New resource helps small businesses create inclusion

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce released on Nov. 1 "Small Business Basics: How Small Businesses Can Create Fair Workplaces for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Employees."

The first-of-its-kind resource helps small businesses provide equal benefits, employment protection and an inclusive work environment for all employees.

To download the guide, go to http://www.hrc.org/about_us/small-business.asp.

Scrapbooking inn for sale

The Keepsake Inn, profiled in The Gazette in May, is for sale. But that doesn’t mean the owners have given up on the idea of an inn targeted toward scrapbookers.

“Putting the inn up for sale is a contingency plan for us,” one of the owners, Mary Ruden, said in an e-mail. The house in Manitou Springs was on the market for about a year before they bought it last fall and transformed it into the Keepsake Inn. “And we figure that it would take that long again to sell as a single-family residence and perhaps that long to sell as a business. In the meantime, we hope the things we continue to do to market the inn are hugely successful and that when we get an offer, we are no longer interested.”

Overhaul for BBB

The Better Business Bureau is changing the way it approves businesses by moving from a pass/fail system to a letter-grade system from A-F, the agency announced today. This would help consumers make a more educated decision on who to do business with while making businesses shape up more to earn a higher grade. As usual, input from consumers is a part of this grade so if you have a problem with a business be sure to report it to the BBB (bbb.org). Also, BBB members will now be called "accredited" instead of members as part of the BBB's effort to look deeper into the operations, ethics and credibility of businesses. The letter grades are expected by the first of the year.

Today's news comes at the start of BBB Week, a proclamation made by Mayor Lionel Rivera.

Colorado Springs HVAC company expanding

A Colorado Springs heating and plumbing company is on the grow. Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc. recently paid $1.36 million to purchase buildings at 4229 and 4235 N. Nevada Ave. The 2.2-acre property consists of a 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 3,000-square-foot industrial building. HPE, which has its main office at 407 Fillmore Place, plans to use the facilities to expand its Colorado Springs operations involved in commercial heating and ventilation products and services; the new site will serve as a manufacturing facility for custom sheet metal ducting.
Charley F. Conrad of the Olive Real Estate Group Inc. in the Springs represented the property's seller, Rando Enterprises LLP, in the transaction; Steve Bach of Bach Commercial represented HPE.

Self-Service Shredder gets patent

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent recently for The Self-Service Shredder, built and marketed by Springs-based RealTime Shredding Inc. Patent No. 7,213,777 was granted for the “pay-per-use shredding system.” Inventor Johnny Podrovitz, vice president of business services for RealTime Shredding, filed the patent application in July 2005. RealTime Shredding’s first self-service shredding kiosk was installed at the Chapel Hills Mall in September 2005; there are now Self-Service Shredders in several Colorado locations and in seven other states.

Event planner starts her own company

Denielle Backstrom has opened Backstrom Events, a Colorado Springs company that specializes in organizing and managing corporate conferences, parties, weddings, fundraisers and retreats.

Backstrom said she employs creativity and knows how to work within a budget. She has planned more than 100 events for companies and nonprofit organizations in Colorado Springs. Among her clients are Red Noland Auto Group and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

For more information, call her at 302-2950 or visit www.backstromevents.com.

How to contact Thriving Child Corp.

An article in the April 28 Business section about Thriving Child Corp., a new business in town that aims to reduce childhood obesity, omitted the contact information. Here it is.

Thriving Child Corp. is offering a free, four-week introductory course for children ages 8 to 12. It includes swimming at the Manitou Springs Pool & Fitness Center, nutrition education and family counseling.

After the free sessions, the program cost is $600 for 12 weeks. That includes 36 hours of supervised swimming, 12 hours of parental nutrition eduation, 12 hours of children’s nutrition education and six hours of whole family group counseling.

For more information, call Colleen Hurley at 1-800-719-6756, or see www.thrivingweb.com.

Strategic Networking group gaining in popularity

Business networking in a "speed dating" format is becoming a popular way to make contacts, get leads and promote businesses.

Colorado Springs Strategic Networking started in March with a fast-paced networking event and has scheduled these monthly sessions:

• April 26
• May 24
• June 28

During the event, 24 people meet in a round-robin setup and spend five minutes with each person. Only one person per industry is allowed to be represented.

For more information, contact Robin Botzler at 650-9890.

