November 16, 2012
Parker: Restaurant event has price deal Parker continues from Page 22
production methods. After two months of sharing information and collaboration back and forth between Il Mondo Vecchio and the USDA as well as various attempts to modify the production methods, Il Mondo Vecchio has determined that the impact of the regulatory requirements on dry cured sausage products was detrimental to the quality of the product and therefore, (we) are forced to close the doors.” DeNittis said that his company and the USDA came to an impasse. “(We) could either change (our) methods to a process that has been validated by the USDA such as fermenting (cooking the product) or adding nitrites, nitrates, acids or copious amounts of salt, all resulting in what IMV believes to be an inferior product or stop production.” They chose the latter. The public is still invited to attend the weekly Friday afternoon Loading Dock Friday product sales until the end of this month. All proceeds benefit the Denver Scholarship Foundation and its mission to inspire and empower Denver Public Schools students to achieve their quest for college. For tickets, contact Abigail Whiteing at 303-640-6568 or e-mail awhiteing@denverscholarship.org. More
information at www.denverscholarship.org.
He ‘otter’ be a spokesmouth
Former Denver daily newspaper sports columnist and stand-up comedian Sam Adams is one of the new “spokesmouths” for the Samsung (get it?) OtterBox, the safety cover for the company’s smartphones. “This holiday season, keep me safe in an OtterBox cuz I’m better than any wingman you’ve ever partied with,” Adams says under the post of his video pitch at www.otterbox.com/ wrapme. Click on “above average Joe.”
Wily Weil
Rockmount Ranch Wear owner Steve Weil never met a celebrity he didn’t like, especially if they buy and wear his shirts in concert. So recently when rock icons Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler were on tour for two shows in Denver, Knopfler and the band stopped and shopped at Rockmount in LoDo. The bass player wore his Rockmount denim shirt (No. 640-DT, Weil tells me) at the show. “This is one perk at Rockmount, not knowing who is going to drop by unexpectedly,” Weil said. Dylan has been to Rockmount and has many shirts, including the one he wore when he received the Medal of Honor from President Obama earlier this year.
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Rev up for Restaurant Week(s)
The ninth annual Denver Restaurant Week(s) will be held from Feb. 23 to March 8.DRW restaurant participants will once again offer diners a multi-course dinner for two for the “Mile High” price of $52.80, not including tax and tip. Registration for Denver Restaurant Week for restaurants were to open this week. Questions: Contact Valerie Farrell at 303-571-936 or email drw@visitdenver.com.
Early bird gets best prices
Come to Lakewood’s recreation centers from 3-9 a.m. Nov. 23 (yes, you read that right) to save up to 50 percent on recreation passes, classes and leagues. Carmody Recreation Center will open at 3 a.m., and the other three facilities will open at 5 a.m. The first 250 people to take advantage of the deals will receive a mystery goodie bag and a chance to win a $750 Belmar gift certificate. For more information, visit www.Lakewood. org/BlackFriday. Penny Parker’s “Mile High Life” column gives insights into the best events, restaurants, businesses, parties and people throughout the metro area. Parker also writes for Blacktie-Colorado.com. She can be reached at penny@ blacktie-llc.com or at 303-619-5209.
