Spread image: 

The passenger train headed south after several overnight hours rolling through the rugged Wyoming landscape. Joseph LaNier reclined in his seat, his eyes fixed on the vast open Plains. He was on a 30-day leave and had to make it to Millington, Tennessee, for official discharge from the United States Navy in early February.

read more

Spread image: 

TOP IT OFF

read more

Spread image: 

The gold dome is teeming. It’s January 9, 2013, the first day of Colorado’s legislative session, and everyone in attendance gives off the earnest sense that they’re about to witness history.

read more

Spread image: 

Like many couples who’ve been married 32 years, Jim Logan and Sherry Wiggins make an excellent collaborative team. And because they’re both tremendously artistic—he, a nationally recognized green architect, and she, a locally celebrated artist and sculptor—the results of their teamwork can be striking.

read more

Spread image: 

The first thing you notice when you walk into the home of Tim Macdonald and Jodi Blomberg is the whirl of twigs and branches that gracefully hangs over the kitchen island. When Macdonald, an attorney, and Blomberg, a mathematician, bought their Seventh Avenue Historic District house—a circa-1895 Queen Anne/Tudor hybrid—they had distinct ideas for the remodel.

read more

Spread image: 

Traditional design has a boring rep: The gabled rooflines, the carved wood millwork, the tailored upholstery—it all feels so earnest. But this house in Denver’s Bonnie Brae neighborhood proves that a home can have classic good looks and a little edgy glamour, too. “It’s in the details that you find youth,” says interior designer Beth Armijo, principal of Armijo Design Group in Denver.

read more

Spread image: 

Morning in the desert. Sunlight peeks over brush and boulders and ignites the canyon walls in brilliant swaths of orange and red. Will LaFever has been stranded alone on southern Utah’s Escalante River for nearly a month. The water is perhaps the only thing keeping him alive.

read more

Spread image: 

In desperate need of the perfect trinket for a housewarming? In dire straits trying to find the cutest baby gift for the couple who has everything? Just want a new dress for a cocktail party? No matter where you live, we’ve got you covered with a rundown of splurge-worthy boutiques in and around Denver. Consider it our gift to you.
_____
CHERRY CREEK

read more

Spread image: 

During the past year, Colorado has worked its way to the center of the country’s ongoing immigration debate, a rather impolite discussion about the mismatch between what the federal government says our immigration laws are, how those laws are enforced, and how states must deal with the resulting realities.

read more

Spread image: 

Krystal Ryan was tired. Not work-tired, when your eyes start to burn. Or mom-tired, when your shoulders ache and your neck feels hollow. The 34-year-old mother of two was tired in a way she couldn’t sleep her way out of. She’d tried, but her 5-foot-7-inch frame had stopped doing what she wanted it to. Her nose ran constantly. Her teeth ached.

read more

Spread image: 

High Anxiety
Operating the Royal Gorge Tram
_____
Name Bob Cupp
Age 70
Title Tram senior operator, Royal Gorge Bridge & Park
On the job Five years
Location Cañon City

read more

Spread image: 

COLORADO SPRINGS
The Ride: Cheyenne Cañon
Distance: 11.4 miles round-trip
Time: 1 hour or less
Difficulty: Hard

read more

Spread image: 

It’s Saturday morning and you’re still rubbing sleep from your eyes when your cell phone rings. It’s your real estate agent. You exchange a few pleasantries before he gets to the point: Are you interested in selling your house? It’s an odd question, considering you haven’t told him you’ve even thought about putting a sign in your front yard.

read more

Spread image: 

1 Because everyone is so damn happy. 

Maybe it’s the lack of oxygen. Or maybe it’s all the pot we’re smoking. Or maybe it’s that “runners’ high” everyone’s always talking about. There’s not a ton of hard-core scientific data to prove that Denverites are a cheery group—a 2011 Gallup-Healthways survey did rank Denver at 42 (out of 190 cities) on its well-being index, which analyzed factors like emotional and physical health, work environment, and healthy behavior. But the anecdotal evidence certainly suggests we’re blissfully content. We don’t have a particularly high incidence of road rage. We don’t have a reputation for being nasty sports fans. We like a good craft beer, but our bars rarely devolve into WWE-like debauchery. Our downtown sidewalks aren’t full of people who would spit on you as soon as look at you when you ask for directions. And our bevy of sunny days means we rarely get the rainy-day blues. Being angry and unhappy just isn’t our style. After all, life’s too good here in the rarefied air to waste time being miserable.

_____

2 Because you can find killer Mexican food in really weird places.   

 Looking for the real deal in the town where Chipotle was born? Here are five amazing off-the-beaten-path spots. 

• La Casita at…Denver International Airport

The New Mexico–style green-chile tamale plate at this spin-off of the Sandovals’ north-side institution is the best meal to be had in DIA. $7.29, Terminal C Food Court, 303-317-1005, tamalesbylacasita.com 

• Nancy’s Fancy Burritos at…Coors Field

That no-frills menu; that cooler full of steaming-hot, handmade burritos; that $3 price tag. Nancy’s is tinfoil-wrapped pregame perfection. $3, corner of 20th and Blake streets

• Milagro Burritos at…your office

What do you call it when your employer arranges to have Milagro’s steak and chile burritos delivered to your workplace on a regular basis? Golden handcuffs. $2.75–$3.50, 303-534-1896, milagroburrito.com 

• Tacos el Pancho at…the Home Depot parking lot

No disrespect to the fancy-schmancy-taco trend, but we’d take tacos de pollo with chopped cilantro, onion, and green heat from this authentic food truck any day. $4.50 for two chicken tacos and a soda, corner of East Kentucky Avenue and Colorado Boulevard

• Asada Rico on…the 16th Street Mall

With so many quality tacos and wraps downtown, it means something that Asada Rico’s perfectly portioned egg-and-potato breakfast burritos are a 16th Street Mall staple. $3.25 (bean and cheese burrito with guacamole), corner of 16th and Stout streets

_____

3 Because you can still shop like a cowboy right in the heart of downtown.

You’d have to be one hell of a successful ’poke to afford the duds at LoDo’s Rockmount Ranch Wear—the signature snap-front shirts cost upward of $100—but wearing them puts Denverites in good company. Not only have honest-to-goodness cowboys worn Rockmount’s apparel since 1946, celebrities from Matthew McConaughey to Bonnie Raitt have also donned the sometimes plaid, sometimes embroidered shirts that were engineered by founder Jack A. Weil to be form-fitting, which made the clothing less apt to get caught up while riding the range. Today, the business is located in the same building it began in more than six decades ago. Weil died in 2008, but the spirit of the West lives on every time we walk out of Rockmount with a shirt we can’t wait to put on.

_____

4 Because we work to live—we don’t live to work.

Dear American workers: No one gives a damn about what you do for a living. Seriously. We hate to break it to all you accountants, computer programmers, and real estate agents, but your work is soul-crushingly boring to the rest of us. Unless you’re an emergency room doctor and are able to tell an awesome tale about how a couple of meth-heads attacked each other mid-orgy with steak knives—true story!—we really don’t want to hear about your day at the office. Need to vent about your boss? Fine: You get five minutes, profanity encouraged. After that, take a big swig of your IPA and let it go.

Unlike most cities, Denver understands that work is, well, work. In Manhattan, you’ll find a bunch of overgrown frat boys in $5,000 suits physically incapable of shutting their yaps about how they’re going to slay the market or close some balls-to-the-wall real estate deal tomorrow. In Silicon Valley, strangely aggressive nerdy types can’t stop talking about their mind-blowing app that lets people integrate their shopping lists with Pinterest, or how soon their options vest. In both places, and others like them, everyone is trying to one-up one another by bragging about their all-nighters and 100-plus hour workweeks, like they’re going to get gold stars for being hard workers. Hey guys: No one cares!

Compare that to Denver, where we’ve had friends for the better part of a decade and still barely know what they do for a living. It’s not that we don’t care about our jobs in the Mile High City. We do. But unlike many other places, work doesn’t define our lives here at altitude. (Hell, the worst traffic of the week is on Thursday evening because hardly anyone even bothers to go into the office on Friday.) Instead of work, we talk about more interesting things at happy hour: politics, relationships, God, homebrewing recipes, triathlon training, volunteer work, sports, and where to camp next summer. Life outside the office, after all, is a lot more compelling than what happens in your cubicle.

_____

5 Because it’s the perfect size.

_____

6 Because our weed is cheaper and better.

Ounce for ounce, our bud is some of the country’s least expensive, and we can thank our friendly neighborhood dispensaries for that superb street value. Although Colorado legalized medical marijuana in 2000 (and Amendment 64 legalized the drug entirely in November 2012), the boom in dispensaries over the past four years has incentivized more growers and amplified the amount of product flowing into both legal outlets and the booming black market. It’s a simple exercise in supply and demand.

“I just bought an ounce for $240,” says a longtime pot aficionado in Denver, who we’ll call Steve. “Back in the day, the going rate was $400.” The latter price is closer to the current per-ounce cost in Illinois ($401.50*) or North Carolina ($403.75), according to
priceofweed.com, which crowdsources data on what users pay per ounce across the country. Predictably, the website’s marijuana map reports that grass is priced lower on the pot-friendly West Coast—think Oregon ($223.72)—and higher in inland states such as Missouri ($414.46), where it’s less available and possession is more highly criminalized. According to the site, Colorado’s black-market weed is priced to sell at an average of $260.03 per ounce. “It’s the only state surrounded entirely by more expensive states,” says priceofweed.com’s founder, who asked to remain anonymous. “You could call it a marijuana island. They’re not getting a lot of weed in Kansas ($399.03).” 

But affordability doesn’t indicate inferiority, says a local grower, who on a recent visit to
Philadelphia saw weed offered at “about $400 per ounce for product nowhere near the potency you can get in Denver.”

The proliferation of dispensaries has also commodified the selection on the street: Move aside Maui Wowie. The discerning smoker in Denver can now choose from Agent Orange, Jack the Ripper, Cheesequake, the Flave, Diesel, Chemdog, and other potent strains. The ability to pick your poison—and the resulting altered state—is much like going to the local bar and choosing between a Cabernet and a Kamikaze. Steve says he tells his guy, “I want the uppity stuff; I want something that makes me want to ride my bike—not sit on my couch.” 

So, yeah: It’s good to live in a land of inexpensive choice. Smoke it if you’ve got it.

*All prices refer to high-quality pot and were pulled from priceofweed.com on Oct. 23, 2012.

7 Because the views from—and of—our city are unparalleled. Check out...

• The Denver Millennium Bridge for an immersed view of the city. Watch as the setting sun, glimmering off the skyscrapers, fades, and the lights of the city flicker on. 

• Coors Field for a stunning mountain view that’ll cheer you up even when the Rox are down. Grab seats on the upper concourse, from sections 307 to 319, for the best perspective.  

• Green Mountain Trail for a way to see the city rise up from the plains. At the trail’s summit, turn around for an equally spectacular mountainscape.

• The Colorado State Capitol for a guaranteed view. State law prohibits the construction of any structure that would block the view—of nearly 200 mountain peaks—from the golden dome. 

• City Park for a sweeping panorama. From this vantage point, take in the greenery of City Park, the entire Denver skyline, and the soaring Rockies. 

_____

8 Because we have a museum full of Stills.

The paintings could have ended up anywhere, really. New York would have made sense. San Francisco would have been a good fit. Heck, Baltimore—not terribly far from the house American painter Clyfford Still lived in during his last 20 years—would have been logical. But Denver? Really?

Yes, the Mile High City—through a bit of luck, and lot of foresight by then-Mayor John Hickenlooper—was awarded Clyfford Still’s estate, which consists of some 2,600 paintings by the abstract expressionist. What we got in the 2005 deal is remarkable: With the Clyfford Still Museum, which opened a little more than a year ago in the Golden Triangle neighborhood, we have been given one of the finest museum buildings in the Western United States.

But, as wonderful as the building is itself, it’s the up-close access to Still’s massive, moody paintings that should make Denverites feel fortunate. Indeed, the collection provides a rare look into the mind of one of the 20th century’s true artistic geniuses. We like to sit on the benches and simply stare, or wander right up to the works to examine the splashes of color, the splotches of naked canvas, and the thick impasto. In these reflective moments the museum takes on an almost religious quality, as if it were a shrine. Clyfford Still, ever self-assured and cognizant of his place in the painterly pantheon, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

_____

9 Because we socialize on Wednesday evenings while wearing costumes and riding cruisers.  

Wednesday night, an otherwise lackluster evening in most cities, rouses an almost religious reverence in the Mile High City, when thousands of costume-clad cyclists take to the streets on two wheels. They come wearing moose antlers, they come dressed as zombies, they come in nothing more than bubble wrap, duct tape, and some strategically placed cardboard. Most important, they come in droves, making the Denver Cruiser Ride (DCR) the largest social bike ride in the country. • Founder Brad Evans, a 45-year-old Colorado native, never envisioned the DCR catapulting to cultlike popularity. When he started the ride in the summer of 2005, it was an informal pub crawl with about a dozen friends. Today, several thousand festooned cyclists attend each outing, whooping and hollering and ringing their bells through the streets of downtown Denver. Evans estimates at least 40,000 participants pedaled in the 20 Wednesday-night rides during the 2012 season from May to September. • Since 2005, Evans has become a force in the growing social ride movement across America (there are more than two dozen in the state of Colorado alone). He bucks the critical mass concept that has arisen in some places, though, where anarchist throngs of riders blow off traffic laws. “Our number one rule is to have fun, but not at any cost,” Evans says. “We advocate critical manners—we stop at red lights, we share the road. And in that way, we’re getting more people out on social rides and taking back the streets one rider at a time.”

_____

10 Because we live 25 minutes from Red Rocks. 

Between Ship Rock and Creation Rock, at an elevation of 6,450 feet, we can revel in the world’s only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater. That’s right, we said perfect. We dare you to disagree.

_____

11 Because we seriously dig our four-legged friends.

Over the years, our exceptionally cozy kinship with man’s best friend has been well documented. Forbes ranked us in the top 10 U.S. pet-loving cities in 2007. And just this past August, Men’s Health ranked us number five for the country’s most dog-friendly cities. But what exactly is it that makes us so obviously into our canine companions that others are taking notice? We asked around. Here, an entirely incomplete (but completely true!) roundup of ways we routinely indulge our dogs.

"Burley eats what you could call dog food, but the ingredients—bison, barley, pheasant, kale—and the price seem to suggest otherwise."

"To ensure Bodhi doesn’t fall out of our open-air Jeep Wrangler as we’re four-wheelin’, we have a special doggy seat belt for him."

"Scout has her own pair of recycled-tire-rubber hiking booties, as well as a saddlebag for packing her food in."

"Visiting one of the Denver metro area’s dozens ofbark-parks with Rover is a near-daily occurrence. "

"We bought an extra green tie so that Colby could be a groomsman at our wedding."

"When we buy a new tent, we always go up a size to accommodate Murphy, who sleeps inside the tent and has her own doggie sleeping bag."

"The end of the workweek usually means we head up the hill to find an aspen-lined trail to hike. But before we decide on a destination, we always make sure that the wilderness area allows dogs and that Buddy will be able to safely tackle the route."

_____

12 Because for the past 32 years we’ve had an organization dedicated to keeping roots, folk, and acoustic music alive.

Harry Tuft was supposed to become an architect. But life had other plans for the East Coast kid who rolled into Colorado with his guitar in 1960. Tuft went on to found the Swallow Hill Music Association in 1979. Swallow Hill is now the country’s second-largest folk-music teaching organization and an important cultural stop-off for Americana, acoustic, and indie-folk artists. 

You could call Swallow Hill a music school, but community center is a snugger fit. All people playing all instruments at all levels have a place there. Some days that means beginners strumming out bar chords on guitars; other days it’s didgeridoo-ists practicing low tones. There are even workshops for writing songs on a Mac. It’s a place where people come together around music, and where those of us whose fingers were once smooshed onto piano keys by well-intentioned instructors can finally learn to play a sweet riff instead of stolid scales.

Swallow Hill also hosts music fests and concerts. Joan Baez, Taj Mahal, and Ry Cooder have been known to swing by, as have artists like Patty Griffin, David Lindley, and George Winston. In fact, with 5,000 students and 200 annual performances, the organization is outgrowing its digs. Swallow Hill recently announced it will expand to a new venue in the Lowry Town Center. Not to worry though: Tuft will still lead his $3-to-participate jam sessions.

_____

13 Because in few other big cities will you see a teenager using a hair dryer to gussy up his prize heifer.

An admission ticket to the National Western Stock Show (Jan. 12–27, 2013) offers a glimpse of American culture that even those of us who live in the West don’t often witness. Bull riding, mutton bustin’, dancing horses, and freestyle reining are on display most nights of the 16-day event. But it’s what goes on behind the scenes that illustrates that the 106-year-old stock show isn’t just blithe entertainment for the urbanites (although it certainly is a hoot). A stroll through the stables—where teenagers are grooming their livestock with round brushes and hair dryers for upcoming exhibitions—demonstrates just how integral Denver’s annual ag bash is to the farming and ranching communities in Colorado and across the country. Not only is the show about business—a ton of money and college scholarships are on the line—but it’s also a social gathering where like-minded folks can revel in an environment drawn up just for them (and more than 600,000 city-folk onlookers).

_____

15 Because exercising here makes us feel superhuman when we go to sea level.

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is go for a run. No, it’s not our way of seeing a new place. And it’s not because we’re so into our exercise routines that we’re compelled to get in our miles even on vacation. It’s because we have superpowers at lower elevations. Yes, superpowers. We don’t have X-ray vision or Spidey-sense, but we can run forever. And fast. At least, that’s what it feels like when we breathe that oxygen-heavy air. It turns out that all those heaving, gasping workouts in Denver’s thin air pay off. Our extra red blood cells—thank you, 5,280 feet!—are able to deliver an enormous volume of oxygen to our bodies, sometimes 12 to 14 percent more than someone living at sea level gets. That’s why it feels like we can run faster than a speeding bullet, farther than Wonder Woman’s invisible plane can fly, and maybe even leap small buildings. Perhaps it’s an unfair advantage—and maybe we’re just kidding ourselves—but no one ever said superheroes weren’t allowed to flaunt what they’ve got every now and again.

_____

16 Because Joe Vostrejs and Larimer Associates believe in the entrepreneurial spirit. 

What initially began 12 years ago as a repositioning of Larimer Square (from mall retailers such as Ann Taylor and Nine West to independently operated retailers and restaurants) has led Joe Vostrejs, Jeff Hermanson, Rod Wagner, and Pat McHenry of Larimer Associates to bring thoughtful, community-minded redevelopment to more than a half-dozen other corners, strip malls, and neighborhood anchors throughout the metro area. “In the course of repositioning Larimer Square, we were surprised—and pleased—to find so many great entrepreneurs in Denver. They just needed opportunities,” says Vostrejs, who is the company’s chief operating officer. 

And what opportunities Larimer Associates has wrought: The group bought the southwest corner of 32nd Avenue and Lowell Boulevard and opened Chipotle, Sushi Hai, Real Baby, and Perfect Petal; they refabbed Billy’s Inn on 44th and Lowell and bought the corner across from it, ultimately leasing it to Tocabe and an orthodontist. The group’s thumbprint is everywhere you look: Ernie’s; LoHi Steakbar; the Sixth Avenue strip that holds Satchel’s and, soon, a Novo Coffee outpost; 12th and Madison, where TAG Burger Bar opened in October; Lowry Beer Garden; and even the revitalization of Union Station. “We create opportunities for entrepreneurs in underdeveloped areas in Denver,” Vostrejs says. “There are great buildings that underserve a neighborhood. We re-engineer those buildings and look at how the neighborhood is changing.”
Up Next: In the coming months, Larimer Associates will announce the retail and dining establishments that will inhabit the new Union Station.

_____

17 Because Patagonia trumps Prada for style any day. 

Folks in other cities flock to sample sales for high-end fashion labels; Denverites converge on REI minutes after the announcement of a 60-percent-off deal on last season’s hiking apparel. We pillage the winter Patagonia sale with a ruthlessness other urbanites reserve for a half-off Neiman Marcus blowout. And we block off Labor Day weekend not for cookouts, but for the annual SNIAGRAB ski and snowboard sale at Sports Authority. For several days before SNIAGRAB, people pitch tents at 10th and Broadway because, well, there’s nothing like urban camping to ensure you’re the first person to grab that hybrid vest with insulated taffeta in powder blue. Here in Denver, people don’t care what designer’s name is inside your $1,000 pair of ankle boots; but they will compliment you on your breathable performance fleece. Gucci be damned…bring on the moisture-wicking hoodies. 

_____

18 Because we keep going to the games.

Denver is a great sports town. We have professional teams in the “four majors” (football, baseball, basketball, and hockey) as well as a few others; we have relatively new ballparks and stadiums; and we could hardly have better weather—save for the occasional early-autumn blizzard or mid-summer scorcher—for watching games in person. We go, we drink an adult beverage, we cheer, and we boo, usually when referees’ calls go against us and are thus, by definition, wrong. Win or lose, we tend to come back for more because, well, we’re a dedicated (and apparently optimistic) bunch. This isn’t Boston or Philly or New York or Chicago, where even a winning team gets an earful from ornery—and forever unsatisfied—fans. No, we’re generally happy to enjoy a plate of nachos at the Blue Sky Grill before an Avs or Nuggets game; we’re thrilled to hang out at the SandLot at Coors Field and try whatever new brew they’re serving; and, let’s be honest, we’d sell our firstborn for Broncos season tickets. We like a winning team—who doesn’t?—but we don’t have to have one to enjoy ourselves.

_____

19 Because we have nearly 6,000 acres of park space within our city limits. 

• Washington Park is the classic: The Old Boathouse, scores of exultant volleyballers playing pickup games, and frisky dogs and their owners taking the 2.5-mile loop serve as a varied and lively background. We love: sitting on the old, gnarled tree that overhangs the water on the north end of Grasmere Lake.  

• James A. Bible Park ranks as one of the sportiest of Denver’s parks with its ball fields, tennis courts, and running trails. We love: the access to the High Line Canal trail, which makes this southeast Denver recreational haven a great home base for your half-marathon training. 

• Confluence Park is one of the few water-oriented playgrounds in Denver. Kayakers, inner-tubers, and swimmers take to the water where Cherry Creek and the South Platte River rendezvous. We love: perching on the large flat rock that juts over the south bank of Cherry Creek and listening to the water rush by.

 • Civic Center Park hosts the Taste of Colorado festival and weekly food truck gatherings in the warmer months. We love: grabbing a plate of tacos from the Pinche Tacos truck, pulling up a patch of grass, and gazing at the murals hidden in the wings of the Greek amphitheater. 

_____

20 Because we have a pro cycling event—and terrain—that rivals the classic European tours.

Say what you will about the French, but it’s difficult to deny the fact that they’ve got a pretty damn beautiful country. Well, guess what? Colorado’s no slouch in the scenery department, and the Centennial State’s natural assets have no doubt played a huge role in the success of the USA Pro Challenge, the one-week-long stage race that was founded just two years ago. Between the mountains and meadows and, of course, the signature thin air, the USAPC has quickly become one of the biggest races on the pro tour calendar, and—if the sizes of the crowds on key stages are any indication—the race has already surpassed the Amgen Tour of California as the marquee cycling event this side of the pond.

And while the steady climb up Independence Pass and the epic crowds on Flagstaff Mountain are postcard-perfect images for the cameras, the race has finished in one city for each of the first two years. That’s right, Denver has become what Paris is to the Tour de France, the big-city ending to a race that winds its way through the lovely countryside. Civic Center Park may not be the Champs-Élysées, but having the USAPC cross the finish line in the Mile High City speaks volumes about our hometown.

21 Because going to the Pec is still cool.

Buckets of icy longnecks. Greasy Mexican food. Jazz music. It’s not exactly the combination you might expect to find, well, anywhere—but that’s exactly what we love about Denver’s El Chapultepec. Since the ’30s, this narrow bar at the corner of Market and 20th streets has welcomed some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. Frank Sinatra, the Marsalis brothers, Woody Herman, and the entire Count Basie Orchestra have played here. But let’s face it, the golden age of American jazz has come and gone. What makes the Pec relevant today is the nightly live music that ranges from blues and funk to, yes, jazz.

Angela Guerrero owns the Pec, but the bar has been in her family, in one way or another, since it opened. Since she was a teenager—Guerrero began running the kitchen at 13 years old—she has been privy to some of the Pec’s most-celebrated performances. Today, though, Guerrero is simply trying to keep the jazz bar alive. Every night she brings in talented musicians—Diana Castro & the Big Time Band, the Freddy Rodriguez Quartet, and the David Booker Band among them—and relies on Denver’s true music lovers to stop in. 

_____

22 Because the low humidity makes Denver one of the best hair cities in the world.

I love Denver for many reasons, but I’d be lying if I said the nearby skiing or the mountain views or the quaint bungalow I live in on a street in Wash Park was the primary reason. None of them is. Not even close. This may be incredibly vain, but, well, I just don’t give a damn. I love Denver because it gives me a modicum of control over my unruly hair.

Yup, you read that right. In my opinion, Denver deserves some serious kudos for its salonlike environment. I’ve been to cities on six continents—never mind spending an adolescence in the dewy air of the American South—and my naturally curly hair has never looked less ridiculous than it does here. Low humidity, modest rainfall, warm chinook winds: It’s a climatic recipe for smoother locks. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I should be cast in a shampoo commercial; I’m not even saying my mane looks good. I’m simply saying that if I want to leave my hair in ringlets, I can do so without looking like a young, female, blond version of Albert Einstein. And if I want to straighten the mess, I can—without having my work summarily undone by infernal wave-inducing humidity.

If you think this sounds like a trivial reason to love a city, I’d venture a guess that you have straight hair. Or you’re a guy. Either way, your opinion means less than nothing. —Lindsey B. Koehler

_____

23 Because a one-time geologist turned brewer turned mayor is the perfect person to be 
our governor.

Forget about partisan politics for a second. Never mind that he’s a Democrat. Instead, behold the man, the personage of John Wright Hickenlooper, the two-term mayor of Denver and now governor of Colorado. If we mustered the brainiest brainpower from the labs of the University of Colorado and paired it with, say, the most advanced technological savvy of the local Lockheed Martin campus, and were allotted an unlimited budget, and we contracted this team to engineer a Six Million Dollar Man–like humanoid to represent the political persona of Denver, someone to represent us, no one—not even in this positively ridiculous fictional scenario—could concoct a more fitting character than Hickenlooper.

