Franchise Opportunities in Colorado Springs, CO

Baristas at another Starbucks in Colorado Springs have voted to unionize, upping the total number of organized stores to six out of several hundred statewide.

The results, announced by the National Labor Relations Board Thursday, were just the latest development in a statewide labor organizing campaign among the coffee giant’s employees. Last month, baristas at three other Denver and Springs-area locations won their elections.

They join a number of stores nationwide seeking entry to the Workers United chapter of the massive Service Employees International Union. Employees at hundreds of locations in at least 25 states have filed to hold union elections since a Buffalo, New York store became the first to make the move last December.

Workers at the Centennial Ave. store in the Springs, which won their election Thursday, say they hope to secure more regular hours through collective bargaining. Many have seen their weekly hours drop in recent months, said Mick Magdaleno, a barista and organizer.

“I was sitting at like around 35 hours a week and I went down to like the low twenties,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense and we want more control back because people are quitting.”

Fired union baristas say company targeted them

The results — 12-4 — come as the union is raising alarms over a spate of firings at recently-organized Denver stores. Workers United filed complaints with the NLRB this month about four terminations it claimed the company made in retaliation for workers voting in favor of unionization.

Starbucks, in official paperwork, has said the firings were made for health or performance violations. In a statement to CPR, the company called allegations that firings were made in response to union support “categorically false.”

“We have fully honored the process laid out by the NLRB and encouraged our partners to exercise their right to vote in the election to have their voices heard,” the company said.

The company is also seeking to overturn union election results at one store on East Colfax Ave. That complaint is still pending review from the NLRB.

“These are all bogus tactics to delay bargaining,” said Malachi Dray, an organizer with the Service Employees International Union. “Workers are not deterred.”

Barista Monique McGeorge worked for Starbucks for a year and half until she was let go last month.

The reason? Dropping a cake pop, picking it up off the counter and handing it to a customer, according to her termination letter and official statement to managers. Following the drop, a customer complained to management.

“It was a stupid mistake,” she told CPR. “I would have taken a write up. But that’s not a fireable offense, in my view.”

It was her first time logging a performance strike for a mistake on the job, she said.

The cake pop accident happened on May 6, as McGeorge and her coworkers at the Holly St. and Leetsdale Dr. shop were voting on whether to unionize. Election results came in on May 19, and she was let go on the 24th, according to her termination letter.

Starbucks did not answer questions about the events leading up to McGeorge’s firing.

She recently acquired another job at a nearby department store, but misses the camaraderie and flexibility she had at her job at the coffee shop.

“I do believe that for some reason they're trying to clear out Starbucks and union support,” McGeorge said. “They're cutting hours. They're doing all kinds of crazy stuff.”

The union is planning a rally in support of fired workers this Saturday at the state capitol building, according to Workers United.

Business hours shortened at Holly and Leetsdale shop, other Denver stores

Workers say the firings, and departure of some employees who can’t get enough hours, are exacerbating labor shortages at union stores. The company is closing a unionized store in Ithaca, New York due to “staffing and attendance” issues, NPR reported.

This week, the location at Holly and Leetsdale closed for a day and announced it would permanently reduce its business hours to 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a sign posted on its door. The sign did not give a reason for the changes.

“Our apologies!,” read a sign posted on the front door and drive through. Nearby, another large sign with “NOW HIRING” in bold, black letters hung in the front window.

Store hour changes are popping up at other union stores in Denver, including the 16th Street Mall store and East Colfax location, according to Workers United.

Firings haven’t been an issue in Colorado Springs stores yet, said Bradley Kurtz, a barista and organizer at the Academy Blvd. location in the Springs. The store’s recent union election was declared a tie, and the NLRB is reviewing the count.

However, turnover is still high in Kurtz’ store because pro-union workers are seeing their weekly hours dwindle, he said.

“A lot of people have just started looking for other work,” Kurtz said. “People try to hang on as long as they can, but a lot aren’t able to.”

Magdaleno, the barista at the Centennial store, said conflicts between the union and company in Denver were concerning.

“But we’re still excited,” he said. “We want to reach out to a lot of other stores in the area about organizing to help keep the ball rolling.”

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Sometimes the word stew must simmer for decades.

Journalist-turned-author Jim Fergus was almost 50 when his first novel, the 1998 historical fiction “One Thousand White Women,” debuted, selling more than a million copies in the U.S. and winning Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s 1999 fiction of the year award.

“Hemingway once said journalism was useful training for a novelist up to a point, but one had to know when to get out of it,” Fergus said. “I needed to earn a living, and I realized early on I wasn’t going to be able to do that as a writer of fiction. I’m not sure there’s an upside to being a late bloomer, and in retrospect I would have liked to have started sooner.”

