Business Briefing, July 15

Rocky staff and wire reports

Published July 14, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Shawn Casey

Natasha Weaver

NATIONAL

Microsoft, Netflix team up to stream movies over Internet

Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 video game console will be able to stream thousands of movies over the Internet, thanks to a deal announced Monday with Netflix Inc. that highlights the way gaming devices are expanding into all-purpose home-entertainment hubs.

The arrangement, revealed at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles, will let Netflix subscribers stream 10,000 movies and TV shows to Xbox consoles for viewing on television sets, beginning this fall. Xbox had movies and shows available for download before, but only half as many.

In partnering with Microsoft, Netflix may be building the streaming service to prepare for the day when the convenience and widespread availability of video downloading kills its DVD-by-mail service.

WASTE MANAGEMENT OFFER Waste Management on Monday made an unsolicited offer to buy disposal company Republic Services Inc. for $6.19 billion in cash, aiming to block its biggest rivals from teaming up against the nation's largest garbage hauler.

The moved countered a deal announced in June in which Republic, the third-largest waste hauler, said it would buy Allied Waste Industries, the second largest, in a stock combination worth $6.07 billion at the time.

But that deal's worth had declined along with Republic's share price and was valued at about $5.43 billion, $12.56 a share, as of Friday's close.

GENENTECH BOOSTS PROFIT Genentech Inc., the biggest U.S. maker of cancer drugs, said second-quarter profit increased 4.7 percent on higher sales of its Avastin treatment for colon, lung and breast tumors.

The biotechnology company reported that net income increased to $782 million, or 73 cents a share.

Earnings excluding certain items missed analyst estimates by 4 cents as Genentech spent more on research, marketing and stock-based compensation.

Revenue in the quarter rose 8 percent to $3.2 billion.

AIR FORCE CONTRACT Northrop Grumman Corp., DynCorp International Inc. and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. were among 12 companies selected by the Air Force to provide maintenance and repair services valued at as much as $10 billion.

The companies will support war readiness for the Air Force and other branches of the U.S. military worldwide, the Defense Department said.

US AIRWAYS Q2 COSTS US Airways Group Inc. will report second-quarter costs of $640 million to reduce the value of assets, including aircraft spare parts, as high jet-fuel prices erase airline profits.

The second-quarter costs reflect the effect of a 50 percent surge this year in the price of jet fuel, which has made it the U.S. airline industry's largest expense.

'ROCK BAND 2' Viacom Inc.'s Harmonix game studio and Electronic Arts Inc. said Rock Band 2 will be introduced on Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 console in September and in other formats later this year.

Rock Band 2 will include online competition between groups and the ability to export music from original discs, the companies said Monday in an e-mailed statement.

The first Rock Band sold 3 million copies from its November release through March, the company said.

WORLD

Shell offers to buy Duvernay Oil for $5.16 billion

Royal Dutch Shell PLC on Monday offered to buy Canada's Duvernay Oil Corp. for $5.16 billion in cash, in a move to nearly double its North American natural gas production.

Shell is offering $82.59 a share for Alberta-based Duvernay Oil.

Including assumed debt, Royal Dutch Shell says the acquisition is worth $5.87 billion.

LOCAL

Fort Collins ranks No. 2 on magazine's 'Best Places to Live'

Fort Collins is second on this year's Money magazine listing of "Best Places to Live," released Monday.

Plymouth, Minn., a suburb of the Twin Cities, was first. Fort Collins ranked No. 1 in 2006, the last time Money focused on smaller cities.

The magazine noted that "practically every new road has a bike lane. Residents and visitors can check out a bicycle for up to seven days, free." Other highlights: microbreweries and restaurants in Old Town, the heavy presence of bioscience and tech companies and a Department of Energy grant to build a zero-energy district downtown.

MERGER TALKS Kansas City- based law firm Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, which has operated a Denver office for the past 10 years, says it's in merger talks with Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus, another Kansas City-based firm.

Shughart Thomson & Kilroy has 180 attorneys in six offices, while Polsinelli has more than 300 attorneys in nine locations, none in Denver.

THIS JUST IN...

* DHR International hired Kristi LeBlanc as executive vice president and the global leader of DHR's consumer practice in its Denver office.

* Denver-based Cebic Technologies Inc. named Peter Wells Zafian as president and CEO.

* The Public Education and Business Coalition received a $50,000 grant from the Rose Community Foundation.

* Chambers USA Guide named Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as the top Colorado real estate practice.

* United Western Bancorp Inc. appointed Kenneth L. Glascock to senior vice president and director of internal audit.

* Amadeu Sum, an assistant professor in the Colorado School of Mines chemical engineering department, received a three-year DuPont Young Professor grant of $25,000 for his work in biological systems.

* The Group Inc. awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Rishi Oad of Rocky Mountain High School, who will be entering the College of Business at Colorado State University as a freshman.

* TransFirst Holding Inc. opened a telesales office in Aurora at 3131 S. Vaughn Way.

* ColoradoBiz magazine named Maptek one of the 10 best companies to work for in Colorado.

* Wayne Herman joined Keller Williams Executives Realty in Highlands Ranch as a real estate broker.

* Vaught Frye Architects and VF Ripley Associates merged to form Fort Collins-based VFR Design Inc.

* The American Banker's Association Journal ranked Alpine Banks of Colorado eighth nationally as a top performer.

* Boulder Labs Inc. hired Andreas Divaris to its programming team.

* Redstone Bank opened at 6800 S. Dawson Circle in Centennial.

* Grant Neptune, Brian Mason and Dan Noffke joined COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services as agents.

* Facial plastic surgeon Jeffrey R. Raval moved his cosmetic surgery practice to 250 Steele St. in Denver.

* Denver-based Philosophy Communication Inc. was selected by Three Sixty Design to manage its new brand.

* The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority hired Natasha Weaver as manager of tax credit allocation, Mark Feilmeier as manager of program compliance and Heather Staggs as manager of Section 8 compliance.

* B&D Professional Builders relocated its office to 7437 Village Square Lane in Castle Pines North.

* Allied Building Products Corp. added Gino DiSalle as outside sales representative.

* Adrenalin Inc. added Andrew Slaybaugh and Shawn Casey to its Brand Expansion Team.

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