Friday, January 18, 2008

Safeway fleet converts to biodiesel

Safeway Inc. has converted its entire U.S. fleet of more than 1,000 trucks to cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel. The company says the decision will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75 million pounds annually, the equivalent of taking nearly 7,500 passenger vehicles off the road each year. In Colorado, the program will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3.6 million pounds, said Scott Grimmett, president of Safeway’s Denver division.

Changes to Gazette's Essentials listings

Starting Sunday (Jan. 20, 2008), we're moving our Essentials listing in The Gazette Business section from Sundays to Mondays. The listing includes news about business people and firms, calendar items and new incorporations.
For information on having your news included in Essentials, e-mail businessnews@
gazette.com or call 476-4887

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Crowley: Hotel industry troubled

Colorado Springs needs a way to attract more visitors if the hotel industry’s flagging fortunes are to be reversed, local economist Fred Crowley said today.


What that something is — new attractions, a convention center, winter festivals — Crowley didn’t say.


“I don’t know what the answer is,” said Crowley, senior economist for the Southern Colorado Economic Forum. But he suggested a market study be done in search of that answer. “What is being done elsewhere?” he said. "What can we do here to take advantage of the success of others?”


Crowley, at a meeting of the southern Colorado chapter of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, pointed to some troubling trends in the local hotel industry. Colorado Springs’ share of the state’s hotel revenue has fallen. Occupancy rates are down. With demand soft, increases in room rates aren’t keeping up with inflation.


Crowley also discussed the national economic picture. And as he did at a recent meeting of the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, he brought up the “R” word. “I think we are a whisker away from a recession,” he warned.

Moving up the list

Colorado Springs-based Miracle Method Surface Restoration is No. 188 in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 list, published in its January issue. Miracle Method, the nation’s leading bathtub, tile and countertop restoration franchisor, jumped from the 297th spot in last year’s Franchise 500 rankings.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

The Children's Playroom opens

The Children’s Playroom, a drop-in child-care facility, has opened at 8776 N. Union Blvd., in the Union Town Center. Parents can pay by the hour or buy hours in bulk at a discounted rate. The Children’s Playroom is owned and operated by two former teachers from The Classical Academy.

Monday, January 14, 2008

City's newest hotel opens soon

A Hampton Inn & Suites is set to open on the city's south side, near the World Arena, on Feb. 1. The 101-room hotel is at 2910 Geyser Drive.