The Denver of now—and for that matter, the Colorado of now—is a unique New West amalgamation. We are amply comprised of transplants who chose to stake their claims here. We opt (mostly) for civil discourse and aim for bipartisanship. We take leaps of faith, even though we may not all call it “faith.” And though we decide with our minds, we do so mindful of what is in our hearts. We produce some of the country’s best craft beers. We aspire to be healthy and green. We like solar and wind. We fancy ourselves as sturdy as mountains. We look just as good in cowboy boots as we do in hiking boots. We are grieving. We are recovering. We don’t have all of the answers and we say so. We’re trying and doing better than alright. We are imperfect. And so, this guy, John Hickenlooper, this former brewpub entrepreneur turned politician, this transplant from Pennsylvania who doesn’t always say the right thing, but always means well, this shrewd nerd who pretty much always comes close to pleasing everyone and is resigned to pissing off the rest, well, he’s ours, he’s just like us—and we like it that way.

______

_____

25 Because chef Justin Cucci knows what we crave way before we do.

Justin Cucci, chef-owner of Root Down and Linger, two of the city’s hottest eateries to open in the past several years, has the unique ability to anticipate what Denver wants, often before we know it ourselves. He takes an idea—vegetarian dishes or street food or a refabbed gas station or an old funeral home parking structure—and he elevates it. The results of Cucci’s big brain are on display in the form of restaurants that champion Denver in a way that once and for all removes any remaining “cow town” label. “There are a lot of great restaurants, but only a small amount of them communicate on deeper levels,” he says. “We preach connecting with people and communicating on many levels.” That ethos is apparent when you dine at one of his restaurants—Linger in particular—and the experience leaves you breathless. The views! The flavors! The vibe! The crowd! This is local dining at its most exciting. Coming Soon: Cucci is opening a Root Down outpost at DIA this spring and a live-music venue on the edge of downtown in summer 2013. 

_____

26 Because you can live 10 minutes outside of the Central Business District and afford to have a yard.

Whenever someone asks me why I haven’t moved to the ’burbs (For more house! For the great schools!), I show them my backyard—and then my car’s odometer. I lived in city apartments in the Big Apple and Denver for most of my 20s, and I longed for a patch of dirt to call my own. But I also grew up in a small Midwestern town and simply cannot move away from all the amenities a city has to offer.

The solution? Buying a home in one of Denver’s metropolitan neighborhoods. Park Hill, Washington Park, Congress Park, and the Highlands all have a suburban feel complemented by an urban location—and unlike similar spots in other cities, these areas can be affordable. An equivalent four-bedroom home in New York’s Park Slope would cost about $1,000,000 more than my abode in Park Hill and have one-third the yard (and a sizeable subway commute). It’s no better on the West Coast: A similar house in San Francisco’s Richmond neighborhood has a speck of a yard and comes with a $1.3 million price tag. Ouch. 

In Denver, I live about five miles from downtown, which is close enough that I can walk home from my LoDo office. And when I get home, I have a front yard and a backyard to stretch out in. I have a garden. We play cornhole in the grass. We have two grills. And I can already picture my son, now just a month old, playing catch with his dad in the back. In truth, I have too much yard to keep up with. But don’t tell the assessor; I’m not giving up an inch of it. —Natasha Gardner

_____

27 Because we’ve got front-row seats to a legendary quarterback bromance.

John Elway says he wasn’t nervous about his first date with Peyton Manning last March. Yes, he wanted Manning to see the upside of going steady with the Broncos organization. And, OK sure, he wanted Manning to think there was no one else out there who would treat him as well as the Broncos could. But nervous? Not really. After all, Elway had a backup boyfriend in Tim Tebow.

Still, when the phone rang in his office on March 19, Elway snapped the cell phone to his ear. When Elway’s fantasy free agent told him he had decided to become a Bronco, Elway flashed Fox a thumbs-up and his signature gummy smile. Elway had scored a once-in-a-lifetime catch—a 6-foot-5-inch, 230-pound dreamboat from Dixie with more passing yards than Dan Marino (not to mention Elway himself) and an uncanny ability to read defenses. 

Now, nearly a dozen games into the season, Manning is finally making the Broncos look like a playoff-ready team. But there isn’t any love lost. Elway lets Manning play the field, but insists that Denver’s newest star quarterback saves time to get dinner or play golf with the city’s most beloved Bronco every once in a while. Call it a working relationship, call it mutual respect, call it love, but the chemistry between two of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time is another reason to love Denver—especially on fall Sundays. 

28 Because we have the longest, grittiest, most interesting—and perpetually evolving—main street in the country.

Since 1993, 57-year-old bus driver Hinton Roberson has taken his seat behind the wheel of an RTD bus; checked on the picture hanging from his lanyard of his wife, Carolyn, and their five kids; and piloted down Colfax Avenue. RTD Route 15—which runs along the majority of Colfax’s 26.5-mile length between the Heritage Square Music Hall in Golden and the town of Bennett on the Eastern Plains—is not popular among other drivers. But Roberson loves it. “It’s a route where you don’t relax,” he says. “The 15, man, it keeps you wide awake.”

Roberson drives along a street that has ridden the booms and busts of Denver’s past. For the original elite of the city in the 19th century, Colfax was a passageway between the mansions on Capitol Hill and the brick buildings of downtown. Later, Eastern European Jews suffering from tuberculosis clustered around the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society on West Colfax. In the ’50s, Jack Kerouac romanticized the avenue’s drinking holes and jazz clubs. In the ’70s, Playboy denigrated Colfax, calling it the “longest, wickedest street in America” for its by-the-hour motels and all-too-available streetwalkers. In the ’80s, ’90s, and even now, Colfax has had a reputation for being the seedier side of the city—a highway of broken dreams, aglow in neon signs, that houses Denver’s disenfranchised.

Roberson has only been around to witness the latest changes along this infamous stretch of pavement. Through the curved glass windshield of his bus, he has seen the area around the old Fitzsimons Army Hospital transform into one of the largest medical complexes in the world. He’s seen the Tattered Cover Book Store and the Denver Film Center take over the old Lowenstein Theater on East Colfax and watched as Mayor Michael Hancock broke ground on a new library along West Colfax. Those are the big, obvious changes. But Roberson also notices the little things that most of us don’t, like the new streetlights along East Colfax. Most of them are green, but between St. Paul and Clermont streets the lights have been painted blue, a visual hint at the Greek heritage of those particular blocks.

Colfax, of course, will keep evolving. Heavy policing and new zoning laws, especially in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, have allowed chic cupcake shops, independent restaurants, and trendy bars to open along an expanse of avenue that not so long ago seemed too sketchy to invest in. Still, the street has retained its rough-and-tumble spirit and resisted complete sterilization à la New York City’s Times Square.

And that’s fine with Roberson, who keeps driving for the people. “I’ve been on routes where generally people don’t speak to you,” he says. “On Colfax, at least they acknowledge you. It might be in a bad way, but they’ll acknowledge you.”

_____

29 Because there is at least one decent beer on tap at every bar.

Pick a Denver bar. Nearly any bar will do. We’ve chosen the Squire Lounge on Colfax, but, really, choose any watering hole you like. If you’re not familiar with the Squire, it’s a particularly dive-y dive bar; the kind of place you’d expect PBR and well whiskey to be flowing—and they are. But this shithole—and many other shitholes just like it—is also pouring New Belgium’s seasonal brew, 90 Shilling, and Dale’s Pale Ale. This lineup of stellar beverages with ABVs well north of 3.2 is a most wonderful byproduct of our state’s brewing prowess. Colorado boasts 161 breweries, which, if you’re counting, is one for every 31,781 residents—more than enough to ensure that no matter where you choose to imbibe in Denver, good craft beer is always an option. 

_____

30 Because RTD is expanding, even if it’s slowgoing.

Denver’s multibillion-dollar comprehensive transit program began way back in 1994 when RTD paved the way for what is now 35 miles of operational light rail. Approved in 2004, the FasTracks plan has already begun beefing up complementary parking and bus services and opened several pedestrian bridges. Ultimately, that plan will add 122 miles of new commuter rail and light rail to the region and 18 miles of bus corridors along U.S. 36. FasTracks, proponents say, will help define Denver as a world-class city and combat the congestion that goes along with such a designation. (Denver was recently ranked by USA Today as having the eighth-worst traffic congestion in the country.) That is, whenever it’s finished.

Everything from increases in construction costs and dwindling sales-tax revenues (which were supposed to fund the project) to allegations of gross mismanagement by the board have slowed light rail’s progress since its introduction in 2004. Sluggish headway aside, Denver is smart to continue building the lines.

FasTracks projects that the West rail line from Denver to Golden will open on April 26, 2013; Union Station renovations will be completed in the spring of 2014; and 2016 will be a benchmark year for connectivity, when rail lines connecting DIA with downtown Denver and Aurora will be completed. Those sections in particular will be a boon for commuters and travelers, but the plan includes additional rail lines from south Westminster to Longmont, and the north metro area up to Thornton that won’t be completed until 2044—unless new funding can be secured. 

_____

31 Because our votes matter.

When you’ve been standing in line at your voting precinct for more than an hour on Election Day, it helps stem your rising impatience to know that casting that ballot actually carries some weight. Happily, in Denver, your opinion does count because we are currently a solid shade of political purple.

Mitt Romney, Barack Obama—or one of their official surrogates—showed up in Colorado 28 times, including a nationally televised debate held at the University of Denver, over the course of the general election season. Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, said that it would be “nearly impossible for Romney to win without Colorado.” Romney agreed. When polls in Ohio and Florida started tilting toward Obama in September, Romney’s campaign started pouring even more resources into Colorado. 

During the 2012 election, Romney, Obama, and outside groups supporting each candidate spent a total of $72 million campaigning in Colorado (as of Oct. 23, 2012). That put our state fourth in the ranking of states drawing the most campaign money, but first on the list of campaign dollars spent per capita. Your vote for president here was worth $14.85; if you had been registered across the border in New Mexico, your vote would’ve been worth about 2 cents.

_____

32 Because we’re a magnet for tech startups.

In the bright, shiny world of tech startups, the Denver-Boulder area has what’s called an ecosystem. Don’t mistake this for a simple community of like-minded nerds. Rather, it’s an infrastructure: venture capitalists, seasoned mentors, and an influx of entrepreneurs brought together by a throb of ideas and ambition. When you hear the Front Range startup scene talked about in the same breath as New York, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco, that’s the result of our superdynamic tech ecosystem. 

Boulder may get all the love (it is home, after all, to TechStars, an illustrious program that nurtures startups), but Denver isn’t just riding our sister town’s coattails. Check out BrightNest’s DIY home website, Printfection’s merchandising swag, and Wayin’s social media app—all of which are based in Denver. Of course, established companies ReadyTalk and MapQuest have HQs downtown, too.

In October, local entrepreneur Jim Deters opened Galvanize in the Golden Triangle. With work suites designed for tiny startups and companies of up to 30 employees, Galvanize encourages a new generation of techies to put their most creative feet forward in a social workspace that’s the antithesis of a gray cubical. Though not an accelerator, per se, it’s a container meant to shape the ecosystem, Deters says.

But ecosystems evolve, and like any business venture, tech startups follow one of four paths: they max out funding and disappear, stay small and scrappy, get bought for a ludicrous sum and relocate, or grow and support investment in their own communities. 

What will transform Denver from a hobbyist startup town into a talent-catching tech nucleus? “Right now we are at a really important friction point in which we’re recognized as one of the five cities where you go to incubate a company,” says Luke Beatty, whose Denver-based startup, Associated Content, remained here after being acquired by Silicon Valley–based Yahoo! in 2010. “We need some of these companies to really establish themselves, bring jobs in, and impact Denver’s economy. We need all of these kindergartners to advance and go to college.” 

_____ 

33 Because we live and let live.

When my husband and I moved from Denver into our new apartment in Boston last year, I set up my marimba against the sunny windows of our dining room. We live on the bottom floor of a New England triple-decker, meaning we have two floors of folks stacked on top of us. After my first few practice sessions, our upstairs neighbor asked about the xylophone-like instrument. Not because he minded the music, but, he admitted, because he was peering into our windows one day and couldn’t figure out what it was. 

When people live so close together, this degree of intrusiveness is normal. Expected even. In Denver, which was my home for almost a decade, if my neighbors heard my music, they didn’t let on. They also didn’t comment when my then-boyfriend and I moved in together, spilling our extra furniture onto the shared lawn for a yard sale. No one stopped by when we lugged our wine-making gear into the backyard to purple the grass with Pinot Noir. It wasn’t that they didn’t care. Or that they weren’t friendly. Instead, I like to think it was because they were embodying a widely abided-by Denver motto—live and let live.

In the Mile High City, people seem to have (or maybe adopt) traces of the just-off-the-covered-wagon mentality. Those of us who migrated west see Colorado for the first time—wide-open spaces abutting rugged mountains, all bathed in eternal sunshine—and feel like we’ve discovered something special. A place where we can breathe, a place with an open mind, a place with a shorter history with which to contend. This modern-day urban-frontiersman vibe was perfect for me when I decided I wanted to create a new type of classical-music concert, staging performances in breweries, art galleries, and cafes. I wanted to mix the music with original essays and live painting. People everywhere said classical music was dead. I wanted to revive it—in Denver. 

Crazy as the idea may have sounded, the Mile High City gave me the room to do it. For five years, “Telling Stories” was a tremendous success. I learned that if you have a voice, confidence, and a strong work ethic, this town will give you a fair shake. No one is going to tell you that you can or can’t do anything. It’s an incredibly freeing reality.

Until I moved to the East Coast, though, I didn’t fully understand why Denver had been such a perfect incubator for my artistic pursuits. Denver didn’t have an entrenched way of doing classical music. When I started something new, people saw it as an exciting prospect, not a threat. Denver is a comparatively young city and it doesn’t feel as if its story has already been written. When I added a chapter, the city didn’t mind. In Boston, and other cities with a similarly provincial culture, I would have had to start in the back of the line, learn the traditions, and nod politely when people told me how things were supposed to be or how I should or shouldn’t do something. Instead of reveling in a live-and-let-live culture, I would have had people looking in my windows, wondering why I was playing around with such silly dreams. —Jennie Dorris

34 Because so many people here tell the same story: “I came to visit Denver and I just never left.”

We’ve all heard the tale a hundred times. Hell, many of us have told the yarn ourselves. The details change, but the moral of the story is always the same. Whether we were on a ski vacation, driving across the country on the way to a new job in California, or here on a quick business trip, a seemingly significant percentage of us made what we thought was going to be a brief pit stop—and never left. We actually wound up having to ask our families to ship our belongings to Denver. The city was so desirable, so completely intoxicating, we didn’t even want to leave long enough to execute a proper move.

_____ 

35 Because Lois Brink knows the value of play.

As the founder of Learning Landscapes, a CU-sponsored program, landscape architect and professor Lois Brink has been transforming Denver’s neglected schoolyards into multi-use playgrounds. Over the past 15 years, she has renovated 96 schoolyards and counting. We talked to her about her work.

5280: Tell us how Learning Landscapes began.

LB: It started in 1992 when my daughter was at Bromwell Elementary. I was so amazed that we could have such a scorched-earth schoolyard for our children. I thought as a mom and as a professor, I can’t let my child be involved in a space like this.

How does the program work?

It’s a collaboration. First, the University of Colorado Denver sees the value of research at the city level: We use courses in the landscape architecture program to develop Learning Landscapes’ master plans, then work with local landscape architects to complete the project for Denver Public Schools. Because Learning Landscapes gives back to the broader community through integration with the university, by creating work for local landscape architects and by encouraging neighborhoods to embrace the areas as their own, it allows DPS to continue to get bonds approved by taxpayers.

We’ve noticed that every playground design is different. Why?

Yes, they are. For example, Barnum Elementary, named for Barnum & Bailey Circus, has circus qualities. The shade structure is a big top; it’s bright red. There are podiums for the kids to sit on that are like what the seals and elephants used to stand on. We try to have each school have some special thing, and then we incorporate the common elements like archways, shade structures, and school banners.

Is there any one design tenet that you find most impactful?

The idea that you don’t isolate elements. We had an artist that made a great big Earth Mother statue that has a big lap. The kids wanted the Earth Mother in the play area, and the artist had a fit. Today, when a child has a bad day, she will go and sit in the Earth Mother’s lap. It’s always difficult to convince adults that you can put a piece of art in the midst of a bunch of play equipment and the children are going to be kind to it.

What are the benefits of having these playgrounds within the school setting?

Teachers have noticed they have up to 20 minutes more of instructional time during the day because the kids are coming into the classroom ready to be on-task. There is less aggressive behavior and more cooperative play on these playgrounds. We had a teacher say, “Oh, my God, the fifth-grade boys are queuing up to swing. They are not just bullying.”  

What has been your greatest challenge?

I know that these places are connected to higher test scores, but we haven’t been able to prove it. It’s the Holy Grail. 

Why is play important?

I’ll quote American psychologist Abraham Maslow: “Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.”

______

36 Because you can still buy a warehouse in RiNo for less than $500K.

Black Shirt Brewing Co. was destined for River North, the warehouse village and epicenter of creativity just north of downtown Denver. The artisanal brewery is one of the latest startup businesses to reincarnate a RiNo warehouse as a hipster destination. Branden Miller, head brewer and Black Shirt’s co-owner, says coexisting with other creative types was a key draw. RiNo’s proximity to I-70 and downtown helped, too, as did the fact that you can snatch up a 4,000-square-foot warehouse for less than the cost of a one-bedroom LoDo loft.

Compared to other cities’ fledgling Tribecas, RiNo is awesomely affordable. East Austin’s few remaining industrial buildings cost $80 to $100 per square foot. Portland’s Pearl District hovers at $140. And San Francisco’s SoMa? Well, that averages in the wallet-crushing $200s. Prices in RiNo start as low as $20 per square foot, says Brian Smith, chairman of the RiNo Neighbors District and founder of the Space Creators, a real estate development company that has rehabbed three RiNo buildings into unconventional group workspaces, or what Smith calls “micro-communities.” He says buildings with highly sought-after addresses like Larimer Street and Blake Street, and on Broadway near Brighton Boulevard, are pricier—in the $100s. And change—of the spend-your-life-savings variety—is likely on the way.

Among the new projects coming online: the completion of Kyle and Mickey Zeppelin’s TAXI development; Cyprus’ build-out of 300 residences at the Denargo Market; and the transformation of Bud’s Warehouse (another Zeppelin project) into the Source, an urban market with two restaurants, cheese and meat counters, and a bakery. Plus, Smith notes that small businesses, restaurants, and bars are opening up all along the northern stretches of Larimer. Such neighborhood elements bode well for Black Shirt, a company that might’ve gotten into the neighborhood just before it explodes.

“It’s definitely a rad time to be in RiNo,” Miller says. “We hope to see our little neighborhood grow in all of the right ways.”

_____ 

37 Because we have actually climbed our fourteeners. (Yes, Paul Ryan, we’re looking at you.)

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that experiencing certain outdoor pursuits in Colorado is a near requirement for residency. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if someday the state’s driver’s license application required proof that you’ve skied at least one alpine run, camped in the backcountry, or, maybe most critically, watched a sunrise from the summit of a 14,000-foot mountain. Dragging your ass up thousands of feet to gasp through a photo op on the top of the world is a rite of passage here in the Centennial State. So much so that people will more comfortably talk about the mountain peaks they’ve bagged—or failed to bag—than their career tracks (see number four). Which is why we were so irked when we found out that then-candidate for vice president Paul Ryan claimed (years before) to have climbed more fourteeners than, well, pretty much every Coloradan we know. We’re all for a little athletic exaggeration over beers at the end of a hike, but we never ever lie about how many fourteeners we’ve climbed. Never.

_____

38 Because downtown Denver isn’t noisy, chaotic, smelly, sketchy, and crowded like other big cities in this country.

Sure, we might miss the action—bustling sidewalks, hopping off the subway at Mid-town, and late-late-night pizza—of America’s big-boy burgs sometimes, but there’s something so refreshing about being able to walk through the streets of downtown without feeling accosted by your own city.

We dig: New Orleans

For its: Delicious Southern and Creole cuisine, outrageously good live music, lively bars, and gorgeous antebellum architecture.

But it’s not Denver because: On a summer morning our city doesn’t have to endure overpowering heat and humidity that cook up a mean combination of B.O., vomit, urine, and stale beer to create that ever-present eau de French Quarter.

We dig: New York City

For its: World-class cultural institutions, diverse population, Central Park, and restaurants and bars that stay open until dawn.

But it’s not Denver because: We don’t have to play Frogger with taxicabs and suited-up professionals as we make our way to, well, anywhere.

We dig: Chicago

For its: Unwavering commitment to its professional sports teams, passion for naming food after the city, surprising street-level cleanliness, and access to lakes the size of oceans.

But it’s not Denver because: Unlike those living in Chi-town, we can drive 30 minutes outside of the city and find ourselves completely engulfed in nature. 

We dig: Los Angeles

For its: Bohemian-meets-chic style, evolving arts scene, ladies with sun-kissed skin year round, and land-of-possibility idealism.

But it’s not Denver because: You can walk down the street here and take a deep breath. Yup, that’s crisp, fresh mountain air you’re inhaling.

We dig: Atlanta

For its: Authentic Southern hospitality, killer fried chicken, hip-hop music scene, and young people who still believe it’s just good manners to say “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir.”

But it’s not Denver because: The Mile High City is comparatively safe—meaning you don’t have to look over your shoulder when you’re walking to your car after dinner.

We dig: San Francisco

For its: Breathtaking panoramic vistas, genuine diversity, groundbreaking California cuisine, ridiculous cultural scene, and proximity to the beach.

But it’s not Denver because: Our summers are actually warm, our homeless population is somewhat under control, and Sports Authority Field makes Candlestick Park look like a bad joke.

_____

39 Because it’s not Boulder.

OK, look: We like Boulder. It’s got the Flatirons and Pearl Street and the university and great restaurants and shops and the best farmers’ market around. It’s also got that unmistakable People’s Republic vibe, a mystique derived from a long history of being the preferred home of America’s extra-crunchy liberal set. Boulder is sexy; it’s a brand name. It’s one of the original purveyors of cool. Yet, we wouldn’t want to live there. No, we’d rather live outside those famous 25 square miles, in a land we like to call “reality.” That may seem boring and practical and lame. And maybe it is. But lower-density living, cheaper real estate, an international airport, access to more than one major highway, fewer drunken undergrads roaming our neighborhood streets, and a less politically charged atmosphere make the Mile High City approachable—and, to us, that’s superdesirable in a down-to-earth, girl-next-door kinda way.

40 Because our craft distilleries are nearly as good as our craft breweries.

The white buildings of a northeast Denver warehouse district are starved for signs of life. Although the address suggests this is the right place, the languid atmosphere implies otherwise. But then, through a half-lifted garage door, rows of oak barrels filled with whiskey come into view. Each wooden container has a stamp on its end. In black lettering, the mark reads “Leopold Bros.”

America’s whiskey tradition reaches back hundreds of years—and has historically been geographically centered in Eastern states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. However, in 2006, Denver, Colorado, found its way onto the whiskey map when Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey released its first bottle. The amber-hued spirit gained approval not only from local connoisseurs, but also from the American Distilling Institute and Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible, which named Stranahan’s the best small-batch distillery of the year in 2009.

 Although Stranahan’s was sold to an out-of-state company in 2010 (its operations remain in Denver), its fast-paced success story paired with Colorado’s supportive distilling laws opened the door for 35 other locally based distilleries—distilleries like northeast Denver’s Leopold Bros. 

A family-run operation, Leopold Bros. came online in Denver in 2008 with a mission to make booze the old-fashioned way. For brothers Scott and Todd Leopold, that means naturally fermenting more than 250 daily gallons in wooden tanks without using dyes, preservatives, or a filtering process. It also means using locally sourced ingredients. It’s not the simplest way to make firewater, but for the Leopold brothers it’s not about ease; it’s about the craft. Which is one reason why the brothers think their hometown of Denver is a stellar place for their boozy business. “There is more careful attention paid to what people put into their bodies—using real fruit, real grain, it’s resonating with people here,” Scott explains.

Leopold Bros.’ hand-wrought approach does appear to be making inroads with craft-alcohol-savvy Denverites, who are snatching up bottles with the signature batch number handwritten on the bottom of the label. Soon those batch numbers will grow twice as fast; the brothers are planning a 2013 move to a new space, which will double their production capacity.

Try: Leopold Bros. Rocky Mountain Peach or Rocky Mountain Blackberry whiskeys.

_____

41 Because we still look good in our swimsuits.

Not sure if any of you have taken a good look around, but it’s a serious talent show in the Mile High City. Toned arms, rock-solid calves, abdomens chiseled out of granite, glutes you could bounce a quarter off of. It’s hard not to notice that most of us—almost 80 percent, in fact—living here at 5,280 feet have somehow avoided the epidemic of obesity that’s been expanding the waistlines of most Americans for decades. Whether that’s due to the altitude (hypoxia is an appetite suppressant), our fondness for a good triathlon every now and again (our mountains and open spaces make physical activity easier), or our comparatively low rate of poverty (12.2 percent), in March 2012 the Colorado Health Foundation’s 2011 Colorado Health Report Card reported that once again Colorado is the leanest state in the nation. Here’s the thing, though; our obesity rates are on the rise. If we want to continue to enjoy the, uh, scenery here in Denver, we need to keep up that swim-bike-run philosophy.

_____

42 Because Joyce Meskis owns a lovely bookstore called the Tattered Cover.

There’s nothing like walking into the Tattered Cover: historic red-brick walls, creaky hardwood floors, antique desks, racks of postcards, magazine stands, the smell of brewed coffee, the sound of turning pages, and a maze of dark wooden shelves packed with the printed word. And people. There are always plenty of people—at tables, in leather armchairs, sometimes on the floor—reading…wait for it…real books. For 38 years, Tattered Cover owner Joyce Meskis has been bringing Denver an intellectually stimulating and wonderfully comfortable place (in three locations, actually) to enjoy literature. We’ve got nothing against the Kindle, but there’s no replacing this Denver institution. Here, we talk to Meskis about her beloved bookstore.

