Alpine Bank receives ‘Best of’ recognition
Alpine Bank was voted “Best Bank” and “Best Mortgage Broker” by readers of ColoradoBiz Magazine as part of the publication’s inaugural Best of Colorado Business Choice Awards.
To determine the awards, an online voting process was set up and run several months to identify winners and runners-up in 62 categories. Participants were asked to vote for the companies they’d trust to take care of their colleagues and friends, and they were required to vote in at least 10 categories. In addition to being voted “Best Bank” and “Best Mortgage Broker,” Alpine Bank was a runner-up in the Wealth Managers/Financial Planners category.
For more information, visit www.cobizmag.com/articles/best-of-colorado-2015.
Durango, Glenwood Springs firms merge
Durango-based water resources and environmental consulting firm Bikis Water Consultants LLC announced it has joined SGM, Western Colorado’s largest full-service engineering, surveying and consulting firm, headquartered in Glenwood Springs.
The combined company will offer a full suite of water resources, environmental consulting and engineering services to meet the increasingly complex needs of clients across western and southwestern Colorado.
For more information, visit www.sgm-inc.com, call 945-1004, 385-2340 or email info@bikiswater.com.
Women’s care group moves into new suite
Specialists in Women’s Care announced its new location at 555 S. Camino del Rio, Suite B2.
The practice is owned by Nicole Pinkerton, who relocated to Durango five years ago. The practice recently added new partner Dr. Jeffrey Chamberlain.
The office specializes in women’s health and manages problems affecting women. The practice is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
Specialists in Women’s Care is the former office of Dr. Lloyd Lifton, and his former patients’ medical records have been moved with the practice.
For more information, call 259-0701.
Open Mortgage hires George Johnson
Open Mortgage announces that George Johnson has joined its team and will continue in Southwest Colorado as a reverse-mortgage professional.
Johnson has more than 16 years of mortgage experience in Southwest Colorado and almost seven years focusing on reverse mortgages.
For more information, call 507-0467, email georgejohnson@openmtg.co or visit georgejohnson.openmortgage.com.
Pediatric Partners to celebrate McGrath
Pediatric Partners of the Southwest, 810 East Third Street, Suite 301, will celebrate 10 years in business and Dr. Bob McGrath’s 37th year of practicing pediatric medicine in Durango on Tuesday, July 7.
The Purple Ice Cream truck will be at its Horse Gulch Health Campus with free treats from noon to 5 p.m. There also will be face painting and music on the patio.
For more information, visit ppswdurango.com or call 375-0100.
Arts Center welcomes new board member
The Durango Arts Center welcomed Rosemary Juskevich to the board of directors in mid-June.
Juskevich brings a wealth of commitment to the center, including more than 10 years of involvement as a member artist and volunteer of the center’s Docent program, which delivers art history and hands-on art activities to area schools and the community free of charge. She served as the chair of the Docent Committee for several years before transitioning to the center’s board, but she will remain active in the program.
Juskevich was credentialed as a physical therapist from Northwestern University and later received a master’s in art therapy from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Juskevich maintains a 30-year career as a pastel painter, having been accepted to numerous juried shows in recent years. Locally, she previously served as the chairwoman of the Pastoral Council of St. Columba Church.
Juskevich will serve a three-year term on the center’s all-volunteer board of directors, led by Terry Stalker, president; and Ginny Davis, vice president.
For more information, visit www.DurangoArts.org.
S.W. Colo. receives zone approvals
The Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center was approved as an Enterprise Zone Contribution Project by the Colorado Economic Development Commission.
This designation allows any donor contributions $250 or more to be eligible for a 25 percent state tax credit on cash donations and a 12.5 percent state tax credit on in-kind donations such as professional services.
The project was approved for the business-assistance and economic-development components in a rural area offered by the center and its business advisers.
In Southwest Colorado, all of Montezuma, Archuleta, San Juan, and Dolores counties are designated enterprise zone areas. Portions of La Plata County also are eligible.
For more information, visit www.scan.org or call 247-9621.
Durango library seeks business partners
Durango Public Library is seeking business partners for National Library Card Sign-Up Month by participating in its Library Card Discount program.
Businesses are asked to offer an incentive to customers who visit the business in September who show their Durango Public Library card. The library has more than 30,000 active card holders. Businesses will receive free advertising. The deadline to sign up is Monday.
For more information, email Donna Arment at donna.arment@durangogov.org or call 375-3386.
Durango’s chamber receives awards
The Durango Chamber of Commerce is the 2015 recipient of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry “Best New Event” award.
TechKnowledge 2015, with more than 100 attendees in its inaugural year, was the winning new-event entry submitted by the Durango Chamber of Commerce at this year’s Colorado Chamber of Commerce Executive Spring Conference. The Durango Chamber also placed third in the “Revenue Growth” category for 2014.
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce Executives is an organization of local chamber executives whose purpose is to improve the professionalism of chambers, provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and act as both a resource and a liaison to the Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry.
For more information, visit www.durangobusiness.org.
Russell Planning adds Horn to its team
Jim Horn joined the Russell Planning & Engineering team.
With 28 years of engineering experience, Horn joined Russell Planning and Engineering in June after working at the Colorado Department of Transportation for 19 years. His job duties evolved from a project engineer, working on construction projects, to off-systems engineer, developing federally funded local agency projects, then as a traffic resident engineer/access manager where he worked with local agencies and private developers on intersection, access and safety projects. Before working at CDOT, Horn worked at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as district engineer in water quality.
For more information, visit www.russelleng.biz.
Commuter Challenge winners announced
Twenty-five local businesses participated in the Business Commuter Challenge as part of the sixth annual Clean Commute Week.
The challenge pits businesses against each other in a friendly competition to see whose employees could walk, bike, bus or carpool the most in one week. The winners were announced at the Love Your Commute party and were determined by a combination of the number of sustainable trips and daily participation:
In the Tiny Category (1-10 employees), Durango Arts Center won.
In the Small Category (11-50 employees), Russell Planning and Engineering won.
In the Medium Category (51-100 employees), Ska Brewing won.
In the Large Category (100+ employees), StoneAge Waterblast Tools won.
Bear Smart thanks Parks and Wildlife
Bear Smart Durango, a local nonprofit, thanks Colorado Parks and Wildlife for its contribution of $500 worth of materials toward its Electric Fencing Incentive Program.
This will allow Bear Smart to assist five county landowners in installing small-scale, backyard electric-fencing systems to deter bears from chickens, beehives, livestock and more.
Visit http://bearsmartdurango.org/electric-fencing-incentive-program/ for more information.
Start a small business workshop offered
The Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center and First Southwest Bank will sponsor a half-day workshop, “Starting Your Business,” from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 9 at the Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave.
The course is designed to help people navigate through steps they need to take to start a successful business. Presenters will include a small-business specialist, marketing expert, small-business banker, an attorney and an accountant. Topics will include business planning, legal structure, taxes, marketing and market research and finance options.
The fee for the workshop is $25 or $20 for Durango Chamber of Commerce members. To register, visit https://clients.coloradosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=170350039 or call 247-7009.
Herald Staff
