A federal grand jury in Denver has indicted a gas-pipeline company and two of its executives for participating in an alleged bid-rigging conspiracy involving construction projects in Colorado.
The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, charges that B&H Maintenance of Eunice, N.M.; its vice president, Jon Paul Smith; and Landon R. Martin, manager of marketing, conspired with another company to submit rigged bids to BP America Production Co. The second company isn’t named. The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly submitted noncompetitive, rigged bids to BP, a violation of interstate trade and commerce, the indictment said.
Neither man could be reached for comment Tuesday. B&H corporate controller Scott Lee referred calls to company president Dale Bettis, who wasn’t available for comment.
The indictment says the activity occurred between June 2005 and December 2005 and involved construction of pipelines to transport natural gas from wells in the Upper San Juan Basin in Colorado.
DENVER
“Let’s Talk Colorado” theme unveiled
The Colorado Tourism Office has officially unveiled its $6.9 million new spring-summer marketing campaign, which centers on the theme “Let’s Talk Colorado.”
Created by Kansas City, Mo., agency MMG Worldwide, the campaign will target families, affluent travelers and couples.
Key markets include Boston, Minneapolis, Phoenix and San Diego. The spending strategy will dedicate 32 percent to online media, 27 percent to broadcast, 26 percent to magazines and 7 percent to newspapers.
DENVER
Chamber asks Webb to be permanent chief
The Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday asked former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to lead the chamber on a permanent basis.
Webb has been serving as president and chief executive on an interim basis for nearly a year.
Chamber board chairman Odell Barry said Webb’s leadership since April, including the chamber’s 2-month-old leadership program and education- scholarship program, prompted the board to forgo a national search.
DENVER
DIA had busiest January in history
Denver International Airport had its busiest January ever, with a total of 3.7 million travelers, an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous January.
Flight operations in January increased 5.2 percent from the same month in 2006. Cargo volume decreased 10.5 percent, comparing those same periods.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE
Money named general counsel of First Data
First Data Corp., a Greenwood Village-based provider of electronic commerce and payment services, announced that David Money has been appointed executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of the company, effective Tuesday.
Money has been serving as acting general counsel since June, when Michael Whealy, who had been executive VP, general counsel, chief administrative officer and secretary since 1998, was injured in an automobile accident. Whealy has been on medical-disability leave since his accident and will retire from the company May 1.
WASHINGTON
FCC rule would limit pay-TV ownership
Comcast Corp. the nation’s largest cable operator, would be effectively barred from buying any other large cable company under a new ownership rule the Federal Communications Commission is considering.
The rule would block companies from owning systems that reach more than 30 percent of pay-TV households. Philadelphia-based Comcast reaches about 27 percent after buying systems from Greenwood Village-based Adelphia Communications Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. Comcast has 800,000 customers in Colorado.
WASHINGTON
Senate panel to review MLB-DirecTV pact
Major League Baseball’s $700 million contract with DirecTV Group Inc. will be reviewed by the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on March 27 over concerns that it may limit consumer access to hundreds of games.
The panel will review the seven-year deal announced last week that puts baseball’s “Extra Innings” package of out-of-town games on the largest U.S. satellite-television service, said Vincent Morris, a spokesman for Sen. John Kerry, who will chair the hearing.
The deal would become exclusive, with the games seen only on DirecTV, if cable companies and EchoStar Communications Corp.’s Dish Network fail to match terms of the contract by the end of the month.
NEW YORK
Turner Broadcasting to overhaul Court TV
Turner Broadcasting System has already revamped cable networks TNT and TBS. Now the company is making another dramatic change, this time by overhauling Court TV.
Atlanta-based Turner, which took control of Court TV last year, plans to rename and refocus the 16-year-old network to reach a younger, male audience. The changes, unveiled Tuesday prior to a presentation to advertisers in New York, will include new shows that go well beyond courtroom action.
Turner hasn’t decided on the new name.
SAN RAMON, Calif.
Chevron shoots for 3% yearly output hike
Integrated oil company Chevron Corp. said Tuesday it expects to increase production by at least 3 percent annually through 2010.
Chevron chairman and chief executive Dave O’Reilly also said the San Ramon, Calif.-based company is making progress on 30 oil and gas development projects that represent an investment of at least $1 billion apiece.
NEW YORK
Goldman Sachs boosts 1st-quarter profit
Goldman Sachs reported a 29 percent increase in profit for its first quarter of 2007, setting a record amid growing concern on Wall Street over falling stock prices and an imploding subprime mortgage market.
The firm reported profit of $3.2 billion, or $6.67 a share, for the three months that ended Feb. 23. That topped the $2.48 billion, or $5.08 a share, it reported in the year-earlier period.
WASHINGTON
Investors approve of job Bernanke has done
Ben Bernanke has won respect from Americans, especially high-income investors, for his first-year performance as Federal Reserve chairman.
A Bloomberg poll found that U.S. residents approved of the way Bernanke is handling his job by a ratio of almost 5 to 1.
