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Volume Nine Dominates SEO Space In The Cherry Creek Valley
by Mark Smiley
It seems every company with an Internet connection claims they can build a website or help with search engine optimization (SEO). Few actually do it for a living or do it correctly and proficiently. One company that has built a reputation as one of the leading SEO companies in the state is Volume Nine. Situated in the middle of the Denver/Glendale area, Volume Nine has been providing search engine optimization services in the valley since 2006. They operate from an eighth floor suite just off of Colorado Boulevard and Mexico.
Volume Nine was founded by Chuck Aikens, an Internet marketing guru. When he’s not at the office, you’ll probably find him taking in a ball game ranging from the Nuggets and the Rockies, to his son’s traveling baseball team. Aikens usually has a home improvement project or two going on as well, and his favorite vacation spot is anywhere with a beach and a beverage.
The company was actually started in Aikens’ unfinished basement using credit cards and home equity to get the business up and running. Today, Volume Nine is the largest SEO company in Colorado with over 120 clients. Search Engine Optimization is a term most people are familiar with but most don’t understand completely. SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or unpaid (“organic”) search results. Many companies claim to be able to help customers rise in their “Google rankings” but few actually deliver solid results.
Upon graduating from Metro State in Denver, Aikens started his Internet marketing career in 1996 when he taught himself programming and began building websites to generate real estate and mortgage leads. One of his initial creations was one of the first mortgage aggregator websites at www.mortgage101.com which ranked number one for mortgages on Google for over 10 years.
Their first SEO consulting job was a project done for Booyah Advertising in late 2005 as an independent contractor. Now, they have over 120 clients which include notables such as Breckenridge-Wynkoop, Inc., Smashburger, Vail Resorts, Old Navy, Brakes Plus, Qdoba, and Burger King.
During the company’s early years, growth was fueled by specific innovations. One of these innovations was the development of an internal SEO Management Tool in 2008 called Eduki. Long before the Raven Tools or enterprise tools such as Conductor or Bright Edge became commonplace, Volume Nine was able to spend less time on reporting and more time doing SEO for their clients.
Volume Nine also built a robust system that allowed them to write articles, do press releases, submit social bookmarks, and build microsites without being spammy or using automated tools. This system was the cornerstone of their operations until early 2012. In 2012, after being in business for six years and seeing their business model and services offered expand, Volume Nine decided to expand their service offering by acquiring Findability Group which specialized in PPC Management as well as social media and website development. Volume Nine went from 15 to 25 employees overnight.
During the middle of 2013, Volume Nine found themselves growing to 40 employees and retained almost 150 clients, but had the normal growing pains including ensuring that all of the new and old hires were productive and enthusiastic. Aikens along with key members of his team, including Natalie Henley, Vice President of Marketing, sat down and began to change the culture of the company to fit a larger organization.
“It is never easy,” said Henley. “Some of our original employees didn’t want to work for a larger organization and we understood that so we had to reach out and find individuals who would be happy in the organization we had become.”
Of course some of the original employees enjoyed the challenge that growth brought to the company including Barbara Dittert, Content Coordinator. “I look forward to getting things done. I feel happy. I enjoy the challenge of coming to work every day,” said Dittert. “There were efforts to give everyone the freedom to speak their mind. There is more openness and the culture is different. People are happier and there is more laughter.”
Some new policies in place now include unlimited personal time off, more employee recognition including dinners and night stays in the mountains, two days per week of working remotely, health benefits which were not offered previously, and a social team with a budget for employee events. The changes have paid off but Aikens admits they still have a ways to go. “We made a conscious decision to trust our employees and now I feel we have a more team oriented environment,” said Aikens.
Volume Nine has a collaborative process that starts with an initial meeting to go over the potential client’s needs. If a company is looking for a team of experts to help generate the organic traffic needed to grow the business, Volume Nine may be a good match. Once a company decides to be a client, Volume Nine works to achieve the rankings, traffic, leads or sales goals set as a team to make an impact on the business.
