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A Look Back

We’re happy to report that 2015 is off to a great start for The Stasko Agency. We’re hard at work promoting a number of initiatives, including helping to spread the word about two new awards from the Governor’s Council on Active and Healthy Lifestyles. You can read more about the awards here.

However, before we get to far ahead of ourselves, we thought we’d take a moment and reflect back on 2014 and all the wonderful clients we were lucky to work with. Last year, we were proud to conduct PR campaigns for a wide variety of organizations, from specialty retailers to high-profile developers, including:

  • Mudlick Mail
  • The Walnut Room
  • The City of Wheat Ridge
  • Camp Inc.
  • Wine Storage of Denver
  • Zocalo Community Development 
  • Decor and You
  • Colorado Culture of Health Conference
  • Little Man Ice Cream
  • Swinerton Builders Colorado
  • Denver Independent Brokers
  • The LoHi Merchant Group
  • Bright Beginnings
  • Joie de Vivre Pilates
  • Truest Beauty
  • Kukui Corp.

Every year offers new learning opportunities and 2014 was no exception. We discovered just how far some wine collectors will go to protect their collections and got the chance to help Wine Storage of Denver educate their clients about the benefits of their move to a larger facility. You can read about the company’s expanded space in 5280 here. Another highlight was assisting a new Boulder-based entrepreneurial camp, appropriate dubbed Camp Inc. – recruit campers. Our efforts yielded stories in the Denver Business Journal, the Boulder Daily Camera and 9News. We also continued to expand our knowledge of just how important marketing is to the automotive repair industry, thanks to direct mail provider Mudlick Mail and Kukui Corp., a supplier of software for auto service centers. You can read more about Kukui in Motor Age Magazine and Ratchet and Wrench.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some photos to help illustrated the breadth of work we performed last year.

In February, Zocalo Community Development sold its Cadence Union Station apartment complex to Invesco Real Estate. We worked with the company to tell the story behind the sale. The deal attracted attention from several media outlets, including the Denver Post, the Denver Business Journal, the Colorado Real Estate Journal and Multi-Housing News.

Wheat Ridge City officials break ground on a Sprouts Farmers Market. Last year was a busy one for development in Wheat Ridge, where three new housing developments broke ground and a number of news businesses opened their doors. The city was also named one of the best places in the nation to retire by the website Livability. 

Little Man Ice Cream celebrated selling its millionth scoop last summer. Westword was kind enough to cover the story, which you can read here.

In May, Wheat Ridge officials hosted a signing ceremony where Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill that provides a tax credit to encourage development of contaminated brownfield sites.

Denver Public Schools Board Member Jeannie Kaplan speaks to the crowd at the groundbreaking of the Denver School of Science and Technology at Byers Middle School. Stasko Agency client Swinerton Builders Colorado performed the renovations on the school.

We look forward to another busy year helping our clients achieve their goals!

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Wheat Ridge Remains Hotbed of Activity

Wheat Ridge has become a hotbed of development activity recently, with new housing and commercial projects garnering buzz and attracting headlines. After going years without adding any new inventory to the city’s housing stock, two new housing projects are under construction and another should break ground soon.

Officials from the City of Wheat Ridge and New Town Builders pose before “breaking ground” on Perrin’s Row

New Town Builders broke ground in March on Perrin’s Row,  a rowhome development located at 38th Avenue and Depew Street. The community will include 26 two-and-three bedroom row homes priced from the mid-$200s. Meanwhile, at 38th and Fenton Street, Urban Green Development is planning a sustainable development featuring paired homes, single-family patio homes and row homes. Standard Pacific Homes will offer a more traditional, upscale option, with a 48-homesite community in the city’s Applewood neighborhood.

Rendering of a model home in the upcoming Fireside at Applewood development

The city is also picking up steam when it comes to commercial development. While incentives have helped lured new, unique businesses to the city’s emerging downtown area, known as The Ridge at 38, developers are also aiming to attract larger retailers. A mixed-use development is taking shape at 38th Avenue and Kipling Street that will include a 64-unit senior living facility and a 27,000-square-foot Sprouts store. Another large grocer could land at the southwest corner of 38th and Wadsworth, where Governor John Hickenlooper recently signed a bill that would provide tax credits for environmental clean-up projects. The Wheat Ride Urban Renewal Authority, which owns a portion of that site, could transfer tax credits to a developer to help cover the $300,000 in environmental remediation needed at the site.

