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January 2, 2015 VOLU M E 1 4 | I SS UE 6
CentennialCitizen.net A publication of
A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
CU, Jabs simplify art of starting business Center for Entrepreneurship opens at CU South Denver By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Amberly Kroha demonstrates one of the kaleidoscopes her STEM class made, as several classmates look on. The students made five extras to donate to Children’s Hospital. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Of kaleidoscopes and kindness Newton kids learn STEM concepts with a dose of generosity By Jennifer Smith
jsmith @coloradocommunitymedia.com Joshua Price knows what it’s like to be sick, scared and just a kid. The sixthgrader has already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “I cried, because it was a big shock,” he said. “I started thinking in depth about everything that might happen to me.” The diagnosis came during a visit to Children’s Hospital, one he did not particularly enjoy.
“Most of the kids are there for a long time,” he said. “I was there for 10 hours, and I was bored.” So when Marc Finer, Price’s STEM teacher at Newton Middle School, came up with the idea to make kaleidoscopes and donate some to Children’s, Joshua thought that was a great idea. So did Joyce Butler, who is on the hospital’s board of directors. “This is a great way to pay back the community and share back your experience and your knowledge with a whole bunch of other kids,” she told Finer’s class on Dec. 18, during her visit to accept the kaleidoscopes. The students were excited to explain how they made them, and to show off the laser engraver they used to write “Manufactured and donated to Children’s Hospital Colorado by Newton Middle School’s STEM classes” on the
oak and cherrywood base, along with the date and school logo. They carefully placed three mirrors in a plastic tube to form a triangle, then filled it with mineral oil and colored sand. When aimed at a light source, the effect is a swirling cacophony of sparkly beauty. “The children will be really fascinated with this,” said Butler. “And what a wonderful time to receive them. A lot of kids have to be there for the holidays.” The idea came in part because Finer’s 14-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, has been volunteering at Children’s for nearly a year. “She loves it,” he said. “She’s gained perspective on what the children are going through. Not everyone is perfect. Everyone goes through their own struggles.”
Jake Jabs would have seized the opportunity to draw from Denver’s deep pool of entrepreneurial talent. Most Coloradans know him as the successful, tiger-loving pitchman and founder of American Furniture Warehouse. But before his face and distinctive voice made their way onto our television sets, Jabs navigated a world unknown to him. For years, he struggled to avoid the common pitfalls that can derail a fledgling business. “Everything was by the seat of my pants, and I made a lot of mistakes,” Jabs says. Things have come full circle, and the University of Colorado’s Center for Entrepreneurship now has Jabs’ name attached to it. He donated $10 million to the school, primarily because Jabs he wanted to give Denver’s ever-growing contingent of entrepreneurs a chance to bypass those headaches. And because there is an inherent willingness among seasoned entrepreneurs to assist their business-green brethren, Jabs and CU are putting the pieces in place this spring to breed success. Known as the Launchpad, the program is intended to help entrepreneurs either start their own business or improve an existing business. “I’m a big believer in entrepreneurship,” Jabs said. “It’s driving America — new ideas and new programs, how to do things better.” By offering entrepreneurship classes at CU’s new facility at The Wildlife Experience, on the southwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Peoria Street, the south metro area is about to become a wellspring for Jabs continues on Page 5
South metro stories of the year A look at the top 10 of 2014 Staff report In the south metro Denver area, this past year was one of hope and change, inspiration and pain, growth and remembrance. The following are the top 10 stories of 2014, in no particular order, as chosen by Colorado Community Media’s editorial staff.
Business is booming
Jeff Pearce offers cookies to the more than 500 people waiting in line for the opening of the Park Meadows’ L.L. Bean store Nov. 21. File photo
In November, Colorado’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent, the lowest since early 2008, before the recession slammed the country. The south metro area did its part in job creation in 2014, as businesses continued to find the region an attractive place to set up shop or expand. Some of the major developments of the year: • Sterling Ranch won another legal battle in February and forged ahead in northwest Douglas County. At build-out, the development is expected to include more than
12,000 homes and spawn a number of businesses around it. • Charles Schwab opened its new Lone Tree campus in early October. As many as 4,000 employees are ultimately expected to work inside the office buildings. • Also in October, plans were unveiled for The Jones District, and early stages of groundwork began on the mixed-use development in Centennial. The project calls for 1.8 million square feet of residential, commercial and retail establishments. Year end continues on Page 7