ViaWest wins deal to furnish backup data services for state
ViaWest Internet Services has won a contract to provide backup data services in case the state’s information-technology systems ever fail, Colorado Secretary of State Gigi Dennis said Wednesday.
“Having a backup facility for our distributed IT services will allow the state to keep providing vital services to citizens in case of emergency,” Dennis said.
Denver-based ViaWest will operate the disaster-recovery facility under a lease arrangement worth $2 million upfront and $2 million annually. Chief executive Roy Dimoff said he expects the company to add to its 100-person workforce because of the contract. ViaWest operates two data centers each in Colorado and Utah.
State legislators approved the proposal for the backup facility in 2005. It was expected to be available by June 30.
“This is very topical in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,” Dimoff said.
The contract was approved by the secretary of state, attorney general and state controller. The state departments of law, regulatory affairs, personnel and public safety have agreed to make use of the system.
The operation will go beyond a handful of state agencies, said Brian Balay, Dennis’ chief information officer.
LIMA, Peru
Newmont “nervous” about Bolivia takeover
Newmont Mining Corp., the world’s largest gold-mining company, is “nervous” about Bolivian President Evo Morales’ Monday takeover of oil and gas fields, company president Pierre Lassonde said.
“Looking at what’s happening in Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, of course we’re nervous,” Lassonde told reporters in Lima. “This is every foreign investor’s worst nightmare. You invest billions, and then you find your investment nationalized.”
Bolivia plans to take control of all its natural resources including mining deposits, Vice President Alvaro Garcia said Tuesday. Denver-based Newmont expects to produce about 125,000 ounces of gold this year at its Corichaca mine in Bolivia, Lassonde said.
DENVER
DIA selects firm for new master plan
Denver International Airport has selected Ricondo & Associates Inc. to prepare a new master plan for the airport.
The Chicago firm is opening a Denver office, according to DIA spokesman Chuck Cannon. DIA will pay about $3 million for the work, which will begin around August after a contract is signed.
BROOMFIELD
Calif. investor buys two 5-story buildings
A California real-estate investor paid $35 million for two five-story office buildings in Broomfield.
Equastone LLC purchased The Views I and II office property, 11800-11802 Ridge Parkway, from Alliance Commercial Partners LLC of Lakewood. Equa stone plans to invest $100 million in Colorado real estate this year.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.
Molson Coors to shut plant six months early
Molson Coors Brewing Co. said Tuesday it will close its Memphis brewery six months earlier than previously planned.
Announced just days after last year’s merger of Golden-based Adolph Coors Co. and Canada’s Molson Inc., the shuttering of the Memphis plant had been slated for early 2007. The company now plans to close the facility within the next five months.
NEW YORK
Wal-Mart: Full-time positions will remain
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. insists it doesn’t have formal plans to cut full-time jobs at its U.S. stores, but some Wall Street analysts appear to have reached a different conclusion.
Last week, Citigroup analyst Deborah Weinswig predicted in a 60-page research report that Wal-Mart will reduce its ratio of full-time workers to 60 percent “over the next year or two,” with the remaining 40 percent slated for part-time status. Wal-Mart executives had said recently in the wake of a similar analyst report that the company isn’t targeting any particular ratio of full-time to part-time workers.
PALO ALTO, Calif.
H-P ad campaign targets Dell Inc.
Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s No. 2 personal-computer maker, is starting its most expensive PC advertising effort ever to win sales from rival Dell Inc.
Print, television, Internet and outdoor ads that will begin appearing Tuesday are part of an 18-month campaign that will cost the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company “several hundred million” dollars, said Satjiv Chahil, Hewlett-Packard’s PC marketing chief.
WASHINGTON
Service-sector activity expanded in April
America’s service sector expanded with gusto and factories saw orders shoot up by the largest amount in nearly a year.
The Institute for Supply Management reported Wednesday that its index of service-sector activity stood at 63 in April, compared with 60.5 in March. A reading of 50 and above points to a growing service sector. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said new orders placed with manufacturers jumped by 4.2 percent in March.
CHICAGO
UAL Corp. to merge airport, cargo units
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said Wednesday it will consolidate its airport operations and cargo divisions into one unit.
The nation’s No. 2 carrier said the move will “further streamline United’s operations, drive efficiencies and produce additional cost savings.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Yum’s Derby ads will target investors
Yum Brands Inc., which owns the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fast-food chains, said it will target investors with network television commercials during the Kentucky Derby horse race Saturday.
“Traditional Derby television viewers match the profile of individual investors who may be interested in purchasing shares of Yum Brands,” the Louisville, Ky.-based company said Wednesday in a statement.
WASHINGTON
Rule limits foreign investors’ air influence
The U.S. government revised a rule to give foreign shareholders more say in the nation’s airlines, emphasizing limits on those investors’ influence after a Senate committee blocked the initial plan.
The rule issued Wednesday says airline board members who are U.S. citizens may revoke authority given to such investors. The foreigners would be limited to issues such as scheduling and marketing and couldn’t hire, fire or control budgets of executives.
