Bombay, Mikasa closing

Comings and goings at the Promenade Shops at Briargate:

The Gloss Denim Bar, a denim jeans store, opens the day after Thanksgiving, occupying half of the former Camille La Vie space. The Ann Taylor Loft, M&H Galleries and Bath & Body Works are all expected to open in the first quarter of 2008. And Girls of The Golden West, currently a temporary store, has signed a permanent lease.

Two stores, Bombay and Mikasa, will close. Bombay Co., with about 400 stores in the U.S. and Canada, filed for bankruptcy in September and plans to close its U.S. locations after the holiday season. And ARC International, parent company of Mikasa, has announced it will close Mikasa’s 86 retail factory outlets in North America by year’s end.

Humana, Republic Bank debut health care credit card

Humana Inc. will offer a health care credit card issued by Republic Bank to employer groups customers beginning this month.

The HumanaAdvance SM Visa Card can be used only at hospitals, doctor and dentist offices, drug stores and other locations that sell and provide health-releated products and services. The credit card is meant for out-of-pocket health care-related expenses and is particularly beneficial for employees who have Health Savings Accounts, Humana said in a press release.

The card has an annual fee and a fixed zero percent annual percentage rate on all purchases, which can automatically be paid back over six months through an automatic payroll deduction option. It is available to any employee of an employer offering a consumer-directed health plan, whether the employee has a Humana HMO or PPO, or doesn't participate in the employer's benefit program at all.

Times covers Disaboom

The New York Times ran a story Tuesday on Disaboom.com, the new Web site targeting the 50 million Americans with physical or mental disabilities. The story mentioned co-founder Dr. Glen House, though it doesn’t note that he is from Colorado Springs. The Gazette profiled Disaboom earlier this year.

Marketing to people with disabilities may look great on paper, but it’s not easy, the New York Times story said. “We’re just spread out over all kinds of walks of life — from different races to different religions to different income levels and education,” said Eric Lipp, founder of the Open Doors Organization, a nonprofit group that consults with companies about the disability market.

Re/Max founder to speak at chamber's annual dinner

Dave Liniger, founder of Denver-based real estate giant Re/Max, will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at The Broadmoor hotel's International Center. Liniger is recognized as an expert in time management, sales training, recruiting and motivation and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fortune, Inc., Success and other leading publications. He's also appeared on television and radio throughout North America. He is a recipient of The Warren Bennis Award for Leadership Excellence from the Global Institute for Leadership Development and has been inducted into the International Franchise Hall of Fame. A commercial pilot, golfer and Arabian horse breeder, Liniger also has been a NASCAR driver and owned Team Re/Max Racing. He's also co-owner of the Sanctuary Golf Course near Sedalia; co-founder of the Wildlife Experience, a Denver-area conservation center; and sponsors Sentinels Of Freedom, a group that provides four-year “life scholarships” to help veterans become self-sufficient. To RSVP for the dinner or for more information, contact the chamber's Jen Furda at 575-4313 or email her at jenifer@cscc.org.

FedEx Kinko center to celebrate grand opening

FedEx Kinko on Thursday will celebrate the grand opening of its new office and print center at 5854 Barnes Road. A ribbon cutting will take place at noon. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Simtek sweeps in new vp

Simtek Corp. has hired away AMI Semiconductor Inc. executive Andrew Broom as vice president of engineering.
Broom had been AMI's vice president of product development and held several other executive posts at the Idaho-based company. He has more than 20 years of experience in design and product engineering at LSI Logic Corp., Crosspoint Solutions Inc . and OM Associates Inc. He holds an electrical engineering degree from Texas A&M University and began his career at VLSI Technology Inc.
"Andy's experience as a leader of complex global engineering teams, coupled with a diverse range of engineering and management experience, will enable him to contribute immediately to Simtek's growth plans," Simtek President Harold Blomquist said. "At his former companies, Andy participated in developing hundreds of different integrated circuits, including digital and complex analog design and test engineering disciplines."
For more information, go to www.simtek.com