5280: What is your favorite thing about the Tattered Cover?

JM: Seeing the magic of the reader and the writer coming together.

Do you have a favorite author?

So often, it’s the last book I’ve read.
Certainly, I love the classics. I’m very eclectic. I just finished Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars. It was fantastic. The way that he handled the language and vocabulary is extremely interesting.

How do you reconcile running a business and being a part of the Tattered Cover’s legendary experience?

They are so intertwined, because without paying attention to the business part, you will not be able to have the other. So it has to be a combination. But the reason most of us come into this business—whether it’s agenting, publishing, or bookselling—is because we love to read, we love books. I’m not out on the sales floor as much as I used to be because I’m so busy with things in the office, but when I see a child go up to a bookcase and see a particular book and his eyes go wide…that’s special.

During this digital age, anyone can download a book at any time. With that kind of accessibility available, why are bookstores still so important?

Because they are so much a part of the community, and they are meeting places in so many ways. The reader can meet the author. He can pull a book from the shelf; the feel of the book itself is part of the experience. Reading is not only a cerebral experience, it’s a physical experience, too. We are brick-and-mortar stores; we are the showroom. I believe that information will move in the most user-friendly way. And that’s fine, things change. I’m the eternal optimist. People are reading in all formats. We sell ebooks and so do our colleagues, other independent stores, so does Barnes & Noble.

Has the Tattered Cover been affected by digital reading devices?

The increased interest in reading devices came along about the same time the economy fell off. We certainly felt the effects of those occurrences. But it’s hard to say how much was attributable to digital publishing and how much to the economy. It’s still challenging, and a bit unpredictable as to the outcome of this dramatic change in our industry. But my firm belief is that we will continue to see information flow in the form of print books for a long time to come.

_____

43 Because we’re resilient.

The written word can’t accurately put into context the horrifying fact that, in July, the Denver metro area sustained its second mass shooting in the last 13 years. Combined, the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton in 1999 and the Century 16 theater in Aurora in 2012 took 25 innocent lives and left dozens more wounded. Now, look, everyone has a sad tale to tell. Pick any city in the United States and there’s an awful story of pain and loss available. (See Hurricane Sandy.) But this massacre was one of the deadliest in U.S. history and squarely places the Denver metro area in a very small group of cities that have endured multiple tragic killings of this magnitude.

We’re not going to lie; we rarely enjoy being on the national news. And in this particular category, we would like nothing better than to be left entirely out of the conversation. Regrettably, that’s not possible. We can’t ignore the fact that our home has been the unfortunate setting for two very public tragedies—and that our friends, families, neighbors, colleagues, and children have suffered.

But we also can’t—and we’d venture to say haven’t—let these heartbreaks cast a permanent pall over life here in Denver. We grieve. We struggle to understand. We wonder how we could have prevented such an evil—and then realize that we probably couldn’t have. And then we do what we can to cope, to help—more than $5 million in both public and private funds was raised to support the Aurora theater victims and their families, and some local hospitals limited or completely forgave any medical bills incurred by the victims—and to move on.

Spread image: 

THE OTHER F-WORD

As America looks for more energy resources, the word “fracking” has become part of the lexicon. But what does it really mean?

There it is, that word—frack—with just two small letters separating it from one of the most vulgar, reviled words in the English language. We read about fracking in newspapers; we see it on the evening news; we hear it in political stump speeches. And, you know what? It’s difficult to know what to think. The industry calls it a modern oil and gas revolution. Others argue that fracking is creating health problems today—and that we have no idea what sorts of issues will pop up 10, 20, 30 years from now. One thing is certain: Fracking has become one of the most contentious debates of our time. Before we dig into some of these issues, let’s get one thing straight: What is fracking, anyway? • “Fracking” is shorthand for “hydraulic fracturing,” a process used to extract oil and gas locked in dense rock formations thousands of feet beneath Earth’s surface. In order to unlock these resources, companies inject a cocktail of water, sand, and chemicals underground at an extremely high pressure, which fractures the dense rock and allows the oil and gas to seep from those fissures to the surface. A version of this process was first attempted in 1947 in an oil well in southwestern Kansas, not far from the Colorado border. • Since then, the fracking process has evolved, and perhaps more important, drilling techniques have evolved, too. In the past decade or so, oil and gas companies have developed what’s known as horizontal drilling, in which they drill vertically into the ground, hang a right, and continue drilling parallel to the surface for up to two miles. Sometime around 2005, when oil and gas companies began fracking horizontal wells, production started to boom. Long, narrow, and dense rock formations that were previously inaccessible sprouted bull’s-eyes. • In this package, we examine this complicated, controversial procedure, and many of the questions it raises. Will fracking lead us to energy independence? Or will it drive us farther down the road to environmental armageddon? As Colorado continues to be at the forefront of hydraulic fracturing in the United States, the answers to these questions, and many others, will be central not only to energy policy in the coming years, but also to the health and well-being of the people fracking affects.

Frack vs. Frac

Even the spelling of the word “frack” is controversial: Oil and gas industry folks, geologists, and linguists make the case that the accurate way to shorten the term “fracture” is “frac.” No “k.” That would mean that the shorthand would be “fracing,” or, for purists, the contraction “frac’ing.” 

Of course, English is a strange language, and, right or wrong, “fracking” has become the most commonly used spelling of the term. Critics say that this version is just a tool employed by environmentalists and protestors to perpetuate their negative campaign by associating “frack” with…well, you know what. 

For Love Of A Son

A small-town mom fights big-time fracking to protect her child’s health.

It was about a year ago when Angie Nordstrum first learned about the eight oil and gas wells planned less than 800 yards from her son’s school, Red Hawk Elementary, in Erie, Colorado. Two other schools and an early childhood learning center were nearby. Drilling for natural gas is not new for the town of 18,500, which straddles Boulder and Weld counties at the edge of the mineral-heavy Wattenberg Field and is home to 208 active wells. Nor was the drilling company’s presence new; Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. owns 1,100 wells in Weld County. Nearly all wells are hydraulically fractured after drilling is completed.

Nordstrum, 41, might never have cared—except that she had no choice. Eight years earlier, she’d been diagnosed with thyroid cancer while she was expecting her only child. She underwent surgery, but postponed her radiation treatments during pregnancy. In 2004 she gave birth—only to watch her son, during the first year of his life, develop the kinds of allergies that give parents nightmares. There were only about 10 foods on the planet he could eat without risking a reaction, and he couldn’t run around a school field because the smallest trace of whatever was sprayed on the grass left his skin with surface burns. (Nordstrum was treated for her cancer after she finished nine months of nursing, and has been cancer-free since 2010.) There was no way the boy could go to school. Instead, he learned and played in a “bubble” at home—a safe zone where he could grow up in a pollutant- and chemical-free environment. 

Today, although her son has outgrown some of his allergies, Nordstrum hasn’t stopped being hyperaware of environmental hazards. That’s why Red Hawk seemed like a good choice when he finally enrolled in school as a first-grader. The sleek, two-story building, built in 2011, is LEED-certified for sustainability with features like low-flow plumbing for water conservation, nontoxic finishes, and outdoor classrooms that teach students about Colorado’s natural environment. Part of its core vision is “celebrating multiple perspectives along with developing a sense of environmental responsibility that includes personal development and physical well-being.”

Nordstrum was stunned when she learned what the hydraulic fracturing, within sight of her son’s school, would entail. A mixture of chemicals, water, and sand would be pumped into the ground under extreme pressure to fracture the rock and release the trapped gas—and those chemicals could include carcinogens and other toxins. Industrial equipment, diesel truck traffic, and noise pollution would accompany the operation; the access route to the drilling site, called Canyon Creek, passed right in front of Red Hawk, where kids rode their bikes, got dropped off, and walked to and from school. This route would be used to cart tanks of waste away from the site.

The more people Nordstrum spoke with around Erie, the more alarming things she heard: kids having regular 20-minute bloody noses and people with chronic headaches. Several people on her own block had their gall bladders removed. Could they prove causality? No. Still, they believed the health issues could possibly be related to the drilling and fracking that had become pervasive in Erie and farther east into Weld County. Together with a handful of other concerned parents, Nordstrum founded a grassroots advocacy group called Erie Rising. 

In January 2012, Erie Rising gathered about 100 people at an Erie Board of Trustees meeting to express its concerns. Two months later, the town imposed a six-month moratorium on new drilling permits so experts could investigate and analyze data to better inform oil and gas related decisions. But permits had already been issued for the site near Red Hawk, so drilling and fracking would proceed there as planned. “It’s so violating to all of us,” Nordstrum says. “I’ve lived here for 10 years. I picked this community because of the family potential. We’ve got wonderful amenities: a rec center, library, trails, all within walking distance. We should be able to enjoy it.”

Encana suggests that the argument is moot because the company had approval to access that site before the school was built. Furthermore, Wendy Wiedenbeck, Encana’s community-relations advisor, says the so-called “fractivists” are creating hysteria based on unproven theories. “This doesn’t mean they don’t have genuine concerns, and that we don’t have a responsibility to listen,” Wiedenbeck says. “But to bring about change, we have to do it based on fact, not fear.” Encana fulfilled its promise to complete its drilling and fracking before the first day of school and says it has changed its schedule to avoid the busiest school hours. Most recently, the company found an alternate route to access the site that doesn’t encroach on Red Hawk Elementary. 

On mother’s day 2012, a couple of weeks before drilling was set to start, Nordstrum sent a letter to the top executives at Encana—the letter was also published in Boulder’s Daily Camera—that, in part, called for a halt to Encana’s operations at Canyon Creek: 

Our wish is that our children attend schools where they are not at risk of toxic chemical exposure, subterranean radioactive substances and toxic metals. Our wish is that our children get to harvest tomatoes and lettuce from their organic school garden; fresh produce that has not been contaminated by chemical-laden air particles. Our wish is for our children to play tetherball on the playground without having difficulty breathing. Our wish is that our children will not suffer from fracking chemical–related nosebleeds. Our wish is that our children will grow up cancer-free.

Nordstrum says no one from the company responded to her. 

When the six-month ban expired in September, the town of Erie chose not to renew it. Erie Mayor Joe Wilson says a third-party partial analysis for which the town paid disputes much of the activist rhetoric about Erie’s air quality and toxicity levels. Ultimately, the town entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Encana and fellow oil and gas operator Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. The agreement requires, among other things, that the companies use the newest, cleanest technology available to eliminate toxic leakage.

The Canyon Creek wells by Red Hawk Elementary are currently “in production,” meaning they’re producing natural gas—and could continue doing so for up to 30 years. Sometimes Nordstrum’s son comes home from school and tells her not about his spelling or math test, but about the big trucks he saw at the drill site—which is what he sees when he looks out his school windows. She still recalls finding a coat of white dust—a lab test confirmed it was silica dust, a toxic byproduct of fracking—near the vegetable garden outside Red Hawk. “It has been so consuming of my life,” Nordstrum says. “I don’t think a lot of people grasp the gravity until it happens right next to their kid’s school. I try to be careful of not scaring him. And I try to portray that what’s going on in our community isn’t right—that it’s important to stand up for what we believe in.”

State of change
A quick look at the state rules that regulate fracking. 

Oil and gas operators are required to inventory the chemicals at each well site, notify the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) 48 hours before any frack job, and monitor the well pressure during the fracking process. As of April 2012, Colorado became one of the first states to require its operators to disclose the chemicals in their solutions within 60 days of completing a frack job. “Colorado’s disclosure rule isn’t perfect, but it’s a good step in the right direction,” says Earthjustice attorney Mike Freeman. “The idea is that before you can even figure out how big of a problem fracking is, you need to know what they’re using.”

What’s next?
Setbacks are one of the hottest fracking debate topics in Colorado. The current rules require a drill pad to be set back 150 feet from a building, or 350 feet from buildings in high-density areas. In October, the COGCC launched a process, which may take up to three months, to consider changes to the existing setback rules. 

Split Estate

How one family confronted fracking—and lost. 

it was afternoon when Carol Bell first noticed the stake. She had just returned home from a trip to the grocery store. The wooden post protruded from the dirt not more than a few feet. There was a small orange flag near the top of the stake, which was just footsteps from a horse barn owned by Carol and her husband, Orlyn, and a few hundred feet from their home, both located on the Bells’ 110-acre ranch in Silt, Colorado. Carol felt ill the moment she saw the stake. It seemed that someone had fired a warning shot, unmistakably meant to convey one thing: We can do whatever we want.

In a way, Carol knew this was coming. Months earlier, a representative of Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. knocked on the Bells’ door and delivered the news. Like many landowners in Colorado, and across the country, the Bells owned the surface rights to their land, but not the rights to the subsurface minerals. Encana had leased the rights to those minerals and intended to drill on the ranch to extract natural gas beneath the ground. The Bells would have to provide Encana with “reasonable” access to the property. 

Carol and Orlyn were worried. They weren’t anti-drilling, but derricks had been popping up all over Garfield County, and some residents were already complaining about the smell and the noise. But Encana was willing to negotiate, and the Bells figured they could find common ground. Then, Carol noticed the stake with the orange flag. It appeared that Encana didn’t intend to drill in some far-flung corner of the ranch; rather, it wanted to drill a few paces from the barn. Nothing about the location seemed “reasonable” to Carol. 

The two parties—operator and landowner—set out to negotiate a surface use agreement, a contract that would indicate, among other things, where Encana would drill, how it would access the drill site, and what, if any, financial compensation the company would pay the Bells. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the agency that regulates drilling in the state, requires that operators consult with landowners before drilling. In negotiating with the Bells, Encana agreed to move the well pad away from the barn. The company also agreed, according to the Bells, to pay $2,500 per acre for access to the land. (Encana does not disclose specific amounts paid to landowners per company policy, but an Encana spokesperson says the Bells were paid “tens of thousands of dollars.”)

The Bells argued that the $2,500-per-acre offer would not cover the loss in value of their land. In response, they received a three-page letter from Encana that, in part, stated: “We believe we have fully satisfied Colorado law…where the Colorado courts recognize that ‘the owner of severed mineral estate or lessee is privileged to access the surface and use that portion of the surface estate that is reasonably necessary to develop the severed mineral interest.’ ”

The final paragraph of the letter read: “Encana will not delay drilling these wells to further dispute the compensation matter.” Translation: This was the best deal the Bells were going to get—a deal Encana thought was more than reasonable. “We always try to take a fair approach,” says Encana public relations director Doug Hock. “I know they weren’t happy, but I think at the end of the day, it’s one of those things—we weren’t going to make them happy. Sometimes in business deals, that happens. The people who have production on their property—they’re having to put up with, let’s face it, a nuisance.” 

Carol describes what followed those initial negotiations not as a nuisance, but as years of heartache. The traffic and noise were, at times, unbearable. It’s “like you’re inside a jet engine,” Orlyn says. The Bells say the air frequently smelled of gasoline. “They were putting out a lot of crap that we were breathing,” Carol says. There was a spill. Carol thinks it was diesel fuel; she took pictures to document what happened. She says it took days until someone cleaned up the mess—only for another spill to occur, and this time, she says, it was fracking fluid. Even the comparably little things were bothersome. More than once, a truck headed for the drill site on the ranch knocked over the Bells’ mailbox. Before the oil and gas development on the ranch, elk roamed the property, but after the drilling started, Carol says she didn’t see the animals anymore. 

Carol traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for stricter regulation of oil and gas development, and she joined a local group that was also advocating for stricter regulation. She remembers at one point sitting around a table with a few friends and wondering, “Where is our Erin Brockovich?” But there was no Brockovich, and after three years, the Bells grew tired of fighting. The arrangement had changed their lifestyle. “You couldn’t look anywhere and not see them,” Carol says. So they started to talk about selling the property. The Bells had always talked about moving, but it wasn’t supposed to happen like this; they had wanted to stay on the ranch for another few years. 

Word traveled fast. Before the Bells officially listed the land for sale, they had an offer. Ironically, a local man who worked for Encana purchased the ranch. The Bells moved to Fort Collins, where they live now. Seated in their living room, Carol recalls the struggle. She feels remorse for having left the community that she and her husband were part of for a quarter of a century. “When you realize you have no power,” Carol says, “giving up is a little easier.”

_____

History Lesson

The genesis of split estates. 

 The concept of a split estate—a situation in which someone owns the surface rights to a piece of land and someone else owns the rights to the subsurface minerals—dates to the American Civil War. That’s when president Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered chunks of Western land to anyone who physically claimed the property. But in the early 1900s, Congress realized the minerals beneath the land it was handing out were valuable, and the government started to retain the rights to the minerals. Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holds about 700 million acres of mineral rights, about 29 million of which are in Colorado. “It certainly is surprising to some,” says Denver-based attorney Jack Luellen. “You go out and buy a house in Greeley, and I think most people don’t know that anything below the house may not be theirs.” 

[The research] 

DISCOVERY ZONE

Recent studies specific to Colorado and the West suggest significant environmental side effects that could pose health risks to people living in proximity to oil and gas operations.
But, in the words of COGCC director Matt Lepore (see page 95), “there’s no such thing as a perfect study.”

• AIR QUALITY

The researchers: National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

What they studied: Greenhouse gas emissions
from natural gas drilling in northeastern Colorado/Weld County. 

What they found: Natural gas extraction leaks twice as much methane—about four percent of the total extracted—into the atmosphere as previously estimated by the EPA. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 100 years. Other emissions, including the carcinogen benzene, are also likely being leaked at higher-than-expected rates.

Why it matters: Although natural gas may burn cleaner, the effect is diminished if methane and other toxins are escaping into the atmosphere during its extraction and processing.  

The caveat: Most of the data were collected in 2008. Since that time, Colorado has imposed stricter air emissions rules: 84 percent of wells that have been hydraulically fractured since April 2012 have undergone “green completions” to reduce the amount of methane leaked. This is a new EPA rule that will take effect nationally by 2015 and is expected to save the industry $11 million to $19 million that year in natural gas previously “lost” to the atmosphere. 

• HEALTH RISK

The researchers: Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado

What they studied: Health impacts from exposure to natural gas development in Garfield County. 

What they found: People living closer to natural gas wells are at a greater risk for developing neurological and respiratory diseases than those who live farther away. “This hazard is greatest during the period of short-term, high emission that occurs during well completion,” says research associate Dr. Lisa McKenzie. The same is true for cancer odds, primarily due to benzene exposure: 10 in a million for residents near wells; six in a million otherwise.

Why it matters: Further refined data like this could be helpful for setback rules (the minimum distance from a building that an operator can drill).

The caveat: The EPA’s default methodology used here is designed to overestimate risks. And data were collected between 2008 and 2010 during uncontrolled flowback, meaning there was no technology to curb leaked emissions, so results may be inconsistent with how other wells operate today.

• GROUNDWATER

The researchers: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

What they studied: Groundwater contamination from natural gas fracking near Pavillion, Wyoming. 

What they found: Hydraulic fracturing is linked to contamination of groundwater. In two wells, chemicals were present in amounts higher than the EPA’s drinking water standard. 

Why it matters: Hydraulic fracturing was exempt from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act. At the time, the industry claimed that groundwater contamination from fracking had never been proven. 

The caveat: The U.S. Geological Survey, when called upon for additional sampling, claimed the EPA’s methodology was flawed and inconsistent with its own. The EPA has defended its findings.

_____

Getting Dirty

Three ways fracking could contaminate drinking water. 

1. Surface Spill

Someone handling fracking fluid could spill that fluid, which could then seep into the ground or leak into a stream or river. It’s also possible that fracking fluid could leak from a faulty storage tank or truck while it’s being transported. There have been a total of 1,658 reported spills in Colorado since 2009.

2. Well Casing 

Companies use millions of pounds of steel and cement to reinforce the part of the well that passes through freshwater sources. If the encasement is not properly constructed or fails, fracking fluid could leak into an aquifer. 

3. Migration

The cracks created in shale rock during the fracking process could extend farther than anyone realizes, thus creating an underground pathway for fracking fluid or natural gas to travel up into an aquifer. This migration is still largely a theory.

Making the Rules

Why the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t regulate fracking.

It may come as a surprise that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—the key federal department tasked with protecting our environment—does not regulate hydraulic fracturing. In 2005, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, which, among other things, exempted fracking from the rules of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The provision was tacked onto the energy bill in the middle of the night, says U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver. By the time the act came to a vote, DeGette says few legislators realized the exemption existed. 

The provision is known as the “Halliburton loophole.” (Former Vice President Dick Cheney,
a one-time Halliburton executive, helped draft it.) The White House cited a 2004 EPA report that said fracking posed “little or no risk” to drinking water. DeGette and others have since questioned that document. In May of last year, Ben Grumbles, an EPA official who signed off on the report, wrote, “EPA, however, never intended for the report to be interpreted as a perpetual clean bill of health for fracking or to justify a broad statutory exemption from any future regulation.” In every session of Congress since 2006, DeGette has introduced the FRAC Act, to close the loophole. “There are some people who say that fracking should be banned,” she says. “I’m not in that camp. I think there should be appropriate environmental controls.” 

The EPA is currently conducting a new hydraulic fracturing study, due in 2014; An early report hits this month.

_____

The Boss Man

Four questions for Matt Lepore, director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC).

What is the biggest challenge the COGCC faces? 

Fulfilling the [twofold] legislative mandate that we have: The last 60 years, the state General Assembly has said it is in our best interests to produce these resources—but that it must be done responsibly. I don’t want to say they’re internally inconsistent, but they require us to balance two different interests. 

How is your relationship with the oil and gas companies?

They run the gamut from the most sophisticated, biggest, and well-capitalized to small, undercapitalized mom-and-pop-type operations. Our relationship with them varies. Some operators work to the highest standard, hire the most competent people, the best contractors, and are very attuned to their social responsibilities; we generally have a good relationship with them. 

How do you handle social upheaval and address citizen concerns?

There are inherent incompatibilities with having an industrial activity close to a school or an area like that. At the same time, I don’t see evidence of the dramatic health effects some citizens allude to. With respect to hydraulic fracturing, the chemicals used are essentially familiar.
Diesel fumes are a significant product of multistage fracking. We understand the concerns, but diesel emissions are somewhat ubiquitous in an industrial world. We all are exposed to diesel from traffic, trains, and other sources. There are benzene emissions from automobiles, or the gasoline pump. I don’t mean to dismiss citizens’ concerns. But I think they need to be put into the context of everyday life in a world that’s highly modernized. I would not choose to live 350 feet from an oil and gas well. But I would not be concerned about my health or my children’s health.

Have you heard the suggestion that this situation resembles Rocky Flats?

I think it’s apples and oranges. Everyone knew then that plutonium was not good. Oil and gas—it’s not plutonium. Benzene: It is known to be a carcinogen, but it doesn’t persist in the environment the same way plutonium does. I understand that people can say that we can’t understand the long-term. [But] we’ve been bringing oil and gas out of the ground since the late 1800s. We’ve figured out how to do this.

Jurisdiction Matters

Longmont steps up in the power struggle between local and state governments: Who should regulate fracking?

Imagine someone coming into your backyard and building a factory in full view of your living room. They tell you the location is prime for manufacturing. But no one cares that you know your neighborhood best. There’s nothing you can do about it. The factory starts humming. Workers traipse through your yard every day. Smog wafts up over your rooftop.

It’s not a far-fetched scenario for those who live in mineral-rich zones. Currently, the state makes the oil and gas rules for Colorado. Municipalities, much to the frustration of some, don’t have the final say on the technical aspects of drilling within their city limits. 

And then, there’s Longmont. At press time, the city of Longmont and the state of Colorado were locked in a legal skirmish. The state sued the city in July after Longmont passed its own drilling regulations in an attempt to trump the COGCC’s existing rules. “To be clear at the outset,” wrote Governor John Hickenlooper in a September 26 letter to Longmont city officials, “suing Longmont was a last—and not a first—resort for our administration. This decision was only made after attempts to resolve the state’s concerns were unsuccessful.” 

The state’s beef? A “patchwork” of local, inexperienced town governments managing different sets of regulations is unwieldy and inefficient compared to an agency with more than 70 years of oil and gas experience and already-existing rules that are “widely regarded as among the most protective in the nation,” Hickenlooper wrote. The city of Longmont filed to dismiss the lawsuit in September, to no avail. The case has become a textbook example of the regulatory debate sparked by hydraulic fracturing.

Litigation aside, the residents of Longmont last month voted yes on Question 300, a ballot initiative making Longmont the first city in Colorado to ban fracking and related waste disposal within city limits. The charter amendment was petitioned onto the ballot by advocacy group Our Health, Our Future, Our Longmont, which secured 8,200 signatures. Some critics say the amendment will just invite further legal action.

_____

Take Two

Doing it different in the East.  

New York has taken a drastically different approach to hydraulic fracturing than most states, Colorado included. In 2008, New York officials temporarily banned fracking in the Marcellus shale—a formation that, by some estimates, contains enough natural gas to meet the country’s demand for six years. At the same time, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation started researching the impact fracking has on the environment. The governor has said he intends to continue the temporary ban until the study is complete. In the meantime, more than 30 towns in New York have banned fracking permanently, and at least another 80 have enacted temporary moratoriums in line with the state’s decision.

_____

On The Big Screen

Three films tell three very different fracking stories. 

• Gasland  

If you haven’t seen the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland, chances are you have heard of the film’s money shot, in which a Colorado man sets fire to the water running out of his kitchen faucet. The scene—and the implication that fracking caused the flammable tap water—became so controversial that the COGCC issued a detailed, four-page Gasland correction document. The agency contends that the gas in the tap water is naturally occurring “biogenic” methane—not the “thermogenic” methane associated with oil and gas development. Film director Josh Fox responded with the argument that fracking could have created a pathway for “biogenic” methane to seep into the aquifer. Who’s right? Who knows? gaslandthemovie.com

• FrackNation 

FrackNation is a response to Gasland that aims to “tell the truth about fracking for natural gas in the United States and globally.” The film challenges fractivist rhetoric with testimonies from families and citizens whose survival depends on hydraulic fracturing—e.g., farmers whose livelihoods hinge on leasing their land to oil and gas companies. The filmmakers have also produced documentaries that attack Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and aim to debunk the environmentalist movement. FrackNation is currently in production. fracknation.com

• Promised Land         

Matt Damon is stirring up controversy—and talk of an Oscar—with his latest film, a drama that pits a natural gas company salesman against a small rural town struggling with economic collapse. The twist: The film, which reportedly carries an anti-fracking message aligned with Damon’s and co-star John Krasinski’s views, is financially backed by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates—an OPEC member and the world’s third-largest oil exporter. Promised Land premieres this month so it can slide into the 2013 Academy Awards pool; look for the general release in January.

