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Colorado - Fri. 04/04/25 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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NEW TRAINING FACILITY FOR SOUTHWEST AIRLINES OPENS AT DIA
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Southwest Airlines University, a 23,000-square-foot training facility for Southwest Airlines employees, opened its doors on Wednesday at a location adjacent to Denver International Airport. Most Southwest employees working at DIA will use the new facility for training purposes. It will replace smaller facilities that were previously located at the airport. Pilots will continue to train at the Corporate Campus in Dallas, where the company is headquartered. As of 2021, Southwest employed more than 4,300 people in Denver. The new training facility will be a part of the “Colorado Aerotropolis,” which is a coalition attempting to turn the undeveloped land surrounding the airport into a “global business hotspot.”
The development plans come from a collaboration between Adams County; the cities of Aurora, Brighton, Commerce City, Federal Heights, and Thornton; the City and County of Denver; and DIA. The JAG Logistics Center, where the training facility is located, is the closest privately owned industrial development to the airport. The area is a confirmed Opportunity Zone and an Enterprise Zone, which refers to two separate designations by the state government which incentivizes development with tax breaks.
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DOWNTOWN DENVER BRACES FOR ROCKIES OPENING DAY
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The first home game for the Colorado Rockies marks the beginning of warmer weather and a busier time for downtown Denver. But this year, Opening Day could be hampered by wet weather. Denver has an 80 percent chance of snow mixed with rain before noon today, April 4, when the Rockies play the Athletics at Coors Field a few hours later, according to the National Weather Service. The Rockies home opener is expected to create $6 million in economic impact, about the same as last year, said Matthew Payne, executive director of the Denver Sports Commission of Visit Denver.
Opening Day was the busiest day for the Ballpark District in 2024. The season opener had more than 118,000 visitors last year. That’s 21,000 more people than 2023. It marked a strong start for Ballpark, which saw more than 7 million people in the neighborhood over the Rockies season. This year, they’re preparing to bring people inside for the festivities at McGregor Square’s businesses such as the food hall and Tom’s Watch Bar if the weather is bad.
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ALPINE BANK AURORA HOSTS GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION, APRIL 12
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Alpine Bank is celebrating the grand opening, Saturday, April 12, of its newest location in Aurora with a community event featuring live music, food and fun! Attendees can participate in giveaways, a cash booth, enjoy free food from local vendors and take part in family-friendly activities from noon to 2 p.m. As part of its commitment to community engagement, Alpine Bank Aurora will also make a charitable gift to the Aurora Public Schools Foundation and CrossPurpose, two organizations dedicated to education and economic opportunity. Additionally, the event will showcase a performance by Colorado Youth Mariachi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving mariachi traditions among young musicians. Alpine Bank Aurora is located at 2000 Chester Street, Suite A, near E. Montview Boulevard and Clinton Street just three blocks south of the Stanley Marketplace.
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TWO DENVER-AREA CRAFT BREWERIES JOIN FORCES
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Major changes continue to reshape Colorado’s craft brewery scene as two companies announced the second high-profile brewery merger of the month. Longmont-based Left Hand Brewing Co. and Aurora’s Dry Dock Brewing Co. are uniting under the Indian Peaks Brewing Co. banner, the largest craft brewery in Colorado and the parent company of Left Hand Brewing. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. This merger comes one day after Great Divide Brewing Co. announced it was acquired by locally owned Wilding Brands, the parent company that has recently assembled Stem Ciders, Denver Beer Co., Cerveceria Colorado and other craft beverage brands under one umbrella.
Dry Dock’s production and packaging will move to Left Hand’s Longmont facility, at 1245 Boston Ave. Dry Dock’s taproom in Aurora, at 15120 E. Hampden Ave., will remain open. Founded in 2005, Dry Dock claims to be the first craft brewery in Aurora. It has since gone on to win 28 Great American Beer Festival medals and eight World Beer Cup awards. Left Hand, founded in 1993, launched a community ownership model and fundraising campaign in July to overcome challenges to the independent craft brewery industry.
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BILL LIMITING GROCERS FROM SELLING HARD LIQUOR PASSES, HEADS TO GOV. POLIS NEXT
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Colorado’s independently owned liquor stores, reeling from voter-approved wine sales in grocery stores, landed a significant victory with the passage of a bill that stops more grocery stores with pharmacies from getting into the booze-selling game. Senate Bill 25-33, passed the full Colorado House of Representatives this week, 55-8, and now heads to Gov. Jared Polis nearly un-amended, despite significant pushback from grocers, who said any step away from wider availability of alcohol sales was a backward one. The bill stops at about two dozen the number of stores, such as King Soopers and Costco, that had acquired a quirky permit known as a Liquor License Drug Stores (LLDS) that allowed alcohol sales tied to a pharmacy.
