Nonprofit notes  



Legacy Land Trust in Fort Collins has completed the conservation of 6,971 acres of land in Larimer, Weld and Jackson counties for 2007. This brings LLT's protected total of wildlife habitat, scenic areas and agricultural lands to over 32,700 acres. LLT works with landowners who wish to keep their land permanently in agriculture or other conservation status.



In 2007, Funding Partners, a community development institution in Fort Collins, issued 161 down payment assistance loans, nine project loans, and 15 residential assistance loans for total loan volume of $5,538,931. This is a 51 percent increase over the previous production record of $3,678,299 set in 2005.



The Bohemian Foundation has awarded the Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center $8,115 for five events in 2008 which promote the cultivation of compassion and reduction of aggression and warfare in our society. Visit www.fortcollins.shambhala.org for more information on upcoming events.



In the third quarter of 2007, a total of $181,062 was disbursed by the Crime Victim Compensation Fund in Larimer County. The fund helps victims of crime pay for such things as medical counseling or funeral expenses associated with the crime. Money in the fund is collected from fees assessed to individuals convicted of felonies, misdemeanor crimes and some traffic offenses.



The StEPP Foundation recently awarded a grant of $70,000 to Fort Collins-based sustainability consultants The Brendle Group to implement the second phase of the Northeast Metro Pollution Prevention Alliance Energy Efficiency Program. The second phase, called FREE+, is expanded to include water and energy conservation measures over the next two years.



Volunteers of America, through a grant from The Colorado Trust, is offering relief to caregivers in Larimer County with its Caring Companions program. A volunteer will come to visit homebound patients for two hours once a week to provide non-medical companionship and allow the caregivers to take a break. If interested in having a volunteer visit or becoming a volunteer call Volunteers of America at 970-472-9630.



Macdonald Financial Services in Loveland has launched the Macdonald Family Charity to raise funds to provide financial and logistical support to fulfill the dreams of deserving children. The charity grants dreams to children who are terminally ill, chronically ill, injured, in a foster care environment or a low-income family. Visit www.macdonaldfamilycharity.org for more information.

KUDOS



Linden, a marketing and printing company in Fort Collins, recently received three awards for their work with Poudre Valley Health System. The Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals awarded Linden a silver award for Best Campaign Marketing to Physicians and a bronze award for Best Direct-to-Consumer Campaign. Linden also received a 2007 Davey Award for their work on the Wow What a View campaign leading up to the opening of Medical Center of the Rockies.



NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES



Aspire Media in Loveland announced the launch of "Knitting Daily TV" on many public television stations around the country beginning in July. The magazine-format TV series is a makeover of "Needle Arts Studio," which Aspire Media acquired last year.



NEW LOCATION



Infinite Group Realty in Fort Collins has opened an office in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, to take advantage of rapid growth in the Latin American country. Infinite Group, which started in 2006 with two partners and has grown to 25 agents, has plans to open a second office in Costa Rica by the end of this year.



SAFEbuilt Inc. in Windsor has expanded into Georgia and Washington. The company now has eight offices and 60 employees to provide full-service building department programs, building code plan reviews, complete project support and building code inspections for cities, towns, counties and state agencies. In 2007, SAFEbuilt supported over $1.2 billion in residential and commercial building valuations, performed 4,100 plan reviews and approximately 68,000 inspections.

DEALS



Mineral-based cosmetics and fragrance producer Bare Escentuals, based in San Francisco, has selected Center Partners Inc. as its inbound customer care and loyalty outsourcing partner. Center Partners plans to locate the work in its Fort Collins site and expects the contract to result in more than 100 new positions at that location.



Adams County has added the administrative package from Fort Collins-based Colorado CustomWare Inc. to its assessment software to streamline the system's database.



Sprig Toys of Fort Collins has selected Vancouver-based JER Envirotech International Corp. as the exclusive supplier of thermoplastic biocomposite compounds for use in the toys. Spring will roll out its Sprig Adventures Series of environmentally friendly, kid-powered toys at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February.



Comcast of Northern Colorado will contribute $37,000 in cash and in-kind services to the Fort Collins Recreation and Cultural Services departments. The contribution will be used to purchase computers for the Northside Aztlan Community Center computer lab, support the Recreation Department's youth programs, and to purchase advertising in the ice arena at Edora Pool Ice Center. The contribution marks the single largest ever offered by a corporation to the Recreation Department.



DEADLINES



Nominations for the 2008 Best Companies to Work for in Colorado will be accepted by The SHRM Colorado State Council through Feb. 29. For information on eligibility requirements, fees and entry procedures call 877-455-2159 or visit www.coshrm.org.

MISCELLANEOUS



AAMCO Transmission Inc. in Greeley has passed the Eco-Green certification process. In order to receive certification, the center switched to environmentally friendly solvents and invested in new technologies to recycle solvents and eliminate waste. The certification also required the center to manage and contain wastewater runoff, install energy-efficient lighting and heating, use water-based cleaning chemicals, and recycle used filters and components.



- Compiled by Noah Guillaume