Fort Lupton, USA

The town that oil and gas built. 

fort lupton, population 7,500, sits 16 miles east of Erie in the heart of the oil and gas boom in Weld County. Grannies Diner has a prominent spot on the main drag, Denver Avenue. Across from the diner, there’s a bar called Station Three Inc. A sign on the door says the bar opens at noon, but on a recent weekday morning around 11 a.m., there are two people inside sipping on frosted mugs filled with yellow beer. The Fort Lupton town hall is a few blocks south. Four large flags representing the United States, Colorado, the U.S. military, and Fort Lupton tower over the modest single-story brick building. Next to the town hall, there’s a parking lot, which has one reserved space. A placard claiming the spot reads “Mayor Tommy Holton.”

Holton has a tall and commanding presence, with a bushy gray mustache that turns down and stretches toward his chin, like any good hero in a Western flick. It’s immediately clear that Holton likes the $10-a-day gig as mayor. He grew up in this town, and his wife was raised here. They were high school sweethearts. Holton’s parents own a farm just outside of Fort Lupton, where he lends a hand to supplement his mayoral salary. The Republican mayor is finishing his second two-year term and intends to run a third and final time. As he started his second stint two years ago, Holton decided to bet the house—and perhaps the fate of Fort Lupton—on the oil and gas business. That decision is paying off today. 

For the past 40 years, Halliburton, a major oil field services provider, has operated a small facility just south of Fort Lupton. In 2010, the company announced it was looking to expand, and that it was considering moving to Greeley or Cheyenne, Wyoming. The problem was that the Fort Lupton site had been operating on a septic system. The company needed water and sewer to accommodate a bigger facility, and the town had yet to build the infrastructure. The way Holton tells it, when he heard Halliburton was thinking of leaving, he dialed a company executive and coaxed him into flying in from Houston for a meeting. “Basically on a handshake,” Holton says, the two parties struck a deal: Halliburton would fund the $2.4 million extension of water and sewer lines, and Fort Lupton would make sure the project was done in six months. 

The new $40 million Halliburton facility is nearing completion, and Holton says the impact on the town has been noticeable. Halliburton has already added more than 700 jobs. Home values are up more than 60 percent, Holton says, while business in town has increased around 20 percent. An Italian restaurant with an unexpectedly trendy storefront opened down the street from Grannies Diner. Much of this, in Holton’s opinion, is thanks to Halliburton. “It’s been huge,” he says. “It has kept us from feeling a lot of the economic pushback.” In fact, Fort Lupton’s economy largely hinges on the oil and gas industry. Of the 25 largest employers in town, 10 are oil and gas related companies, and those companies have created at least 1,500 jobs—well-paying jobs. “It’s not inconceivable to make six figures with a high school education,” Holton says. 

By some accounts, the oil and gas industry employs more than 100,000 Coloradans and pays a mean wage of $72,000 a year, which is 51 percent higher than the average Colorado salary. “If it hadn’t been for oil and gas,” says Holton, an appointee to the COGCC, “I think the economic downturn would have hit the Front Range a lot harder than it did.” 

As for the controversy surrounding oil and gas development and hydraulic fracturing, Holton is convinced that the current regulations imposed on the industry are more than enough to keep the town safe. The way he sees it, it’s simple: “This is the most regulated industry in the state,” he says. “There are rules in place and we need to follow them. You can drill, but you need to do it right—if you screw up, take care of it.” Besides, he says, we’ve been fracking for years; after a while, you just don’t see it. “Being from here in Weld County—we don’t pay attention to that part of the landscape.”

_____

 Quenching the Thirst

How much water does fracking use?

Hydraulic fracturing isn’t just about chemicals. In Colorado, the process consumed 13 million gallons of water a day in 2011—enough to supply up to 60,000 families for a year. Sounds like a lot, but, in reality, it’s less than one tenth of one percent of Colorado’s total water usage. The greediest sector? Agriculture, which sucks up 85 percent of the state’s water. Yet oil and gas companies have even begun to outbid Colorado farmers during water surplus auctions. Where else does the water come from? Operators will often purchase from a provider such as the local municipality. But towns have the right to set their water prices higher for oil and gas companies. For example, operators in Erie now pay the town a premium over what other consumers pay for the same water. By 2015, projections say the state’s frack jobs will require daily water use that’ll roughly double what a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant consumes every day.

Spread image: 

Michael Hancock

The Denver mayor on a 16th Street Mall facelift, working with Governor Hickenlooper, and legalizing marijuana. Interview by Luc Hatlestad

Earlier today you announced the National Western Stock Show is committed to staying in Denver. How did that happen?

When we came into office, we had the big flag raised about the stock show wanting to move to Aurora. It was important for us to not panic. We made some pivotal decisions that sent a strong message to the stock show that we were going to take our time to try to understand their case. And then it became clear that we needed to get some deeper review and analysis. 

Ron Williams came in to lead the stock show after the untimely passing of Jerry McMorris. Ron is clear-eyed and collaborative. And so we had these two parallel efforts, which arrived at the same conclusion: We can do better, and if we bring the stock show into the fold of the conventions and special events, we can create a more sustainable path forward. We don’t know yet what the grand plan will be, but some good decisions have been made so far. 

Related to that, potentially, is what to do about I-70 through the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. 

I think that’s separate. CDOT is undergoing its own review on a plan to bring I-70 just below grade. You have River North planning, and my vision to redevelop the Brighton Boulevard corridor, or at least get it to a more visually acceptable entry into downtown. All those things working together create opportunity for the stock show, as well as for I-70. 

What are the plans for the Brighton Boulevard corridor? 

It’s a great opportunity to shift the paradigm—it’s not so much how everything fits with the stock show, but how does the stock show fit with this overall vision? The Brighton corridor is one of the weakest links for our aerotropolis. There are quite a few plans for that area to create residential as well as commercial development. But what we haven’t done yet is maximize the river up there. 

As for the aerotropolis, you’ve had some successes in opening DIA up to become more international. 

From DIA, we can get anywhere in the world within 16 hours, and there aren’t many airports in the world that can say that. And if we can create a development community that attracts international companies, now you’ve got a reason for people all over the world to come here and do business. We got nonstop flights to Tokyo earlier than I would have projected, and Icelandair has had a 475 percent increase in flights between Denver and Reykjavik. And in December, DIA starts flights to Mexico City. The next stop is South America, particularly Brazil. 

What are the goals of the Denver Education Compact (DEC)? 

It’s focused on early childhood education, recognizing that if we’re really going to impact the achievement gap in Denver, we really need to get to it before it starts. The DEC comprises people from universities, professionals, and CEOs who get that we’ve got to make sure kids are ready to hit the ground running when they walk into kindergarten. In Texas they look at third-grade reading scores, and from there they’re able to determine in the next 13 to 15 years how many jail beds they’ll need. And they’re dead-on every time. 

One of the more pressing things you’ve faced has been public safety and the city’s police department. What changes have you made there?

I’m awfully proud of chief Robert White [see page 50], as well as manager of safety Alexander Martinez, and the police department. Chief White brings such steadiness, leadership, and a sense of basic operations of a police department and how to put men and women in the best place possible to serve the public. Many officers have told me they’re proud of the changes being made; they’re excited about the opportunities. If I walked away from this office today, that would be my proudest accomplishment.  

The 16th Street Mall is a mixed bag; in some ways it’s improving, in some ways it’s stagnant. What’s your plan for that? 

We are working with the Downtown Denver Partnership and Tami Door. The passage of Measure 2A allows us to take a very serious look at law enforcement and physical improvements on the mall. It’s been 30 years since any major improvements on that mall have occurred. It needs it, quite frankly, and it’s probably a five- to seven-year process to do it. We’re going to sit down with them and figure out a joint public/private partnership. The mall is our number one tourist attraction, and its return on investment is exponential.  

What do you see as the biggest challenges for the city and for yourself in 2013?

We want to be good stewards of the resources of the 2A initiative and work on fine-tuning the fiscal operation to restore the reserves of the city, as well as some critical services. We also will continue to improve our customer service and make this a more customer-friendly city. Whether it’s paying your taxes online, getting your permits online, permitting parks, paying parking tickets—all those things that are necessary to keep you from having to come downtown and stand in lines. You’ll continue to see us get deep into youth services; we’re going to unveil some exciting summer programming for kids that we’re doing in partnership with the private sector. And we want to get the development at Ninth and Colorado taken care of. 

What can the city of Denver do to help see Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana in this state, through to a reasonable arrangement for Denverites and the federal government? 

The jury is still out on how the federal government is going to respond to the legalization of marijuana. To be honest, we don’t know yet. The people have spoken, and we’ll work with them. Right now we’re just looking at our policies, figuring out how we might regulate it. We don’t know yet, but the federal government’s going to have a clear voice in all this and we’re waiting to hear what they think. 

What were the biggest challenges when you first started? 

There hasn’t been a bigger supporter and partner than Governor Hickenlooper. He’s always available for me to call and say, “Give me some guidance on this.” He’s been very candid and open and honest. The transition wasn’t that challenging for me because I came from city council. My personal life changed dramatically, and my family’s life changed; it was a whole different set of demands and obligations. No one can ever prepare you for that. 

On the professional side, it takes a while to settle into such a strong executive position, with a leadership structure that really allows the executive to make a difference. You have to figure out your bandwidth and what to focus on. The key is to focus on a few things. That’s why we were able to do things like capture the Tokyo flight. Focus, get it done, and let’s move on. Obviously, things come up that distract you, but when you get a chance you go right back to the plan. 

Has anything really surprised you, either positively or negatively? 

The very first half day I was in office, we had the incident at the Denver Zoo [in which a man died after being immobilized by a stun gun by police, who were investigating a domestic violence accusation against him]. Talk about a reality check. And the unfortunate shooting of officer Selena Hollis was tough. And then we went through the Aurora movie theater shootings, and though it wasn’t on Denver’s land, we are a region and we felt it just as painfully. 

No matter how painfully we are impacted as individuals, the people look to you for leadership. You must gather yourself, show strength, and say, “We’re going to get through this,” while at the same time showing compassion for those who have been impacted. 

I could not have been prepared for walking into the hospital and being immediately directed to the daughter of Selena Hollis and talking to that 12-year-old. Those are the tragedies you pray on and you hope don’t happen in your city or surrounding areas. Unfortunately they do, and we’ve got to get through them. 

But then there are always the great times, too. You celebrate the Denver to Tokyo flights, the first presidential debate coming to Denver last year, the landing of the patent office, Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow. Those are the moments where you’re like, “Gosh, it’s great to be mayor of this city.”

Jonathan Vaughters

The CEO of the Boulder- and Barcelona-based Garmin-Sharp Professional Cycling Team on getting married, drug testing in American sports, and a man named Lance Armstrong. Interview by Geoff Van Dyke

This was a big year for you: You got married.

Yeah, I got married in the Northwoods in Wisconsin in October.

Congratulations.

It was a beautiful fall wedding. We had our rehearsal dinner at this place called Marty’s Place North, a classic Wisconsin supper club, and we had a fish fry. We were down in what was like the private dining room in the basement, and a fight broke out upstairs. It was fun. It was a real Wisconsin experience.

You had a few other big things happen this year. You wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times in which you admitted to doping during your career as a professional cyclist. Did people close to you know this piece was coming out?

I actually forgot to tell my parents. I spent so much effort telling every sponsor, every investor, people I knew, people I thought would be affected—I literally just forgot to tell my parents. 

And how did that work out?

Well, my parents are very kind people, and they were fine with it. My mom was just always concerned for my well-being, and my parents have both always been about the decision-making process. If the decision-making process is good, then they’re happy for you. If it’s impulsive, then they don’t like it. So it was more that I had to explain to her the decision-making process of writing the piece than what had happened a decade ago. 

What was that process?

There were huge problems—massive loopholes—in the anti-doping structure, and I took advantage of those loopholes, and I’m not proud of it. But, now, let’s fix that. 

There was this drip-drip-drip with regard to pro cycling and doping revelations this year. Your Times piece, and then Tyler Hamilton’s book, The Secret Race. I read that and I thought, with regard to microdosing: Every elite athlete everywhere is doping. 

Tyler’s book is excellent, and I’m glad it came out. But what it doesn’t mention is that there have been a lot of people caught microdosing.

Even so. I’m a baseball fan, and I was thinking, well if these guys are using a little bit of testosterone….

They may be, I don’t know. But, look: You’re never going to get purity in anything, ever. To me there are two goals of anti-doping. One is to make sure the competition is fair and the best person wins: the best athlete on the best team with the best strategy, the best tactics, the best equipment, the best training. Two is to make sure the athletes’ health is protected. Now, with testing the way it is, you still may be able to dope, but does it matter? Doping doesn’t provide an advantage like it used to.  

What’s your take on testing in sports like baseball or American football?

Let me start off by saying I admire and appreciate the players unions and the fact that they’ve protected the rights of the players in those sports. That’s something that cycling needs to emulate. Now, with that said: The anti-doping that’s in place in those sports is a joke. In American league sports, the testing they have now is equivalent to the testing that cycling had in the mid-1980s. 

What would you say to mainstream sports journalists like Rick Reilly who’ve basically said, “Everyone was doping during that era of cycling. Who cares?”

The argument that everyone was doing it, so it was a level playing field, is total bullshit. Let’s imagine that you and I drink this bottle of wine, and then we go have cocktails afterward, and you wake up with a wicked hangover and so do I. You go and you take two aspirin and so do I. Do two aspirin work for you when you have a really wicked headache? 

No.

It does for me. It’s the same thing with doping. One guy takes EPO [erythropoietin, a drug that increases red blood cell count and thus increases endurance] and he gets a 20 percent advantage. Another guy takes EPO and gets a two percent boost. Is that fair? No. 

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s “Reasoned Decision” against Lance Armstrong was released in October, which led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France wins. What happens next for Armstrong? 

If Lance decided to step forward, to be honest, and to be part of the solution, he should be treated with the same fairness as the other people who’ve decided to come forward. But he’s been offered that opportunity, and he refused it. I can’t say why; it makes no sense to me. No matter what, Lance would have been a great bike racer. Would he have won seven Tours? That’s impossible to say. But would he have won some bike races, one way or the other? Sure. And would he have done that as a cancer survivor? Yes. To me, why is that any more or less impressive than winning seven Tours de France? I just don’t think he thinks of it that way. I think he felt like he needed to go beyond what was humanly possible 

Do you ever feel sorry for him?

For sure. Absolutely. But the process was fair and just.

Now you’re running a clean team, with a zero-tolerance policy for doping.

Every year, we sit down the entire organization and I say, “Everyone look to your left, look to your right. You see those people? If there’s a doping scandal in this organization in any way, shape, or form, they lose their jobs. So are you personally willing to take the responsibility for 120 people losing their jobs? Do you want that on your conscience? If you don’t, then please consider your actions.” If someone tests positive on this team, we’re not going to ask for an appeal and drag it out. If that happened, everyone would pack their bags the next day and go home. It’d be done. It’d be over.

It seems like it’d be a huge relief for racers today to not have to worry about all that.

Well that’s just it. At the dinner table with this younger generation, doping is never a topic anymore. That’s a way healthier place for the sport to be. I’m incredibly envious of those guys and the way the sport is right now. I wish I could relive my career.

Nora Pykkonen

The woman who last year bought Echo Mountain on rope tows, passion buys, and the healing power of skiing. Interview by Chris Outcalt

So, you bought a ski mountain? 

Yeah, it’s been a challenge, but it’s going to be great. We have about 200 skiers training in the next few weeks—people coming from places like Montana, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, and Maine.  

How did it all happen? 

My kids and I were at a summer ski camp in Mount Hood, Oregon. After two days, my daughter wanted to stay longer. I went to the coach and said, “Can you work with the girls one day a month just to supplement training?” She said, “I’d love to but there’s no lane space.” I called Echo, because we were training here on Wednesday nights, and found out it was up for auction. 

Is there a lot of work that needs to be done on the mountain?

We had some big capital expenditures this year. We put in a rope tow: You can get from the bottom to our slalom lanes in a minute and 40 seconds, and then you can get to the top in three minutes. The chairlift was about eight minutes. Our rope tow will be 1,000 feet per minute. It’s faster than a high-speed quad. 

Have you ever thought: What the hell am I doing?

My husband thinks that all the time. But, honestly, I haven’t regretted it at all. It’s definitely a field of dreams—build it and they will come. There hasn’t been one day where I thought: God, this was stupid. 

So you plan on hanging on to this property for a while? 

I have people all the time ask me what my exit strategy is. I don’t have an exit strategy because this could be in my family for the next 30 years. I hope my kids will run this. This was definitely a passion buy. I’m not looking to flip this. I just want to make sure that everyone who is on the mountain has an amazing experience. 

Are you a skier? Where’d you grow up?

I grew up outside of Colorado Springs and I never skied. I rode horses. But my husband is a die-hard skier, and when I started dating him I started skiing. I was horrible. 

It’s a beautiful spot. 

Yeah. You know, my brother has brain cancer. Four times doctors have said he’s not going to live through the week. But the first time he left the house, he said to a friend of mine, “I want to go get a ski pass.” So he went and bought a ski pass. We went up to Vail and he was wild. He’s like, “I’m alive,” and just took off. 

You could see a difference right away?

Oh, my gosh, yeah. It really helped him rehabilitate. Just being up here and getting the fresh air, it just gives him so much energy. And that’s honestly when I was really like, “Wow, I love being up here."

Teri Rippeto

The co-founder and chef of Capitol Hill’s Potager dishes about owning chickens and goats, Food Network competitions, and how food and community are inexorably intertwined. Interview by Geoff Van Dyke

You just put your chickens in for the night. What else do you have at your house?

I have two gardens. One has fruit: raspberries and strawberries and rhubarb. The other is a vegetable garden. And then in two weeks, I’ll have goats for milk.

You opened Potager 15 years ago, and you’ve always been deliberate about the farmers and the people who raise the meat for your restaurant. Is that part of a larger philosophical framework?

It is. I believe that’s the right thing to do. I believe that our bodies are made to eat what we grow in our communities, locally and seasonally. We’ve gotten so far away from that, our culture now is suffering the consequences and a multitude of health problems. I believe we’re made to eat real food, whole foods in season, and we will be healthy. That’s how we take care of our communities. That’s how we care for each other.

Is part of eating healthy an economic issue?

That is a big challenge for our society. But it’s not so much the cost as the accessibility. Poorer families in poorer parts of the city don’t have access to fresh produce, good produce. There are a lot of organizations around Denver that are trying to do community gardens and things like that in low-income places, and now you can get food stamps for farmers’ markets. 

You started your first restaurant, in Columbia, Missouri, with your father.

We opened Trattoria Strada Nova when I was 28, and we were the first place in Columbia to sell wine by the glass. We had an espresso machine. We had these guys helping us build the place out, and they’d say, “No one’s going to buy a cappuccino. No one’s going to pay five dollars for a glass of wine.” We didn’t do any media before the opening; no marketing. And we had a line out the door the first night.

You didn’t do media then, and you don’t really do any media now. Why is that?

Media is such an ego thing, and I just don’t really like to engage in that.

There’s almost this cult of personality because of these TV shows today.

I don’t think the Food Network has done cooking any great favors, and it’s turned out some really terrible chefs. It’s not so much the Food Network, though, as it’s the competitions. No one emphasizes the most basic things about cooking. Now we’ve got all these people calling themselves chefs that have no skill, no basic techniques, no real restaurant experience, and no experience managing people: all the things that make a really good chef. 

We’ve talked about some of the challenges facing us when it comes to eating. What can we be optimistic about?

The conversation has started. People are talking about what they should or shouldn’t eat. People are gardening. People are talking about gardens, or they’re going to the farmers’ market. That’s a big thing. That’s what makes me hopeful.

Daniel Junge

The Denver-based, Academy Award–winning director (for the documentary short Saving Face) talks about awards, Star Wars, and why Colorado may, in fact, be the best place in the world to be a filmmaker. Interview by Daliah Singer

Where did you get the idea for Saving Face? 

I knew about the phenomena of acid violence, but I wasn’t endeavoring to make a film until several years ago, when I heard, on the BBC, the biggest radio story of the year. It was on Katie Piper, a model who was attacked on the streets of London with acid. She cited her hero as Dr. Mohammad Jawad. So I called him. And that’s where the adventure began. 

It’s certainly a heavy topic, but there are wonderful, bright moments in Saving Face.  

I think the power of the film comes from the fact that there’s some amount of redemption. It’s obviously a horrendous social malady, but the fact that we were able to find people who were fighting—and fighting successfully—really helps. With human rights films, there needs to be some element of hope. People switch off otherwise.

You’re walking into a situation where these women have experienced absolute horror, often at the hands of a man and/or a loved one. How did you develop trust?

I had some amount of trust because I was on Dr. Jawad’s hip. But it became immediately apparent that I needed a partner on the ground, preferably a woman. I got to work with Pakistan’s best filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. I’ve worked with in-country partners on a lot of my films. I think there’s an ethical imperative there, especially in developing countries, but also, the films are always better because there’s somebody on the inside helping you out. 

Tell me about the Oscar experience. 

It’s phenomenal to be nominated, but winning really is the coup de grace. It’s just a great recognition of the work of my team and me. A small human rights film like this suddenly has a much more visible stature and a global audience because of that award. 

It’s difficult to get people, strangers, to open up. When you put a camera in their faces, it tends to add another layer of tension. How do you cross that bridge?

I’m constantly surprised that people want their stories heard, especially when people are downtrodden and they’ve had their rights stomped on. I also introduce myself to people with my camera in hand. I’m the guy with the camera. That’s how I establish my relationship and try to forge an intimacy. The subjects know full well that I’m a filmmaker first and foremost. 

What was the first moviegoing experience that really stuck with you?

The formative filmmaking experience of my lifetime was Star Wars, and I say that with some guilt. It was an incredibly important film for me as a child. But, moreover, it was the first film that also came with this whole culture of discussing how the film was made. We not only got to enjoy the big-screen experience, but all of us, of all ages, who enjoyed that film got to see it deconstructed as well. I think that created a lot of filmmakers. 

What’s next for you?

I’m doing a film [Fight Church] on the intersection of Christianity and mixed martial arts or cage fighting. I’m making a film with [editor] Davis Coombe in Jamaica on a school for disadvantaged boys that helped give birth to reggae; a lot of great Jamaican music legends have come out of this one school. I’m also doing some lighter, more populist films. I’m doing a film on Evel Knievel, and I’m doing the official Lego documentary with the Lego company. Although I aspire to make a feature, my current goal is to make bigger, more broadly populist documentaries. 

Do people often tell you that you should move to Hollywood?

The question is usually posed in this way: “Are you from New York or L.A.?” And then when I say that I’m from Denver, it usually invokes the reaction like a dog hearing a high-pitched noise. But what we’re seeing, especially in the documentary industry, is a real decentralization. The tools now are available for people all over the country and all over the world to make these films. Now, if you can live anywhere in the world, why wouldn’t you live in Denver? 

Is it just the technology that’s helping the filmmaking culture grow in Colorado?

I think that there’s a synergy right now in Denver. We’re not working necessarily together, but we’re all working alongside each other and we’re seeing each other. I get so amped by seeing other filmmakers’ work from Colorado, and, in some ways, it’s also just a challenge to make better films. There’s certainly something to the community as well. 

I’ve heard the same sentiment—the sense of community here—from many people who work in creative fields in Colorado. It’s an interesting dynamic. 

Absolutely. I think there’s recognition that in some ways we’re in the bush here and that we need to be a community. 

What’s your advice to young filmmakers here and elsewhere?

I always say, “Don’t wait for anyone to say yes.” You’ve got to pick up the camera and start making your film. That’s what I did. You’ve got to make your own yeses.

Robert White

The Denver Police chief sounds off on his past, learning to be a cop, and his vision for the department. Interview by Robert Sanchez

You grew up in Washington, D.C., without a father. How did your mother influence your life?

She believed you could be anything you wanted to be, but in order to get there, you need to understand that life is not about entitlements. Preparation for her was to work hard—harder than the person next to you—be respectful, and stay focused on what your goal was. Those are my values. The good things that there are about me, I got from my mother.

You started working at age 11?

I helped pay the rent. I had three paper routes: the Washington Post, the Evening Star, and the Daily News. Back in those days, you actually knocked on the front door and collected the money. I didn’t live in the nicest part of town. I got robbed a couple of times.

Why did you become a cop?

I was born in Richmond, Virginia, and right before we moved, when I was six, I was downtown with my mother and we saw this little girl and a police officer. I asked my mother, “How come the police officer is with the little girl? What’s wrong?” She said the girl was lost and the police officer was going to help. I decided that’s what I wanted to do. 

What was your scariest moment as a police officer?

I was working with a younger officer, and it was the Fourth of July. I heard this fire. I thought they were firecrackers, and the guy says, “No, they’re guns!” I’m thinking I’m a seasoned officer at 24 years old. I said, “Man, you need to calm down. It’s the Fourth of July.” We look across the intersection, and I see a guy on his knees. There’s another guy with a gun, holding it to his head. He shoots the guy and he takes off. I chase the guy to this alley. This guy pops up behind an abandoned car and puts a gun to my head and pulls the trigger. It misfires. I chase him and eventually catch him. I go back to the station, and the sergeant says, “Hey, White, you might want to go home and change your clothes.” I said, “What are you talking about?” I looked down and my clothes were soaking wet. I apparently let everything inside me come out when that trigger went click. I guess everything in me went click, too.

You were once falsely accused of using marijuana. How did that shape your perception of the law?

