CIGNA HealthCare receives top accreditation

CIGNA HealthCare has earned an "excellent" accreditation, the highest possible, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its commercial HMO plans and point-of-service plans in eight states, including Colorado.

The accreditation is awarded to health plans that meet or exceed rigorous requirements for consumer protection, quality improvement and clinical care, according to the NCQA. Insurers are judged on 60 standards of performance by physicians and industry experts.

All 23 of CIGNA HealthCare's accredited HMO and point of service plans currently hold the "excellent" status.

Northwest side Colorado Springs office building changes hands

WA Corporate Centre Acquisitions, a Bellevue, Wash., group, recently paid $7.1 million for the 45,157-square-foot Corporate Centre office building on Colorado Springs' northwest side. The building, southwest of Woodmen Road and Corporate Drive, had been owned by CS Corporate Centre, a California group. Constructed in 1984, the building sits on 3.8 acres and is 100 percent leased; its largest tenant is the Platinum Group, a Springs residential real estate company. Dean Corey, Suni Devitt and Troy Meyer of the Denver office of commercial brokerage Sperry Van Ness represented the seller in the deal, while the buyer represented itself.

Spectranetics makes Fortune list -- but not the 500

Spectranetics Corp. has hit the big time, making Fortune magazine's annual list -- no, not not the well-known 500 list, but a list of the nation's fastest growing small companies published by its small business sibling.

The Colorado Springs-based medical laser manufacturer ranked 62nd, down six places from 56th last year, among public companies with revenue of less than $200 million and a stock price of more than $1, based on stock performance over the past three years. Banks and real estate firms were excluded from the list, which was compiled by Chicago-based Zacks Investment Research Inc.

"We are proud to be recognized by Fortune for a record of performance that places us among the leading small businesses in the country," Spectranetics Chief Executive John Schulte said in a press release Thursday.

The company's stock, traded under the symbol SPNC on the Nasdaq Stock Market, jumped 31 cents Thursday to $11.54, its highest closing price this year.

Retail project to join office complex on Colorado Springs' north side

A late July groundbreaking is planned for the 24.3-acre, 340,000-square-foot Powers Office Park at Briargate Crossing. Now, the project's developer wants to add shopping, restaurants and a pair of hotels south of the office complex. The office project, southeast of Powers and Union boulevards in the Briargate subdivision on Colorado Springs' far north side, will be developed as office condominiums -- individual spaces that users purchase much like a homeowner buys a house. The project is being built by Powers Group LLC, headed by Scottsdale, Ariz., developer Harvey Salkow. The group also has a deal to buy 15.9 acres south of Powers and Briargate Parkway for a retail project, to be called the Summit at Briargate Crossing. No plans have been submitted to city officials, but the developer envisions 130,000 square feet of shopping, a pair of hotels, four restaurants, a bank and a pharmacy, said Bill Elder of Bennett Shellenberger Realty Inc. in Colorado Springs, who's marketing the project. Construction on the retail project could get underway next year, Elder said.

Small Business Development Center ranks high

The Colorado Springs Small Business Development Center has been ranked fifth out of 15 such centers in Colorado. The rankings, done by the Colorado Office of Economic Development, are based on the impact each center has in terms of capital formation compared to the entire network.

The Springs Small Business Development Center is a nonprofit organization that provides free counseling and education to small and medium sized businesses in El Paso and Teller counties. It’s hosted by the College of Business at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.