A special report in Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek recently identified Boulder as having the highest concentration of software engineers per capita in the nation and as a destination for new high-tech companies.
The article gave some of the credit to the influx of entrepreneurs in the high-tech realm to Boulder having “the University of Colorado as an anchor and a backyard full of mountains as lifestyle bait.” According to BusinessWeek, Boulder is second only to Silicon Valley in the percentage of workers employed in high tech.
BusinessWeek says in addition to CU, the presence of research labs such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the National Institute of Standards & Technology has attracted well-educated people to Boulder. And the openings of Celestial Seasonings and StorageTek in the ’70s promoted the natural foods industry and a healthy tech community. Software, data services and biotech grew over the years as employees of those companies pursued other interests, including entrepreneurship.
The creation of TechStars, a business “boot camp” for startups, in 2006 has provided a training ground for Internet companies to prepare them for seed funding as well to recruit talent from around the country, BusinessWeek reports. Now Boulder is one of the top spots in the nation to create an Internet business, and several of the Internet's biggest names - Google, Microsoft, AOL and Oracle among them - have made acquisitions here.
BusinessWeek recognizes Boulder for lofty percentage of high-tech startups
Artist seeks to convey smooth, flowing elements of nature in work
A river has always run through Scott Reuman's life; now it runs through his art.
The owner of Conundrum Designs, based in unincorporated Boulder County between Boulder and Nederland, has spent much of his recreational time on the water, and he has found a way to incorporate smooth flowing elements of nature into his artistic and functional designs.
"A good part of my inspiration comes from my love of water," Scott says. "I grew up sailing with my father and then I took up kayaking. One of the things that stimulates my imagination a lot is rivers and flowing water, but also flowing, moving anything. We take rounded things from nature and build sharp-cornered, squared living spaces, so I put lots of curves in my work.
"There's such smoothness to water when it flows in a laminar fashion," he adds. "The water will go from perfectly smooth to violent chaos in a matter of inches, and then it'll flow smooth again."
Scott feels he is able to show that transition in his River Series™ of art and furniture, which have flowing, moving designs with inlaid dyed resin in a matrix of wood or other medium so light shines through the resin. While it vaguely resembles stained glass, its final effect is very different, he says.
He has used this method in doors, dining tables, decorative wall lighting, ceiling panels and nonfunctional sculpture. With his blue inlaid resin, the art and functional pieces he makes look like a river is running through them.
But Scott's work was once quite different. When he first started his business in 1979, his focus was commercial art (he has degrees in both engineering and fine art) for advertising, catalogues and event promotion. But he found his creative side calling him, and he eventually switched to fine art.
"In the early ’90s, I started shifting to more fountains and a variety of sculptures in different media," he says, noting he now does art in wood, metal, stone and some synthetics.
Scott still does a little photography, decorating a few businesses around Boulder and selling some of his work to magazines, but his focus is on sculpture and furniture for homes and businesses.
"I enjoy the creative aspects of whatever I do as long as I have the opportunity to work outside of the box," Scott says. "I’ve created ways to stay away from a box that are unique, refreshing and a change of pace. I absolutely love problem solving, and I love problem solving when it involves creative solutions."
While Scott also enjoys writing and has written professionally, it’s something that takes a back seat to his art. And despite the economy, Scott has plenty to keep him busy when he’s not kayaking through the Grand Canyon.
"I'm booked between three and six months in the future right now, which is pretty good in this economic environment," he says. "Ninety percent of my work do is done by commission; the rest is speculative art and goes to galleries and in shows."
For more information about Scott Reuman or Conundrum Designs, call (303) 442-0406; or visit www.conundrumdesigns.com.
Colorado cities rank among least obese metro areas in the nation
Fort Collins/Loveland and Boulder are the slimmest and among the healthiest metro areas in the nation, according to the current Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
The study reports that Fort Collins/Loveland's obesity rate of 16 percent is the lowest of any metro area in the country, but Boulder’s isn't much higher at 16.6 percent, making it the second lowest. Colorado Springs ranked fourth for having the least obese residents at 17.2 percent, and Denver/Aurora tied for 10th at 19.3 percent. Colorado and California had the most metro areas - four each - among the 10 least obese.
Gallup calculates Body Mass Index (BMI) results using respondents' self-reported height and weight. Americans with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. Gallup polled adults aged 18 and older in 187 metro areas in 2009.
America's 10 least obese metro areas boast an average obesity rate of 18.7 percent – 15.1 percentage points lower than that of the nation's 10 most obese places and significantly better than the national average.
