The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory on Monday named David Hiller its first executive director.
Formerly a staff member and adviser to Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., Hiller will work directly with the Collaboratory directors and executive board to pursue its strategic vision, expand joint research activities and increase coordination with state and federal officials.
The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory is a research collaboration between the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The main purpose of the Collaboratory is to develop renewable-energy technologies for rapid commercialization.
In July, the Collaboratory launched its first major project, the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, known as C2B2. The research venture between large and small businesses and the Collaboratory will perform research to develop new biofuels and biorefining technologies and transfer these advances as rapidly as possible to the private sector.
DENVER
Forest Oil closes deal selling Alaska assets
Forest Oil Corp. has completed a previously announced deal to sell its Alaskan assets, including the wholly owned subsidiary Forest Alaska Operating LLC, to Pacific Energy Resources Ltd.
Under the terms of the agreement, Forest receives $132 million in cash, additional cash of $268 million to repay debt, 10 million shares of Pacific common stock and a $60.75 million zero- coupon senior subordinated note from Pacific due in 2014.
The properties have proved reserves equivalent to 181 billion cubic feet of natural gas. That amount would supply the U.S. for about three days.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Lockheed offers plan for Air Force GPS
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, based in Jefferson County, announced that it submitted a proposal to design the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System space-segment program, known as GPS Block III. Its partners include ITT Corp. and General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems.
It is competing against a team led by Boeing for the contract, which is scheduled to be awarded later this year.
DENVER
Education Tours firm to open LoDo office
EF Education, the largest private educational company, is opening an office in Denver and expects to hire 300 people within three years.
The company, which primarily offers language learning throughout the world, has brought its Education Tours component to offices in LoDo to better serve West Coast clients, said Louise Julian, chief executive and president.
The company offers teachers the opportunity to plan international trips for students and to travel for free if they recruit six students. If a teacher recruits 12 students, he or she gets two free passages.
DENVER
Popular ski passes on sale this weekend
Skiers and snowboarders will have three days this weekend to lock in the lowest prices for this season’s three most popular passes.
The Summit Pass provides unlimited lift access at Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin. It has no restrictions and goes for $379 for adults, $299 for teens and $189 for children.
The Colorado Pass includes all the same benefits as the Summit Pass plus 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek, minus blackout dates. The pass runs $419 for adults, $319 for teens and $199 for kids.
The Colorado Pass Plus, new for this season, is the Colorado Pass with six of the Vail and Beaver Creek days unrestricted. The cost is $519 for adults, $379 for teens and $239 for kids.
The passes will be for sale at Ski Rex at Colorado Ski & Golf in Aurora and Sniagrab at Sports Authority in Denver.
The passes will also be available at other retailers, including Boulder Ski Deals, REI stores and Breeze Ski Rentals.
DENVER
Comcast pulling plug on some land lines
Comcast is discontinuing its land-line-type telephone service in more than a dozen suburban areas in an effort to move several thousand customers over to its digital, Internet-based phone service.
Residents with the service in Brighton, Commerce City, Dupont, Eldorado Springs, Federal Heights, Henderson, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Niwot, Centennial, Englewood, Golden and Edgewater are affected.
BOCA RATON, Fla.
Sun Capital completes Boston Market deal
Sun Capital Partners Inc. completed its acquisition of McDonald’s Corp.’s Boston Market and named Richard Arras as chief executive of the chain of rotisserie-chicken restaurants.
Arras, previously head of Wi-Tenn Restaurants LLC, the operator of O’Charley’s Restaurants, succeeds Michael Andres, who plans to return to McDonald’s, Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital said Monday in a statement.
DENVER
StarTek’s new CFO to start Sept. 10
Ciber Inc. chief financial officer Dave Durham will join Star- Tek Inc., the provider of customer services to the communications industry, as CFO next month.
Durham will get 10,000 shares of restricted StarTek stock, options to buy 165,000 shares starting in a year and an annual salary of $320,000, the Denver-based company said Monday in a regulatory filing. He is to start at StarTek on Sept. 10.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
Rating shift buoys Discovery shares
Discovery Holding Co., majority owner of the Discovery Channel, rose the most ever after Deutsche Bank AG raised its rating to “buy” from “hold.”
Discovery Holding Class A shares gained $1.71, or 7.5 percent, to $24.55 in regular trading on the Nasdaq stock market Monday, the most since the stock began trading in July 2005.
Analyst Doug las Mitchelson set a price target of $27 for the Douglas County-based company.
BENTONVILLE, Ark.
Wal-Mart weighing new store formats
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday it is considering new store sizes and types in the U.S. market but played down the possibility of acquisitions as it faces slowing sales growth at its older stores and new competition from British rival Tesco PLC.
The world’s largest retailer said it is hiring a team to consider new formats besides the retailer’s four established U.S. types:Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters with groceries and merchandise, Sam’s Club membership stores and Neighborhood Market grocery stores.