Competition is fierce with companies such as Inflow in Denver who is like minded and similar in size. The biggest competition for Volume Nine are companies deciding to manage SEO on their own. But, with the packages that Volume Nine has put together and the team on board to work with clients, Volume Nine is positioned to grow even more. For more information on Volume Nine, visit www.v9seo.com or call 303-997-2000.
Cherry Creek Banking Boom Rocks Region
Bombshell Deals, New Structures, Branches
by Glen Richardson
As the first quarter of the New Year gets underway bank mergers and new entries are solidifying Cherry Creek North as Colorado’s banking hub plus the district’s financial influence is rising within the region. In an article, nearly five years ago, the Chronicle (Oct. 2010) first reported the state’s financial hub was shifting to Cherry Creek North.
Growth of banking within the seven-block district plus the increase in number of top performing banks here has pegged the area for expansion. Just three years ago Bauer Financial considered nearly 27 percent of Colorado banks “troubled and problematic.” Today, just within Cherry Creek North there are a half-dozen banks getting five-star ratings from Bauer, and others aren’t far behind.
Three major banking deals feverishly crafted at the close of 2014 were being finalized in the first quarter of this year. On Jan. 16, however, parties to one big banking merger got cold feet and failed to seal the deal.
Big Bank Pact
The biggest and boldest change is the acquisition of Colorado’s only bank ranked in the Top 100 Best Performing Community Banks by SNL Financial. Cherry Creek-based Steele Street Bank was acquired by MidFirst Bank — one of the nation’s largest privately held banks — rated in the top five percent of all U.S. financial institutions for Bank Safety by IDC.
By combining the two financial giants under the MidFirst name, Steele Street — headquarters at 1st Ave. and Cook in Cherry Creek North — will be able to compete more effectively with larger banks now entering the Rocky Mountain market. Moreover Oklahoma City-based MidFirst will provide Valley locations with a broader array of products and services.
With other Valley Banking Centers located on South Colorado Blvd. at University Hills and downtown on 17th St., MidFirst’s trio of offices “will continue to offer customers a genuine community banking experience that emphasizes local decision-making, security and stability,” CEO Bob Malone stresses to the Chronicle. For further details on the transaction see Acquisition Of Steele Street By MidFirst Bank Packs Punch, at right below.
BofA Bear Hug
The second Valley banking bombshell was Bank of America’s opening of its first full-service branch in Colorado as the year closed at Fillmore Place on the northeast corner of 1st Ave. and Fillmore. The new venture marks the first time that the nation’s second-largest bank will serve retail customers in Colorado. In addition to the flagship Cherry Creek location, the bank is opening at least two additional retail branches within the state this year and is likely to expand further by opening other branches or acquiring other banks. Previously BofA operated a Creek location for commercial and business clients but never retail customers.
Bank of America made its first big entrance into the Colorado market in 2008 —during the height of the financial crisis — through the acquisitions of both Merrill Lynch and Countrywide Bank that had locations in Cherry Creek North. Countrywide’s location has since closed and Merrill Lynch has relocated into the Fillmore Place Banking Center. In June of last year FDIC ranked BofA as the 22nd largest bank in Colorado.
Nationally, Bank of America Corp. and the U.S. Justice Department are negotiating a settlement under which the bank would pay a major penalty for allegedly selling risky mortgage-backed securities that contributed to the 2007-08 financial crisis. The Justice Department reportedly is seeking a $17 billion settlement with the bank. At the end of 2014 the bank’s Countrywide Financial mortgage subsidiary was ordered to pay a nearly $1.3 billion penalty for a similar program that caused significant losses to government-backed mortgage finance agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Approval Seal Pulled
Lastly Denver-based First Western Financial (First Western Trust Bank & First Western Capital Management) signed a definitive agreement at year’s end to merge with Salina, Kansas-based Sunflower Financial (Sunflower Bank). Both banks have locations in Cherry Creek North. However, Sunflower Financial got cold feet and the two banks called off the deal.
Originally Scott Wylie, Chairman and CEO of Denver-based First Western, would have become Chairman and CEO of the combined bank and investment management subsidiary, as well as CEO and President of the holding company. Additionally, Denver would have been headquarters of the combined company.