Governor Hickenlooper signs Senate Bill 73 at a development site in Wheat Ridge

The developments have captured the attention of local media outlets, who have been closely following Wheat Ridge’s growth. The Denver Post covered the building boom in March and did another story examining redevelopment efforts in April. The Denver Business Journal also wrote about the Sprouts development and the recent bill signing.

While the city’s economic development efforts are in the spotlight, officials also continue to work hard to build community among residents through unique gatherings and events. On June 22nd, Wheat Ridge and the Ridge at 38 hosted its first Criterium – a Bronze level Rocky Mountain Road Cup race. In addition to high-speed bicycle racing, the Criterium also featured food trucks, a craft beer garden, kids activities and live bluegrass music.

 

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The Name Game

Have a knack for naming things? It’s time to put your talent to work. A group of Wheat Ridge merchants is searching for a memorable moniker to market themselves and the historic area they call home. The unique mix of retailers is located on West 29th Avenue between Sheridan Boulevard and Fenton Street and includes West 29th Restaurant and Bar, Twisted Smoothie, People’s Market, Wheat Ridge Poultry and Meat, Styles Hair and Nails, DSH Gas and Food, TJ Wine and Liquor and Stat Automotive.

The shops have narrowed the list of names to six options and need you to weigh in. The choices range from the straightforward – the Shops on 29th Avenue – to the geographically-focused Edge Ridge, which refers to the merchants’ location near the border of Edgewater. Stop by any of the shops during the month of February to cast your vote for one of the names or write your own suggestion on the ballot. Everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate from one of the participating retailers.

Twisted Smoothie and People’s Market (pictured below) need a name for their new merchant association

Voting ends February 28th and the retailers expect to select a winning name by March 15th. Whatever name is chosen will mark a rebirth of sorts for the retail hub tucked into a residential area filled charming cottages and brick bungalows. While Wheat Ridge Poultry & Meat has been a neighborhood staple for decades, West 29th Restaurant & Bar and Twisted Smoothie are new entrants hoping to create a long history.

And speaking of names, the city of Wheat Ridge is also in the process of creating a new tagline to describe the great amenities the city offers businesses and residents. Expect to hear more about the city’s marketing efforts this spring.

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City of Wheat Ridge “Open” for Business

You may be surprised to find out that one of the metro-area’s newest brewpubs is located in Wheat Ridge, not LoDo, and that Denver’s northern neighbor is also home to one of the region’s premiere bike shops. Once a sleepy suburb, Wheat Ridge is now becoming a hub for unique businesses, 
thanks to a slew of economic development efforts.

Teller Street Gallery & Studios, one of Wheat Ridge’s new businesses.

Using a combination of tax rebates, grants and loans, Wheat Ridge has attracted a net 35 new businesses since 2011. The Stasko Agency began working with the city this past spring, helping to shine the light on Wheat Ridge’s  “open for business” agenda and its efforts to revitalize a stretch of 38th Avenue from Wadsworth Boulevard to Sheridan Boulevard.

Right Coast Pizza opened on Wheat Ridge’s “main street” in 2012.

We’re pleased to say that media outlets are starting to take note of Wheat Ridge’s initiatives. The Denver Business Journal highlighted the city’s business growth last month, while the Wheat Ridge Transcript examined the success the city has had in luring businesses from Denver. You can read that article here. The North Denver Tribune and the Colorado Real Estate Journal both turned the lens on Wheat Ridge’s revival on 38th Avenue, an area city officials have dubbed the “Ridge at 38.”

In addition to spurring business expansion through a slew of economic incentives, Wheat Ridge has also lured entrepreneurs by expanding community offerings. The list of programming includes cruiser crawls, a Wines and Dines event, an annual Wheat Fest to highlight the city’s agricultural roots and the Mid Century and Modern Home tour, which is slated for Saturday, September 7.

The interior of one of the homes that will be featured in this year’s Mid Century and Modern Home Tour

If you haven’t visited Wheat Ridge recently, we encourage you to make the trip. In the coming months, we’ll also be spreading the word about the city’s growing housing options. So, stay tuned for more updates!

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