Based on a historical event and told through fictional diaries, “One Thousand White Women” tells the journey of May Dodd, who travels through the American West in 1875 to marry the chief of the Cheyenne Nation. Fergus found the story in a book by Mari Sandoz, who wrote about a group of Cheyenne chiefs who attended a peace conference with the U.S. Army and requested the gift of a thousand white women. At the time, he was working on a biography of Cheyenne chief Little Wolf, but dropped it to write his award-winning book.

“Having been so long a journalist, I do a great deal of research for all my novels,” Fergus said. “I love the process, and often I get so locked into it, going off on tangents, following endless threads, that I need to tear myself away from researching in order to start writing.”

The Colorado College graduate has won this year’s Frank Waters Award from Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District, an honor given to a writer who exemplifies the spirit and literary excellence of the late local author. He’ll serve as keynote speaker at PPLD’s Literary Awards Luncheon.

Former El Paso County sheriff, historian and writer John Anderson, whose works include “Sherlock Holmes in Little London: 1896 the Missing Year,” “Rankin Scott Kelly: First Sheriff of El Paso County Colorado Territory 1861-1867” and “Ute Prayer Tees of the Pikes Peak Region,” is this year’s winner of the Golden Quill Award, which goes to an author or publication in the Pikes Peak region.

The luncheon is June 18 at DoubleTree by Hilton. Reservations are due Friday. Call 531-6333 ext. 1461 or go online to bit.ly/FriendsAwards2022.

“We chose Jim Fergus because of his deft storytelling and his insightful research into the lives of native peoples, something Frank Waters would have admired and respected,” said Linda DuVal, Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District board member and chair of the awards event.

Before diving into writing full time, Fergus spent a decade as a teaching tennis professional in Colorado and Florida. At 30, after saving $8,000 — “which seemed like a grand fortune,” he said — he moved to a cabin in North Park and settled in to write. That was 1980. Hundreds of articles, essays, interviews and profiles later, he published his first book, the travel and sporting memoir, “A Hunter’s Road,” in 1992.

Many of his novels are inspired by historical tidbits he stumbles upon during his research, such as the 2005 novel “The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles,” inspired by his deep dive into Apaches. In that book, set in the ‘30s in Chicago, Arizona and the Sierra Madres of Mexico, an orphaned teen joins the 1932 Great Apache Expedition in their search for a young boy kidnapped by wild Apaches. Along the way, they find a wild Apache girl in a Mexican jail cell, the victim of a Mexican massacre of her tribe that left her orphaned.

“I still consider that to be my best novel in literary terms,” he said, “though it had very little commercial success.”

Through the years, he’s received some backlash for being a man writing from the viewpoint of a woman, but he takes the criticism in stride, and believes all novels are acts of imagination. His job is only to inhabit his characters as deeply as possible and tell a good story.

“I’m not saying I’m always successful at it, and that I don’t make mistakes, but that goes with the territory,” Fergus said. “Not to put myself into their elite literary company, but was Flaubert not allowed to write ‘Madame Bovary’? Was Tolstoy not allowed to write ‘Anna Karenina’?”

Contact the writer: 636-0270

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Crews are working hard to restore power to residents all across Southern Colorado Saturday morning.

Colorado Springs Utilities says a power outage near north Academy Boulevard and east Platte Avenue has been fixed. The outage reportedly happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and was restored around 5:30 a.m.

Crews worked throughout the night. CSUtilities say the outage impacted 1,800 customers.

As of 6:30 a.m. Saturday, there were more than 300 customers without power across El Paso County. Click here for the most up to date outage map.

Fountain Utilities says they are aware of several outages in the city and are working to restore power as quickly as possible. The outage is reportedly impacting the cities website and updates will be posted on Facebook. We will update this article as more information becomes available.

Residents in Teller County are also seeing outages this morning. Crews are working hard to restore power in all areas as quickly as possible.

San Isabel Electric is reportedly also seeing power outages Saturday in the Beulah, Rye, Colorado City and Huerfano County areas and sent the following press release:

Outages are affecting approximately 3,000 meters as of 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.

Members that are currently out, should expect to be without electricity most of the day.

The outages began at approximately 2:00 a.m. as snow moved into the area. We expect the number of damage reports and outages to continue to increase until weather conditions improve. We will not be able to provide an estimated time of restoration until conditions improve and Lineworkers have inspected all areas to ensure all damage has been identified. Once all damage has been identified, we will be able to determine the work involved to make repairs and have a better idea of when power may be safely restored.

