Aspen Skiing Co.’s energy blowin’ from the wind 100%
Aspen Skiing Co. announced Wednesday it will offset 100 percent of its electricity use by purchasing renewable-energy certificates from wind farms.
It’s the largest such purchase by a U.S. ski resort, according to the privately held company, which declined to say what the wind-power credits would cost.
“We wanted to make a real statement to our customers and our community, and I’m hoping others in the industry will follow suit,” said Aspen Skiing president and chief executive Pat O’Donnell.
Aspen Skiing operates four ski resorts in the Roaring Fork Valley: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass. It also owns two hotels, the Little Nell and the Snowmass Club.
Aspen Skiing will purchase the wind-energy certificates from Boulder’s Community Energy starting June 1. It currently buys 5 percent of its electricity usage from Holy Cross Energy.
Whole Foods Market and FedEx Kinkos are two other companies that recently expanded their wind-power commitments.
DENVER
Fund fights lawyer fees in Qwest case
A New York pension fund involved in a $400 million class-action settlement with Qwest has filed a motion with the U.S. District Court in Denver saying that the 24 percent its lawyers want in fees is too high.
Lawyers for the Qwest shareholders are seeking $96 million in fees and $2.2 million in expenses. The New York State Teachers’ Retirement Fund cited examples of similar fee awards that ranged up to 17 percent in its court filing.
The Association of US West Retirees also complained that the requested amount is too high, although it has not filed a lawsuit.
San Diego-based Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins has argued that the fees and expenses are reasonable, given the time and labor involved.
DENVER
Bombardier to keep operating DIA fleet
Bombardier Transportation announced Wednesday it has received a $32 million, three-year contract to operate and maintain the Automated People Mover system at Denver International Airport. The pact includes provisions for two optional one- year renewals.
Since the airport opened in 1995, Bombardier has operated and maintained the 27-vehicle fleet that connects the main terminal to the three concourses.
DENVER
Janus to expand sales of managed accounts
Janus Capital Group, the Denver-based mutual-fund giant, plans to increase by four the number of brokerage firms that sell its separately managed accounts.
Janus already sells its separately managed accounts, known as SMAs, through two brokerage firms, Merrill Lynch and Wachovia. The accounts, which have a minimum investment level of $100,000, cater to investors looking for greater tax efficiency and more control over stock picks.
ARAPAHOE COUNTY
CSG buys Telution for bundle software
CSG Systems International Inc., a provider of billing services to cable-television operators, said it has bought closely held Telution Inc. for $22 million in cash to add software that enables communications companies to quickly bring bundled advanced services to market.
The acquisition is expected to boost CSG’s 2006 revenue by as much as $7 million, the Arapahoe County-based company said Wednesday.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
Starz, HP join forces to offer movie service
Starz Entertainment Group LLC said it has teamed up with Hewlett-Packard to promote its Vongo movie service.
The companies entered a co- marketing agreement in which new HP and Compaq notebook computers will ship with a one- month trial subscription to Vongo. Customers can download more than 1,000 movies and other video content through Vongo.
DENVER
DIA boosts ranking for on-time arrivals
Denver International Airport ranked eighth in on-time arrivals in January, up from 16th a year earlier.
In the ranking, Denver had 82.3 percent of arrivals characterized as “on-time.” For on-time departures, Denver ranked 17th, up from 21st in January 2005.
TAMPA, Fla.
Newmont gives raises to thwart “poaching”
Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. has given raises to its mine workers in Nevada because of “poaching” of employees by competitors, said David Harquail, vice president of merchant banking.
An 8 percent “out-of-cycle” pay raise last year was “extraordinary for us, but it was protective because we were being poached,” Harquail said Wed- nesday at a mining conference in Tampa, Fla. “We will match whatever the competition is doing.”
DENVER
Hyatt provides kiosk for airport check-in
The new Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center is allowing customers to check in for flights through a kiosk at the hotel.
The kiosk allows customers to print their boarding passes for major airlines. A Hyatt Regency hotel in San Francisco has a similar kiosk. Hyatt plans to expand the service to all Hyatt hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean by early April.
HOUSTON
Skilling linked to plan to hide Enron’s losses
Former Enron Corp. chief executive officer Jeff Skilling knew about a plan to deceive investors by hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in losses at the company’s retail division by rolling them into huge trading profits, the former head of trading told jurors in Houston on Wednesday.
David Delainey said months of fraudulent activity at Enron culminated in a March 2001 reorganization of its business units, at a time when the company was flush with almost $1 billion in profits from the California energy crisis.
CHICAGO
United, union reach OK on historic pact
United Airlines and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers have reached agreement on their first labor contract.
The union represents about 282 engineers and related employees based primarily in San Francisco, Indianapolis and Chicago, the carrier said.
The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by union members, which is expected to be completed March 8.
Union negotiators are urging members to ratify the contract, according to the IFPTE website.