It was my worst nightmare. But after I got over that, the good that came out of it is it reminded me that there are two sides to every story. I truly believe in due process.

You last worked as a chief in Louisville, Kentucky. Why did you come to Denver?

I’m a change agent. Normally if I get hired, it’s by some city manager or some mayor who wants to change something in their agency. I will tell you that, in Denver, I wasn’t hired to fix a broken department. The department’s not broken. I was hired to make a good department better.

Police abuse had been a lowlight of this department, though.

There’s a perception I inherited a department with a systemic problem in excessive force. Do we have a problem with excessive force? Yes, just like every major department in America. Is it systemic? I don’t believe so. I think the biggest problem we have in our department is communication.

How so?

Officers do not know how to communicate with people the right way, and that’s the biggest problem we have. I think the big disconnect in law enforcement is we do a great job in training people on the legality of the law, but what we don’t do is stress the necessity of the law. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s necessary.

You want to hire more cops, put more officers on the streets. But it seems you’ve been looking for a buy-in from politicians before getting it from the rank and file.

I’ve got to survive. I’m trying to create a constituency, knowing that change is tough. People are victims of their own environment. If this is the way we’ve done it in Denver for the last 40 years, people are comfortable with that. So, when you introduce a change, people are resistant. It was a matter of coming in and assessing where we were and where we needed to go.

You have 1,400 people in the DPD. How many of them should be on the streets?

Around 70 percent. When I first got here, it was 48 percent. Now it’s 63 percent, so we’re going to get there. Officers need to be out in these communities. That’s how you get to know the citizens. Getting officers close to the community is how you become effective at fighting and preventing crime.

Are there bad officers here?

Police officers are no different from doctors, teachers, or reporters. There are some who shouldn’t be officers. Part of my job is to see that they are no longer police officers. The great majority of men and women in this department come to work and they want to do the right thing. The train is going down the track. If you’re not on board, you need to get out of the way. And we’re going to help you get out of the way.

Tom Clark

The CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation on urban politics, getting the Colorado Rockies, and race in Denver. Interview by Katy Neusteter

Nice to meet you.

I assume you get this question all the time, but why in the hell would anyone find me interesting?

I’ll try to make this painless. Let’s start with how you made your way to Denver.

I was born in Minne-so-ta. I never dated a brunette until I went to co-llege. I was a Luthe-ran. 

Oh yah?

Yah! Actually, I started out as a political organizer in Chicago.

Any Windy City run-ins?

In 1974, I was running a campaign against the Richard J. Daley Sr. political machine. The day our candidate was kicking off her campaign, she walked in with both arms in casts. She said she couldn’t be our candidate because she had fallen. Actually, the goons had broken her arms to keep her from running. That was my introduction to Chicago politics. The politics in Colorado are played with a small “d” and a small “r.” The view of opportunity is strikingly different here. In Chicago, the mindset is, “If you win something, I lose.” Colorado is more about sharing great opportunities. 

So what’s on your highlight reel from the past 20 years?

Of course, getting the Rockies was the most fun. I still have the original major league application. But I think, obviously, the biggest win was DIA. None of us could have ever really imagined this, but it turned out to be the best, most extraordinary invention since the Moffat Tunnel more than 100 years ago.

How long has the Denver-Tokyo flight been in the works?

Roy Romer and I first met with Japan Airlines in 1986, and our host fell asleep during our presentation. Shows you the level of interest they had in Colorado.  

Demographics are already shaping state politics. What will age, in particular, mean for Denver’s economic development?

Everyone is worried about the baby boomers retiring and not having anybody to replace them. But younger folks are moving here in droves. That will differentiate Denver from the Midwest and large portions of the Northeast and South. Plus, younger people tend to be tech-savvy, more liberal, and more oriented to public transit. That’s going to change us dramatically. 

And race?

We have a long heritage of Hispanic citizens and leadership. When you’re trying to compete globally, you need a diversity of people living in your metropolitan area. If you’re all looking like skim milk on a January day, it’s not a good thing. With this impending shortage of labor nationwide, it will be very important that we find a way to move first-generation kids into the middle class by adulthood.

Susan Barnes-Gelt

The political veteran, land-use advocate, and writer on mayors, progressive planning, and being outspoken. Interview by Lindsey B. Koehler

You’re a Denver native, right?

I grew up in Hilltop when only Jews lived there. Denver was still segregated; all upwardly mobile Jews lived in Hilltop, because until 1964 many neighborhoods had covenants—no blacks, no browns, no Jews.

What were you like as a kid?

I was tall, smart, mouthy, and competitive. People hated me. After many painful years in Denver, my mother decided I should go away to boarding school in Pennsylvania.

How’d that work for you?

That was a horrible experience, except at least I wasn’t in Denver. And for my very first Thanksgiving, in 10th grade, I went to New York City. So I get off the train at Pennsylvania Station and I think, Oh, my God, there’s a place for me.

I thought you loved Denver?

I do, but my formative experience was being in New York City at a young and impressionable age. It informed who I am both politically and personally, and ignited my interest in land-use issues. When I lived in New York, I walked every inch of that island. I’m a feet-on-the-street girl, and I intuitively loved the public realm—the streets, the sidewalks, the bridges, the connections, the buses, the subways—because it’s very democratic.

When you came back to Denver you eventually went to work for Mayor Federico Peña. What was your position in his office?

My ex-husband, Howard Gelt, always used to say, “She’s the shit magnet,” because, basically, I was kind of the crisis-du-jour girl. 

After Peña came Wellington Webb, whom you worked with when you became a city councilperson, and John Hickenlooper. When Federico decided not to run for a third term, Wellington Webb ran against Norm Early. Peña’s people supported Early, which pissed Webb off. I was placed on the enemy list; I couldn’t find a job. So when the at-large council spot came open in 1995, I thought, Well, Mr. Webb, you can’t kick me out of the civic life of my city, so I’m going to run for city council.

Did you and the mayor ever make up?

My relationship with Wellington eventually warmed and now we’re good friends. I love him because he had an agenda for the city and he loved the city. Did I agree with the way he did everything? No. But did he have courage and vision? Yes. I guess I didn’t realize I loved Webb until John Hickenlooper got to be mayor. 

Not a fan of Hick?

Frankly, I had a great relationship with Hickenlooper because I was his only public critic, and he believes that he’s so adorable that he can win over any critic. At one point he actually offered me a job at the mayor’s office. And I said, “You know what John? I really like you and I know you’d rather have me pissing in than pissing on, but I don’t roll that way.” He knew it was loving criticism. I really didn’t think he was a great mayor because he didn’t get land use. He’s a policy guy. But now that we have this posse, I long for John Hickenlooper.

By “this posse” you mean Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration?

I supported Michael, but I think my biggest disappointment with him is the government he put together. Michael has surrounded himself with campaign lackeys and not one person who has any city-building expertise. I mean, it took him 16 months to hire a planning director! 

Explain why you think that’s a problem.

Denver is an emerging city. We’re a baby and we’re growing. And this administration was fortunate to come into office as the beneficiary of 20 years of progressive planning that began with Peña (with the 1990 Comprehensive Plan) and continued through Hickenlooper (with Blueprint Denver). Michael inherited these brilliant plans, which need to be implemented. But they don’t embrace it.

Do you talk to the mayor frequently?

The last time I spoke with him was last February. We talked about some RiNo issues and we talked candidly about the National Western Stock Show. I tried to explain that you cannot separate what happens to the stock show and what you do about the I-70 viaduct and how you reconnect the Globe-ville, Swansea, and Elyria neighborhoods. No enlightened cities in the 21st century contemplate taking a viaduct built in the ’60s that slashes three of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and widening it in place. 

If you could be queen for a day, how would you change things?

I would keep Michael as mayor, but I would surround him with the best and most innovative urban thinkers and implementers.

You don’t pull any punches, do you?

My elite and expensive education refined my ability to be a critical thinker. And I have a high-octane personality. In fact, my mother used to say, “No one will ever marry you because you’re a loudmouth and you’re too competitive.” I give her a lot of credit because she was a tough cookie and dealing with her made me resilient and tenacious.

Jim Schanel

A Colorado Springs Fire Department battalion chief on the Waldo Canyon fire: the blaze that defied all logic. Interview by Lindsey R. McKissick

How do you explain the fire to people who weren’t inside the relief efforts?

It’s like a wedding reception: Unless you were there dancing, having a good time, listening to the music, living in the passion of the moment, it’s hard to explain.

When you first heard about the Waldo Canyon fire, where were you?

I’m on an incident management team and I’m the battalion chief here. I was up on the High Park fire with our Type 1 team. It was a beautiful sunny day. I got out on an area road and I could see the header on the smoke column all the way down the Front Range. It looked like a thunderstorm, but I knew it was fire smoke.

You got to the scene and realized the Waldo Canyon fire didn’t fit the normal characteristics of a wildfire. The smoke column, which is usually up in the air, had been sheered off by a thunderstorm, and the smoke column collapsed on the city. It was superheated with ash and debris. It was heavy smoke. 

Is there a specific event that sticks out when you remember the fire? 

The most significant negative was when I had to drive up a street alone. I had the air conditioner on. The glass in the truck was getting so hot I couldn’t touch it. I drove up the road looking down these tubes of fire. The streets were on fire. I was fighting to look down those streets because I thought for sure I was going to see one of our engines burned over with firefighters. I didn’t want to see that, I didn’t want to find that. Luckily, I didn’t. That was terrifying. 

Many of the pictures showed just one house on an entire block that was spared. How does the fire decide?

The wind eddies blow around. If you have ever been playing softball when a thunderstorm comes, the guy out in left field may not have any wind on him, but all the infielders are eating dust. It was just a little air pocket that saved that particular house.

When did you know the fire was anchored?

There was a key house. The fire was moving up the hill on both sides of the street. It was a major boulevard called Flying W Ranch Road, and if the fire had gotten into the next neighborhood to the east, we were going to have real control problems. This engine from Lake Tahoe just pulled up out of nowhere. It was a little divine intervention, a little luck or something. This green engine with forest service guys, me, and a couple of guys in a utility truck from Colorado Springs got together to save this house. If that house had started to go, it would have started a chain reaction we couldn’t have stopped. 

Had you planned for a fire in Waldo Canyon and the surrounding neighborhoods?

It’s an area we had pre-planned for, for a lot of years. If the fire had behaved like most fires, where the column stays airborne and the fire front slowly moves toward you, you have a chance to set up your perimeters and anchor points. You can prepare for that. To know what just happened in that neighborhood, you almost start to second-guess what’s going on—people burning to death, firefighters trapped, all the worst-case scenarios that are a possibility are going on right in front of me. We just reverted back to, “Go to work.”

You can keep training firefighters, but what’s most important for the public to know?

We have to warn the public. Public information is one of the biggest things. People don’t heed the warning. They have to help themselves. They are going to have to start taking the responsibilities on themselves in all environments. Wildland is one of them. 

How do you explain the catastrophe the fire victims have endured?

These were just innocent civilians that had a really bad weather day and it turned into an experience similar to war. There was an expectation to come home and have dinner, hug their kids, and walk their dogs. By the middle of the afternoon, they realized that they weren’t coming back, they were never coming back. All these pieces of these people’s lives, their history, their lives moving forward, were just cut so fast. I don’t know how you would prepare for that.

Six months have passed; does the burn area ever catch your eye?

I look at it every day when I come to work. The time I drive to work, as the sun comes up in the east—it illuminates that whole burned side. You can’t help but look at it. I can see the beautiful red earth tones that you couldn’t before because of the trees. It’s changed the look of the land forever.

Is it a scar?

Well, I don’t know. We had some successes. The statisticians say we saved 80 percent of the houses. In my mind, a lot of people lost their homes. That was much more significant than what some statistician said we saved. I look at it like a large loss.

Could it happen again?

There was some unprecedented weather leading up to that event. We’ve had a long drought. We’ve had extremely dry, hot temperatures and windy days. There was a dry spring with no snowpack. The stars were lining up for this one. But if it happened once, it sure could happen again.

Charles Burrell

The 92-year-old bassist, who was one of the first African-Americans to play in any American symphony orchestra, still delights in telling story after story about his extraordinary life. Interview by Luc Hatlestad

How were you introduced to music?

My whole life has been a fluke; I didn’t plan anything. One day, growing up in Detroit, the band teacher at my junior high school said they had some instruments left and asked if anyone wanted to play. Lo and behold, there was an old aluminum bass in the corner. You couldn’t wreck it. I took lessons right away. My mom told me, “If you want to be a musician, you have to do it right.” I was only 12 years old, but I paid my own way, 25 cents a lesson. I carried the bass in a little red wagon all through junior high because I couldn’t carry it by myself. 

Where did you find the money for that?

Selling rags, bottles, just hustling. I did errands for people, anything that had to be done. Plus, I had a little secret: We lived near the railroad tracks, and when the train would slow down, my younger brother and I—he’s only 90 now—would climb up on it and throw off coal, then pick it up and sell it. 

What was it about music that caught your attention at such a young age?

I’d won an old crystal set radio by selling candy, and I was playing it when I heard something that struck my fancy. I didn’t know then that it was the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by the marvelous Pierre Monteux, but that’s what hooked me. It was Tchaikovsky’s Fourth, and I said to myself, “One day I’d like to play for that man.”

Did you have any idea what an uphill climb that would be?

Oh, no. But my mother said, “Son, you can do anything you want to do, but just make sure you give to it every day.” And that’s what I did for the next 20 years. I stuck with it until I learned how to play jazz, which is what helped me in the classical world, because I was making money and putting beans on the table. There were no blacks in the symphony then, or working at the radio stations. But that didn’t bother me. I just practiced and practiced. 

How did you land in Denver?

Around 1949, I came because my mother had been born here, and I’d always wanted to visit. I got a job at Fitzsimons Hospital, pushing bedpans. I met a fellow, John VanBuskirk, on a trolley car. He had a long case that I recognized as a bow case, so I struck up a conversation. I started studying with him, and he asked me if I’d like to play with the local symphony. Biggest shock in the world, but I said I’d do it. He arranged for me to have an audition with Saul Caston, who was one of the first white men to help break the color barriers in orchestras. It was a two-hour audition, but he talked to me for one hour and 55 minutes, and then told me to play a G scale slowly, two octaves. Took me five minutes. That was it. He said, “I can use you.” Scared the living shit out of me. I wasn’t ready, but he took a chance on me.

So for the hour and 55 minutes he was talking about music?

Life. He was psyching me out, but I know all about that; I’m from the ghetto. I spent 10 years with the symphony, from 1949 to ’59, and for a while I played in the first mixed-race jazz trio in Colorado. One of the musicians was Al Rose, whose niece is Diana DeGette.

You were playing clubs around town?

Clubs my ass, baby. These were joints. 

How did you end up in San Francisco?

I went to L.A. to study with a famous teacher, Herman Reinshagen. For an audition, he gave me a song, “Old Black Joe.” Does that tell you something? The San Francisco Symphony came down there every summer for a few weeks, and when I was there, Arthur Fiedler had also come as a guest conductor. They were short a bassist—I later learned it was because no one wanted to play with him because he was such an asshole. They asked me to do the summer season with Fiedler. After that, they invited me up to San Francisco. After one or two years with the symphony, they announced that the Pierre Monteux was going to be a guest conductor. I had the pleasure of playing under him for about a week, and I said to my mother, “Mom, my life is complete.” I’d spent so many years trying to get to that mark, and it was the culmination of my ambition.

Dede de Percin

The executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) on Obamacare, doing the right thing, and speaking up for yourself. Interview by Jessica Farmwald

What were your influences growing up? 

I was raised Catholic, and those essential values—with privilege comes responsibility, those pieces around social justice—were actually a really good framework for the work that I do now. The piece I didn’t like as much about the Catholic faith, that had maybe an anti-influence, was that I don’t like other people making choices for me. If you don’t speak up and aren’t engaged, then somebody else is going to make that decision for you.

Any especially formative moments? 

I grew up just outside Washington, D.C., in the suburbs of Maryland, and we had a maid, a woman of color, who came out to clean our house once a week. This is back in the ’60s, right around the time of the riots in downtown D.C. My father came home from work one day, and my mother said, “I co-signed a loan for Mrs. Mitchell so they could buy a house.” My father said, “What?” And she said, “She couldn’t get a loan because she’s African-American, and that was just wrong.” I’m sure there was a lot more conversation about it, but my mother was just like, That’s it. I’m going downtown, and I’m fixing this.

Of all the causes you’ve championed over the years, which is closest to your heart?

The one I’m immersed in right now is the most important and urgent to me. I’ve done systems change before in other arenas, but the health system is not one system. It’s about a dozen different systems that were all going in different directions, not working together. And the brilliance and challenge of the Affordable Care Act was to put a framework around virtually all those systems and try to turn them all in a single direction.

What role does CCHI play for the state?

We’re a coalition of about 50 members [for example, the Autism Society of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union]. And our policy committee operates by consensus. So while sometimes finding that consensus is difficult, when we get there, having the majority of 50 member organizations behind something is incredibly strong.

What’s unique about Colorado’s health-care situation?

We had already done a lot of things before the Affordable Care Act that were in the Affordable Care Act, so we were well positioned to take advantage of it. We have also moved forward in a bipartisan way; Colorado is the only state, to date, that has passed a bipartisan exchange bill. That makes us a model for a lot of other states. 

Does anyone lose when it comes to the Affordable Care Act?

There aren’t a lot of losers. The insurance companies supported it. The doctors supported it. Nobody liked everything in it; but everybody liked something in it. What I will say for almost everybody is that their business model is going to have to change. Maybe the very bad actors in every sector lose, but I’m OK with that.

You say putting patients first is a revolution that needs to happen in health care.

It’s a changing of the model when you talk about patient-centered care. There’s a great quote that I stole: For too long in health care, patients have been the football, and they ought to be the quarterback. I like to use this example. The several times I’ve had surgery, on the way out the door, when I’m groggy, they’re like, “And here’s your prescription, go get that filled, but stay off your feet for three days.” The assumption that someone is going to do that for me and walk my dog and bring me groceries—they haven’t asked those questions. If we have shared decision-making, we have more patient empowerment.

Shouldn’t people take responsibility for their own health?

Part of it is individual responsibility. But people need to be in a stable and reasonable situation—not working three jobs and raising two kids—in order to make life changes. We need systems that work with us and not against us. And right now the systems work against us a lot of the time.

Christopher Hill

The dean of the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies and former ambassador to Iraq on the global hot spots for 2013. Interview by Luc Hatlestad 

How did you decide to make the move into academia? 

I’d had a 33-year career in the Foreign Service, I was in my fourth ambassadorship—I’d been in Macedonia, Poland, and South Korea prior to Iraq—and I didn’t want a fifth. I got a call from an associate of Madeleine Albright, who asked if I’d be interested in being the dean at the University of Denver’s international studies program, so I looked into it. I had never been to Denver before, came out here, called my wife, and said, “We really ought to think about this place,” and here I am. 

Tell me about your career.

I joined the Foreign Service after the Peace Corps. In the mid-’90s I worked on the Bosnian peace settlements with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and we also worked together on the Dayton Peace Accords. From there I went on to Macedonia and did some of the same things in Kosovo, again trying to get the Serbs and Albanians to be on the same sheet of music. I was in Poland when 9/11 happened. Poland became one of the only countries to join the United States during the actual war in Iraq. Then I went to South Korea, where I negotiated with the North Koreans. 

How do you acclimate yourself to all these new places?

You crack books, put yourself in listening mode, meet a lot of people, and learn to recognize patterns. As different as they all sound, there are similar patterns in trying to convince people to do things they don’t want to do and to make sure that they think you are looking for a solution. Given that America’s considered a very strong and big country, it helps to speak with a soft voice and not just wag your finger at them. That kind of behavior doesn’t go very far.

We just ended a campaign in which it was suggested that a measured approach like that might be called apologism. Is that just campaign trail nonsense? 

I don’t think effective diplomats ever go around apologizing. At the same time, we shouldn’t go around bragging, or go around shaking our fists. You try to make sure that people understand what your objectives are, and why the United States has a continuing interest. Our people don’t go around apologizing, so I think to some extent that was campaign rhetoric. 

What are our most pressing diplomatic issues in the coming year? 

This problem of nuclear aspirations by Iran is very destabilizing in the region. And Syria has become a sectarian civil war where you have Sunnis against Shia and some of the nastier sides of the historical legacy of the Middle East being played out. If we don’t solve Syria, the problem could metastasize into places like Lebanon and, unfortunately, Iraq. The China relationship is absolutely crucial to our future. It’s too big to fail. 

Masai Ujiri

The Denver Nuggets general manager on hoops, his work in Africa, and the time he thought he’d blown his chance to lead the Nugs. Interview by Robert Sanchez

Your mother was a nurse, and your father was a nursing educationist in Nigeria. How did they react when you said you wanted to play basketball? 

African parents are all about school, and sports is generally something on the side. I had curfews to study, but they understood. They saw the love I had for basketball. Growing up, I followed the NBA. I read magazines and I got videos, like Come Fly With Me with Michael Jordan.

You moved to the United States as a teenager to attend school and play ball, but you’d been here before.

One of the first times I came here, I visited a family friend who was living in Idaho. When I got there, the first thing I wondered was, “Where’s MTV? Where’s Bill Cosby?” 

You played college ball here, then you played professionally in Europe, and then you became an NBA scout and later an executive. Still, you’ve always been drawn to Africa.

Five or six years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Nelson Mandela. There were five or six of us there, all NBA personnel. The first person Nelson Mandela walked up to was [former Denver Nuggets center] Dikembe Mutombo, who’d opened a hospital in Africa, and Mandela said, “We really appreciate what you are doing for Africa. Don’t ever stop the work.” That touched me. I felt that God was paving the way for me, too, to help other people.

How did that moment change you?

I thought, I have to work harder, I have to do better, I have to strive more. Mandela couldn’t do it alone. Mutombo couldn’t do it alone. I was put in this position in Denver for a reason: to help other people.

You were offered the Nuggets job in 2010. What was that conversation like?

Paul Andrews [the team’s former CEO] calls me. We start talking money. I’m pushing a little harder; he’s pushing a little harder. He asks me if, for a certain amount of money, I’d really miss out on being the executive vice president of the Denver Nuggets. I say, “Yes, that amount of money helps me make a difference in Africa. I will walk away.” He hangs up and I hang up. I said to myself, “Have I just blown this fricking job?” Four minutes later, he calls me and says, “You’re the new executive vice president of the Denver Nuggets.”

What does being the first African general manager of a major American sports franchise mean to you?

It doesn’t mean anything. You have to make an impact. Do I want to be the first African general manager who just comes in, has the job, and is done? No. I want to win. And if I don’t impact Africa, it means absolutely nothing.

Are you a basketball missionary?

Eventually, I will be. Our dream with the Nuggets is to win a championship. My second goal is to grow the game in Africa. I pray that happens.

In quiet moments, have you ever asked yourself, “How did I get here?”

In Nigeria, I used to read about Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. And now I’m sitting in a general managers meeting, and I look across the table, and I see Larry Bird. I’m still in awe.

You don’t worry some of these big-name sports giants are going to fleece you in an important deal?

When it comes to work, my mentality is totally different. In sports, you have to be a killer. If not, you can’t survive. There’s no other way in sports.

Karin Sheldon

The president of Western Resource Advocates (WRA) on being defined by the outdoors, fracking, and working for Ralph Nader. Interview by Julie Dugdale

Was there a particular incident that sparked your passion for environmental issues and brought you back from the East Coast?

The way I grew up, in eastern Washington: camping, hiking, being at rivers and lakes. One is defined by landscape; the experience of being in wild country really sunk in. I am today the product of those experiences. 

What does WRA actually do?

We’re focused on promoting clean energy, moving away from coal, and conserving water to have alternatives other than dams and reservoirs. We try to protect the land from inappropriate development. We’re solution-oriented and multidisciplinary: We’ve got economists, ecologists, hydrologists—all to figure out the best way to do all of this. 

Tell us about a big project WRA is working on.

We’re on the leading edge of working on the nexus between water and energy. The water industry isn’t looking at energy, and the energy industry isn’t looking at water use. So we are thinking about the value of water in Public Utilities Commission proceedings. The lights seem to be going on; I’m proud of that project because we are way out in front.

Has working in the West changed your perspective?

There’s a big difference in water issues, per geography. The East doesn’t have the legacy of public lands that we do. I’m glad I’ve worked on both sides of the country. It’s given me an understanding—that Colorado is already a leader. What we want is for it to continue being a leader under Governor [Bill] Ritter’s “New Energy Economy.” We think Colorado can be a model for the rest of the country, but it’s going to take all of us. 

Fracking is a hot-button issue in the Centennial State, and especially along the Front Range, right now. What are your thoughts on the practice?

The reality is, because of technological improvements, it’s here to stay. An approach that says “no natural gas” is unrealistic, but our ability to get the stuff out of the ground has gotten ahead of us. What do we do now to control it with an appropriate regulatory regime? If we’re going to have natural gas, it needs to be a properly used fuel—a transition to renewables. How do you do it right? It includes paying attention to health impacts, aesthetics, setbacks. 

Is it frustrating trying to get through to people about the environment?

Yes, sometimes I feel like we [environmental advocates] talk only to each other. That’s a worry. Often when you’re dealing with something like climate change, the reaction is always gloom and doom. That’s a challenge. Life’s so busy. Most of us are just trying to get through the day and figure out what’s going to be on the dinner table. But you have to read; you have to understand. We need a literate, civic-minded population. No one person can solve climate change, but together we can do things that whack at it in a meaningful way.

You were one of Ralph Nader’s original “raiders”—young activists who investigated government corruption in a variety of fields under Nader’s direction. 

It was my first job out of law school. Ralph’s idea was to have us work for him for a year or so, then fan out into broader society. I did environmental stuff. I was part of the original Public Interest Research Group. Today’s PIRG movement stems from that. All of us are still doing something in public interest. And Ralph is still going.

You’re probably familiar with the artist Christo’s controversial Over the River project, a proposed fabric installation above the Arkansas River in south-central Colorado that’s mired in lawsuits.

I have trouble understanding why people are so upset about it—why there’s so much opposition to it. I’ve seen Running Fence, The Umbrellas, and The Gates in New York City’s Central Park; these are incredible. They don’t permanently destroy anything. It’s just astonishing. Then it’s gone. It’s evanescent, like sound. 