Independent liquor store owners said the LLDS was being used as a shortcut to licenses, especially to sell spirits, that was unfairly devaluing the smaller businesses and had a hand in forcing hundreds of them to close. In addition to grandfathering existing licenses, SB25-33 limits to eight the number of licenses any one ownership group can hold. Currently, that number would increase to about a dozen in 2027 and then even more thereafter, all part of the original compromise.
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HOMEBUILDER, ENERGY COMPANY LAUNCH GEOTHERMAL PROJECT IN METRO DENVER
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Homebuilder Lennar is partnering with Dandelion Energy in metro Denver on what the companies say will be one of the country’s largest residential deployments of geothermal heating and cooling. Gov. Jared Polis, Xcel Energy-Colorado President Robert Kenney and Colorado Energy Office Executive Director Will Toor turned out Wednesday to officially kick off work on a new housing development on the far western reaches of metro Denver. The development in the Ken Caryl neighborhood near Littleton is one of 14 Denver-area communities where Lennar and Dandelion Energy will install geothermal heat pumps in roughly 1,500 homes over the next two years. For both Lennar and Dandelion Energy, their collaboration marks the companies’ largest installations of what are called ground-source heat pumps.
Holes are bored in the ground to tap the stable subsurface temperatures to warm indoor air in the winter and cool it in the summer. The goal is to reduce the expense of installing heat pumps through efficiencies produced by spreading the costs across hundreds of homes. Homeowners will benefit from heating and cooling that could cut by half the energy consumption of traditional systems. Colorado and Xcel Energy officials said increasing the number of homes using geothermal heat pumps will help meet their goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting the use of renewable energy.
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CMC DEBUTS NY-BASED PROGRAM TO BOOST GRADUATION RATES IN RURAL COLORADO
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Colorado Mountain College has been selected as one of two Colorado rural community colleges to pilot a new student support program as part of a $20 million initiative to improve economic opportunities for Coloradans. The program, modeled after the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs initiative, was developed by the City University of New York in 2007 as a way to improve lagging graduation rates. For community colleges in Colorado, it’s an avenue to help more students earn associate degrees. Nationwide community college graduation rates are significantly lower than those of traditional colleges, with only 22 percent of community college students graduating from a two-year program on time compared with 60 percent in four-year programs.
At Colorado Mountain College, these lower graduation rates are especially pronounced for part-time and older first-generation students — the targeted demographic for their new pool of program participants. Studies have found that the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs initiative and its replications across the country result in higher graduation rates and higher salaries following graduation. The program has helped more than 110,000 students graduate at the City University of New York alone. Counties along the Interstate 70 corridor, particularly Garfield and Eagle counties, are among the more populous areas in the college’s service region and have the largest number of part-time students seeking associate degrees.
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ELK CAN MIGRATE THROUGH PRIVATE COLORADO RANCH AFTER FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND DEAL
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A Park County rancher passionate about helping wildlife just signed a first-of-its-kind agreement with a conservation organization that will cover a significant portion of his cattle grazing fees in exchange for letting thousands of elk migrate through his property. And the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, which helped broker the deal, says other ranchers are already asking how they can get in on it. Brendan Boepple, conservation director at the land trust, said the organization has protected 800,000 acres of ranch land through conservation easements across Colorado since 1995, and that it’s exploring new ways ranchers can implement smart stewardship on their land without the “in perpetuity” condition of a traditional easement. “Ranchers are conservationists in and of themselves,” he said, but easements don’t work well in every corner of Colorado. “We’re trying to create new tools for conservation.”
Like the agreement Dave Gottenborg made with the land trust and a conservation nonprofit to let elk migrate through his 3,000-acre Eagle Rock Ranch in Park County. Every winter Gottenborg lays down barbed-wire fencing on his ranch so migrating elk won’t get hung up in it. He assists them out of the fullness of his heart — and his bank account — because the elk trample ground his cattle graze on during the summer and inadvertently wreck fences he seems always to be fixing. Now he’ll keep helping those elk while also saving a few bucks he normally pays other private landowners to let his cattle graze on their property.
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VAIL RESORTS ANNOUNCES LAYOFFS, LOOKS TO CUT 14% OF CORPORATE WORKERS
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Broomfield-based Vail Resorts filed notice with the state of Colorado that it is closing one of its operating units in Broomfield as part of its efficiency plan, the company announced on Tuesday. Accompanying the closing, the company said it is laying off 64 people who work in the human resources unit. The layoffs come without surprise as the plan was announced in September to investors, which included a 14 percent layoff of the company’s corporate workforce and less than 1 percent of its operations workforce. Vail Resorts told investors it expects $100 million in annual cost efficiencies to be realized by the end of the 2026 fiscal year, this after it saw Epic Pass sales for winter 2024-25 fall for the first time since its inception in the 2008-09 season. The company said the two-year plan is aimed at improving the organization’s effectiveness and helping the company scale for operating leverage.
