Business Briefcase

Firstate Bank of Colorado opened a loan-production office in Greeley April 1. The office, at 3835 W. 10th St., is staffed by Linda Smyth as loan officer and Gladys Geist as marketing assistant. The office handles application processing and financing for first and second mortgages and construction loans. Firstate Bank is based in Northglenn, with branches in Cherry Creek and Thornton. The bank soon will open branches in Wellington and Westminster. Firstate Bank is owned by the Wiens family of Loveland and Westminster. Reach the Greeley office at (970) 346-8199.

Greg Cooper, Jim Wyatt and Carole Wyatt have opened Arbor Antiques Inc. in Wellington, specializing in Mission, Golden Oak and West Lake furniture. The store is located at 3922 Cleveland Ave.

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Optima Mortgage has opened at 3665 JFK Parkway #1-102A in Fort Collins. The company, which offers conventional, Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Administration, construction and commercial real estate loans, is owned by Rocci Bryan and Cathy Bryan. Reach Optima at (970) 223-2854.

Joel Westmiller has opened a mobile recreational-vehicle repair service. Westmiller was certified as a master RV technician in 1994 at the Recreation Vehicle Service Academy in Sarasota, Fla. Westmiller’s RV service has a toll-free, 24-hour voice-message number, (800) 919-0968. Westmiller and his wife, Cinde, recently moved to Fort Collins from Portland, Ore.

New Products & Services

National Semiconductor debuted the Comlinear CLC418 Very Low Power Dual Current-Feedback Line Driver, a companion part to the Comlinear CLC408 high speed, low-power line driver. For more information about Comlinear’s product, call (800) 272-9959.

Never Summer Nordic Inc. has a new Web site at www.nsnyurts.com. Never Summer has several yurt dwellings available in the Colorado Rockies in the Colorado State Forest, in a setting for viewing wildlife, hiking, mountain biking and skiing. Reach Never Summer at (970) 482-9411.

Perigee Design has entered the Internet design market and recently created a pro bono Web site for the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra at www.frii.com/~perwill/fsco. Other examples of Perigee Design’s work can be found at the company’s Web site, www.perdes.com. Perigee creates and maintains corporate and personal Web sites. Reach Perigee at (970) 223-7057 or (303) 546-0287.

Artistic Blinds Cleaning and Repair has added ultrasonic cleaning to its repertoire. Ultrasonic cleaning can be used on a wide range of products, ranging from blinds and window coverings to parabolic light lenses, vents, wheelchairs, shower doors and outdoor furniture. Artistic Blinds provides same-day service in Fort Collins and Loveland and is owned by Art Valentine. Reach him at (970) 204-0294.

Edward J. Phillips accepts clients for personal training at Healthworks in Fort Collins. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in exercise physiology from the University of Wyoming and has worked as a trainer at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Reach Phillips at (970) 226-8786 or (970) 482-9505.

Contracts

Crux Marketing Communications, a Fort Collins-based company providing design, writing and public-relations services, recently completed the 1996 catalog for Gunnison-based Critter Mountain Wear. Crux was also awarded the public-relations contract for Critter, an outdoor-clothing company.

In conjunction with Paul de la Garza of Marketing & Trade International Corp., Crux is also producing promotional material for Historic Wendover Airfield in Wendover, Utah. The materials are expected to attract more visitors to the city’s historic World War II-era airfield and museum.

Changes

Greeley-based Dynamic Business Solutions has acquired Network Management Inc., which has allowed the company to branch into Web-site development. The company will do business under the name Network Management Inc. Owner Eddie Speir has hired Lona Echols as the company’s full-time Internet communications specialist. Echols will graduate from the University of Northern Colorado this spring and has experience setting up Novell networks, but will concentrate on Web-development services. Reach Echols and Network Management at (800) 443-7404 or (970) 356-8882.

The North Forty News is under new ownership. Wise River Cos. Inc., owned by JoAn and Mike Bjarko, purchased the rural, monthly human-interest newspaper from founding publishers Barbara and Joe Baker. The North Forty News’ business office is now located a 3101 Kintzley Court, Unit F in Laporte. The paper was founded in April 1993, and was until the sale published from a rural home office in Waverly. The paper has a readership of about 18,000.

Relocation

Aspen Leaf Kitchens Ltd. has moved its manufacturing facility from Fort Collins to 255 SW 42nd St. in Loveland. The new facility offers more room for the company’s rapid expansion and includes many safety features not found in the old location. The new plant is also more convenient for Aspen Leaf’s customer base, which includes clients in Larimer and Boulder counties. Mark Haynam is the company’s president.

Awards & Honors

Joe Rowan, a loan officer at Colorado National Mortgage’s Fort Collins office, has been named to the 1995 President’s Club, the company’s highest distinction bestowed upon loan officers who exceed rigorous standards for excellence. Rowan has worked in the Fort Collins office for three years and has more than six years’ real estate and mortgage-lending experience.

James Perkins was inducted into Norwest Mortgage Inc.’s Leader’s Club for closing mortgage loans in excess of $12 million in 1995. Nancy Smith was named to the President’s Club for the fifth consecutive year and was also honored as the third most productive account in the nation, closing mortgage loans in excess of $44 million in 1995. Smith and Perkins were honored at the company’s annual sales conference in Orlando, Fla.