Among the 10 least obese metro areas, Boulder stood out as it performed the best across the board on Gallup and Healthway's indexes measuring healthy behaviors, community conditions and physical health. Residents there are among the most likely in the country to get frequent exercise, and at 5 percent, are among the least likely of citizens in any of the 187 metro areas surveyed to have diabetes. To compare, the metro area with the highest level of reported diabetes is McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas, at 18.9 percent. It is also worth noting that Boulder tops all U.S. metro areas in overall well-being.
Gallup sites healthy behaviors as the common denominator among residents of the 10 least obese metro areas, as nine of the 10 areas rank in the top third of the Gallup-Healthways Healthy Behavior Index, which measures exercise, eating and smoking habits. Majorities of residents in each of the 10 least obese places report that they ate healthy "yesterday," eat fruits and vegetables frequently, and exercise regularly. Half or more of residents in all of the least obese areas report exercising for at least 30 minutes three or more days per week. This stands in contrast to the nation's 10 most obese metro areas, where in all but one less than half report exercising at the same frequency. Smoking rates are also lower than the national average across all but one of the least obese areas.
Conditions within a community also play a major role in the number of obese residents. The Gallup-Healthways Basic Access Index finds that residents in almost all of the nation’s least obese metro areas report above-average levels of access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables, having a safe place to exercise, having enough money to buy food and having health insurance.
All of the least obese metro areas in the U.S. have diabetes levels lower than the national average as well as fewer heart attacks – a result of eating healthier and exercising.
According to Gallup, Boulder and the nine other areas that accompany it as the nation's 10 least obese places can serve as examples from which other communities can learn. Still, even the 16 percent obesity rate in the least obese place in the country as recorded by Gallup today is slightly higher than the obesity levels reported by the government in the United States in the 1980s, suggesting that the country has a long way to go to reverse the enormous increase in obesity rates of the past 30 years.
Sunshine brings lighting expert to Boulder and eventually to open business
Cheryl Gaiser loves light – inside and out.
It’s Colorado’s 300 days of the sunlight a year that brought her to Boulder from one of the rainiest states in the union 14 years ago. And it was her love of creating light indoors – a family tradition – that led her to open a lighting studio.
Cheryl, Jack Rietveld and Rhonda Wade established Inlighten Studios 10 years ago in October on the west end of Pearl Street. After Jack passed away a few years back, Rhonda took over as president to oversee operations, allowing Gaiser to remain vice president and handle the sales end of business.
“My family has been in lighting for over 60 years, and I’ve been doing it for more than 30,” she says. “I really do like being in front. I used to sell to people just like me. It keeps me in an industry I’ve grown up in and I really do enjoy it.”
Just three years ago, Cheryl and Rhonda moved the business to its current location at 5345 Arapahoe Road, Unit 4. They’ve also diversified, expanding their services and products into commercial work, as the residential lighting business began slumping with the housing market and economy.
“During the housing crunch we went after more commercial business and landed that, and that has kept us afloat,” Cheryl says.
Inlighten Studios works with designers, architects and contractors to fulfill the homeowners' lighting needs, she says.
“When you walk in, our first question is, ‘What is the application? Where do you plan on using this?’” Cheryl says, noting any employee can then help customers determine the right lighting. “Every employee who has worked here has had to go through the American Lighting Association course and passed it.”
For Cheryl, who has spent much of her life in the South, Boulder has been an adjustment, especially to the cold. But it offers plenty of outdoor activities in which she participates wholeheartedly. And between her business and the sun, she never lacks for light.
“It’s worth it for the sun for me,” she says. “I love it here.”
For more information about Inlighten Studios, call (303) 449-9899 or visit www.inlightenstudios.com.
Boulder happiest, healthiest city in the U.S., according to study
If you’re looking to escape your worries and find happiness, you’re living in the right place.
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which interviewed more than 353,000 Americans last year, Boulder is home to the healthiest, happiest people in the nation.
In fact, most of the highest-scoring cities were in the West – such as Boulder, which topped the list. On the other end of the spectrum, most of the lowest-scoring cities were in the South, such as Huntington, W.Va., which ranked last out of the 162 large and mid-sized cities in the study, according to an article about the study in USA Today.
The study asked individuals to assess their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities to provide a city-by-city portrait of the nation’s mood and a potential tool for policymakers, the article says.
Of the 10 cities that scored best on “life evaluation” – assessments of life now and expectations in five years – nine of them are home to institutions that supposedly provide some buffer from recession - a major university, a big military installation or a state capitol.
Boulder was the only Colorado city ranked among the top 10, although the three others on the list were among the top 60. Four cities from California, two in Utah and one in Hawaii all represented the West in the top 10. Only the Holland, Mich., and Washington, D.C., metro areas are located in the Eastern or Central time zones, according to USA Today.