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ANNUAL COLORADO RIVER CLEANUP IS COMING APRIL 19
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Even the Colorado River needs a quick tidying up during spring cleaning season. Volunteers can help keep our local section of the river spick and span at this year’s 21st Annual Grand Valley River Cleanup on April 19. The cleanup is organized by Gear Junction, RiversEdge West and the Grand Valley Paddling Club. Volunteers start at different boat ramps along the valley. Some volunteers float the river, picking up trash along the way, while others walk the banks cleaning the river from land.
Each event removes tons of garbage from the Colorado River in the Grand Valley. They find everything from common water bottles to refrigerators and always a good number of tires. Volunteers should bring their own watercraft or arrange a spot on a friend’s boat and bring things like water and sun protection. Trash bags, waste disposal and safety gear will be provided. For more information on how to volunteer, visit thegearjunction.com or riversedgewest.org/get-involved/events/21st-annual-grand-valley-river-cleanup.
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EAGLE VALLEY LAND TRUST CELEBRATES OPENING OF NEW CONSERVATION CENTER
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The Eagle Valley Land Trust, on Thursday, unveiled its new home in Edwards at the former Wildflower Farm. The group’s new Conservation Center overlooks the Eagle River Preserve to the north, and New York Mountain to the south. The building itself is a reclaimed log structure that was brought to Colorado from Tennessee. The building dates to the 1800s, with some of the giant logs dating to the 1700s. At a small celebration before the ribbon-cutting, Land Trust Deputy Director Bergen Tjossem said the organization’s former home, in leased space in the Edwards Riverwalk, was “bursting at the seams.” Even the small staff “had to kind of shift between who was working remote that day and who (was) working in person.” Sharing space with other organizations “didn’t give us much of an identity,” Tjossem added. In the new building, multiple things can happen at once, Tjossem said.
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FEBRUARY SALES TAX REPORT IN STEAMBOAT SHOWS INCREASES IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES
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The city of Steamboat Springs released its initial tax report for February 2025, including sales, use, accommodation and short-term rental tax revenues. Compared to the same month last year, February 2025 sales taxes increased by $63,840, or 1.4 percent. For the last five years, February has represented about 11.28 percent of annual collections. Year-to-date sales tax collections are 0.71 percent less than the same period last year. The report showed notable increases in categories such as construction at 10.18 percent, utilities at 8.71 percent and lodging at 3.11 percent compared to February last year.
Accommodation tax collections saw an increase of 4.29 percent in February this year. Short-term rental tax collections also rose 5.33 percent in February this year, totaling $146,245 more than February 2024. The building use tax revenues, used to fund city capital projects, totaled $290,196 this February. General tax information can be found at SteamboatSprings.net/119/Municipal-Tax. For the full preliminary February sales tax report, visit TinyUrl.com/2p8xe9m9.
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GREENER DAYS AHEAD AS GOLF SEASON RETURNS
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As snow melts off the fairways, golf courses across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys are beginning to open for the 2025 season. From Jack Nicklaus-designed layouts to top-rated public courses, the valleys continue to shine as a destination for golfers of all skill levels. The Western Slope is home to some of the best golf in the state, and Garfield County carries more than its share of that weight. The Glenwood Springs Golf Club, affectionately known as The Hill, was the last course in the valley to open its doors this spring. It was voted the best 9-hole public course in Colorado by The Denver Post. According to top100golfcourses.com, five of the top 50 courses in Colorado are located within the Roaring Fork Valley. Whether you’re chasing a personal best or just out for the views, there’s something for every kind of golfer.
- Courses like Ironbridge, Aspen Glen, and the Roaring Fork Club are among the highest rated in the region — all designed by Jack Nicklaus and known for their challenging layouts and striking mountain scenery.
- In the Colorado River Valley, Lakota Links and Rifle Creek Golf Course sit nestled along one of the longest naturally formed hogback ridges in North America. Lakota Links opened in 2004 and quickly earned a spot among the Western Slope’s premier golf destinations. The 18-hole course stretches more than 7,000 yards and features dramatic elevation changes, including tee shots that drop over 100 feet.
- Rifle Creek Golf Course has been part of the community since 1960. Tucked deep into the ridge, it delivers a more traditional experience, with two distinct 9-hole layouts and scenery that’s hard to replicate.
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HEALTHIEST CITIES IN AMERICA, 2025
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To determine which areas prioritize residents’ well-being, WalletHub compared more than 180 of the most populated U.S. cities across 41 key indicators of good health. The data set ranged from the cost of a medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption to the share of physically active adults.
Healthiest Places to Live in the U.S.:
- San Francisco, CA
- Honolulu, HI
- Seattle, WA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Diego, CA
- Portland, OR
- Denver, CO
- Minneapolis, MN
- Washington, DC
- Huntington Beach, CA
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MARKET UPDATE - 04/03/2025 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 04/03/2025)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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