Transnation Title Insurance Co. and Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co. have had their “A” ratings for claims-paying ability reaffirmed by Standard and Poor’s Corp. Both companies are subsidiaries of Reliance Group Holdings Inc. Transnation, formerly Transamerica Title Insurance company, has offices in Fort Collins.

John Calhoun, co-owner of The Book Rack of Loveland, has been named Business Person of the Month by the Loveland Chamber of Commerce. Calhoun has lived in Loveland for five years. He and his wife, Michelle, bought The Book Rack in June 1994, and the store has experienced substantial growth since then.

The store plans a 1,200-square-foot expansion. In addition to 30,000 used books, The Book Rack carries new books of regional interest and books by local authors, and can order any new book in print and have it in stock within a week.

Aspen Leaf Kitchens Ltd. has been accepted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association as a dealer/member of fine cabinetry. Across the nation, only 1,727 dealer memberships have been awarded. Fort Collins-based Aspen Leaf Kitchens designs and manufactures custom European cabinetry. Reach Aspen Leaf at (970) 282-8479.

Jenny Ruby has been named Colorado’s Best Receptionist in Colorado Business magazine’s “The Best of Colorado Business” competition. Ruby, a 1974 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, is an administrative assistant for the dean’s office and the Monfort Executive Professor Program at the College of Business. The magazine also tapped the business school for Colorado’s Best Home Page. The home page, www.coba.UnivNorthCo.edu, was designed by a team of students led by Forrest Swick and Joe Alexander.

Elnora Gilfoyle, professor and head of the department of occupational therapy at Colorado State University, was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame March 21. In addition to a lengthy career as a clinician and academic, Gilfoyle was in 1992 the first woman to be named academic vice president and provost at CSU. She returned to teaching in 1995 and is developing the Institute for Women and Leadership at the university.

Jerry Dunn, a vice president for investments at PaineWebber Inc. in Fort Collins, has been named a Pacesetter for the firm. Dunn has more than 16 years’ experience in the securities industry. He joined PaineWebber in 1993. Previously, he was a vice president for investments at Kemper Securities. Dunn is a certified investment management analyst and certified financial planner and holds a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics from Fort Lewis College and a master’s degree in finance from the University of Wyoming.

Brayton Insurance, owned by Mary Brayton, has been named an Advantage Agent for 1996 by the Alliance Insurance Cos. in McPhereson, Kan. To qualify as an Advantage Agent, an agency must exhibit superior professionalism and profitability over a five-year period. Brayton is located in Fort Collins.

Fort Collins-based Center Printing, and Pioneer Press and Kendall Printing, both located in Greeley, recently won awards at the annual PRIDE Awards banquet sponsored by the Printing & Imaging Association Mountain States. The program recognizes design and printing excellence in 20 categories for single and multicolor printing. Center received a best of division award for a Hewlett-Packard Co. customer-education piece. Pioneer Press received best of division awards for work for Colorado Christian Home and the Chaplency Program. Kendall Printing won a special judges award for a semiconductor test calendar, best of division and best of category for a comic book, and best of division for their 1996 calendar.

Grants & Donations

AT&T Wireless Services has donated about $6,000 in cellular telephones and local air time to Northern Colorado charities. Wingshadow Inc., Namaqua Center, Children’s Clinic of Fort Collins and Meals on Wheels of Greeley were selected based on their demonstration that a cellular phone will improve their program’s effectiveness. Wingshadow intervenes with “endangered youth” who have been suspended, dismissed, expelled or dropped out of school, youth in the judicial system, and physically, emotionally or sexually abused youth. Children’s Clinic provides medical services to the children of the most needy families in the Fort Collins area. Namaqua Center provides treatment to emotionally disturbed children. Meals on Wheels provides hot meals to people who are unable to cook or who require special diets.

IBM Corp. recently donated electronic test equipment valued at $300,000 to Front Range Community College. The equipment will be distributed among the Larimer, Westminster and Boulder Arapahoe campuses in the electronics, physics and machining departments. The donation is expected to benefit second-year students in the electronics programs.

Through the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, The Loveland Community Foundation has made its first grant, a $1,000 award to the City of Loveland Police Department in support of “Journey — A Young Women’s Conference.” Two new funds have also been established within the foundation, the Sethre Family Foundation and the David L. Baily Scholarship. The foundation will soon have a Loveland office, courtesy of Home State Bank.

Mountain Crest Behavioral Healthcare System has announced the recipients of the second annual Community Mental Health Grants. A total of $6,700 was awarded to eight agencies. Fostering Family Strengths received $1,000 to provide scholarship assistance to families. Poudre R-1 School District received $1,000 for safe and drug-free school activities and resources to promote educational and preventative interventions among K-12 students. Options of Northern Colorado received $500 for a domestic-violence education and outreach program. Crisis Information Hotline received $600 for suicide-prevention and crisis-intervention materials. The fund will foot the cost for 20 Lincoln Junior High students to attend the All Day Adventure Ropes Course. Children’s Clinic received a $1,000 grant for materials used in healthy family functioning, teen pregnancy and substance-abuse programs. Centennial High School Health Facility received $1,000 to be used in a mental-health and addictive-disorder program. And Larimer County Partners received $1,000 for a one-on-one mentoring program.