The majority of the bottom 10 cities are in economically embattled regions: three are in the Alleghenies and three in the Rust Belt. Only Shreveport, La., and Modesto, Calif., are west of the Mississippi.
Besides its mountainous setting, with a greenbelt of public lands circling the city, Boulder’s jobless rate of 5.7 percent, compared with the national 9.7 percent, may help its residents remain happy and healthy, according to the article.
Here’s a look at how Colorado cities fared in the study:
Real estate experts: Boulder housing market improving
By Peter Budoff
Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 11/19/2009 11:14:24 PM MST
The national and local real estate market is showing signs of improvement, but a full recovery will depend on restoring consumer confidence, housing experts said at a Boulder forum Thursday.
Boulder remains somewhat insulated from the national economic struggles, Scot Smith, a broker with The Colorado Group, told the crowd at the second annual Boulder Valley Real Estate Conference and Forecast at Boulder's Millennium Harvest House.
"This is a good place to be," Smith said. "When the full recovery begins, it will probably begin here."
Smith said that the presence of large local companies and continued strength in the energy industry and others will continue to help stabilize the Boulder economy.
Commercial occupancy should increase slightly throughout Boulder Valley in 2010, while the area should remain relatively insulated from the national wave of foreclosures, Smith said. Office vacancies fell to low of 12 percent in 2009, not as high as some predicted.
Smith noted that in addition to governmental agencies -- which were the largest purchasers of commercial property this year -- the Boulder commercial real estate sector has been boosted by an unlikely industry: medical marijuana dispensaries.
"We can only hope marijuana never gets regulated, so it can lead us out of this recession," he joked.
D.B. Wilson, managing broker of ReMax, said the residential housing market through the beginning of 2010 will continue to favor buyers, with affordability at an all-time high.
But prices, interest rates and mortgages are still likely to fluctuate through next year, and true market stability won't come until consumer confidence is restored, several speakers said.
Sharp declines in wealth and increases in unemployment have dropped consumer confidence to near-historic lows, said Patti Silverstein, the chief economist of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.
Confidence should improve as the economy does in 2010, but the improvement will be slow, Silverstein said.
"The recession from a technical standpoint probably ended in the third quarter of the last fiscal year," she said. "We will keep moving out of the recession but at an anemic pace."
Sund shares Schroll Cabinets with Boulder area
When Bob Sund finds something he believes in, he commits himself for the long haul. Like when he came moved from Utah to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado – and never left.
“I loved the mountains; I’m an outdoorsy person,” the father of 7-year-old twin girls says of why he’s stuck around Boulder for 20 years. “I love to climb and hike and ski – all those outdoor activities.”
And Sund was building a custom home in the area when representatives from Cheyenne, Wyo.-based Schroll Cabinets approached him about using their cabinets in the home. Sund did and was so impressed with their product that he joined the company. Working in design and sales, covering Boulder and the greater Denver area, he has been with Schroll Cabinets for 16½ years.
“The product was heads and shoulders above anything else – the quality, the craftsmanship,” Sund says of why he believes in the company for which he works. “They come straight from the factory, so there’s no middle man.”
He notes that the company is still family owned while serving customers up and down the Front Range and two other states well with its own trucks and personnel. It has become the largest custom cabinetmaker in the Intermountain West and also produces custom counter tops, made with products such as Silestone, natural soapstone, granite, slate, wood, butcherblock, Corian and more.
Sund became a part of the RE/MAX of Boulder family 10 years ago when he worked on a custom home with some of its agents. Since then, he has worked with RE/MAX on several “fix and flip” projects, the 34-unit condominium project on 28th Street known as The Flats and on the Lotus Lofts.
To contact Bob Sund, call (303) 464-8996 or e-mail bsund@schrollcabinets.com. To learn more about Schroll Cabinets, visit its Web site, www.schrollcabinets.com.
New (but experienced) dentist in town!
When Chris Chamberlin graduated Ohio State Dental School and was selected to do an advanced dental residency program in Denver, he never planned to stay in Colorado. He never planned to practice dentistry in Boulder, and he didn't plan on meeting his wife, Boulder native Janet Birmingham - born when Boulder had 19,000 residents. Except for the four years she spent getting her college degree in Fort Collins, Janet intended to live out her life in the most beautiful town (Boulder - where else) in the most beautiful state in the country.
Upon completing his residency at Denver Health, Dr. Chamberlin headed back to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. He purchased an existing dental practice in a Toledo suburb (Maumee) and started off on his exciting new career in dentistry in 1977.