*Editor's Note: A earlier version of this article included the terms "water team" and "energy team"; that text has been amended to clarify the meanings of those terms as the broader water and energy industries.

Jim Deters

The founder of Galvanize, a collaborative workspace in the Golden Triangle, talks about not being employable, overcoming fear, and Denver’s entrepreneurial renaissance. Interview by Katy Neusteter

You’re from Chicago—how did Colorado become home?

I landed in Denver on July 22, 1998, with a bike, a snowboard, and a bag of clothes. I knew nobody, but I moved for the quality of life, and I knew I’d figure it out.

Have you always had an entrepreneurial streak?

I learned at a pretty young age I wasn’t employable. Maybe it’s the innate desire to be free. I didn’t want to have an idea and have someone tell me I couldn’t do it. I think it’s a curse sometimes.

Are you a risk-taker?

I guess in a classical sense, yes, I take risks. But to me it’s more about having the courage to step into the unknown even if I don’t have the answer or if it’s really scary. Is that risky? I suppose. But I think you can build a medium that helps people take that step.

Explain the concept behind Galvanize.

For a startup community to be successful, it needs density—one spot where people can convene, share ideas, and help each other. This is a container for that. It’s my entrepreneurial response to making Denver a better place to start a company. 

Is it an “accelerator”?

Accelerators are 90-day intensive programs for teams working on fledgling ideas. At the end, they spit you out with a little capital. Galvanize isn’t an accelerator, but it could be a container for one. The confluence of things coming together here is crazy interesting. We have real estate development, venture capital, community entrepreneurship, a restaurant team, a private school. I thought this could be a good mechanism to get good deal-flow, to look at great companies, and then cherry-pick great investments on the venture side. We’re trying to create rich soil where people can grow great businesses.

But doesn’t Denver already have tons of startups?

Yes, but we’ve also had a sucking problem: We hatch a great company, and it gets sucked out due to a lack of venture capital and community. 

So we need to harvest what we plant…

Look at what Groupon did for Chicago: It was born in Chicago, it grew in Chicago, it went public in Chicago. The amount of capital and energy that pumped into growing Chicago’s startup community is unbelievable. It was kerosene on their fire. And if we can do that same thing here—grow one, raise one, take it public—it will provide a deeper medium for growing more companies. 

Why Denver? 

There’s an entrepreneurial renaissance taking shape here. Denver is one of the top net-gainers of millennials in the nation. They don’t want to work in gray cubicles in self-proclaimed “technological centers.” That’s a game changer. People ages 25 to 34 are more interested in doing what’s important to them. And those corporate paths are gone anyway, so these young people are being forced to create their own things—to be entrepreneurs. Plus, the same tech is available to everybody.  

It’s the laptop generation, right?

When I started a software company in 1998, you had to spend a shitload of money on hardware and bandwidth. Now we all have the same access to computing power. So whoever has the talent will win. Any big company that isn’t scared about two guys working in a place like Galvanize is playing a fool’s game, because that technological ubiquity has leveled the playing field for everybody to be successful. 

What’s down the road?

This isn’t some flash in the pan. I’m not trying to capitalize on a trend and make a bunch of money in a few years. If that were the case, I would lose my ass because this is not a short-term bet. Ultimately, I want to be a venture capitalist, and to do that and win, I need great talent and companies to invest in.

You like to bike and build companies. What else?

For-profit social ventures are a huge passion of mine. It’s capitalistic jujitsu. How do you take passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial energy, and solve problems that count?

You helped launch ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro downtown. What has the restaurant business taught you?

That everything can be perfectly executed, but if you don’t get the human element right, you lose. I think every business could use a dose of hospitality. 

Is the business world now different than when you started?

The pace is daunting now. It’s insane how difficult it is. I don’t care what industry you’re in, you better be excited and embrace the change.

You sound fearless.

I’m not fearless. I’m fucking scared all the time. But do you crawl in a hole or do you actually start taking action? 

You’re raising three kids with your wife. Are you in Denver to stay? 

This may be an age thing, but I have a deep sense of wanting to belong to a community. I want to see this community win. I want to raise the tide for everybody. I’m not going anywhere.

Alan Salazar

Governor John Hickenlooper’s chief strategy officer discusses the administration’s narrative, the power of technology, and why politics is the most elevated profession. Interview by Maximillian Potter

You’ve got a unique job title. What does it mean?

The chief strategy officer comes from the corporate world. When Hickenlooper first proposed it, I had to Google it to see what it was. In the corporate world, it means somebody responsible for thinking strategically about the corporation’s future. In my case it would be thinking strategically about John Hickenlooper as governor and the administration. The core of that mission, at least in a political, democratically elected office, is handling the legislation, the policy agenda, the governor’s schedule, and the communications about all of that. So that’s what I oversee.

A holistic approach to interdepartmental relationships?

Yes. What I try to think about is: What is the narrative of this administration? What are the 10 or 11 things the governor wants to accomplish? How are we communicating about those things to the people of Colorado? How are we engaging stakeholders in the policy development? How are we handling the political relationships with the Legislature?

What is the narrative of the Hickenlooper administration at this moment? 

A business-savvy entrepreneur, who is taking that skill set and applying that to the problems the state faces: economic development, education, energy, health care. It is really a narrative of working together and being above party politics. 

Why did you decide to go into politics?

I grew up in the late ’60s and my family was very much invested in John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. That is what my folks talked about at the dinner table—politics.

What was it about those politicians that spoke to them?

My dad is Hispanic and my mom is Anglo-Irish. They got married and grew up at a time when mixed marriages were frowned on. They were drawn to democratic politics in particular by the civil rights movement and the notion that in America you can change things by going to the ballot. 

Many parents talked about those things at the dinner table and their kids didn’t decide to go into politics.

Maybe I was drawn because I was always drawn to history and maybe politics is a way of having a seat at history when it is being made. It seemed to me to be a place to make a difference.  

What was your first political gig?

I was 14 and I went door-to-door for George McGovern in 1972.

Do you have an enduring memory from campaigning at that time?

Knocking on the door and having a man show up in just his bathrobe. He told me to “fuck off.” I fought back the tears and thought, Well, this is going to be a tough gig. Not much has changed.

What has been your most challenging moment professionally?

Coming out of the closet in the middle of my professional life and wondering whether or not the fact that I had not been open about myself or my sexuality was going to somehow impair my ability to be trusted by other people and continue in my career.

Were you surprised by the reaction?

I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of both people who are close to me and people who just knew of me. Governor Romer, who was my boss at the time, called me after I had given him a letter; basically it said, “Here is my situation governor, if you want to make a change.” He could well have said maybe you should do something different. But he called and said, “Hey, I love you even more now than I did before.” That kind of thing keeps you in the saddle. 

When your parents married, it was unusual, and today there is the issue of gay marriage. This has been a part of the governor’s agenda. How have you approached and prioritized the issue of gay rights?

I went to law school, and being a lawyer is being objective. I think part of my professional responsibility is to lay out arguments in an objective way and to try to see both sides. That doesn’t mean I don’t have strong personal convictions. John Hickenlooper has never given me any reason to believe that I couldn’t be directly honest with him. My opinion will reflect a professional judgment about the politics of the situation but also a personal conviction.

Is it challenging for you to maintain a sense of optimism in your line of work?

I’m occasionally pessimistic, but that might have a lot to do with who I am. But I’m just as idealistic today, as optimistic about politics as I was when I started back in the ’80s.

When have you gotten goose bumps and thought, Wow, this is why I do this?

At the end of Hickenlooper’s first legislative session as governor, in the foyer of the Capitol, he held a press conference and said he was going to call the Legislature back for a special session to finish work he said we had to get done. That was the session dealing with civil unions. We had been sabotaged by politics. He started to tear up thinking about gay people who had worked for him in his restaurants and there was just a flood of emotion. When I saw a man do something that was heartfelt—that was a goose-bump moment for me. 

What is the most pressing issue for the state right now?

The most pressing issue for Colorado is really a question of whether we can be the state we want to be given the constitutional and fiscal knot we have tied ourselves in.

What are the obstacles to this right now?

One of the obstacles is the fiscal restraints that we are in because of things like Tabor. It’s very difficult for elected officials to move an agenda. The only way you ultimately move big agendas here is by going to the people. I worry a lot about the three E’s of economy, education, and energy. 

How has political communication changed over the past couple of decades?

Technology has changed. Communications are more immediate; you can make mistakes easier, and mistakes are more amplified. 

In terms of the legislative component of it, any major changes?

Now in politics there are more women, greater diversity. I think that’s been a big plus. In my life, I worked for these men, but the people I have been closest to have been women: Susan Smart, state director for Gary Hart, hired me. Betty Miller, who was Tim Wirth’s district director for many years. She was my boss. And B.J. Thornberry, who worked for Roy Romer. Now I find myself working with another strong woman, Roxane White [Hickenlooper’s chief of staff]. 

How has politics benefited from that?

I think having less testosterone in the conversation is probably helpful. Most of the women I’ve worked with in politics have had the ability, a greater ability frankly than I’ve seen in men, to check their egos. 

What advice would you give to someone who is going into a career in politics?

I have an ancient Greek view of politics: I think it is the most elevated thing you can do professionally. Done right it is about moving all of your community forward and it’s about resolving conflicts. I think that still stands and matters a lot. To me, it’s still a way that we can—I know it sounds cliché—give back to our community and do something really important with our lives. 

Do you have a philosophy you abide by?

B.J. Thornberry was Romer’s deputy chief of staff and held a similar position to mine in his office. When she hired me she said: “Alan, our stock and trade is our word. If you have a reputation for being honest and people can trust your word, then you will do well. If you get a reputation for not being honest, not being straight with people, then you won’t do well.” 

Will we ever see a President Hickenlooper?

I hope so.

Harvey Steinberg

The 59-year-old defense attorney to the stars sounds off on high-profile cases, the key to success, and how luck plays into courtroom drama. Interview by Robert Sanchez 

Both of your parents are Holocaust survivors?

They were the only survivors of both their families. I suppose it is my rock. They met in New York after they both had come from Europe. My father’s brother and sister and his parents were killed in Buchenwald, a concentration camp in Germany. All of my mother’s family was murdered in Auschwitz, in Poland.

Did they pass their experiences on to you?

Very rarely was it ever discussed. When they wanted to talk about it, I was obviously very interested. They did inculcate in me healthy disrespect for authority, which I think has driven me to the position I am in. That’s probably why I do what I do.

Why did you pick law?

I would always get in trouble. There was always a check mark on my report card: “Talks too much.” So, law was the only field where I could do anything where you get to talk and not get into trouble.

You started your career as a deputy district attorney in Arapahoe County. 

They were the only ones who’d hire me. I started with DUIs and ended up doing murder cases.

Then you moved into defense. When did you become the attorney for the stars?

You get a couple of high-profile cases and everyone thinks you’re the attorney for the stars. I’ve had a couple of high-profile cases and, let me tell you, I know I was lucky. I’ve won some cases, but there’s a lot of being in the right place at the right time. I tell people, “If you just live long enough, good things will happen to you.” The key to success is staying alive.

You’ve been representing Denver Broncos players for years, but one of the really big cases came in 2001 when you defended Bill Romanowski and his wife on prescription drug charges.

A friendly person in the detective bureau came to me and said, “Hey, you should know this.” The lead detective had a picture of Romanowski on his desk, and it had words to the effect of, “We’re going to get this guy.” Juries don’t like that because they expect the government and the police to treat people fairly. It wasn’t until I got to cross-examine that detective that the prosecution knew about it. That detective got caught off guard, and his credibility was destroyed.

It’s all about reasonable doubt, right?

A trial is a test to determine whether or not the government can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. I don’t have to prove innocence. When you go to trial, they never say he was found innocent. He’s found not guilty.

You’ve defended many Broncos players in cases of assaults on women. You also have a teenage daughter.

She yells at me. She criticizes me for some of the cases I take. What I try to tell her is, look, this is about the system, and the system demands that everyone accused of a crime has the best possible defense. It’s not so much about the person who is on trial; the system is on trial. And for the system to work, it has to have the best possible checks and balances. If there are no checks and balances, then the system suffers. 

Do you care that some people might think what you do isn’t very savory?

I tell my kids the measure of maturity is when you don’t care what people think. You’re mature when you’re confident in your decisions. I’ve been told that’s the wrong way to feel, but that’s how I feel. I’m sure I’ve made a lot of enemies in this business.

In 2012, former Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox was acquitted of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman who wound up aborting his child. How did you manage that win?

I’m wise enough to understand there’s luck involved in that. The accuser and her friend were together, and I cross-examined the friend. I made a big deal that they were extremely intoxicated. One of the jurors submitted the following question: “Are you drunk now? Or on drugs now?” That was a good sign. I’ll never forget that, because that’s never happened to me in my life.

Cox was facing a life sentence.

On Friday, the guy is looking at going to prison for life. On Monday, he’s signing a deal to play in the National Football League. Only in America.

David Wineland

The Nobel Prize–winning physicist from Boulder’s National Institute of Standards and Technology on quantum physics, superaccurate clocks, and the universe’s most profound mysteries. Interview by Geoff Van Dyke

 Congratulations on the Nobel. You’re headed to Stockholm in December 2012? That should be a remarkable experience.

Well, thank you. It won’t happen many times, I’m sure.

Tell me a bit about your childhood. When did you first develop a passion for physics?

I grew up in Sacramento, California, and my dad was a civil engineer. He would play math games with me when I was little, and from an early age I liked math. I took my first physics class as a senior, and my thought was that physics was essentially some relatively simple math that could describe things around us, and I really liked that. 

Could you describe what quantum physics is, in the broadest sense? 

Part of the intriguing thing that makes this interesting for physicists and the layperson is that in the subatomic world you encounter very nonintuitive things, things that you don’t experience in your ordinary experience. I’ll give you an example: In our work we use charged atoms—ions—and we’re able to hold them nominally in one place. Think of the ion as a marble in a bowl. In our case, these charged atoms can roll back and forth in this bowl, so to speak. And one demonstration we do, which emphasizes the weird world in which we live, is we can take our atomic marble and at some instant in time it can be both on the left side and the right side of the bowl. So it’s not left or right; it’s left and right at the same time. I mean, this makes no sense to us in our normal everyday experience. 

That’s pretty mind-blowing. And there’s another sort of bizarre notion to me in quantum physics: this idea that things don’t exist until we observe them.

Well, yes, physicists have been struggling with this ever since the ’30s, and we still struggle with it. It’s commonly called the measurement problem, and it gets at a very fundamental question: What’s reality?

So is the fact that the smartest minds in the world can’t resolve these issues a function of the human brain not being wired to understand these things?

Maybe. To me, this is one of the really profound mysteries that still exists. And I would say we don’t know the answer, but somehow we can get by in the world. 

Your work involves quantum computers and superaccurate clocks. I read that over all of cosmic time, 13.7 billion years, your clock would be off by about five seconds. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology won’t like it if I say “accuracy.” There’s a specific definition of the word, but loosely speaking, it means we control the environmental effects on this clock better than any other.

Alright.

So our clock would actually gain or lose one second in about 3.7 billion years.

What about the wristwatch I’m wearing now?

If it’s a quartz crystal, the clock we have would be about 10 billion times more accurate. 

There’s that word again, “accurate.”

Well, accuracy is tied to the definition of a second, which is tied to oscillations in seizing a particular atom, but we don’t want to go there.

Agreed. Last question: When I was in college, there were parking spots reserved for the Nobel laureates. Now that you’ve gotten the Nobel, do you get a special parking spot? 

I know at most campuses it’s a real problem, but I don’t have to worry about that. There’s plenty of parking here, so I don’t need a special spot.

Spread image: 

Each listing includes the physician’s name, the number of times he or she has been on the Top Docs list in the past (if applicable), the hospitals at which the physician has privileges, the doctor’s office address, and the best phone number to call for an appointment. We also note if a doctor is not currently accepting new patients.

DENVER METRO-AREA HOSPITALS

Because of space restrictions, we abbreviate the names of some of the area hospitals in the listings. Below are our abbreviations and the official names, as well as their health-care systems.

• Aurora – The Medical Center of Aurora—HealthOne
• Avista – Avista Adventist Hospital—Centura Health
• Boulder Community – Boulder Community Hospital
• Children’s – Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Craig – Craig Hospital
• Denver Health – Denver Health Medical Center
• Good Samaritan – Good Samaritan Medical Center—Exempla
• Littleton – Littleton Adventist Hospital—Centura Health
• Lutheran – Lutheran Medical Center—Exempla
• National Jewish – National Jewish Health
• North Suburban – North Suburban Medical Center—HealthOne
• Parker – Parker Adventist Hospital—Centura Health
• Platte Valley – Platte Valley Medical Center
• Porter – Porter Adventist Hospital—Centura Health
• Presbyterian/St. Luke’s – Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center—HealthOne
• Rose – Rose Medical Center—HealthOne
• Sky Ridge – Sky Ridge Medical Center—HealthOne
• Spalding – Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital—HealthOne
• St. Anthony – St. Anthony Hospital—Centura Health
• St. Anthony North – St. Anthony North Hospital—Centura Health
• St. Joseph – Saint Joseph Hospital—Exempla
• Swedish – Swedish Medical Center—HealthOne
• University – University of Colorado Hospital
• Veterans – Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Who Decides?

Spread image: 

The Selection Process
How the Top Dentists List is Created

This list is excerpted from the 2012 topDentists list, a database that is created from peer evaluations and includes listings for more than 500 dentists and specialists in Colorado alone. To compile this list, topDentists asked dentists and specialists a personal question: “If you had a patient in need of a dentist, which dentist would you refer him or her to?” The nomination pool consisted of dentists listed online with the American Dental Association. (Dentists could also nominate themselves or others who may not be on the ADA list.) Respondents were asked to consider experience, continuing education, manner with patients, use of new techniques and technologies, and results. Once responses were compiled, dentists were checked against state dental boards for disciplinary actions to make sure they have an active license and are in good standing. Of course there are many fine dentists who are not included in this list, and a dentist’s inclusion is based on the subjective judgments of fellow dentists. For more information, visit usatopdentists.com.

_____

The Glossary

Endodontist: Treats issues related to nerves and the inner portions of the tooth, like root-canal therapy.

General Dentist: Performs preventive dental care and basic upkeep, like cleanings and X-rays.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon: Removes impacted teeth (think: wisdom teeth) and performs reconstructive surgeries, like rebuilding broken jaws.

Oral Pathologist: Studies, identifies, and treats oral disease ranging from potentially cancerous leukoplakia to canker sores.

Orthodontist: Modifies your bite or cajoles teeth into alignment using braces and other devices.

Pediatric Dentist: Provides therapeutic and preventive dental care for kids.

Periodontist: Specializes in the periodontium, or supporting tooth structure, to treat gum disease and receding gums.

Prosthodontist: Deals with dentures, implants, and bridges, as well as complex crown work.

Invisalign: Grin and Bare It

Invisalign is setting my teeth—and my confidence—straight.

The date was going well— the food was tasty, the small talk was flowing, the chemistry was there. Until my date cracked a joke. As I burst into laughter, it wasn’t a stray piece of lettuce making an unwelcome appearance that worried me. All I could think was, Does he notice my crooked teeth? I’d passed the awkward braces phase in eighth grade, but my jaw shifted as I grew, and halfway through college one of my permanent retainers (a small wire behind my front teeth) came loose. And then a few of my front teeth shifted. Most of my friends barely even noticed—but I did. Flossing at night, looking at photos of myself, on a date…my teeth were all I could think about. I’m not a particularly self-conscious person—most people who know me well will say I’m not lacking in confidence—but the insecurity kept nagging at me. So I decided to do something about it. I knew I didn’t want braces—been there, done that. And I was embarrassed to admit that I cared about something as superficial as having a “perfect” smile, something that would be made painfully obvious with metal brackets on my teeth. So I looked into Invisalign. Marketed as “clear braces,” Invisalign uses retainers (“trays”) that you wear all the time, except when eating, that very slowly move your teeth into the right place. I have to change out the trays every two weeks for about 11 months. For the first few weeks I was incredibly insecure. I imagined everyone was doing a double take when I smiled, wondering what was on my teeth—and a few people did ask.

A few weeks in, though, I barely noticed them. The trays can be a nuisance to take in and out (having to run to the bathroom, for example, while your friends are being seated at a restaurant), but they’re working. Now when I smile I don’t focus on a perceived flaw; I’ve got all the confidence that should come with a genuine grin. Plus, I have a few dates lined up. —Daliah Singer

Teeth Whitening: Bright Whites

One man’s adventures in cosmetic teeth bleaching.

When my wife and I moved to Miami Beach years ago, we expected an added emphasis on appearance—but I never thought that superficiality would extend to my dentist. On my first visit, the hygienist noted that I might want to have my teeth whitened: “If you’re in an office and out meeting people for work,” she said, “you really might want to think about it.” “I’m a freelance writer,” I countered. “Most days I sit in front of my computer, in my home office, and don’t see a single person besides my wife.” That ended the conversation. My teeth are straight; they’re just a bit…gray. When I smile for a photo, they almost look like they’re not there. As someone who thinks of himself as more substantive than vain, I never really cared—until I got the South Beach hard sell.

Fast-forward a few years. My wife and I moved to Denver, and I took a job at this magazine where—wait for it—I now work in an office and am out meeting people. A lot. That hygienist popped into the insecure recesses of my mind. So a couple of months ago I caved and headed to my dentist’s office to have my teeth whitened using a system called Zoom. A tech used a contraption to pull my lips apart, applied a bleaching solution to my teeth, and then shined a bright light into my mouth for a 45-minute session. I made it through, but afterward the tech’s reaction was what I’d call “nonplussed.” The gray parts of my teeth had brightened somewhat, but now the very bottoms of my two front top teeth were very white, creating a bigger contrast. Great. So: My teeth are a bit brighter today, but they’re nowhere close to South Beach–worthy. I recently picked up my at-home whitening trays (part of the whitening package), and we’ll see if those help. In the meantime, I suppose I can take solace in the fact that if my teeth aren’t as white as the snow on the Rockies, maybe no one here really cares anyway. —Geoff Van Dyke

Braces: Wimp Alert

Getting braces after 30 proved that I'm not as strong as I think.

I’m not a primper. I don’t have enough makeup to fill a cosmetic case, and I consider clothes shopping a chore. I also never had braces as a kid. And for the first 30 years of my life it didn’t matter that my teeth weren’t straight. It gave my smile some character. By the time I hit 31, though, things changed. I’m a worrier, which apparently causes me to clench my mouth and slowly squeeze my teeth together. That made close-up photos cringe-worthy, but the real reason my not-so-straight smile bothered me is because both of my older sisters got braces before their 30th birthdays. I’d like to think that I’m above a little family rivalry, but seeing perfect smiles on faces that look so much like mine made me jealous. (There, I said it.) The initial consult was painless enough: I would have clear braces for about 22 months; every eight or so weeks, I’d go in for an adjustment. No problem, I thought. I handle pain well. I was wrong. I couldn’t even eat risotto that first night because my whole mouth hurt. For lunch the next day, I had a bowl of mashed potatoes and beer. Enter the noncosmetic bonus of having braces as an adult: a legitimate reason to self-medicate with booze. The pain slowly subsided, but every eight weeks it returned when my braces were adjusted. At my most recent appointment, my dentist congratulated me on finishing a year with braces. Then he told me I had to wear rubber bands (again) and that we were entering the “fine-tuning” part of the process, which meant inserting a new wire, thus, thanks to my low pain threshold, removing solid foods from my diet (again). As much as I complain about being a metalhead, I love how my newly adjusted smile looks. Soon, I’ll be able to see the finished product: My doc says that my teeth have moved quickly enough that in a few visits we’ll start to talk about when I get these damn things off. I think I’ll celebrate with a beer. —Natasha Gardner

ENDODONTICS

ARVADA

John C. Newcomb
Clear Creek Endodontics
7375 W. 52nd Ave., Suite 330
303-432-3636

AURORA

David J. Holtzmann
Endodontics of Colorado
11200 E. Mississippi Ave.
303-696-1919

Robert Salehrabi
Advanced Microscopic Endodontics
2851 S. Parker Road, Suite 460
303-745-9200

Hesham A. Youssef
Aurora Endodontics
13741 E. Rice Place, Suite 200
303-617-6323

BOULDER

G. Bruce Douglas
Boulder Endodontics
3100 Arapahoe Ave., Suite 300 
303-449-6621

Joseph R. Parsons
Boulder Endodontics
3100 Arapahoe Ave., Suite 300
303-449-6621

CASTLE ROCK

Brock Deal
Endodontic Associates
4344 Woodlands Blvd., Suite 220
303-328-3979

CENTENNIAL

Anita Hoelscher
Endodontic Associates
8120 S. Holly St., Suite 214
303-796-7676

Tim Hubble
Endodontic Associates
8120 S. Holly St., Suite 214
303-796-7676

Scott Isaac Whitney
Rocky Mountain Endodontics
7374 S. Alton Way, Suite 103
303-397-7668

COLORADO SPRINGS

Robert Corr
Apex Endodontics
8580 Scarborough Drive, Suite 200
719-282-6600

Scott A. Johnson
Endodontic Specialists of Colorado
5745 Erindale Drive, Suite 200
719-599-7665

Wade A. Kennedy
Endodontic Specialists of Colorado
5745 Erindale Drive, Suite 200
719-599-7665

Jack T. Mayhew
Advanced Endodontics
2620 Tenderfoot Hill St., Suite 100
719-540-5540

Scott G. Minnich
Endodontic Specialists of Colorado
5745 Erindale Drive, Suite 200
719-599-7665

DENVER

Robert E. Averbach
Endodontics of Cherry Creek and DTC
155 Cook St., Suite 301
303-321-7930

David W. Hanske
300 S. Jackson St., Suite 135
303-377-3548

Eric M. Jahde
1660 S. Albion St., Suite 705
303-757-5008

Jed Scott Jultak
Endodontics of Cherry Creek and DTC
155 Cook St., Suite 301
303-321-7930