Ironically, the deal was terminated the day after the Colorado Division of Banking had approved the merger. The combined company would have had approximately $2.5 billion in banking assets and $5.5 billion in trust and investment assets under management. “Although the original rationale for the merger had merit, the parties determined that terminating the merger was in the best interest of both companies and their respective shareholders,” the companies said a in joint statement issued on Jan. 16.
Sturm Staying Power
All of these developments were big news, but the fact Cherry Creek and other Colorado banks and credit unions are getting healthier is also influencing the district’s outlook. In addition to Steele Street, four other banks located or headquartered in Cherry Creek were on Bauer Financial’s top rated list. Not surprisingly, leading that list is Cherry Creek North headquartered ANB Bank, short for American National Bank.
The remarkable roots of Cherry Creek North banking go back to when Donald Sturm jumped into banking by purchasing five ailing banks including what was originally Cherry Creek National Bank. Now Sturm and his wife Susan run 33 banking centers located in Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas City from their Cherry Creek headquarters. The bank’s parent company, Sturm Financial Group, Inc., is also headquartered here and has financial strength embodied in over $2.3 billion in assets and ranks in the top 6% of banks nationwide by size. The bank has constantly achieved a Five-Star rating with Bauer Financial, the highest rating.
The Sturms’ philanthropic foundation gifts, when combined with the charitable endeavors of his companies, provide about $4 million a year to communities across five states. They have given money to fund charter schools, helped libraries, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver Art Museum and myriad charities. Other local banks on the top-performing list include Bank of Denver. CoBiz Bank and Guaranty Bank & Trust.
New Branches Opening
A newcomer to Cherry Creek, Alpine Bank — an employee-owned $2.4 billion-dollar organization — is scheduled to open its first Cherry Creek branch in the new Coors Foundation Building at 215 St. Paul on April 1. A year ago April, Alpine Bank opened its first Denver branch in the Union Station neighborhood’s IMA Building. Chartered in 1973, the bank’s headquarters are in Glenwood Springs, with 37 western and southwestern Colorado offices.
Building new digs in Cherry Creek North on East 1st Ave. is First Citizens Bank. The building now under construction at 3611 E. 1st Ave. is on the northeast corner of 1st Ave. and Monroe and will join a nest of neighborhood banks located on the east end of 1st Ave. near Colorado Blvd. First Citizens new bank is just west of Compass Bank and across 1st Ave. from Colorado State Bank & Trust and First National Bank. Heartland Bank and Young Americans Bank are also in proximity. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based bank initially opened a branch in Cherry Creek several years ago at 311 Steele St. under its IronStone Bank subsidiary name. That name was later converted to First Citizens. The new branch is expected to open near the end of the first quarter of this year and the Steele St. location will then be closed.
In addition to area banks, there are a dozen financial institutions with offices in Cherry Creek North. In addition to BofA’s Merrill Lynch, major firms include BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Cambiar Investors, Charles Schwab and Edward Jones. Also with a major presence here are Janus, MorganStanley SmithBarney, R.W. Baird and Scottrade.
Cherry Creek Becoming
Wall Street Of The West
Somewhat comparable to the eight block financial district in Lower Manhattan, Cherry Creek North’s seven-block district once known for its fashionable boutique shops is quickly becoming Denver and the Rocky Mountain West’s financial district. Cherry Creek is now home to 32 banks, many with their headquarters here. There are also a dozen major financial firms. Moreover, the east-west route running along 1st Ave. from University to Colorado Blvd. has become the district’s “banking row” with 15 banking locations.
District Court Dismisses Citizens Lawsuit On Buckley Annex
Residents Vow To Keep Up The Fight Against Denver’s Reputed Corrupt Planning Process
by Glen Richardson
Citizens fighting what many consider a corrupt and crooked zoning and development system in the City and County of Denver suffered another setback at the hands of the Denver District Court in this case by Judge Kandace Gerdes. The Court dismissed, on procedural grounds, a lawsuit brought on behalf of citizens questioning the legality of what the complaint called a “corrupt consultant-dominated unlawful process.”