Tips for small businesses

There’s a new Internet tool available to local small-business owners, courtesy of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Postal Service. The two have teamed up for Delivering Success, which offers online video interviews with successful entrepreneurs. The videos, at www.sba.gov/deliveringsuccess, are intended to provide information on the ingredients of small business success, including an overview of business basics, friendly financing, business promotion and planning and research.

Small business day at the Capitol on March 26

Small business owners who want to grab the ear of Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and key legislative leaders are invited to join the National Federation of Independent Business for Small Business Day at the Capitol on March 26. This year's event starts at 8:30 a.m. in the Old Supreme Court chambers, Capitol Building, 200 E. Colfax Ave., in Denver. Lunch will take place at Maggiano’s Little Italy, 500 16th St. Attendees will return at 1 p.m. to the Old Supreme Court chambers to hear Gov. Ritter, while legislative leaders will meet with small-business owners during the morning and afternoon. The event is open to all small-business owners; NFIB membership isn't required. The cost is $35 per person, which includes breakfast and lunch. More information: Teresa Tuschhoff, (866) 639-1846 or teresa.tuschhoff@nfib.org, and Tony Gagliardi, (303) 831-6099 or www.nfib.com/CO. The non-profit, Washington D.C.-based NFIB lobbies on behalf of small and independent business owners.

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.

eWomenNetwork networking lunch Friday

eWomen Network, a group that helps women in business promote themselves, develop new contacts and learn strategies for business promotion, will host an "acclerated networking" luncheon Friday, Feb. 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Colorado Springs Sheraton Hotel, 2886 S. Circle Drive. The cost is $50 for members, $55 for non-members.

KKTV news anchor and investigative reporter Betty Sexton will offer tips for relating to the media and how to generate stories.

For more information and to register, call 596-1771.

New health and wellness business opens

Jeff Bickford and Gail Gustafson, the original owners of Motion Studies Centers for Body, Mind and Spirit in Colorado Springs and Seattle, have moved back here and have a new business.

Their private practice focusing on health and wellness through movement, awareness and space is located in the office of Dr. John Daugherty, 1923 W. Colorado Ave.

For more information, see www.feldenkrais.com or www.labaninternational.org

Can you hear me now?

Last Monday’s Business article about how businesses answer the phone produced lots of calls to my phone.

“Most people would rather talk to a human than a machine, and sometimes I wonder if enough people complain companies would stop with the machines,” said reader Dottie Davis.

She’s particularly upset about Comcast/Adelphia’s customer service line for high-speed Internet.

“I found myself screaming my phone number to the machine. It seemed like I had to do it 10 times. I thought I’d land at a mental hospital.”

Another reader left this message on my answering machine at my desk: “Your greeting annoys me just like your article. When I get disgusted I punch all the buttons until I get somebody. Then I ask them what I want and get a private number for the next time I need to call. It works very well.”

One reader said the situation with automated phone machines is worse than people think. “Sometimes you have to answer all kinds of questions to a machine but you never get your question answered,” he said.

Financial institutions are his pet peeve. “They ask for your account number and social security number over and over and over,” he said. And calling the Air Force Academy hospital resulted in him being hung up on after being on hold for a while. “After several rounds of automation, they say the extension is invalid and you get disconnected.”

Other readers expressed frustration about not being able to reach live people at retail mega stores, defense-type companies and others. "Sometimes they don't seem like they want to help you at all," one reader said.

New name for Colorado Springs graphic design company

Colorado Springs-based graphic design company, Barnstorm Creative, recently changed its name to CoPilot Creative.

The name change reflects the reorganization and growth of the company.

"We feel that this name change better reflects our position and capabilities, working side by side with our clients and helping them to navigate successful marketing objectives," the company said in a press release.

The company will soon launch a new Web site: http://www.copilotcreative.com/.

Businesses on the move

Richard Harvey, owner of A&R Services LLC in Monument, has been named national Vending Operator of the Year by Automatic Merchandiser magazine for exhibiting the "qualities that the vending industry needs to embrace in order to move to a higher level of professionalism." A third generation vending operator, Harvey has 14 employees and projected 2006 sales of $3.2 million.

Art of Design i.d. owner Debbie Tuzel has moved her growing design and marketing agency into a larger office space at 1621 W. Colorado Ave., suite 110. Focused on serving independent professionals and small businesses in the Pikes Peak region, Art of Design's clients include Aeorospace Modeler magazine, Kirk and Hill clothing store, Memorial Hospital, Old Town GuestHouse and Blue Fox Photography.