In 1981 he convinced Janet to join him in Ohio, marry him and have his children – an offer she (fortunately for Dr. Chamberlin) did not refuse. However, Dr. Chamberlin had to fulfill one requirement for his wife: he had to take the dental boards and be licensed to practice dentistry in Colorado. Janet was certain that he was going to practice dentistry in Boulder one day.
For 25 years the couple worked together building a successful dental practice and raising two boys. Because Janet’s family was in Boulder, they made many trips back to visit and enjoy Colorado’s beautiful mountains.
In 2006, the Chamberlins made one of the biggest decisions in their lives. They decided to move to Boulder (or as Janet would say, move “back home”). Our firstborn son had just graduated Ohio State University and was settling down in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Our second son had just graduated high school and wanted to start college at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The family packed up its belongings (including three cats) accumulated over 25 years and headed “home.”
One of the first people the Chamberlins met when they arrived was their ReMax of Boulder agent. He managed to do the impossible – find the family a relatively new condo, just minutes away from Janet’s mother, with gorgeous views of the Flatirons and the Front Range, for a price within their budget.
"I opened the door to my new Boulder dental practice in January 2007," Dr. Chamberlin says. "While we are working hard to get my name and experience out in the Boulder community, I am truly enjoying practicing dentistry in Colorado. When we are not working, we are enjoying all that Colorado has to offer in outdoor activities."
Find out more about Dr. Chamberlin and his dental practice at www.DrChamberlin.com. Make sure to check out his “Special Offers” to assist patients in keeping up with their oral health during this downturn in the economy. "I love seeing new patients with whom I can share my years of dental experience as well as my love of this beautiful state that Janet and I now have the privilege of living and working in and calling “home."
Boulder officially ranked among top ‘green cities’ in the nation
Country Home magazine ranked Boulder No. 5 among the 2008 Top 25 Places to Live, based on factors such as official energy policies, green power, green buildings and the availability of fresh, locally grown food. Fort Collins/Loveland was the only other Colorado metro area to join Boulder on the top 25, coming in at No. 14. Corvallis, Oregon, took the No. 1 slot.
Other Colorado cities, ranked on their eco-friendly lifestyles, to make the list of all 379 “green” cities were Denver-Aurora, No. 29; Colorado Springs, No. 41; Grand Junction, No. 83; and Greeley, No. 91. The Denver metro area also was ranked No. 8 among cities with a population 500,000 or more.
Boulder officials look to limit home size
The Boulder Planning Board will consider at its Thursday meeting what to recommend to City Council as far as an interim ordinance limiting size of “pops” and “scrapes,” or home expansions and new homes built on lots where other homes previously sat.
Ruth McHeyser, acting planning director, said the board and council agreed that since it could take as long as a year to come up with permanent regulations, a temporary solution is needed.
The council, she said, is acting on what council candidates heard on the campaign trail: numerous
residents of established neighborhoods complained that neighbors were adding on to their homes or demolishing them in favor of much-bigger houses. “People were concerned about losing the character of their neighborhoods,” McHeyser said.Veronica Precella, president of the Boulder Area Realtor Association, said what’s most alarming about the issue is the effort to prevent any kind of expansion until the city “figures it out,” which she said could be up to two years.
“What happens to the value of the property in the meantime?” she asked, noting the owner of a 1,000-square-foot, 1940s home won’t be able to update his home as he would like. “If he can’t do a pop or scrape or the measure is incredibly limiting, the value isn’t in the 1940s house – it’s in the land and the potential to build a modern structure on that land. If he’s not able to do anything, his investment is in jeopardy.”The city has yet to do a study that identifies the scope of the problem, Precella said. “We don’t believe the problem is of the magnitude they say it is,” and that overbuilding is more of an exception than the rule. “What we would really like is for the city to identify the problem and come up with a solution prior to enacting a temporary ordinance. Because the city didn’t deal with a couple of problem houses at the time of permitting doesn’t mean we should implement draconian measures for the city as a whole.”
McHeyser said that after hearing public testimony at its March 18th meeting, City Council asked city staff to work with the Planning Board to recommend an interim ordinance that the council will consider on April 15. "After April 15, property owners must adhere to the interim regulations, but many people should be able to move forward (with their plans)," she said. "Folks with plans for bigger homes than the interim limit will have to wait to see what the permanent regulations are to know for sure whether they can move forward as planned or need to make revisions. I can't guarantee what the outcome will be, but the intent I heard from both the Planning Board and council is the interim regulations would primarily address the bigger homes that are the perceived problem."Please make your voice heard
Now available
Click on this Survey Monkey link to answer questions about the FAR issue. The survey is not scientific but provides the Planning Board and City Council with an opportunity to gather the public’s input and gauge opinions:
Planning Board will recommend an interim ordinance on house sizes in established neighborhoods to City Council
City Council’s first reading of interim ordinance
6 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 (tentative)
City Council’s second reading of interim ordinance
For more information or to voice your opinion, e-mail or call the city Planning and Development Services: (303) 441-1880; plandevelop@bouldercolorado.gov.Sellers be aware: buyers start New Year with new home search
All the talk about the “summer buying season” has most home sellers postponing putting their homes on the market until spring or summer.