High Density Forced On
Quiet Neighborhoods
Buckley Annex is the last remaining undeveloped portion of the former Lowry Air Force Base comprised of approximately 76 acres located at Quebec Street and 1st Avenue. The City’s attempt to bring in extremely high density in an otherwise low density residential neighborhood brought stiff citizen resistance as it has across the Denver metro area.
The citizens brought suit against the Denver Planning Board, its executive director Brad Buchanan, individual members of the Planning Board and the City itself asserting that the high density zoning changes violated the Denver Zoning Code and City plans. But Gerdes ruled that since notice under the Denver Zoning Code requires notice of Planning Board Public Hearings to City Council members and registered neighborhood organizations within 200 feet of the application area citizens have no right to protest the actions of the Planning Board unless they are directly adjacent to the application area. Moreover Gerdes ruled that citizens could not challenge Planning Board decisions but must wait until the City Council has adopted a decision by the Planning Board.
In a press release the plaintiffs noted: “The Court’s decision highlights the fact that Denver residents currently have no ability to effectively challenge the land use and the development process in Denver. The playing field is tilted in favor of developers throughout the planning and entitlement process, despite the illusion of ‘outreach’ to the residents and Registered Neighborhood Organizations. As anyone with experience trying to shape their neighborhood knows, the land use process is primarily a collaboration between planning staff and consultants for the developers, who cherry-pick language from Denver’s Plans and the Code to achieve their goals.”
The plaintiffs go on to note that “until Denver has city leadership willing to stop the charade that currently passes for ‘land use planning, Denver’s neighbors and neighborhoods will continue to be the losers.”
Are Denver’s Courts
Actually Independent?
The Buckley Annex case is the third separate litigation Denver residents have lost in their fight against real estate developers and what many believe is a dishonest and corrupt land planning process. Denver District Court Judge Robert McGahey Jr. ruled against citizen plaintiffs, some of whom belonged to a neighborhood group titled “No High rises in West Highlands,” ruling the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Blueprint Denver are merely advisory in nature and could be violated at will by the Denver City Council.
Denver District Judge Herbert L. Stern III dismissed, on the eve of trial, a lawsuit brought by Friends of Denver Parks in the Hentzell Park neighborhood whereby a portion of the park was traded away for a downtown office building after the natural area was declared purportedly “blighted” by Mayor Michael Hancock. Stern denied the ability of the citizens to prove to a jury that the land in question was dedicated or common law park by issuing a summary judgment in favor of the City. He also refused to let the plaintiffs bring the matter to the voters as part of a referendum saying it was an administrative matter and not a legislative one.
Resident Richard Witholder noted, “Citizens are being repeatedly thwarted from bringing any matter to a jury or to the voters of Denver by Denver District Court judges. The old saying ‘You Can’t Fight City Hall’ comes from the fact that judges in places like Denver are not really independent but instead part of the political class that rules the city. They are appointed because they are politically connected and are never replaced no matter how biased they are in favor of the powers that be. The whole system has a stench to it whereby everyday citizens can never win no matter how valid their claims are.”
Another resident Trish Abbott noted, “Denver District court judges never did anything to interrupt the incredibly corrupt Denver Jail shenanigans. Only by going to the federal court system was the corruption and brutality exposed. The question becomes are Denver citizens forever locked into Denver courts where they have little or no chance of ever prevailing or even getting to a jury when fighting directly or indirectly the real estate developers who control the city government.”
Not Giving Up
The plaintiffs in the Buckley Annex case are not, however, giving up. “We will be back,” said Christine O’Connor. “This ruling will delay us, but will not divide us. Neighborhoods are going to take back our city from developers and the city officials who have been beholden to them. Denver residents want sustainable, sensible neighborhoods, not multi-story, high-density apartment buildings that choke our streets. Our city’s residential neighborhoods have no way to accommodate this density.”
Attorney Greg Kerwin of the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher who is representing the plaintiffs indicates that he will ask the court to reconsider a portion of its ruling and appeal the rest.
Christine O’Connor also indicated that citizens are intending to continue to challenge zoning proposals that “do not match surrounding neighborhoods, are not linked to transportation and to require adequate off-street parking.” She added, “Neighborhoods do care and don’t want developers running roughshod over established communities that have been thriving for decades.”