Local emergency response organizations have been notified.

Outage status updates will be posted every two hours at siea.com between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Members can report outages using San Isabel Electric’s mobile and online account management app SmartHub.

SmartHub can be used to:

• Report power outages with a computer, tablet or smart phone.

• View our outage map.

• Track an outage’s status until power is restored.

Outages can also be reported by calling 1-800-279-7432. More information about outage reporting and preparedness is available at siea.com/safety.

San Isabel Electric’s outage restoration process is to make repairs that will restore service to the most people in the least amount of time. Transmission lines and substations are repaired first, followed by distribution lines that feed neighborhoods. Tap lines and individual service lines are then repaired to restore power to customers who may still be without electricity.

In the event of a prolonged outage, members who are expected to be without power overnight will receive an automated phone call from San Isabel Electric, as soon as possible.

Copyright 2022 KKTV. All rights reserved.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Fifty vendors will be on hand three days for the annual Pikes Peak Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show at Norris-Penrose Event Center. Gems, gold panning, fossils, jewelry, meteorites and more. $5 per day or $8 for multiple days; free for ages up to 12. PikesPeakGemShow.com More shopping, coming up Friday, an Outdoor Family Craft & Gift Festival with live music, food trucks and more than 50 vendors, Masonic Center, 1140 Panorama Drive. facebook.com/events/colorado-springs-masonic-center/masonic-outdoor-family-craft-gift-festival/250970676874415

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Laugh and groan and cheer for the summer melodrama "The Pony Expresso, or The Villain Came to a Grinding Halt" starting this weekend. The First Company Theater's coffee shop, run by Star Bright and Aunt De Caff, serves it up at 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday at John Wesley Ranch, 21285 Colorado 67, Divide. Then the punny baristas and friends are on duty at 6:30 p.m. June 15, Aspen Trail Retirement Resort, and 2:30 p.m. June 18 at Broadmoor Community Church. Free performances. fumc-cs.org/fc

FRIDAY

Opening day for the two-decade history exhibition of Colorado's Steel City, at Pueblo's El Pueblo History Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. After WWII, Colorado Fuel & Iron was the largest private employer in the state with 10,000 workers in Pueblo. "Steel City" has been "a labor of love for everyone involved," said museum director Dianne Archuleta. It is packed with personal stories covering several generations. For more: ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org or (719) 583-9453.

FRIDAY

The Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District offer an educational Fishing Derby, 8 a.m. to noon at Quail Lake. Lots of prizes during the competition, open to all.

FRIDAY

The first of three Summer Family Fun Days with crafts and family activities, this Friday, July 15 and 22 at Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. cspm.org

SATURDAY

A family-friendly day of fun, the 10th Feast of Saint Arnold Family Friendly Beer Festival to benefit Westside CARES on the beautiful grounds of Chapel of Our Saviour, 8 4th St. Noon to 4:30 p.m. 40 "beverage partners" pouring, a wine zone, children's activities and music by BUS Band, WireWood Station and Grass It Up. Tickets $40 plus fees. feastofsaintarnold.com

SATURDAY

A rare opportunity to watch a giant, noisy mining stamp mill crush ore to expose gold is a highlight of the outdoor machinery Family Days at Western Museum of Mining & Industry, 225 North Gate Blvd. On three summer Saturdays, they will fire up the powerful Yellow Jacket Stamp Mill, one of only five still operational in the U.S. Also there, the 100-year-old Osgood Steam Shovel like the one that built the Panama Canal. Family Days are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9 and Aug. 20. Free outdoor activities, regular admission for the museum. wmmi.org

SATURDAY

A "Happy Together" day of music by America the Beautiful Chorus, 2 and 7 p.m. at Sunrise United Methodist Church, 2655 Briargate Blvd. Tickets $15, $18 at the door, 12 and under free: ATBChorus.com

SATURDAY

The 40th annual Cañon Car Show takes over the grounds at historic Holy Cross Abbey, 2951 E. U.S. 50 in Cañon City, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. So many classics and antiques, food trucks, a pinstriping art auction; see Facebook. More car action not too far from Cañon on Saturday, free drag racing, burnouts and car show 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Pueblo Motorsports Park, 3733 N. Pueblo Blvd., tickets freecarevent.com.

SUNDAY

It's known as the Gravity Grand Prix, and youngsters ages 7 to 20 will once again be racing down Costilla Street hill for the 2022 Soap Box Derby. Starting at 8 a.m., between Wahsatch Avenue and El Paso Street, they'll compete until there's a winner to represent Colorado Springs at the All-American Box Derby this July in Akron, Ohio. Spectators welcome. soapboxderby.org/pikes-peak or fb.com/ppsbd.

