Queen Anne home becomes Aurora’s eighth historic landmark on National Register

Press release from Julie Patterson, Senior Public Information Officer

AURORA, Colo. – A Queen Anne-style home in Aurora is now officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, making it the eighth historic landmark in the city to qualify for the national recognition on the register.

Built in 1892, the Granville Fuller House at 2027 Galena St. is situated on four city lots, and is one of only a few surviving and intact houses commissioned by Aurora’s founder, real estate developer Donald Fletcher.

The Fuller House is a good example of a Queen Ann-style brick building that—like many of its time—received an exterior stucco finish scored to resemble ashlar stone brick. This trend was prevalent on brick homes in the area between 1895 and 1910, and was applied as a protective coating to the brick. The house also possesses other historic character-defining features such as a vertical orientation, asymmetrical massing, a steeply pitched roof, projecting bays, carved spindles on the decorative porch, and decorative trim, shingles and bargeboards.

The home’s interior retains some original architectural details such as decorative window and door trim, light fixtures and hardwood floors. The addition of a porch at the front of the house exemplifies another popular movement at the turn of the 20th century, and many other remaining Fletcher houses along Galena Street added the same architectural feature around the same time.

Landmark status can enhance a building’s prestige, increase the value of the property and help stabilize an entire neighborhood. A landmarked property shows a commitment to improving the quality in a neighborhood. A landmarked property owner benefits from the official commitment to historic preservation and the security of knowing that their property and possibly their neighborhood will not be negatively affected by rapidly developing trends.

For more information, call 303-739-6667 or visit www.auroramuseum.org.

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Media Contact:

Julie Patterson

Senior Public Information Officer

303-739-6617

jpatters@auroragov.org

From the SouthMetro SBDC The nation’s top entrepreneurs will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week events May 20-22 in Washington, D.C.  A series of award ceremonies, small business events and educational forums will mark the 59th anniversary of the agency and the 49th annual proclamation of National Small Business Week.

National Small Business Week is cosponsored by the SCORE Association as well as numerous corporate and trade sponsors to be announced.

More than 100 outstanding small business owners from across the country will receive awards while gathering for three days at the city’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  They will meet with top administration officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders.  The highlight of the celebration will be the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year.

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce celebrates Small Business Week 2012 with their annual Get Down To Business: A free, action packed, nationwide series of educational events.

You’ll learn new business-building tools and strategies, along with proven methods for engaging your audience through email and social media-all designed to help you bring in new prospects.

It’s also a great opportunity to meet and mingle with other small businesses and local influencers in your area. Register here.

Millennials Lead the Quest for Mobile-Enabled, Just-in-Time Information

Consumer demand for instant information underscores the importance of mobile search for marketers

EMarketer provides this interesting article…

No longer do consumers wait until they are back at a home computer to make plans, buy products and connect with friends—instead, consumers are reaching for their smartphones to take action right in the moment. According to a study conducted between March and April 2012 by The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, smartphone and mobile device-connected consumers are falling under a new “culture of real-time information seekers and problem solvers.” Read the entire article here

FasTracks rail line will extend from Nine Mile to Iliff

DENVER, May 11, 2012—The Regional Transportation District (RTD), the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and SEMA Construction today held a groundbreaking ceremony for RTD’s I-225 Light Rail Line extension. The event kicks off construction on the first segment of the light rail project from Nine Mile to Iliff.

“This is a big day for RTD, Aurora, and the region. Today’s groundbreaking is a huge step toward expanding our RTD system. This progress offers better mobility, more transportation options and opportunities for economic development, all which benefit Aurora and the Denver metro area,” said Tom Tobiassen, RTD Board Director.

The ceremony commemorated a farewell to the Yale Bridge, which will be replaced with a larger bridge spanning I-225. The new bridge makes room for the light rail and widening of the highway – a construction partnership between RTD and CDOT. The Yale Bridge will be closed for about six months during reconstruction. Traffic will be interrupted between South Xanadu Way on the west side and South Abilene Street on the east side of I-225 during this time.

