Local credit union building new digs

Air Academy Federal Credit Union is creating a little more elbow room for the 100 employees at its Colorado Springs headquarters.
In July, construction started on a building that will more than double its office space.
The 45,000-member financial institution has grown by nearly 60 percent during the past five years to $385 million in assets spread among 12 branches. Glenn Strebe, Air Academy’s chief executive. said the credit union searched for nearly two years to find a centrally located site of the right size to accommodate Air Academy’s growth for decades before finding a 13-acre parcel at 9810 N. Union Blvd., northeast of Powers and Union boulevards.
Air Academy officials hope to move into the 52,000-square-foot, four-story headquarters during the third quarter of 2009 and sell their 20,000-square-foot headquarters at 1355 Kelly Johnson Blvd. that the credit union built in 1980 after moving off academy grounds..
The new building will include a branch with drive-up facilities, meeting rooms, a fitness center, storage and space to expand information technology operations, he said.

Mortenson donates Open tickets to military personnel

Mortenson Construction has donated 1,150 tickets to this week’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor to active United States military personnel, including those with NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), NORTHCOM (United States Northern Command), Peterson Air Force Base, the United States Air Force Academy and Fort Carson. The First Army Division West, the U.S. Army Installation Management Agency, the 4th Infantry Division, the 43rd Area Support Group and the Special Forces Airborne were part of the distribution to Fort Carson.
All of the tickets were given to non-commissioned personnel, and some went to wounded troops and Purple Heart recipients.
“As an active member of the Colorado Springs Community, we thought it was the least we could do,” said Clay Benson, construction executive in Mortenson’s Colorado Spring’s office.
Mortenson Construction is currently working on over $140 million in projects at Fort Carson.

Classic Cos. joins forces with custom home builder

Classic Cos., Colorado Springs' largest privately held home builder, has merged with local builder Scott Building Inc. to create a custom home division, to be known as Flying Horse Signature Homes. Steve Scott of Scott Building has constructed custom homes for nearly 30 years in High Forest Ranch, Black Forest, Pine Creek and the Spires, among other communities; Classic previously had its own custom home division. The first project for Flying Horse Signature Homes is a $4.4 million Tuscan-inspired villa that's been built on one of 29 high-end lots being developed along the Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course at Flying Horse, the 1,500-acre Classic Cos. development on the Springs' far north side. The house will be available for view as part of the Parade of Homes from Aug. 8-24. More information: http://www.flyinghorsesignaturehomes.com/

Parade of Homes runs Aug. 8-24

The 2008 Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs, runs Aug. 8-24 and will feature 29 homes, including a dozen priced at $1 million and up. Thirteen of the 29 homes will be featured at two of the Springs' newest developments: Flying Horse on the city's far north side and the Banning Lewis Ranch, which makes up most of the Springs' east side. Tickets are on sale at local Safeway stores, and are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors; kids under 18 are free. More information: http://www.cshba.com/, and click on the Parade of Homes button.

Visitors bureau honored by trade mag

Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak, the local convention and visitors bureau, earned the Distinctive Achievement Award from the readers of Associated Conventions and Facilities magazine. Winners of the award will be honored in the magazine's August issue.

Bennigan's files for Chapter 7

All of the restaurant chain's corporate-owned locations are closed, including two in Colorado Springs at 2540 Tenderfoot Hill St. and 3502 N Academy Blvd.

Drive-In Autosound has won the first
annual Pioneer Community Give Back

Award. The Colorado Springs-based mobile entertainment dealer, owned by Kevin and Scott Clark, will donate the $10,000 it received from the award to the Fort Carson Officer Spouses' Club Santa's Workshop.

The presentation ceremony will take place Tuesday, July 29, at 4 p.m. at the store's 165 Motor Way location. Pioneer's new award honors dealers for outstanding community service. Drive-In Autosound has supported the military in numerous ways, including special rates and financing for local military, co-hosting football parties and welcoming soldiers returning from deployment.

The Fort Carson Officer Spouses' Club Santa's Workshop expects 2,000 local children with parents at Fort Carson to need gifts this year.

Wall Street Journal shines spotlight on Colorado Springs and USOC

It's possible to buy this sort of publicity for your city, but it's so much better when it comes for free. The Monday, July 28, Wall Street Journal includes a special six-page report on seven economic development success stories around the globe -- "seven places, seven ideas," as a Journal editor's note explain. Among the seven cities featured in the report: Colorado Springs and its successful effort to retain the U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters. A story explains how politicians, civic leaders and business people worked together to prevent the USOC from moving its headquarters out of the Springs, where it's been for 30 years. Mayor Lionel Rivera, USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr and local developer Ray Marshall are among those interviewed in the story; they discuss some of the details of a $53 million incentives package offered by the city to keep the UOSC here. "This is a watershed event for Colorado Springs in terms of economic development," Mike Anderson, deputy city manager, is quoted by the Journal. "The broad partnership put together is hopefully a model that can be used in the future." To see the story, go to online.wsj.com/public/page/2_1593.html and click on "Capturing the Gold."