A California real estate investment company that's unabashedly upbeat about Colorado Springs has paid a record price to acquire its fourth local apartment complex, bringing its total investment in the city to nearly $290 million over the last two years.

Benedict Canyon Equities of Los Angeles last week bought the 108-unit Pines at Broadmoor Bluffs apartments, northwest of Broadmoor Bluffs Drive and Neal Ranch Road on the city's far southwest side.

The company paid $49 million to purchase the apartment complex from an investment group headed by Springs real estate company Griffis/Blessing, which bought the property in October 2015 for $20.3 million, El Paso County land records show.

Benedict Canyon's per unit purchase price of $453,704 is the highest ever in Colorado Springs, beating the previous record of $393,393 that was set in late 2020 with the sale of downtown's Blue Dot Place apartments.

"When you talk about the price, nothing demonstrates your resolve, your belief in a market more than stepping up on price," said Jim Rosten, Benedict Canyon's co-founding principal.

Colorado Springs' strong economy, quality of life and growing population are the city's obvious traits, Rosten said. But the Springs offers more, he said, including friendly people and a receptive climate for businesses and investors.

"From a business perspective, Colorado Springs, I think, was one of the best kept secrets," Rosten said. "It's not a secret anymore. ... It's a great place to do business, I feel. So we're bullish on Colorado Springs. We will continue to be bullish on Colorado Springs.

"Once you start scratching below the surface, you really get a vibe there," Rosten added. "It's a neighborhood town. It's not a big city that's become impersonal. I can contrast it with where we live here in Los Angeles."

Los Angeles also is a tough place to do business, he said.

"We have just crazy politicians here and because of that, we're not going to invest in our own backyard," Rosten said. "I'm building here, but I'm not buying existing product here. It's just too hard to do business.

"I think Colorado Springs is more receptive, especially to quality owners," he said. "That's the real story behind it all, I think. It's a better place to invest, it's a better place to live, frankly. I would live there. If I can get out of here, I might."

Rosten said he expects Benedict Canyon will purchase three to four more Colorado Springs apartment properties, which the company typically buys with the idea of upgrading them and increasing their value.

In December, Benedict Canyon paid $82.5 million for The Vue at Springs Creek, a 280-unit apartment complex on the city's south side, county land records show. In 2020, the company also paid $86.8 million for the 332-unit, northeast-side Champions Apartments and $69.3 million for the 292-unit Advenir at Springs Canyon in northwest Colorado Springs, which has been renamed Artemis at Springs Canyon.

At the Pines at Broadmoor Bluffs, built in 1987, Benedict Canyon plans to spend $2 million to $3 million on interior and exterior improvements, Rosten said.

"The property itself has a lot of upside to it," Rosten said. "With some fresh dollars put into it, I think it will even be that much better. The location is superb, obviously, near The Broadmoor (the five-star hotel on the southwest side). Anything you can get near there is superb."

Kevin McKenna, an executive vice president with the Denver office of national real estate firm CBRE, said the Pines at Broadmoor Bluffs is in a quiet residential area where few apartments have been built over the last 20 years.

The property has larger, 1,100-square-foot units that each have a garage, which also made it appealing. CBRE, which represented Griffis/Blessing in the property's sale, had almost 20 offers for the property, said McKenna, who was joined in marketing the property by CBRE's Saul Levy, Mackenzie Walker and Jessica Graham.

Benedict Canyon is one of several real estate investment or development companies that have set their sights on Colorado Springs in recent years as an attractive apartment market.

Its growing population and healthy economy have triggered a strong demand for apartment living. In turn, that's led to record-high rents — an average of nearly $1,500 a month in the first quarter, a report showed last week — and low vacancy rates, which investors and developers covet.

Griffis/Blessing, which sold the Pines at Broadmoor Bluffs, pools together investment groups to acquire apartments. The company and its investors then upgrade the properties and increases rents before they're sold, typically after seven to 10 years.

At the Pines at Broadmoor Bluffs, Griffis/Blessing replaced building roofs, windows and garage doors, painted the exterior and performed mild upgrades to about one-third of the units and the clubhouse, said Gary Winegar, the company's investment services president.

Though interest rates and borrowing costs are going up for buyers and investors, Winegar said he still expects apartment properties to sell for top dollar. Many groups have money to spend, and as long as the Springs adds jobs and wages increase, investors will be interested, he said.

"There's so much equity out there that has been raised to invest in apartments already," Winegar said. "Today ... with this uncertainty we've got going on right now, people are interested in buying hard assets, like real estate."