Palos joins Downtown Partnership as marketing director

Laszlo Palos, general manager of the Terra Verde gift ship on Tejon Street for 11 years, has left to become marketing director for the non-profit Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership. His duties will include launching a rebranding campaign for the group in mid-March, redesigning brochures and serving as liaison between the CSDP, the city, the convention and visitor's bureau and local retailers. "The job is focused on creating bridges," Palos said. Before taking the job earlier this month, Palos had been the volunteer chairman of the Downtown Partnership's marketing committee for three years and had previously served six years on a variety of other retail committees for the group.

RealTime Shredding signs up first dealer

RealTime Shredding Inc., the Colorado Springs-based developer of self-service shredding kiosks, has added its first dealer, Identity Theft Solutions Corp. of Tallahassee, Fla. ITS will market RealTime’s Self-Service Shredder as part of its fraud protection and resolution services and products. “The Self-Service Shredder fills a need for small and mid-sized businesses and organizations, for which neither home shredders nor mobile shredding are appropriate,” said Keith Carr, Identity Theft Solutions’ president. "Home shredders can be laborious, time-intensive and unsafe.”

Do the Freddie!

Frequent travelers from around the world are invited to cast a vote in the 19th Annual Freddie Awards, which are designed to award excellence among frequent travel programs in the airline, hotel and credit card industries. Travelers have until Feb. 28 to cast their votes at www.freddieawards.com.

Since 1989, Colorado Springs-based InsideFlyer magazine has served as the primary sponsor of the Freddie Awards. Last year, a record 390,000 frequent flyers voted and the copy and expects to break that record this year, said Randy Petersen, InsideFlyer editor and publisher.

Voters rate hotel, airline and credit card programs in nine categories. A Freddie Award ceremony will be held April 26 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va., at which this year's winners will be revealed. The winners will also be announced in the May issue of InsideFlyer magazine and online at www.freddieawards.com.

It's not personal ... it's just business

Commenting on Macerich Company's results for the fourth quarter of 2006 -- $147.9 million in net income available to common stockholders compared to $23.6 million for the same quarter a year ago -- president and CEO Arthur Coppola gave a backhanded tip of the hat to former Colorado Springs holding The Citadel. "The fundamentals remained solid with good releasing spreads, strong occupancy levels and good tenant sales gains," Coppola said. "The quarter was another example of strategically improving our overall portfolio with the sale of three non core assets and the acquisition of another strong East Coast mall. Through asset sales and financing activity our balance sheet continues to improve and we are well positioned to fund and execute our development pipeline." The Citadel was sold in late December along with Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville and Crossroads Mall in Oklahoma City for what Macerich stipulates in its fourth-quarter report was $375 million (a bit less than the $390 million that the buyers at Midwest Mall Properties). Those three are the "non core assets" and even understanding that business is business, when was the last time anybody like to hear their job or their business referred to as a non-core asset?

HBA will host City Council candidate gathering

The Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs will host a morning reception and panel discussion for City Council candidates on March 7 at the Silverwood Hotel and Conference Center, 505 Popes Bluff Trail, northwest of Interstate 25 and Garden of the Gods Road. Several incumbents and challengers are expected to attend. A breakfast and reception will take place at 7:30 a.m., followed by an 8 a.m. panel discussion. The event is free. The April 3 municipal election is being conducted by mail, and ballots will be sent to registered voters between March 9 and 19. City residents will elect a mayor and four at-large council members. For more information, call the HBA at 592-1800 or HBA political affairs director Sarah Jack at 213-9681.

Accellos runs to Beaver Creek to land more investors

Five months after landing $20 million in venture capital funding, Accellos Inc. will be at the Venture Capital in the Rockies Conference in Beaver Creek beginning today seeking other potential investors.

The Colorado Springs-based software company will be the only Springs-area company among 33 information technology and life sciences companies making presentations to potential investors at the three-day event. Companies presenting at the annual event attended by more than 200 investors and entrepreneurs have raised more than $3 billion during the past five years, including 16 of the 22 companies that have participated since 2003.

Since closing in October on the largest local venture capital investment in five years, Accellos has acquired two Toronto-based software companies, Headwaters Technology Solutions and Radio Beacon Inc., and moved into office space in the Wells Fargo Tower, 90 S. Cascade Ave., formerly occupied by the local office of accounting giant Grant Thornton LLP. Accellos now employs 105, including 15 in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Delta operations receives OSHA award

Delta Air Lines operations in Colorado Springs were recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for workplace safety and health programs.

Delta Air Lines and its subsidiary DAL Global Services, which serve the Colorado Springs Airport, were inducted into OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs' Star category, which is the highest level of recognition that OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program gives. The award is given to companies that maintain employee injury and illness rates below the national average for its industry and meet stringent safety and health program elements that exceed regular OSHA standards. Delta and DAL Global Services in Colorado Springs are the only air transportation operators in Colorado to

receive this recognition, according to OSHA.

About 1,600 work sites throughout the U.S. have earned membership in the Voluntary Protection Programs, which recognizes participants that successfully incorporate comprehensive safety and health programs into their management systems. The programs are open to employers in any industry.

A serving of restaurant news

In the heart of downtown, at 729 Manitou Ave., it seems like a prime location for a quality eatery and yet no one seems to be able to make it work for the long term. The latest attempt, operating under the name Ned's on Manitou — A Funky California Cafe and Bakery in Colorado, just shut down after about a year under the management of four Southern California transplants, Adam James, Samantha Sloan, Eddie Curry and Kit James. The phone's been disconnected and there's a sign in the window saying "Ned's is history." Manitou Bakery, Breadheads and Sugar Magnolia’s were all "history" at that location before Ned's. ...

Ranch Steakhouse manager Steve Abeyta says the Garden of Gods restaurant is not going to undergo an immediate name change, in the aftermath of its split with minority partner Mike Callicrate. "We're putting in a bar and making a number of changes," Abeyta said, "so we've decided to wait until we are further along with that." Callicrate left when majority ownership decided to stop serving no-hormone, no-antibiotic Ranch Direct meats. ....

With COSMIX making access a persistent problem, the New South Wales restaurant at 5905 Corporate Dr., on the city's north side, is shutting down for the next few months to do some remodeling.

Gobin's moves into Colorado Springs market

Gobin's Inc., with 40 years experience in helping Southern Colorado businesses with their technology, office supply and furniture needs, has opened its first location in Colorado Springs, at 925 E. Fillmore St. A staple in the Pueblo business community since 1967, the Springs store is Gobin’s seventh -- joining Lamar, Salida, Alamosa, La Junta and Canon City -- and is part of the company’s Technology Business Unit. “Gobin’s has serviced many Colorado Springs-based businesses for years and as that number continued to grow, we saw a great opportunity to move directly into the area, and provide that service locally,” said owner and CEO Bob Gobin. Gobin’s Technology Business Unit makes technology recommendations, including, strategic technology and workflow technology, which in turn increases productivity and improves profitability.