Rahim Karmali
Lowry Endodontics
8111 E. Lowry Blvd., Suite 290
303-363-7668

Mark E. Levine
10200 E. Girard Ave., Suite A-205
303-695-4838

Scott M. Maloney
Endodontics of Cherry Creek and DTC
155 Cook St., Suite 301
303-321-7930

Alison Bradley Morrison
Endodontics of Cherry Creek and DTC
155 Cook St., Suite 301
303-321-7930

Cameron Pangborn
Endodontics of Cherry Creek and DTC
155 Cook St., Suite 301
303-321-7930

Ellen Sachs
Endodontics of Cherry Creek and DTC
155 Cook St., Suite 301
303-321-7930

ENGLEWOOD

Gary P. Pascoe
3601 S. Clarkson St., Suite 230
303-789-2354

FORT COLLINS

Amber Severin
Center for Endodontic Care
1331 E. Prospect Road, Building B-1
970-232-3750

Shane Bergo
Northern Colorado Endodontics
3744 S. Timberline Road, Suite 101
970-229-1404

Kelly B. Jones
Center For Endodontic Care
1331 E. Prospect Road, Building B-1
970-232-3750

Bradley LeValley
Northern Colorado Endodontics
3744 S. Timberline Road, Suite 101
970-229-1404

GLENWOOD SPRINGS

Roger J. Brown
1614 Grand Ave., Suite E
970-945-9499

GRAND JUNCTION

Eric Barnhurst
Colorado West Endodontics
1190 Bookcliff Ave., Suite 204
970-242-9088

Stephen D. Fante
2530 N. Eighth St., Suite 106
970-243-7392

Paul Northup
Colorado West Endodontics
1190 Bookcliff Ave., Suite 204
970-242-9088

GREELEY

David C. Funderburk
3400 W. 16th St., Suite H
970-356-8650

HIGHLANDS RANCH

Sanjay N. Patel
Highlands Ranch Endodontics, P.C.
537 W. Highlands Ranch Parkway, Suite 101
303-346-3963

LAFAYETTE

Mark David Wood
1140 W. S. Boulder Road, Suite 103
303-604-9663

LAKEWOOD

Scott H. Horsley
2290 Kipling St., Suite 2
303-232-1327

Tony C. Kardelis
Denver Dental Specialties, PLLC
7373 W. Jefferson Ave., Suite 404
303-986-2765

LITTLETON

James Burquest
Endodontic Associates
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 205
303-798-6611

Perri Carnes
Endodontic Associates
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 205
303-798-6611

Randolph A. Degerness
Andante Endodontic Specialists, PLLC
8340 S. Sangre De Cristo Road, Suite 104
303-948-4884

Omar A. Macaraeg
Colorado Endodontic Specialists, Inc.
2 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite 170
303-795-9699

LONGMONT

Daniel J. Barton
630 15th Ave., Suite 301
720-494-9363

LOUISVILLE

Brian C. Frutchey
Flatirons Endodontics, LLC
850 W. S. Boulder Road, Suite 201
303-665-6120

THORNTON

Matthew S. Davis
12297 Pennsylvania St., Suite 2 
303-920-4196

WESTMINSTER

Donald J. Kleier
Children’s Dentistry
5150 W. 80th Ave.
303-427-1951

Lamont G. McMurtrey
9111 Benton St., Suite 100
303-422-6464

GENERAL DENTISTRY

ARVADA

Brett Flower
7850 Vance Drive, Suite 245
303-422-3303

James R. Holmes
Holmes Family Dentistry
6355 Ward Road, Suite 410
303-420-7100

Tyr R. Peterson
7913 Allison Way, Suite 202
303-424-6483

Mark A. Uremovich
Smiles By Design
11890 W. 64th Ave.
303-422-0094

Gregory Waters
8850 Ralston Road, Suite 104
303-420-3233

Stuart R. Winter
Winter Dental
8605 Ralston Road
303-424-4567

ASPEN

Robert A. Jensen
421 Aspen Airport Business Center, Suite F
970-920-4900

AURORA

Cameron Auger
18801 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 178
303-680-3308

Christopher J. Baer
Baer Dental Designs
25521 E. Smoky Hill Road, Suite 120
303-557-6453

Harold R. Christiansen
2530 S. Parker Road, Suite 201
303-750-2460

Nicholas D’Amico
Nicholas D’Amico and Associates
3131 S. Vaughn Way, Suite 422
303-745-1400

Deborah Deeg
Aurora Dental
14991 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 390
303-690-6662

Neal H. Engel
1710 S. Buckley Road, Unit 8-A
303-696-6763

Sharon Fahmy
13741 E. Rice Place, Suite 100
303-617-5212

Timothy D. Kneller
12101 E. Iliff Ave., Suite U
303-696-9364

Thomas Lee
Aurora Family Dental Care
14221 E. Fourth Ave., Suite 222
303-344-1227

John D. McDowell
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine
13065 E. 17th Ave.
303-724-6980

Rodger Miller
Associates in Family Dentistry
15425 E. Iliff Ave. 303-755-5768

Rhett L. Murray
2530 S. Parker Road, Suite 200
303-337-1338

Jana Rausa
Chambers Court Dentistry
2161 S. Chambers Road
303-369-7735

Lisa M. Augustine
Aspenwood Dental Associates, Colorado Dental Implant Center
2900 S. Peoria St., Unit C
303-751-3321

Kim K. York
5492 S. Parker Road
303-680-6000

Daniel Zeppelin
Aspenwood Dental Associates, Colorado Dental Implant Center
2900 S. Peoria St., Unit C
303-751-3321

BOULDER

Mark J. Birnbach
Boulder Smiles
1636 16th St.
303-443-4417

John M. Bishop
Bishop + Takemoto Dentistry
4840 Riverbend Road, Suite 200
303-440-4777

William A. Brachvogel
1840 Folsom St., Suite 301
303-443-1146

Vincent F. Cleeves Jr.
767 Pearl St., Suite 230
303-449-8875

Emmanuel R. De La Paz
3775 Iris Ave., Suite 3-A
303-442-4235

Robert J. Kammer
Kammer and Westover
1440 28th St., Suite 3
303-443-2441

F. Robert Murphy
North Boulder Dental
1001 North St.
303-447-1042

Martin C. Roberts
1900 Folsom St., Suite 111
303-442-4810

Gerald B. Savory
Gunbarrel Dental Center
5400 Mount Meeker Road
303-530-4145

Paul A. Sica
North Boulder Dental
1001 North St.
303-447-1042

Corbett Summers
777 29th St., Suite 300
303-442-6141

Susan A. Takemoto
Bishop + Takemoto Dentistry
4840 Riverbend Road, Suite 200
303-440-4777

David J. Welden
North Boulder Dental
1001 North St.
303-447-1042

BRIGHTON

Jon C. Bauman
Riverdale Dental Centre
15 S. Eighth Ave.
303-659-1920

Mark S. Ehrhardt
27 S. 18th Ave.
303-659-1825

Jaclynn Spencer
Brighton Smiles
30 S. 20th Ave., Unit D
303-659-3062

BROOMFIELD

Brandi A. Bottoms
Chateaux Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
13606 Xavier Lane, Suite F
303-465-4500

Leroy W. Gerry
Broomfield Dental Care
13606 Xavier Lane, Suite B
303-466-7306

CASTLE ROCK

D. Michael DeSimone
Clock Tower Family Dental
718 Maleta Lane, Suite 102 
303-814-9899

Susan Kutis
Bright Now Dental
1001 S. Perry St., Suite 105A
303-688-0252

Sara Logan
Aspen Creek Dental
323 Metzler Drive, Suite 102
303-688-9476

Matthew R. Rolfson
Castle Pines Dental Care
361 Village Square Lane, Suite 100
303-660-0782

Jeff Scheich
Castle Pines Family Dentistry
562 E. Castle Pines Parkway, Suite C-8
720-733-7799

CENTENNIAL

Robin M. Asbury
Metro Smiles P.C.
9025 E. Mineral Circle, Suite 102
303-768-8443

Maria Song Johnson
Arapahoe Family Dentistry
6979 S. Holly Circle, Suite 225
303-779-1305

Phillip S. Johnson
Arapahoe Family Dentistry
6979 S. Holly Circle, Suite 225
303-779-1305

Robert E. Minnis
6950 S. Holly Circle, Suite 202
303-770-2252

William A. Pfeifer
Pfeifer & Pfeifer
6979 S. Holly Circle, Suite 150
303-850-7614

Christian D. Rippe
7180 E. Orchard Road, Suite 301
303-779-9876

Andrew J. Schope
The Dental Laser Center
6990 S. Holly Circle
303-224-9400

A. Gregory Sims
7180 E. Orchard Road, Suite 309
303-290-8833

Richard J. Wallace
20921 E. Smoky Hill Road, Suite A
303-690-7778

COLORADO SPRINGS

Mark T. Albers
2155 Hollow Brook Drive, Suite 20
719-634-8458

Erick T. Anderson
Anderson Family Dental
3505 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Suite 302
719-593-0988

Richard L. Anderson
Anderson Family Dental
3505 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Suite 302
719-593-0988

Nolan R. Behr
5770 Flintridge Drive, Suite 200
719-591-2050

William J. Bertsch
Cheyenne Mountain Dental Group
3605 Star Ranch Road
719-576-3276

Philip T. Bird
7222 Commerce Center Drive, Suite 247
719-593-0403

Charles K. Doolittle
Charles K. Doolittle DMD & Winston S. White DMD
1705 N. Weber St.
719-471-1900

Randolph E. Geoghan
5725 Erindale Drive, Suite 110
719-528-1711

James C. Grant
Cheyenne Mountain Dental Group
3605 Star Ranch Road
719-576-3276

Michael P. Harris
Premier Dental Care
685 Citadel Drive E., Suite 302
719-596-1011

Roger L. Humphreys
Premier Dental Care
685 Citadel Drive E., Suite 302
719-596-1011

Thomas S. Jennings
2430 Research Parkway, Suite 200
719-590-7100

Daniel D. Lamb
Keystone Dental Center
2120-C Academy Circle
719-596-0212

Paul M. Lanzisera
Lehman Drive Dental
5925 Lehman Drive
719-598-6966

Eugene A. Lodes
Premier Dental Care
685 Citadel Drive E., Suite 302
719-596-1011

Michael A. Lovato
1235 Lake Plaza Drive, Suite 251
719-576-8840

W. John Matthews Jr.
7608 N. Union Blvd., Suite A
719-598-0907

Christopher W. Mussone
1685 Briargate Blvd., Suite A
719-590-7277

Robert S. Nykaza
1235 Lake Plaza Drive, Suite 251
719-576-3750

Ronald Palmer
2575 Montebello Drive W., Suite 202
719-593-0045

Betty Jo Schope
3464 Briargate Blvd.
719-260-8089

Christina Antoft Sletten
Rock Dental
6685 Delmonico Drive, Suite C
719-599-9700

Oliver M. Spaeth
Broadmoor Valley Dental Care
2965 Broadmoor Valley Road
719-632-7636

Timothy F. Stacey
6165 Lehman Drive, Suite 104
719-599-0949

James M. Strang
3505 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Suite 301
719-598-0971

Calvin D. Utke
Flintridge Dental Center
5770 Flintridge Drive, Suite 210
719-593-8701

Winston S. White
Charles K. Doolittle DMD & Winston S. White DMD
1705 N. Weber St.
719-471-1900

Robert S. Winkler
Esthetic Family Dentistry
8580 Scarborough Drive, Suite 105
719-528-5577

Mark H. Wright
930 N. Cedar St.
719-635-1622

CONIFER

Christopher Higuchi
Aspen Park Dental
26267 Conifer Road, Suite 101
303-816-9411

J. Douglas Wilson
Conifer Dental Group
10801 Kitty Drive
303-838-7904

DELTA

DeVon R. Wilson
339 Meeker St.
970-874-4977

DENVER

Kara Arnold
Highland Smiles
3480 W. 32nd Ave.
303-623-0407

John W. Bassett
Drs. Bassett, Wallace, Selner & Taylor
8181 E. Tufts Ave., Suite 550
720-488-9090

David S. Bennett
Bennett Signature Dentistry
2700 E. Louisiana Ave., Suite 101
720-246-0496

Stuart E. Bennett
Bennett Signature Dentistry
2700 E. Louisiana Ave., Suite 101
720-246-0496

Gene S. Bloom
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Chad Braun
4th Avenue Family Dentistry
390 University Blvd.
303-333-5361

Terry L. Brewick
Governor’s Park Dental Group
700 E. Ninth Ave., Unit 102
303-832-7789

Robert L. Bunch 
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Charles K. Chew
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Preet Clair
Quebec Square Family Dentistry
7505 E. 35th Ave., Suite 304
303-322-2081

John C. Craiger
Restorative Dentistry for Adults and Children
7090 E. Hampden Ave., Suite C
303-758-5252

Thomas Croghan
Parkhill Dental Arts
4624 E. 23rd Ave. 
303-377-8662

Jennifer Derse
Levin Family Dental
6825 E. Tennessee Ave., Suite 621
303-333-2221

Brad H. Doi
Midtown Dental
1800 Vine St.
303-377-2345

Inna Dunker
Accord Dental
2121 S. Oneida St., Suite 321
303-796-8767

Bruce R. Dunn
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Terry W. Egert
Egert-Kreider Dental
3955 E. Exposition Ave., Suite 312
303-744-3636

Tania B. Florez
Cherry Creek Family Dentistry
201 University Blvd., Suite 210
303-321-1323

Mark T. Frank
3955 E. Exposition Ave., Suite 412
303-722-2686

Stephen M. Friedman
3300 E. First Ave., Suite 580
303-321-0055

Lawrence M. Gabler
4101 E. Wesley Ave., Suite 9
303-758-3935

Bryan D. Gibbs
Cherry Hills Dental
4800 Happy Canyon Road
303-757-8446

Jayme Glamm
Pearl Dentistry
2200 W. 29th Ave., Suite B
720-440-9296

Alan Gurman
Alpine Dental Center
8585 Huron St., No. 3
303-428-6367

Catherine H. Hakala
Hakala Family Dental/Dental 911
4200 E. Eighth Ave., Suite 200
303-321-8967

Heather K. Harris
3955 E. Exposition Ave., Suite 402
303-393-0039

Makala B. Hubbell
Lowry Family Dentistry
8158 E. Fifth Ave., Suite 150
303-366-3000

Rebecca Huser
Tamarac Dental Care
3525 S. Tamarac Drive, Suite 170
303-773-1211

Jennifer Karaskevicus
Glendale Perfect Teeth
4521 E. Virginia Ave.
303-388-5501

Kai Kawasugi
Stamm Dental
1960 N. Ogden St., Suite 260
303-839-5109

Brett Kessler
Town Center Dentistry and Orthodontics
7479 E. 29th Place
303-321-4445

David H. Klekamp
6000 E. Evans Ave., Building One, Suite 130
303-759-2807

Beth Kreider
700 Broadway, Suite 1133
303-863-1177

Chandra L. Kreider
Egert-Kreider Dental
3955 E. Exposition Ave., Suite 312
303-744-3636

Susan H. Kurtz
300 S. Jackson St., Suite 510
303-388-5222

Steven Law
Metropolitan Dental Care
1400 Glenarm Place, Suite 200
303-534-2626

Brett R. Levin
Levin Family Dental
6825 E. Tennessee Ave., Suite 621
303-333-2221

Ronald G. Linkow
6825 E. Tennessee Ave., Suite 641
303-388-3651

Clifford S. Litvak
Esthetic Comprehensive Dentistry
695 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite
380 303-777-8850

Juliann Lyons
6825 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 201
303-756-6862

William R. Nelson
4101 E. Wesley Ave., Suite 8
303-757-5473

Roger D. Nishimura
Aspen Dental 
3300 E. First Ave., Suite 300 
303-399-0400

Thomas E. Ouellette
1905 Lawrence St., Suite C
303-296-1402

Gary M. Radz
Cosmetic Dentistry of Colorado
999 18th St., Suite 1300
303-298-1414

David Y. Redford
University Dental Arts
910 16th St., Suite 700
303-534-7797

Maureen Roach
Metropolitan Dental Care
1400 Glenarm Place, Suite 200
303-534-2626

Kristin F. Robbins
Central Park Dental Medicine
2373 Central Park Blvd., Suite 304
303-388-2400

Sharon S. Russell
3300 E. First Ave., Suite 580
303-320-1640

Timothy A. Schwartz
2030 S. Federal Blvd.
303-936-8204

Conny L. Seiler
Dr. Weimar DDS
100 Acoma St.
303-778-6703

Daniel J. Selner
Drs. Bassett, Wallace, Selner & Taylor
8181 E. Tufts Ave., Suite 550
720-488-9090

Brittany Seymour
LoDo Dental
1435 Wazee St., Suite 102
303-623-5636

David M. Singer
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Keith L. Small
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Douglas W. Smith
Cody Dental Group
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-758-5858

Thomas B. Swain
4th Avenue Family Dentistry
390 University Blvd.
303-333-5361

Andrea L. Taylor
Drs. Bassett, Wallace, Selner & Taylor
8181 E. Tufts Ave., Suite 550
720-488-9090

Ronald N. Taylor
1201 S. Parker Road, Suite 100
303-337-7771

Kurt K. Tsumura
Midtown Dental
1800 Vine St.
303-377-2345

Eric W. Van Zytveld
1905 Lawrence St., Suite B
303-296-3851

Stefanie Walker
Pearl Dentistry
2200 W. 29th Ave., Suite B
720-440-9296

Gerald F. Wallace
Drs. Bassett, Wallace, Selner & Taylor
8181 E. Tufts Ave., Suite 550
720-488-9090

Sarah J. Werner
5055 E. Kentucky Ave., Suite D
303-377-7744

Dawn White 
Metropolitan Dental Care
1400 Glenarm Place, Suite 200
303-534-2626

Jon L. Whiteley
3300 E. First Ave., Suite 500
303-321-0828

DURANGO

James C. Eich
450 S. Camino Del Rio, Suite 207
970-385-7350

John C. Hening
Junction Creek Family Dentistry
2323 W. Second Ave., Suite B
970-247-0074

ELIZABETH

Kelly A. Shibilski
Timberline Family Dentistry
796 E. Kiowa Ave., Suite H12
303-646-3940

R. Boone Terry
Elizabeth Family Dental
210 S. Elizabeth St., Unit E
303-646-6336

Stephen L. Unkel 
Timberline Family Dentistry
796 E. Kiowa Ave., Suite H12
303-646-3940

ENGLEWOOD

Gary Bryan Caletti
City Center Dental Group
800 Englewood Parkway, Suite A-201
303-744-5000

Michael K. Diorio
3555 S. Clarkson St., Suite 200
303-762-9575

Paul M. Hayes
Englewood Dental Excellence
3701 S. Clarkson St., Suite 210
303-781-2811

Jason M. Ray
Dentistry at Lincoln Center
12501 E Lincoln Ave., Suite 102
303-768-8137

John D. Sievers
7901 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 260
303-771-7907

EVERGREEN

Michael& nbsp;J. Larson
30940 Stagecoach Blvd., Suite E-250
303-674-6777

Kenneth E. LeVos
LeVos Dentistry
30752 Southview Drive, Suite 200
303-674-5725

FEDERAL HEIGHTS

Alan Wong
1851 W. 84th Ave.
303-429-6411

FORT COLLINS

Kenneth B. Allen
Caring Smiles
1337 Riverside Ave., Suite 1
970-221-3700

Thomas J. Brewer
1023 Robertson St.
970-484-6880

Arlie J. Burnham
Peak Family Dental
2021 Battlecreek Drive, Suite C
970-229-0099

Brian A. Cox 
1343 E. Prospect Road, Suite D-2
970-484-3959

Geoffrey R. Engelhardt
1136 E. Stuart St., Suite 4104
970-484-4890

Daniel A. Holmes
Holmes Family Dental, PC
1136 E. Stuart St., Suite 4101
970-221-2499

Steven J. Koehler
4745 Boardwalk Drive, Suite D-102
970-223-6101

Shiloh D. Lindsey 
Aspen Dental Care
3838 S. Timberline Road
970-482-3166

Michael McDill
Alpine Dental Healthy
718 S. College Ave.
970-484-5297

Michael J. Mucci
Associates in Family Dentistry
333 W. Drake Road, Suite 120
970-223-6100

Vinna Norris
1025 Robertson St.
970-221-1400

Thomas F. Overton
Overton Center for Dental Arts
1220 Oak Park Drive
970-223-6677

Tim Owens
1514 E. Harmony Road, Suite 4
970-377-2557

Richard W. Raab
1136 E. Stuart St., Suite 3140
970-482-1520

Veronica D. Ray
1136 E. Stuart St., Suite 3120
970-206-0045

Edmund Lee Robison
1008 Driftwood Drive, Suite A
970-226-5433

Stephen R. Schaefer
Schaefer and Kaines Family Dentistry
2001 S. Shields St., Building C-1
970-482-8883

John D. Siegmund
Shores Family Dentistry
730 Whalers Way, Suite 100
970-226-2920

FORT MORGAN

L. Earl Lehrer
107 W. Ninth Ave.
970-867-2502

FREDERICK

Mark J. Ringdahl
Tri-City Dental
320 Fifth St.
303-833-3230

FRUITA

Gary G. Andreoletti
576 Kokopelli Blvd., Suite B
970-858-4544

GLENWOOD SPRINGS

Robert D. Murray
Murray Dental Group
1512 Grand Ave., Suite 202
970-945-5112

James C. Setterberg
401 23rd St., Suite 202
970-945-8753

GRAND JUNCTION

Carl A. Feghali
1120 Wellington Ave., Suite 203
970-245-9546

Andrew R. Gall
132 Walnut Ave., Suite F
970-245-1758

Stephen L. Johnson
2249 Broadway, Suite 5
970-241-0110

Mark D. Madison
2525 N. Eighth St., Suite 109
970-256-9500

Casper D. Maurer
Appleton Dental
2478 Patterson Road, Suite 24
970-242-9207

James B. Moore
1301 N. Seventh St., Suite A
970-242-9404

GREELEY

Sidney J. Benner
3400 W. 16th St., Suite 8-E
970-351-0400

Bryan S. Casseday
1815 61st Ave., Suite 103
970-351-6200

Lloyd Heikes
3400 W. 16th St., Suite DD
970-356-3743

Julie G. Kavanaugh
3400 W. 16th St., Suite 8-E
970-351-0400

Mark R. Smith
1819 61st Ave., Suite 102 970-356-7474

GREENWOOD VILLAGE

Dennis R. Bailey
Front Range Dental Sleep Medicine
8400 E. Prentice Ave., Suite 804
303-770-3300

Mark S. Brodie 
Greenwood Dental Associates
7000 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 205 
303-773-0960

Eric G. D’Hondt
Greenwood Dental Associates
7000 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 205
303-773-0960

James E. Dost
7730 E. Belleview Ave., Suite A103
303-322-2724

Charles W. Fischer
8490 E. Crescent Parkway, Suite 370
303-740-9353

Michael Goldfogel
Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry
8200 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 440E
303-770-0801

Thomas J. Hein
Hein Dental Professional LLC
8200 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 435E
303-779-9472

Ivan S. Naiman
8200 E. Belleview Ave., East Tower, Suite 455
303-770-2900

Catherine Vieregger
Vibrance Comprehensive Dentistry 
7400 E. Crestline Circle, Suite 230
303-770-1116

Steven P. Weinstein 
Landmark Dental Studio
5425 Landmark Place, Suite 307
303-773-8012

HIGHLANDS RANCH

George F. Beilby
9249 S. Broadway, Suite 100
303-683-3332

Christopher McConnell
200 W. County Line Road, Suite 240
303-791-6900

Kenneth S. Peters
200 W. County Line Road, Suite 270
303-791-2570

Eric T. Rysner
Highlands Ranch Family Dentistry
541 W. Highlands Ranch Parkway, Suite 101
303-346-1118

Frank Scavuzzo
Scavuzzo Dental Care
7120 E. County Line Road, Suite 203
303-741-2727

Charles N. Theobald
200 W. County Line Road, Suite 210
303-791-0413

LAFAYETTE

Gregory D. Keene
Keene Smiles
1140 W. S. Boulder Road, Suite 201
303-731-2711

Jacqueline M. Schafer
Colorado Healthy Smiles
380 Empire Road, Suite 140
303-469-3344

Gordon H. West
Boulder County Smiles
1140 W. S. Boulder Road, Suite 201
720-216-2307

LAKEWOOD

Eric Adler
Plous and Adler Family Dentistry
860 Tabor St., Suite 100
303-234-1112

M. Steven Anundsen
Alpine Dental Arts
2323 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 1778
303-980-4800

Bryan M. Dahler
7575 W. 20th Ave.
303-421-8753

Leana K. Grace
10881 W. Asbury Ave., Suite 210
303-989-0452

Scott Greenhalgh
3190 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300
303-988-9060

K. Michael Lauder
3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite D-325
303-989-8551

Bruce C. McArthur
6565 W. Jewell Ave., Suite 9
303-935-9448

Ronald L. Morse
1726 Cole Blvd., Suite 140
303-279-6929

James P. Phillips
3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite D-325 
303-989-8551

Michael B. Plous
Plous and Adler Family Dentistry
860 Tabor St., Suite 100
303-234-1112

Thomas H. Pott
12600 W. Colfax Ave., Suite B-160
303-237-0307

Dann F. Whalen
Associated Dental Professionals
8015 W. Alameda Ave., Suite 170
303-232-2929

LITTLETON

Stephen Barker
Southbridge Dentistry
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 202
303-798-4967

Amy L. Becker
Highline Family Dentistry
2 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite 125
303-794-6800

Jason L. Blanchard
Blanchard & Richardson Family Dentistry
8089 S. Lincoln St., Suite 102
303-794-9271

Victor H. Burdick Jr.
26 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite 720
303-794-4424

Scott Burkhart
7631 Shaffer Parkway, Suite B
303-973-3185

Daren Carlile
6901 S. Pierce St., Suite 335
303-973-1900

Mark P. Cavanaugh
Highline Family Dentistry
2 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite 125
303-794-6800

Lorin B. Creer
Creer Family Dentistry
6179 S. Balsam Way, Suite 220
303-932-2872

Charles S. Danna
Sun Creek Dental Group
7761 Shaffer Parkway, Suite 250
303-933-2522

