• Red Cross instructors will be delivering free preparedness training at neighborhood Ace Hardware stores in Fort Collins, Longmont and Greeley in February. The hour-long workshops will cover advice for preparing households and neighborhoods for disasters and emergencies, and winter-specific steps for seasonal emergencies. For more information, go to myhelpfulace.com.
• Bechtel announced that it has completed construction of the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The facility will eventually destroy 2,611 tons of mustard agent-filled munitions currently being stored at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo. The facility is expected to go operational in 2015.
• The Bureau of Land Management’s Front Range District is seeking nominations for five positions on its Resource Advisory Council, which advises BLM Colorado on public land issues. Information
• Michaels, an arts and crafts specialty retailer, will open its new Aurora store at 80 S. Abilene St. on Feb. 10. The store replaces a former location at 15151 E. Mississippi Ave.
• Lakewood-based Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will open its second Nebraska store Feb. 12 in Omaha.
• Four Seasons Hotel Denver has earned recognition as the No. 1 ranked hotel in Denver in the 2013 listing of Best Hotels in Denver by U.S. News & World Report.
• FirstBank and the Colorado Association of Realtors have formed an alliance to help Colorado Realtors and their clients with mortgages and other financial needs. The alliance is part of a three-year sponsorship agreement that makes FirstBank the official bank sponsor of the Realtor organization.
• Better Homes and Gardens announced that International Delight Iced Coffee, manufactured by Broomfield-based WhiteWave Foods, was a winner in the 2013 Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards.
• New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. has opened a new retail store in in the Aspen Grove Shopping Center, 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, in Littleton.
•CCT Advertising, a Denver-based advertising firm, has changed its name to Pilgrim and narrowed its focus to “journey brands” that transform or transport people.
