Equality awards

The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado has honored four Colorado individuals and organizations with the 2007 Advancing Equality Awards, which recognize commitment to creating an inclusive and equal environment for all people.

Outstanding Nonprofit Organization: Colorado Springs Conservatory, Linda Weise, executive director. The conservatory was selected for its commitment to improving and enriching the lives of at-risk children through the gift of music.

Outstanding Public Official: State Sen. Jennifer Veiga. Veiga was either a prime or secondary sponsor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act each year for 11 years. This year, Gov. Bill Ritter signed ENDA into law, making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender expression.

Outstanding Community Supporters: Will Temby and Glen Bruels, founding co-chairs of the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum. The Diversity Forum was one of the first organizations to be vocal in its support of equality for all diverse populations, including gay men and lesbians among the business community, and championed many activities such as the "Everybody Welcome" cultural festival.

Each honoree received a check for $5,000 to be used according to his or her organization's wishes.

Top ranking

Catholic Charities network, which is made up of more than 1,700 local agencies and institutions nationwide, has been ranked fourth among the largest nonprofits in the country by The NonProfit Times.

To be included in the NPT 100, nonprofits must raise at least 10 percent of their total revenue from public sources, such as individual donors and foundations.

During 2006, based on combined Catholic Charities' network revenue, nearly 90 percent of revenue dollars were spent on programs and services.

Locally, 100 percent of donations were spent on programs and services because the Diocese of Colorado Springs paid 100 percent of administrative costs.

Brand leader awards

Overhead Door Corp. was named the brand leader in garage doors by builders, remodelers and custom builders in brand awareness, brand usage and brand preference.

The annual research is conducted by Reed Building Group and is featured in Custom Builder, Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler magazines.

Additionally, Overhead Door Co. of Colorado Springs has earned Accredited Dealer designation from The Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation.

Disaster guide

The U.S. Small Business Administration and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. have launched a disaster planning guide for small business owners.

The 10-page guide provides information business owners need to develop an effective plan to protect customers and employees in the event of a disaster, including strategies to help small businesses identify potential hazards, create plans to remain in operation if the office us unusable and understand the limitations of their insurance coverage.

Hard copies of the guide will be distributed by SBA field offices, its resource partners and disaster field offices. Nationwide will provide copies to its agents for distribution. An electronic version of the guide is available at www.sba.gov and www.nationwide.com.

MMS receipts total $122M

Colorado earned more than $122 million during Fiscal Year 2007 as part of its share of federal revenue collected by the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service.

Thirty-four states received payments totaling $1.9 billion.

MMS collects, audits and disburses revenue associated with mineral leases on federal and American Indian lands. Disbursements are made to states on a monthly basis from royalties, rents, bonuses and other revenue.

Wyoming received the highest distribution, $925 million. New Mexico was second with nearly $553 million and Utah received more than $135 million.

For more information, visit www.mms.gov.

CAHSA officers

The Colorado Association of Homes and Services for the Aging has selected officers for its board of directors for 2008.

They are: Russ DenBraber, president and CEO of Christian Living Communities in Denver, president; Maureen Hewitt, Hewitt, Total Community Options, president-elect; Vennita Jenkins, The Granville Assisted Living Center, secretary; and Julie Callender, Bethesda Adult Communities, treasurer/assistant secretary.

BioScience best

The Colorado BioScience Association has selected winners for its 2007 Awards Program, which showcases and honors individuals and companies making a significant difference in the state's bioscience industry.

Recipients include: Dr. Larry Gold, Lifetime Achievement Award; AlloSource, 2007 Company of the Year Award; Inviragen, 2007 Rising Star Award; Debora Hankinson and Phil Macy, Volunteers of the Year Award; Forest City Development, 2007 Partner of the Year Award; Rep. Jim Riesberg, 2007 Legislator of the Year Award; Ed Wood, Kevin Smith and Bonnie Vivan, 2007 CBSA Chairman's awards; and Dr. John Stewart of the University of Colorado, Pinnacle of Science Award.

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