Alan C. Goral
Ken Caryl Dental Center
10789 Bradford Road, Suite 100 
303-933-2273

Richard L. Harvey
Summit Family Dentistry
12999 W. Bowles Drive
303-989-9010

Elizabeth J. Hill
10354 W. Chatfield Ave., Suite 100
303-973-1112

Donald G. Hobbs
6691 W. Ken Caryl Ave.
303-979-4994

Gregory S. Hubble
9200 W. Cross Drive, Suite 315
303-979-1600

Scott Kissinger
Southbridge Dentistry
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 202
303-798-4967

Shawn P. Maloy
Old Town Dental
5419 S. Curtice St.
303-798-4515

Michael J. Miller
Old Town Dental
5419 S. Curtice St.
303-798-4515

Jodie Moreland
5590 S. Windermere St., Suite A
303-798-4571

Michael R. Noyes
6650 S. Vine St., Suite 220
303-797-0832

Jim Porter
26 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite 760
303-224-0400

Brian L. Richardson
Blanchard & Richardson Family Dentistry
8089 S. Lincoln St., Suite 102
303-794-9271

Brian L. Secrist
Summit Family Dentistry
12999 W. Bowles Drive
303-989-9010

Brian Svoboda
Southbridge Dentistry
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 202
303-798-4967

Philip E. Wimpee
Dr. Philip Wimpee & Associates
6885 S. Marshall St.
303-979-2900

LONE TREE

John J. Ahern
Ridge Gate Dental
10450 E. Park Meadows Drive, Suite 301
303-797-6453

John R. Brockman
Brockman Family Dentistry
10450 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 304
303-799-4333

LONGMONT

Thomas E. Kammer
Kammer Dental
640 Terry St.
303-776-0633

James A. Maurer
2211 Mountain View Ave.
303-772-7000

Peter G. Mertz
Mertz Family Dentistry1950 Terry St.
303-678-1111

Cliff E. Rogge
Artistic Smiles
920 S. Hover St.
303-485-8888

LOUISVILLE

Michael A. Israelson
Michael A. Israelson & Associates
275 Century Circle, Suite 200
303-666-4499

Michael E. Shore
Practice of Family Dentistry
335 W. S. Boulder Road, Suite 4
303-666-4260

Wayne D. Zarlengo
Studio Z Dental
1017 E. S. Boulder Road, Suite B
303-666-7110

LOVELAND

John Dildine
2664 Abarr Drive
970-667-2248

Nicole M. Ferrara
Implant & General Dentistry of Northern Colorado
2975 Ginnala Drive, Suite 100
970-663-1000

Ted E. Mioduski III
Implant & General Dentistry of Northern Colorado
2975 Ginnala Drive, Suite 100
970-663-1000

Ted E. Mioduski Jr.
Implant & General Dentistry of Northern Colorado
2975 Ginnala Drive, Suite 100
970-663-1000

James M. Oligmueller
Loveland Dental Associates
2114 N. Lincoln Ave., Suite 201
970-669-0306

MONTROSE

Christopher B. Graff
Graff & Peterson Dental LLC
1809 E. Pavilion Place, Suite A
970-249-4917

Scott E. Peterson
Graff & Peterson Dental LLC
1809 E. Pavilion Place, Suite A
970-249-4917

Daniel P. Reardon
Black Canyon Dental
1544 Oxbow Drive, Suite 230
970-240-8880

NORTHGLENN

Neal H. Jepsen
Jepsen, Murphy & Associates
11411 Pearl St.
303-452-4556

Bryan J. Rieker
11150 Huron St., Suite 211
303-452-9200

Brian Wearner
Wearner Family Dentistry
10465 Melody Drive, Suite 207
303-452-8813

PARKER

Kenneth M. Dixey
Utberg Family Dentistry
17167 E. Cedar Gulch Parkway, Suite 102
303-841-5313

Nicole Y. Foutz
Martin and Harman Family Dentistry
19700 E. Parker Square Drive, Suite A
303-841-2144

Greg S. Harman
Martin and Harman Family Dentistry
19700 E. Parker Square Drive, Suite A
303-841-2144

Yvette L. Killingsworth
Elements Family Dentistry
19673 Solar Circle, Suite A-101
303-841-2070

Holly B. Sletten
Parker Dental Care
10371 Park Glenn Way, Suite 175
720-851-1676

Christine Theroux
18695 E. Stage Run Road
303-841-8600

PUEBLO

Ronald A. Concialdi
2037 Jerry Murphy Road, Suite 202
719-545-3070

Jamie L. Johnson
Family Smiles Company
1001 S. Pueblo Blvd.
719-564-0990

Kyle S. Schulz
New Outlook Dental Center
3911 Outlook Blvd.
719-544-6788

James C. Swanson
Family Smiles Company
1001 S. Pueblo Blvd.
719-564-0990

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Paul E. Andrews
505 Anglers Drive, Suite 204
970-879-1815

James W.W. McCreight
McCreight Progressive Dentistry
940 Central Park Drive, Suite 206
970-879-4703

Wendy McCreight
McCreight Progressive Dentistry
940 Central Park Drive, Suite 206
970-879-4703

SUPERIOR

Michael L. Bailey
Superior Dental Group
1697 E. Coalton Road, Suite B
303-494-9400

THORNTON

Tara Carroll 
Larkridge Family Dentistry
16683 Washington St.
303-962-6400

Erica A. Derby
Appletree Dental at Eastlake
12454 York St.
720-872-2892

Stephen R. Humphrey
North Washington Dental Group
10001 N. Washington St.
303-452-2053

Sue James
9351 Grant St., Suite 340
303-254-4484

Brian Kelly
The Dental Center
3984 E. 120th Ave.
303-457-1513

Jonathan Olivier 
The Dental Center
3984 E. 120th Ave.
303-457-1513

Carrie W. Seabury 
Appletree Dental at Eastlake
12454 York St.
720-872-2892

Lance E. Smith 
Thorncreek Cosmetic & Family Dentistry
12297 Pennsylvania St., Suite 1
303-920-4199

Mark Smith
The Dental Center
3984 E. 120th Ave.
303-457-1513

WESTMINSTER

John Bertagnolli
Bertagnolli Dental
7280 Bradburn Blvd.
303-429-6222

Joseph Bertagnolli
Bertagnolli Dental
7280 Bradburn Blvd.
303-429-6222

Timothy D. Borg
North Park Dental Group
10359 Federal Blvd., Suite 110
303-466-2300

Nicholas Chiovitti
Mountain Range Dentistry
1005 W. 120th Ave., Suite 800
303-452-2221

Kimberly D. Danzer
Danzer Dentistry
905 W. 124th Ave., Suite 120
303-255-3880

Stanley L. Jeranko
Standley Shores Dental Group
10071 N. Wadsworth Parkway, Suite 100
303-420-9720

Ankur Jolly
Mountain Range Dentistry
1005 W. 120th Ave., Suite 800
303-452-2221

Paul K. Mizoue
Mountain Range Dentistry
1005 W. 120th Ave., Suite 800
303-452-2221

Dural L. Parish
10835 Dover St., Suite 1200
303-425-6565

Alexander Park
Sedona Dental Office
905 W. 124th Ave., Suite 170
303-452-3982

Nelson Sanders 
Westminster Dental Arts Group
7350 Lowell Blvd.
303-428-6571

Jeffrey Stang
Standley Shores Dental Group
10071 N. Wadsworth Parkway, Suite 100
303-420-9720

Hadley K. Thurmon
Standley Shores Dental Group
10071 N. Wadsworth Parkway, Suite 100
303-420-9720

WHEAT RIDGE

Daniel Christiansen
7900 W. 44th Ave., Suite 105
303-232-4928

Michael S. Freimuth
Wheat Ridge Dental Group
10135 W. 38th Ave.
303-431-5830

Ted C. Johnson
Johnson Dental
4855 Ward Road, Suite 700
303-422-8748

Floyd T. Sekiya
Mountain Dental
7900 W. 44th Ave., Suite 101
303-422-7978

WINDSOR

Steven M. Frederick
Aspen Leaf Dentistry
1190 W. Ash St., Suite B
970-674-0250

Jonathan Nelson
1194 W. Ash St., Suite A
970-686-7775

Michael Ruff
Highland Meadows Dental Health Center
8201 Spinnaker Bay Drive, Suite A
970-226-4098

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

ARVADA

Gregory K. Ingalls
Colorado Regional Oral Surgery
8025 Club Crest Drive
303-431-0033

Julie A. Lesnick
Colorado Regional Oral Surgery
8025 Club Crest Drive
303-431-0033

Richard T. O’Day
Colorado Regional Oral Surgery
8025 Club Crest Drive
303-431-0033

AURORA

Barry S. Keogh
Aurora Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
14991 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 260
303-699-1964

Jeffery M. White
13701 E. Mississippi Ave., Suite 300 3
03-344-2705

BOULDER

Daniel B. Foley
1440 28th St., Suite 2
303-444-2255

Terry Nedbalski
Boulder Oral Surgery
3450 Penrose Place, Suite 120
303-447-9735

Victor M. Raposo
Alpine Valley Oral Surgery
3400 Penrose Place, Suite 106
303-604-9393

Lonnie M. Sibley Jr.
Boulder Valley OMS
1840 Folsom St., Suite 304
303-449-9840

BROOMFIELD

Bruce C. Wetmore
13605 Xavier Lane, Suite A
303-465-2308

CENTENNIAL

James R. Lessig
Advanced Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
9094 E. Mineral Ave., Suite 260
303-768-8570

Thomas S. Michalik
Advanced Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
9094 E. Mineral Ave., Suite 260
303-768-8570

R. John Tannyhill III
Tannyhill Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
14000 E. Arapahoe Road, Suite 320
303-493-1933

E. Marc Weideman
Advanced Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
9094 E. Mineral Ave., Suite 260
303-768-8570

COLORADO SPRINGS

Jeffrey S. Dombrowski
Oral & Facial Surgery Center
3475 Briargate Blvd., Suite 102
719-264-6070

Rebecca Facy
Associates in Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery
595 Chapel Hills Drive, Suite 300
719-599-0500

John R. Hildebrandt
Oral Surgery Associates of Colorado Springs
5745 Erindale Drive, Suite 100
719-473-2650

Bradley W. Renehan
Colorado Surgical Clinic
640 Southpointe Court, Suite 150
719-540-6350

Ronald D. Thoman 
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Specialists
8580 Scarborough Drive, Suite 240
719-590-1500

James D. Vetter
Excellence in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
1755 Telstar Drive, Suite 210
719-592-9222

DENVER

Michael P. Cosby
Denver Metro OMS
180 Adams St., Suite 100
303-321-0333

Maria Juliana DiPasquale
Denver Metro OMS
180 Adams St., Suite 100
303-321-0333

Richard M. Nelson
Nelson & Rollert Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 202
303-758-6850

Steven R. Nelson
Nelson & Rollert Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 202
303-758-6850

Kevin M. Patterson 
Denver Metro OMS
180 Adams St., Suite 100
303-321-0333

Michael K. Rollert
Nelson & Rollert Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 202
303-758-6850

Clyde E. Waggoner 
Cherry Creek Oral Surgery & Dental Implants
3955 E. Exposition Ave., Suite 520
303-777-1603

ENGLEWOOD

Steven B. Aragon
Dry Creek Oral, Head & Neck, and Facial Surgery
125 Inverness Drive E., Suite 100
303-773-8228

James D. Sexton
Dry Creek Oral, Head & Neck, and Facial Surgery
125 Inverness Drive E., Suite 100
303-773-8228

Thomas L. Stone
Colorado Surgical Arts
3701 S. Clarkson St., Suite 300
303-806-8600

FORT COLLINS

Rickey E. Felton
Northern Colorado Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
1008 Centre Ave., Suite B
970-221-4633

Mark F. Orr
Fort Collins OMS
2014 Caribou Drive, Suite 100
970-225-9555

David B. Thurgood
Blue Sky Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
4609 S. Timberline Road, Suite 104B
970-498-0196

GRAND JUNCTION

David L. Nock
2643 Patterson Road, Suite 501
970-242-4433

Kenneth E. Perino
Grand Junction Oral Surgery Associates, P.C.
2532 Patterson Road, Suite 10
970-241-2820

GREELEY

Justin C. Bley
J.C. Bley Oral Surgery
1707 61st Ave., Suite 102
970-506-0350

Richard W. Mellin
OMS of Greeley
3400 W. 16th St., Suite 1-A
970-353-5826

Kenton C. Nicholas
Poudre Valley Medical Group at the Greeley Medical Clinic
1900 16th St.
970-350-2458

GREENWOOD VILLAGE

Mark D. Berman
Mountain View Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
8200 E. Belleview Ave., East Tower, Suite 515
303-694-1700

Ole T. Jensen
Implant Dentistry Associates of Colorado, PC
8200 E. Belleview Ave., East Tower, Suite 520
303-388-0303

HIGHLANDS RANCH

Jeremy K. Miner
Miner Oral Surgery
8671 S. Quebec St., Suite 230
303-791-3232

LAKEWOOD

Donald A. DeCino
Lakewood Oral Surgery
3405 S. Yarrow St., Suite A
303-996-8500

LITTLETON

John A. Carroll
Colorado Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
26 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite 740
303-224-0500

Richard L. McLain
Tomasetti & McLain Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 201
303-798-4553

Boyd J. Tomasetti
Tomasetti & McLain Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
7889 S. Lincoln Court, Suite 201
303-798-4553

LONE TREE

Joseph M. Catalano
Catalano Oral Surgery and Implantology
10103 Ridgegate Parkway, Suite 214
303-768-8222

Randolph C. Robinson
Robinson Cosmetic Surgery, LLC
10461 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 102
303-792-2828

LONGMONT

Douglas Squire
Squire Oral, Facial & Dental Implant Surgery
1325 Hover St., Suite 101
303-772-8585

LOVELAND

Ralph R. Reynolds
Oral and Facial Surgery of Loveland
3520 E. 15th St., Suite 102
970-663-6878

MONTROSE

Craig T. Cayo
Montrose Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
600 S. Park Ave.
970-240-4485

THORNTON

Michael A. Burnham
Burnham Oral Surgery
2300 E. 120th Ave., Suite 118
303-451-6767

WESTMINSTER

Douglas S. Hong
North Denver Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
12213 Pecos St., Suite 100
303-255-0500

WHEAT RIDGE

Anthony E. Musella
Wheat Ridge Oral Surgery 
7760 W. 38th Ave., Suite 102
303-421-4010

ORAL PATHOLOGY

AURORA

Robert O. Greer Jr.
Western States Regional Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology
1999 N. Fitzsimons Parkway, Suite 120
303-320-6827

ORTHODONTICS

ARVADA

Stanley D. Crawford
Stanley D. Crawford Orthodontics
16205 W. 64th Ave., Suite 101
303-940-8880

James H. Gallagher
Mile High Smiles
7913 Allison Way, Suite 201
303-424-4048

Jason A. Messingham
Messingham Orthodontics
7523 W. 80th Ave.
303-456-5339

Bryan P. Nelson
Trinity Orthodontics
8723 Wadsworth Blvd., Suite B
303-422-6752

AURORA

Keith J. Kohrs
Kohrs Orthodontics
2900 S. Peoria St., Suite B
303-750-3660

Daniel Rejman
All About Braces 
15159 E. Colfax Ave., Unit B
303-341-5437, ext. 3

Theresa L. Shaver 
Theresa Shaver Orthodontics
14001 E. Iliff Ave., Suite 201
303-751-1313

BOULDER

Brent R. Lang
Boulder Orthodontics
1900 Folsom St., Suite 211
303-449-3250

David G. Sabott
Sabott Orthodontics
1717 Folsom St.
303-443-3774

Jeffrey H. Wong
Wong Orthodontics
3400 Penrose Place, Suite 203
303-444-6680

BROOMFIELD

Christopher M. Biety
Biety Orthodontics
925 Main St., Suite D
303-469-4191

Joseph B. Dankey 
Broomfield Orthodontics
10 Garden Center
303-469-7874

Ricarda Prentice 
Prentice Orthodontics
3800 W. 144th Ave., Suite A-1000
303-468-7722

CASTLE ROCK

Andrew J. Dunbar
Castle Pines Orthodontics
363 Village Square Lane, Suite 155
303-688-3837

Jennifer J. Garza
815 S. Perry St., Suite 200
720-733-1222

CENTENNIAL

Christopher W. Carpenter
Carpenter and Sloss Orthodontics
9094 E. Mineral Ave., Suite 220
303-799-7733

Jeff W. Haskins
Village Orthodontics
15454 E. Orchard Road
303-850-9253

David E. Lindeman
Homestead Park Orthodontics
6881 S. Holly Circle, Suite 109
303-740-7806

Gregg A. Lindsey
Lindsey Orthodontics
7200 E. Dry Creek Road, Suite A-105
303-770-1453

Charles F. Reed
Reed Orthodontics
20971 E. Smoky Hill Road, Suite 200
303-617-3333

Erin A. Sloss
Carpenter and Sloss Orthodontics
9094 E. Mineral Circle, Suite 220
303-799-7733

COLORADO SPRINGS

Daniel A. Avant
685 Citadel Drive E., Suite 312
719-596-1363

Allen N. Benning
Benning & Mathews Orthodontics
415 W. Rockrimmon Blvd., Suite 100
719-598-7700

Forrest H. Faulconer
3505 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Suite 315
719-598-7862

Russell H. Ford
Pine Top Orthodontics
9475 Briar Village Point, Suite 315
719-481-9199

Matthew Gaworski
Matt Gaworski Orthodontics
6140 Tutt Blvd., Suite 250
719-596-2477

Spence Nelson
Nelson Orthodontics
5731 Silverstone Terrace, Suite 280
719-278-5005

James P. Ziuchkovski
6010 Erin Park Drive, Suite 2
719-593-7942

DENVER

Lia D. Baros
Orthodontics in the Highlands
3538 W. 44th Ave.
303-433-7500

Hilary M. Nieberg-Baskin
All About Braces
2250 S. Monaco Pkwy. 
303-476-6233

Michael D. Bellon
Bellon Orthodontics
7200 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 203
303-692-9610

Gary P. Benson
Benson Orthodontics
 3200 Cherry Creek S. Drive, Suite 420
303-722-1202

Gregory W. Dietmeier 
Dietmeier Orthodontics
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 201
303-758-3114

Colin Gibson
1st Impressions Orthodontics
1333 W. 120th Ave., Suite 303
303-452-2277

Andrew Girardot Jr.
Girardot Orthodontics
4380 S. Syracuse St., Suite 501
303-694-4330

Joanna Z. Levin
Levin Orthodontics
125 Rampart Way, Suite 301
303-366-9090

Robert T. Rudman
Advanced Orthodontic Care
4500 Cherry Creek S. Drive, Suite 850
303-331-0222

Derek A. Straffon
Straffon Orthodontics
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 203
303-758-3414

DURANGO

Michael L. Fletcher
A Smile By Design
3057 Main Ave.
970-247-5874

EVERGREEN

Paul D. Regan
30960 Stagecoach Blvd., Suite W-100
303-674-1122

Bryan E. Williams
Williams Orthodontics
32156 Castle Court, Suite 207
303-670-5878

FORT COLLINS

Mark Crane
Dr. Crane’s Orthodontics
4144 Timberline Road, Suite 100
970-226-6443

Donna L. Ebert
Ebert Orthodontics
1028 Centre Ave.
970-490-6065

Bradley E. Goings
Goings Orthodontics
4733 S. Timberline Road, Suite 101
970-377-1888

Brandon Owen
Owen Orthodontics
3221 Eastbrook Drive, Suite 103
970-484-4102

Adam Timock
All About Braces
1015 S. Taft Hill Road, Unit Q
970-980-2145

David L. Way
1424 E. Horsetooth Road, Suite 1
970-223-8080

GRAND JUNCTION

Dave F. Proietti
Monumental Smiles
2558 Patterson Road 
970-245-2826

GREELEY

Bradford N. Edgren
Orthodontic Associates of Greeley, PC
3400 W. 16th St., Building 4-V
970-356-5900

Dana A. Gamblin 
Dana Orthodontics
1815 61st Ave., Suite 101
970-353-3747

Gary J. Kloberdanz
Greeley Orthodontic Center
2021 Clubhouse Drive, Suite 110
970-330-2500

GREENWOOD VILLAGE

Mark Y. Iritani
Iritani Orthodontics
8200 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 420E
303-773-6969

Kevin L. Theroux
Theroux Orthodontics
8200 E. Belleview Ave., East Tower, Suite 415
303-779-0565

HIGHLANDS RANCH

Richard G. Elliott
Elliott Orthodontics
537 W. Highlands Ranch Parkway, Suite 105
303-791-4411

Gary M. Holt
Personalized Orthodontics
4185 E. Wildcat Reserve Parkway
303-798-0928

Brandon J. Linn
Brandon Linn Orthodontics
6660 Timberline Road, Suite 260
303-688-9617

Thomas B. Redd
Redd Orthodontics
9385 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 101
303-791-6646

LAKEWOOD

Jack M. Allen
7373 W. Jefferson Ave., Suite 302
303-988-9220

Stephen L. Carter
Carter Orthodontics
3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite D-310
303-986-7846

David T. Mershon
All About Braces
2020 Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 18A
303-462-1462

LITTLETON

Galen T. Callender
6169 S. Balsam Way, Suite 380
303-973-7771

Darrell L. Havener Jr.
Highlands Ranch Orthodontics
1420 W. Canal Court, Suite 200
303-791-2021

Scott Ohmart
Ohmart Orthodontics
10146 W. San Juan Way, Unit 230
303-979-0211

LONE TREE

Anil J. Idiculla
Park Meadows Orthodontics
10463 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 206
303-662-9000

LONGMONT

F. Richard Beckwith
Mountain View Orthodontics 
1800 Mountain View Ave.
303-651-1315

Raj Patil
Patil Orthodontics
1600 N. Hover St., Suite D-1
303-772-7722

LOUISVILLE

Laurence J. Colletti
Align Orthodontics
1068 S. 88th St.
303-666-0800

Thomas J. Melcher
315 W. S. Boulder Road, Suite 111
303-666-9717

MONTROSE

Charles D. Alexander 
Alexander Orthodontics
1801 E. Pavilion Place
970-249-0444

NORTHGLENN

Shon J. Peterson
Peterson Orthodontics
11411 N. Pearl St.
303-452-4656

PARKER

Jeffrey L. Collins
Parker Orthodontics
19700 E. Parker Square Drive, Suite C
303-841-5500

PUEBLO

Michael A. Colb
Hunter Orthodontics 
3901 Outlook Blvd.
719-543-0000

Nile G. Scott
1641 Horseshoe Drive
719-545-2722

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Allan D. Weimer
100 Park Ave., Suite 104
970-879-4290

THORNTON

Gregory B. Stoll
Stoll Orthodontics
2750 E. 136th Ave., Suite 200
303-450-2211

WESTMINSTER

Thomas K. Chubb
5150 W. 80th Ave.
303-428-3613

Ronald E. Unterseher
Unterseher Orthodontics
10359 Federal Blvd., Suite 200
303-466-1955

Larry T. Weddle Jr.
Weddle Orthodontics
905 W. 124th Ave., Suite 180
303-255-3339

WHEAT RIDGE

Kevin Chapman
Chapman Orthodontics
8852 W. 38th Ave.
303-421-9814

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

ARVADA

Tandi V. Donaldson
Sugar Bugs Pediatric Dentistry
7578 Sheridan Blvd.
303-427-9779

Bryan P. Savage
West Metro Pediatric Dentistry
15530 W. 64th Ave., Suite H
303-422-3746

David Strange
Pediatric Dental Group of Colorado 
7975 Allison Way
303-421-5437

Julie V. Vuong
Sugar Bugs Pediatric Dentistry
7578 Sheridan Blvd.
303-427-9779

AURORA

Erin Watts Carpenter 
Carpenter Pediatric Dentistry
25521 E. Smoky Hill Road, Suite 210
303-617-5437

Randy L. Kluender
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine
13065 E. 17th Ave.
303-724-6900

Lucinda Ann Lewis
390 S. Potomac Way, Suite A
303-367-1502

BOULDER

Michael D. Jones
3400 Penrose Place, Suite 107
303-443-8250

CASTLE ROCK

Purvi V. Shah
Pediatric Denticare P.C.
3750 Dacoro Lane, Suite 120
303-663-3388

COLORADO SPRINGS

Clinton T. Callahan
6475 Wall St., Suite 150
719-265-9600

Jeffrey Kahl
Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry
9480 Briar Village Point, Suite 301
719-522-0123

Derek Kirkham
Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry
9480 Briar Village Point, Suite 301
719-522-0123

Edward A. Souza
Briargate Pediatric Dentistry
3466 Briargate Blvd.
719-260-1600

DENVER

Lisa A. Carlson-Marks 
Children’s Dentistry of Cherry Creek
4500 Cherry Creek S. Drive, Suite 840
303-377-1148

John M. Rubenstrunk
Southmoor Pediatric Dentistry
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 100
303-758-6057

Nancy T. Simons
Cody Kids Pediatric Dentistry
4301 E. Amherst Ave.
303-753-7497

Bradley R. Smith 
Southmoor Pediatric Dentistry
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 100
303-758-6057

Scott D. Smith
Southmoor Pediatric Dentistry
6850 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 100
303-758-6057

Allen H. Vean
965 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 105
303-722-2929

Jesse R. Witkoff
A Wild Smile
2975 Roslyn St., Suite 160
720-945-1234

ENGLEWOOD

Kemie D. Houston
125 Inverness Drive E., Suite 300
303-779-5306

EVERGREEN

Courtney R. College
Kids to College Pediatric Dentistry
31955 Castle Court, Suite 2-N
303-674-0779

FORT COLLINS

Gregory D. Evans
Big Grins Pediatric Dentistry
3221 Eastbrook Drive
970-407-1020

Jennifer K. Hargleroad
2105 Bighorn Road, Suite 202
970-493-2254

Keith Van Tassell
Pediatric Dentistry of the Rockies
4609 S. Timberline Road, Suite 103B
970-484-4104

GRAND JUNCTION

Glen R. Dean
Oral Health Partners
2552 Patterson Road
970-241-1313

GREELEY