The I-225 Rail Line project is part of RTD’s FasTracks program. It is a 10.5-mile light rail extension that will travel through the City of Aurora and a small section of Denver. The line will connect the existing Southeast Light Rail Line at the Nine Mile Station with the planned East Rail Line at the Peoria/Smith Station and will include eight stations.

The first segment of the light rail expansion, from the current Nine Mile Station to Iliff, will open in summer 2014. Constructing this segment as part of CDOT’s expansion project allows both RTD and CDOT to efficiently build the rail line segment and expand the highway by sharing construction resources. It also minimizes inconvenience to the public by expanding the light rail and the highway at the same time.

CDOT is widening I-225 from Parker Road to Mississippi Avenue and will complete the widening of the highway to three lanes in each direction from I-25 to I-70. Other project elements include a 600-space surface Park-n-Ride, a new light rail station and bus plaza at Iliff and a new light rail bridge out of the median over northbound I-225.

“This joint project with CDOT is reminiscent of the highly successful T-REX project which included the highway being widened and light rail built alongside of it,” said Tobiassen.

Speakers at the event included Tom Tobiassen, RTD Board Director, District F; William McMullen, RTD Board Director, District E; Barbara Cleland, City of Aurora Mayor Pro-Tem; Trey Rogers, CDOT Commissioner; and Larry Walsh, SEMA Construction Vice President.

RTD’s FasTracks transit expansion program will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District.

Fit for Business – Can You Afford Not to Exercise?

As an entrepreneur, you probably find yourself fighting the balancing act everyday with customers, marketing, employees, and business development, let alone family, friends, and personal pursuits. With all this responsibility, do you find it impossible to fit in time to exercise? Of course you are not alone, many business people want to exercise, but it ends up low on the priority list, after business, family, and all the daily fires that need to be put out.

The irony of this all-too-common scenario is that regular exercise can provide the entrepreneur with business benefits you may have never imagined. Working out will improve not only your waistline, but your bottom line as well!
Source: Gillian Hood-Gabrielson, MS, ACSM with About.com

The City of Aurora has a great program at the Beck Recreation Center. Research shows that employees who exercise regularly are happier, miss work less, and are more productive.Download their flyerabout this program.

At the May 7th Aurora City Council meeting both new and reappointed members of the Aurora Business Advisory Board were sworn in. Phillip Villard, Dwight Taylor, Robert Fryberger was sworn in including those from other boards and commissions.

Dwight Taylor,Phillip Villard,Robert Fryberger Jeff Nemec (Chair)

From the City of Aurora … The Business Advisory Board was formed in March 19, 1990 by City Council.
Aurora City Council recognized that the economic vitality of the City is served by and largely dependent upon a healthy business and commercial environment. The community is directly impacted by many of the legislative acts promulgated by the City Council, and the regulatory authority of the City administration. Pursuant to the authority vested in the City Council by Section 8-1 of the City Code, there is hereby established an Aurora Business Advisory Board for the purpose of advising City Council on the economic and business impact of City legislative and regulatory actions.

For more about the Business Advisory Board visit City of Aurora BAB info
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From  LocalMapFusion

I thought is article would be useful to our small businesses.

Google Local Maps SEO is one of the most important things you can do for your website, and your business. The local results with Google Places pages are beginning to show up more when you search. These results of Google local SEO are different than the standard Organic SEO results.

Google has a few different ways of showing its search results data. For searches that are relevant locally, Google will display search results with maps, locations, phone numbers, and other data that is relevant locally. The Google local SEO strategy used to rank in these results is different than for regular organic results.

Read more

From Manta.

I found  this article to be useful:

By Michelle Novak

A happy customer is a return customer. And courting return customers is easier on the bottom line then expending resources always searching for new customers. But small blunders can send even the most loyal customers to the competition without even a wave goodbye. A little upfront time spent improving your customer service approach will save the headache of trying to repair damaged customer relationships.

Respond to Emails and Phone Calls

A company that quickly returns customer phone calls has an edge in building customer loyalty. Trust exists when customers know their concerns and questions are taken seriously. A customer that trusts a business is more likely to continue purchasing from that business and recommending it to others.

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Shoestring Marketing | The Art of Cash Flow–Aurora, CO