Friday, October 30, 2009

Outsourcing Municipal Building Departments

SAFEbuilt Partners with the City of Northglenn

to provide building department services

SAFEbuilt, the state’s leading provider of building department services for public agencies, has entered into an agreement with the City of Northglenn to provide all building department related services. The new contract takes effect immediately.

A public open house is being held on Tuesday, November 17, from 8:00 – 10:00 am at the City of Northglenn Maintenance and Operations Facility, 12301 Claude Court. Northglenn residents and the building community are welcome to come and meet SAFEbuilt team members and ask any questions.

On October 8, Northglenn City Council unanimously approved the recommendation to outsource the building department and agreed the change would benefit the city by saving money, transferring risk, and providing access to a wider experience and knowledge base.

“Although city staff has worked diligently to reduce costs, the economic downturn continues to impact revenue. Therefore, the option to outsource this department is a viable and a fiscally responsible alternative,” said City Manager William Simmons.

SAFEbuilt will be providing a building official, combination inspector, and a full-time permit technician to serve as a direct contact with the citizen’s of Northglenn.

Building Official Eric Pendley is an International Code Council (ICC) certified building official, plans examiner and building inspector. He has been in the building services industry for nearly 10 years.

“Our team is looking forward to working with the community of Northglenn,” says Pendley. “We partner with many communities across the State of Colorado and in addition to making customer service a priority, we already have many efficiencies built in our process to ensure consistency and to contribute to safe built communities.”

SAFEbuilt provides full-service building department services, building code plan reviews, complete project support and building code inspections for cities, towns, counties and state agencies. Government agencies often look to contract all or part of the building department function because fixed costs can be converted to variable costs.

SAFEbuilt’s corporate office is in Loveland, Colorado, with operations throughout Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Washington and has 60 employees. In 2008, SAFEbuilt supported over $1.5 billion in residential and commercial building valuations, performed 5,125 plan reviews and approximately 85,000 inspections.

Barry Kramer is SAFEbuilt’s Colorado Operations Manager and questions around the transition of building department services in the City of Northglenn should be directed to him. He can be reached at 970-567-0267 or bkramer@safebuilt.com.

Free meals for veterans and military on Veterans Day

MILITARY INVITED TO EAT FREE AT APPLEBEE’S® ON VETERANS DAY

Vets and Active Duty Saluted with Free Entrée and Neighborhood Support on
Veterans Day at All Colorado Area Applebee’s

DENVER, COLORADO – October 30, 2009 – Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar ® restaurants throughout Colorado are inviting all U.S. veterans and active duty military personnel to come in and pull up a chair at their favorite neighborhood restaurant for a delicious entree and heartfelt “thanks” this Veterans Day. With gratitude for their service and sacrifice, warm wishes and hot food will flow freely for these local heroes from lunchtime through the dinner hours for dine-in guests at all Applebee’s locations in Colorado. Family and friends are also invited to come join the celebration and gather to tell stories, share laughter and raise a glass in salute to these local heroes.

On Veterans Day (November 11), veterans and those on active duty with proof of United States military service will be able to select one complimentary entrée from a selection of delicious favorites:

o 7-ounce House Sirloin
o Three-Cheese Chicken Penne
o Fiesta Lime Chicken®
o Fire Pit Bacon Burger
o Chicken Tenders Platter
o Oriental Chicken Salad

Not only will these heroes receive a delicious entrée for free, but also the traditional sides that come with each entrée will be served “on the house.”

“It’s an honor to host an event that helps the neighborhood come together and say ‘thanks’ to our veterans and active servicemen and women,” said Mike Muldoon, President, AmRest Applebee’s. “We feel a special connection to everyone who wears or has worn our nation’s uniform to protect our freedoms. We’re proud of their courage and happy to have this opportunity to offer a mouth-watering meal free of charge.”

For more information and to locate the nearest Applebee’s restaurant visit www.applebees.com.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

DENVER ZOO LAUNCHES GREENER COMMUNITY CARD

Greener Community Card to create a sustainable local community for Denver and surrounding areas.

Denver, Colo. (October 21,2009) Finders Keepers is proud to announce the partnership with Denver Zoo and The Institute of Ecolonomics in launching a break through reward and loyalty program that will sustain Non-Profits, grow local businesses, and give back to consumers. “We are very excited about this program because it supports our mission to secure a better world for animals through human understanding. One important way we can all contribute to the life of animals is by making choices that support a sustainable relationship with our environment. This program helps us support local businesses that do just that,” says Denver Zoo Executive Vice President/COO Kyle Burks.

Zoo visitors can pick up their card for free at the zoo’s Boo At The Zoo After Dark event on Oct. 30 from 7 – 9 p.m. Special guests Linda Gray, star of the T.V. hit series “Dallas”, special guest on “Melrose Place,” and UN Ambassador, and Gerry Weaver, late husband of Dennis Weaver and environmental leader, will be on hand to support the cause by distributing program cards and signing autographs.

Finders Keepers is the creator of the reward and loyalty solution that integrates database building, fundraising, email and text marketing, as well as gift and rewards. “Businesses and Non-Profits now have the opportunity to market to their customers directly all while creating a loyal relationship and increasing the bottom line in a responsible, sustainable manner!” Says Garrett Bachert, Finders Keepers Director of Sales.

“Our partnership with Denver Zoo and Finders Keepers has generated a mutually beneficial platform for us to impact more than just the community, rather, the entire nation,” says Scott Fardulis, Chairman & CEO of the Institute of Ecolonomics. When a customer shows their Greener Community Card, participating businesses agree to load a percent cash back on the card toward a future visit, as well as contribute a royalty to Denver Zoo.

Finders Keepers’ mission is to maximize the financial success of businesses, non-profits, and consumers by promoting a strong local ecology and economy. They do this through innovative E-Marketing tools and techniques including loyalty gift and reward platform as well as text and Email marketing. Finders Keepers is located in Northern Colorado.

The Institute of Ecolonomics is movement away from behavior that is ecologically and economically destructive towards activities that protect our environment and nurture our economy.