Chamber Expo Builds Remarkable Relationships between South Metro Business Leaders The 91st Annual South Metro Denver Chamber Business Expo was a fantastic event with business leaders from throughout the area attending the Open Board Meeting, Seminars throughout the day, the Business Expo Exhibit Hall, the 91st Annual Leadership Awards luncheon and the After EXPO Party. The event was held on Tuesday, October 30th at the Marriott DTC. The Annual Open Board Meeting gave Chamber Investors the chance to meet the new directors who were installed in September and vice-versa. Board Chair Lisa D’Ambrosia spoke regarding the board’s emphasis on building “Remarkable Relationships.” Other topics of interest to the board included economic and infrastructure development, the “Fix the Debt” initiative, and education – with a reinvigorated STEM program bringing education and businesses together. Updates from Investors included the Chamber’s new brand from Linda Hill of hill aevium who designed the new logo. Gina Kaelin-Westcott of Connect Selling updated the board on the Women in Leadership Group and John Vachalek of Webolutions spoke regarding the Social Marketing for Business Group. Karl Brummert with the Audubon Society of Greater Denver brought into focus the efforts of the Chamber’s Non-Profit & Business Partnership and Kristi Nelson, RE/MAX updated on the young professionals group, HYPE. Dick Franklin with the Clean Tech Open updated the board on this initiative’s growth over the last five years and the promising technologies it has presented, Jeff Keener of Halo Branded Solutions spoke on the Chamber’s Energy & Sustainable Infrastructure Council goals for the coming year. KC Keefer of Keefer Photography spoke to the board during the open mic session: “I’m thankful for the Chamber in helping grow my business from sitting and watching the phone to being steadily productive. The Chamber is what you make of it – If you’re involved, there’s something here for you.” A host of seminars and panels were presented throughout the day. Over 200 people learned from experts on topics such as partnering with other businesses, identifying deception and fraud, SEO & social media, employee satisfaction, branding, transparency marketing, business theft, key business relationships, and more. Open throughout the day, the Expo Exhibit Hall featured
80 Chamber investors showing their products, services and creativity in booth design. A profusion of information mixed with outrageous costuming and lots of give-aways and samples provided Expo-goers an excellent opportunity to find vendor partners and products for business as well as personal use. Experience Pros Radio did a live broadcast from their booth, interviewing Chamber Investors. Angel Tuccy always enjoys the event. “I wouldn’t miss this event – everyone is so energized and excited to be a part of this great Chamber. This expo is the only live broadcast we ever do.” Suzanne Crawford, owner of Just ShutterUp – Get in and Grin, a portable photo booth which is a standard at many Chamber events had a great time. “We are proud to partner with the Chamber and capture all of the energy at the expo. We always have a great time here and get our booth noticed. This year we are featuring the Chamber’s Expo theme ‘Cirque du Chamber’ on our photos.” The 91st Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon was an extraordinary event with 350 South Metro Denver Business Leaders witnessing the honor of Chamber Investors being recognized for their volunteer efforts over the last year. Prior to the awards being announced, a special acknowledgment of the passing of Ron Skinner was recognized with LEADapalooza group members coming on stage to raise a toast to an incredibly giving and warm person. The Leadership in Motion Awards acknowledge Investors who “…contribute significantly to the transformation, empowerment and prospering of the Chamber by contributing their time and talents in a positive, dependable way.” The award winners were: Alison Oyler-Mitch of Fresh Events, Maria Pearson with Inter-Faith Community Services, Pierre Powell with Chinook Tavern, Brian Olson with Conversation Starters, and Suzanne Crawford owner of Just ShutterUp. Program Volunteers of the Year Awardees were Women in Leadership Volunteer of the Year: Becky Takeda-Tinker of CSU Global, Small Business Development Center Volunteer of the Year: Stefanie Dalgar of Dalgar Communications; and the Economic Development Group Volunteer of the Year went to a company, Citywide Banks for “…going beyond the call of duty in volunteering to a variety of Economic Development Causes.” The Outstanding Volunteer of the
Year went to Wendy Woods of Nexus Financial Services. Wendy is a staple of hard work and effort in many aspects of Chamber life including serving on the Board of Directors, work with the Chamber Connectors and LEADapalooza Leads Group, Women in Leadership, and the Chamber Branding Committee. The luncheon concluded with not one, but four keynote addresses by Lisa D’Ambrosia, Chamber Board Chair and Director at Minor & Brown; Arapahoe County Commissioner Susan Beckman; Centennial Airport Executive Director Robert Olislagers; and Rick Jory, President and CEO of Sandhill Scientific. The speakers shared their wealth of knowledge and experience as it related to creating “Remarkable Relationships.” A relaxed and fun end to the day came with the monthly Business after Hours. Over 200 gathered in the hotel’s atrium for great beverages and appetizers provided by the Marriott DTC and rockin’ vibes coming from Swallow Hill Music’s Rob Drabkin Band. Swallow Hill Music Association was also the winner of Max Radio’s advertising package give away during the festivities. The Chamber’s Annual Business Expo brings business owners, executives, investors, staff and clients together to build “Remarkable Relationships”. For more information on this and other Chamber events, visit their web site at www.bestchamber.com or call 303-795-0142.
Dick Franklin gives the Chamber Board an update on the Rocky Mountain Clean Tech Open.
Eric Reamer and Angel Tuccy broadcast their radio show live from the EXPO floor.
Wendy Woods of Nexus Financial Services was named the 2012 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.