part of a booming wave of winemak- of Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: than the national average of 2.5 ing on the Front Range. Below, a cask of Cabernet Sauvignon ferments. A), will expand offerings for such products as cell phones and tablets to include cloud computing infrastruc- n Local drillers see shares tumble as oil price drops ............... 42 Front Range wineries outpacing Grand Valley ture provided by LSI (Nasdaq: LSI) in the acquisition. 583,000 liters of wine in 2013, BY STEVE LYNN 551,000 liters of wine last year. That’s Avago’s largest campus worldwide gallons. [email protected] a big jump from a decade ago, when is located at 4380 Ziegler Road in Fort Front Range wine production totaled Collins. The company said in Decem- LOVELAND – Wineries in the just 118,000 liters, or one third of ber it would buy LSI, including its Front Range for the first time pro- Grand Valley production of 339,000 Fort Collins operations, for $11.15 duced more wine than those in West- liters. per share in a transaction funded with outpacing Grand Valley produc- ern Colorado’s Grand Valley during The Grand Valley still produced $1 billion in cash, a $4.6 billion term The state’s wineries account fiscal 2013, according to the Colorado 80 percent of the state’s grapes last loan from a group of banks and a $1 Wine Industry Development Board. year, but more wineries are locating billion investment from private-equi- The Front Range produced closer to the state’s most populated try Development Board, a division of ty firm Silver Lake Partners, which 583,000 liters of wine in 2013, out- region, said Doug Caskey, executive the state Department of Agriculture once owned Avago before taking the tion of 551,000 liters of wine last pacing Grand Valley production of director of the Colorado Wine Indus- ➤ See Wineries, 4 ➤ See Growth, 12 for 5 percent of market share in CONTENTS Serving Northern Colorado Visit ncbr.com for breaking news Health care Briefcase ........................16 Newsmaker ....................15 Small businesses Business News Digest .....6 On The Job ....................16 tiptoe