Who says Denver is an old-fashioned cow town? It may be hard to believe, but Denver is much more savvy than Silicon Valley neighbor San Francisco when it comes to wireless phone service.
Denver ranks 8th among 20 major U.S. cities where residents dropped their land-line phone service, according to a recent survey by consumer research company Telephia. More than 11 percent of Denver residents ditched their home telephones in favor of wireless services, compared with San Francisco, which ranked dead last with 5.5 percent of residents dropping their service. Detroit led the list with 19 percent of residents favoring cellphones over home phones.
“San Franciscans have traditionally been early adopters of advanced technologies. It is a bit of a surprise to see this metro much lower on the list, but this could be driven by the area’s high income level or its relatively low level of mobile network quality,” said Kanishka Agarwal, Telephia’s VP of New Products in a written statement. “For topology and zoning reasons, mobile networks in San Francisco are not as reliable as compared to other top cities, and it’s a less attractive substitute.”
More business briefs
Now all he needs are an earring and tattoo
Liberty Media chairman John Malone sported a new look at this month’s Cable Hall of Fame event at The Cable Center in Denver.
The fresh look was self-inspired, not to project a new image for Malone’s Douglas County-based company, which is interested in acquiring DirecTV from News Corp., and Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves from Time Warner.
The usually cleanshaven Malone, 65, was sporting beard.
“I just decided to let it grow out,” Malone said with a broad smile during a cocktail reception before the induction ceremony.
Is your bad luck their good fortune?
Layoffs are typically among the first tactics chief executives use to boost a company’s share price.
And maybe their paychecks too.
Employee cuts often translate into bigger bucks for CEOs, according to a new study.
Between 1993 and 1999, CEOs who let employees go received 22.8 percent more total pay than leaders of companies who kept their workforces intact, according to Craig Rennie, a University of Arkansas finance professor who spearheaded the study.
The study, which examined 229 companies that laid of at least one employee, will be published in The Financial Review.
The study concluded that the pay gap grows during the years following the layoffs. One year later, CEOs who laid off employees received 42.6 percent more pay. Two years later, those CEOs earned 44.9 percent more. After that, total compensation was 77.4 percent greater.
“These rewards were not one-time or one-year events,” Rennie said in a statement.
The analysis also showed layoffs “generated abnormal stock returns immediately after the announcements.” Investors often cheer workforce reductions for cutting costs and boosting profits.
Boo! Bark! Bark! Boo! Bark! Bark!
The folks at Malenke Barnhart know how to party with their pooches.
On Oct. 31, the dog-friendly interactive ad agency is sponsoring Howlween, a canine costume contest and “yappy hour” benefiting the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center.
Last year, the party was open only to clients. This Halloween, they’re throwing it open to the public to try to raise more money for the no-kill shelter.
“We realized that a lot of people who live downtown treat their dogs like their kids,” said agency general manager Dan Barnhart. “It’s amazing the costumes that you’ll see; people go crazy.”
For $2 per dog, attendees 21 and older get entrance to the contest, dog treats and beer. Partners in the event include Malenke Barnhart neighbors like the Flying Dog Brewery and Blake Street Tavern, along with Brix, the Denver Zoo and others.
For details about the party, visit www.howlween.com.
Businesses will need retiring boomers
The newest elephant in the boardroom: Nearly 18 million baby boomers have turned 60 and soon will be faced with a new kind of retirement choice. Should they continue working in traditional jobs, or should they embark on something altogether new?
According to author Mary Louise Floyd, progressive companies will do everything they can to prevent the latter, especially those in industries requiring the judgment, counsel and long- range planning only seasoned employees can provide.
Yet while baby boomers are proud of their accomplishments, many would like more control over their time, said Floyd, author of “Retired With Husband; Superwoman’s New Challenge.”
Smart companies can accommodate both by offering part- time or seasonal jobs, keeping retirees on call for temporary assignments or in consulting positions, and allowing phased retirement.
Medical clinics to open in area Wal-Marts
Greenwood Village-based Smart Care Family Medical Centers will open its first three clinics in metro Denver on Nov. 8.
The company, which has struck a deal to open walk-in medical clinics in a majority of Wal-Mart Supercenters in the state, already has clinics in Greeley and Loveland.
The new clinics will open in Wal-Marts at 5650 S. Chambers Road in Aurora, 7455 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood and 13420 Coal Mine Ave. in Littleton.
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
