Business health group calls for transparency

The Colorado Business Group on Health, a statewide, employer-focused coalition that works on improving the value and quality of health care, has signed on to the Department of Health and Human Services' initiative calling for called "value-driven" health care. In other words, consumers should know up front how much they're paying, what they're paying for and the quality of the service.

"We think it's a good initial step for large purchasers to work collectively to change the direction in the industry," said Donna Marshall, executive director of the Colorado Business Group on Health. "I don't think any employers are satisfied with the trend in costs and we as purchasers need to do a better job in telling the marketplace what it is we want to buy. The marketplace will respond."

For more information on the initiative that advocates transparency of cost and quality, see www.hhs.gov/transparency.

ATT (not AT&T) comes to the Springs

Advanced Transportation Technologies (ATT), a privately owned transportation modernization company, opened a marketing and sales office Jan. 22 at 8610 Explorer Drive. ATT has three employees there now and projects it will eventually have eight, according to Kathleen Dugan, the company's director of sales and marketing. Its new assembly plant in Rocky Ford will have 40 employess within 4-6 months and 80 by early next year. Larry Wessels from Lakewood started the company with financial backing from retired major general John Hawley of Monument, founder of CollaborX Inc. Their initial product line is a patented set of pneumatic-powered products that will save truck drivers time when rebalancing loads to meet highway weight restrictions and will also prevent physical injuries to truck drivers.

Walter Drake employees get to stay put

Miles Kimball Co. is shutting down its Las Vegas call center on March 16 and moving more than 100 jobs to Oshkosh, Wisc. With the move, all 700 of Miles Kimball's full-time employees will be in Oshkosh with the exception of the 20-person Walter Drake catalog design, layout and merchandizing operation in Colorado Springs. Blyth Inc. paid $53 million for Walter Drake in 2004, then merged the catalog company into Miles Kimball and fired 350 workers here.

Super Bowl ad stats

With such a large captive audience, the Super Bowl has become not just pro football's biggest moment on center stage, but the advertising industry's as well. Anybody wanting to launch a national campaign puts up big cash -- $2.6 million for a 30 second spot this year -- and gets placement in the Super Bowl. It's a big swirling merry-go-round of ads. Over the past 20 years (1987-2006) there have been 221 different advertisers, more than 1,400 commercial announcements covering more than 11 hours and $1.72 billion of network advertising sales. This research by TNS Media Intelligence also shows that only two companies have placed ads in each of the last 20 years. Anheuser Busch has spent $250.8 million on Super Bowl ads in that time and Pepsi $190 million. General Motors is a distant third with an ad bill of $65.7 million over 15 years.

BBB wants you to hear some Sweet Talk

The Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado is launching a year-long series of seminars on improving communication skills -- "Sweet Talk" -- on Feb. 1 in the Adult Reading Room of the Penrose Library at 20 N. Cascade Ave. Tia Warren of Executive Image by Tia will be the first presenter, with "At First Glance," a discussion of the importance of image and body language in getting a speaker's message across. For the full calendar of events see www.bbbsc.org/calendar/event_details.asp?cal_id=95

Business Women- Be Bold

The Women's Foundation of Colorado is seeking nominations for the 20th Anniversary "Be Bold" awards. These awards will recognize the leadership of women who are positively impacting women and girls' economic self-sufficiency across the state. The WFCO is looking for women who are:
· Change agents for women's and girls' interests
· Breaking new ground in male-dominated fields
· Serve as an inspiration to others in this arena

To nominate a bold leader, download a form at http://www.wfco.org/ . The deadline for nominations is March 16. The WFCO will announce and honor the winners at The WFCO's 20th Anniversary Luncheon in Denver this fall. For more information go to http://www.wfco.org/ or call (303) 285.2973.