However, IRES and RE/MAX of Boulder, Inc.’s data of available-homes showings indicates that while sellers may be willing to wait, buyers aren’t. In 2007, showings started fairly strong at the beginning of the year and peaked in the spring before leveling out during the summer and dropping off in the last quarter, with just a few spikes here and there.
What this says is that buyers are returning to the market faster – hoping to start the New Year with a new home – than sellers. It also indicates that those putting their homes on the market earlier in the year have a better chance, albeit slight, of getting their homes sold in a timely manner because they have less competition.
RE/MAX has tracked this phenomenon since the market turned in 2001 and it appears a trend is taking shape: the time to get a home in front of buyers is in the first couple of months, when buyers are of the fresh-start mindset. As the year goes on and the real estate market gets negative headlines, buyers become more hesitant to enter the market although more homes are available.
However, selling a home in the dead of winter has its drawbacks, although most home seekers are savvy enough to know that a picture of a home in all its springtime glory doesn’t tell the whole story. Remember that a photo of a home with a snow-covered yard and trees is attractive, as well, and a home can show just as well in the winter as in the summer with the right attention. Here are a few do’s and don’ts from RE/MAX of
- Shovel the walk and minimize the use of ice melt: potential buyers and agents will track it through house, ruining the clean look and damaging the flooring.
- Keep the house clean.
- Clean and de-clutter outside: don’t leave your children’s sleds or the shovel you just used to clear the walk outside.
- Open as many curtains and blinds as possible and have lots of lights on throughout the house.
- Keep the house warm and comfortable, even turning up the thermostat if you usually err on the side of conservation.
- Have a professional come to service and inspect your furnace. Documentation showing that your furnace is regularly maintained helps potential buyers feel at ease when they inspect the property. Having a folder with service records and other household maintenance information will show people that you have cared and loved your home.
- Insulate and seal up your home before the snow flies, if possible.
- Ensure that the weather stripping around the windows and doors is free of cracks and properly seals when they are closed.
- Clean the downspouts and gutters to prevent the buildup of snow and ice and potential leaks.
- Ensure that the roof is in good condition. Fix problem areas immediately.
- Keep entrances and exits clear of melt water and, therefore, of potential slipping hazards.
- Keep coats and winter gear out of sight.
- Insulate pipes against freezing temperatures: it takes a long time to remove signs of moisture damage.
- If the home is equipped with a wood-burning fireplace, clean the chimney and make sure that the wood stove is functioning properly and that debris from the wood is cleaned up.
Boulder’s economy remains steady
The 
Source: Milken Institute/Greenstreet Partners’ 2007 Best Performing Cities
Boulder rental market sizzles in midst of mortgage cool-down
While stricter mortgage-lending requirements and stagnant appreciation rates have all but put the brakes on some real estate markets, the rental market is full-speed ahead – especially in
“It’s very hot,” says Sheila Horton, executive director of the Boulder Area Rental Housing Association. “It’s been a very solid market. It’s the strongest market we’ve seen in several years.”
How hot is it?
Horton says people are already asking to pre-lease units for next year, when renters don’t usually start leasing until January or February.
“I think the mortgage problems have caused people to reconsider the value of living in an apartment,” she says.
Colorado Apartment Insights LLC reports that the south
With fewer people moving out of rentals and into their own homes, combined with growing enrollment at the
“That has a big impact in our market,” she says, noting the university’s sophomore class had about 500 more students than the class before when they entered as freshmen.
By nature of its high cost of living,
“Current statistics say about 53 percent of everyone who lives in
“There are certainly rental properties on the market,” she says, from single-family houses to large complexes, for those who want to get in on the rental action while it’s hot.
What investors should understand if they buy property in
Buyers want cool homes with big garages and room to play
According to the 2006 National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Buyers’ Home Feature Preferences survey, staying cool still tops the list; however, a backyard or play area and high-speed Internet access broke into the top nine features and oversize garages grew in popularity since the last survey in 2004. Here’s a look at the home features most desirable to buyers:
Source: National Association of Realtors research
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