Business Briefing, August 5

Rocky staff and wire reports

Published August 4, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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NATIONAL

Anheuser-Busch June laptop theft compromises 90,000

More than 90,000 people nationwide have been affected by the theft of laptops with personal information about current and former employees of Anheuser- Busch Cos. Inc.

A letter sent by the St. Louis- based brewer to the Florida Attorney General's Office said the laptops, stolen in June, contained personal information on nearly 87,500 residents, including current and former employees, and more than 3,000 people involved in employee assistance programs, either as recipients or providers.

In all, residents in five states are involved.

The missing data includes Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth and other information, according to the Florida letter.

DVD KIOSKS COMING Blockbuster Inc. and NCR Corp. will be putting out 50 automated kiosks at undetermined locations that provide DVD rentals as a pilot program that could result in 10,000 kiosks within 18 months.

Blockbuster, the video rental chain, and NCR, the maker of ATMs, have previously announced plans to deploy kiosks.

WEYERHAEUSER SELLS UNIT Timber and wood products producer Weyerhaeuser Co. said Monday it completed the sale of its Containerboard Packaging and Recycling business to International Paper for $6 billion in cash.

IMCLONE WEIGHS OFFER The board of directors of ImClone Systems Inc. said Monday its view of a $4.5 billion buyout offer from cancer drug partner Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is that it "substantially undervalues" the company, with chairman Carl Icahn personally against the deal.

Despite calling the bid too low, ImClone said its board formed a committee to weigh the offer.

ROAMING PROPOSAL IN WORKS AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, the two biggest U.S. mobile- phone carriers, may have to make roaming deals with competitors in more markets under rules the Federal Communications Commission may adopt this month.

The proposal by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin would require wireless providers to let some rivals use their networks, for as long as four years, in markets where the competitors own airwaves and are building their own networks.

ANADARKO INCOME FALLS Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the second-largest independent U.S. oil producer, said net income plunged 98 percent after asset sales boosted profit in the year-ago quarter and forward contracts for oil and natural gas fell in value.

Second-quarter net income fell to $23 million, or 5 cents a share, from $1.31 billion, or $2.81.

Anadarko has budgeted $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion on capital spending and exploration this year, about 25 percent more than last year. Much of Anadarko's growth will come from projects in the Rocky Mountain region and from natural-gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico.

THIS JUST IN...

* The Rocky Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council appointed Rudy Cooper as president/CEO.

* Elevations Credit Union named Gerry Agnes as president and CEO.

* The Colorado Dental Association named Jeffery Hurst as president.

* Pratt & Whitney and Tusk egee Airmen Inc. awarded the 2008 Golden Eagle Scholarship to Mahad Fahieh of Aurora. The four-year, $20,000 award recognizes a high school senior with an aptitude for aerospace technology and aviation.

* Denver magazine named Dana R. Butler as managing editor.

* OZ Architecture added architectural interns Seth Wealing, Suzanna Reed, Thomas Ward and Kristin Eple and interior designer Ashley Spydell.

* The Joint Restoration Foundation appointed Art Kurz as executive director.

* ARCA biopharma Inc. appointed James Carr as vice president of marketing.

* Jeppesen named Ann Boze man vice president of human resources.

* The Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association Research Committee awarded the 2008 Collaborative Educator and Industry Practitioner MEIEA Research Grant to Storm Gloor, assistant professor of Music & Entertainment Industry Studies at the University of Colorado Denver College of Arts & Media.

* CoBiz Financial hired Zaccarhia Heisler as electronic operations specialist, Stacy Ownbey as commercial lines account manager, Sara Saltzman as human resources assistant, Michael Smaldone as vice president of underwriting and Brooke Stangl as cash vault teller. Kristina Lucier was promoted to commercial account manager and James Moran to account manager of small business.

* CH2M HILL appointed Patrick O'Keefe as senior vice president of client development and marketing for its Federal Client Group.

* The University of Colorado at Boulder will host Meeting the Global Energy and Climate Challenge free symposium Aug. 22 and 23. For information: 303-492-4007

* Boulder-based E Source acquired EnergyWindow Inc.

* Kevin P. Hein and Jeffrey A. Brimer joined Faegre & Benson LLP's Denver office.

* FirsTier Bank Mortgage Division, headed by Cathy McCrann, vice president and COO, and Janelda Morgenstern, vice president and manager of mortgage operations, opened at 4600 Ulster St. in Denver.

* Sam Prien was promoted to National Sales Manager for FirstNet Learning.

* COUNTRY Financial Agency Manager Don Stephenson received the Gold International Management Award from GAMA International.

ECONOMY

Spending down, prices up

Consumer spending, after adjusting for inflation, fell in June as shoppers were hit with the biggest increase in prices in nearly three decades.

The Commerce Department reported Monday that consumer spending dipped by 0.2 percent in June, after removing the effects of higher prices, the poorest showing since a similar drop in February. The higher prices reflected a big surge in gasoline costs and helped to drive an inflation gauge tied to consumer spending up by 0.8 percent in June, the biggest increase since a 1 percent rise in February 1981.

The big rise in inflation ate up a part of the billions of dollars in stimulus payments delivered during the month. Personal incomes rose by a tiny 0.1 percent in June following a giant 1.8 percent increase in May.

* The Commerce Department reported that orders to U.S. factories shot up at the fastest pace in six months in June, reflecting big increases in petroleum prices and heavy demand for military equipment.

The 1.7 percent rise in June, the best showing since a 1.9 percent increase in December, was more than double the gain that economists had expected. It was led by a 5.2 percent surge in orders for primary metals such as steel.

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