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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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Zocalo Sells Cadence Union Station

Congratulations to Zocalo Community Development, a longtime client of The Stasko Agency, which  sold its Cadence Union Station apartment community last month to an institutional client of Invesco Real Estate. Located at 17th and Chestnut Street, the 219-unit development was the first multi-family project to open in the emerging Union Station neighborhood. Cadence began welcoming its first residents in December and was already 20 percent leased at the time of the sale.

We were lucky enough to tour the building last fall and we’re excited to see Cadence’s upscale amenities – such as a rooftop pool and fitness center and jazz-themed lobby lounge area – take shape. The development also boasts a number of green features, including high-efficiency water fixtures, Energy Star appliances and a recycling and composting program.

The building’s sale captured the attention of both local and national media, including the Denver Business Journal, Denver Post and Multi-Housing News. Zocalo will continue to manage and lease Cadence, which includes studios, one-bedroom units and two-bedroom units, with an average monthly rent of $1,892.

Never a company to rest on its laurels, Zocalo continues to add to the city’s landscape, with the development of 1st and Steele, a new 185-unit apartment community in Cherry Creek and The Grove at Stapleton, a 150-unit project in northeast Denver. Both projects are slated for completion in 2015.

We look forward to working with Zocalo as the company continues to make its mark on Denver.

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Stasko Agency Clients Earn Accolades

At The Stasko Agency, we get to work with some of the region’s most innovative and inspiring companies. And over the past few months, a few of our clients have been recognized for their achievements.

In October, Little Man Ice Cream Owner Paul Tamburello received the Georgia R. Imhoff Philanthropist Award from Blacktie-Colorado. The award, given every two years, honors a special humanitarian and recognizes his or her work in the community.

A Colorado native, Tamburello is devoutly committed to various efforts that are beneficial to the communities they serve. Little Man is named for Tamburello’s father, who was small in stature, but big in heart. Making a difference in the world was his legacy, and Little Man is Paul’s way of keeping his father’s legacy resilient. Through its “Scoop for Scoop” program,  Little Man helps fight hunger in developing nations. For every scoop of ice cream Little Man sells, one scoop of rice or beans is donated to a community in need.

Paul Tamburello and Little Man staff deliver rice to Cambodia

The company also supports organizations focused on education and childhood welfare by offering time, financial assistance, knowledge and homemade ice cream.

In addition, Tamburello is a co-founder and board chairman of the GrowHaus, a non-profit indoor farm, marketplace and educational center in Denver’s Elyria Swansea neighborhood and board member of LiveWell Colorado.

Local residents tour the GrowHaus

The Georgia R. Imhoff Philanthropist Award was named for the late Blacktie-Colorado co-founder, who supported a large number of Colorado charities, many committed to caring for women and children.

Congrats Paul!

Zocalo Community Development also deserves congratulations for landing a 2013 Mayor’s Design Award for 2020 Lawrence, it’s LEED Gold certified apartment project in Denver’s Ballpark community. The multi-family development was one of 15 Denver projects honored for excellence in architecture design and place-making by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock at an awards ceremony November 6th.

The innovative apartment building boasts an array of “green” features, including Energy Star-rated appliances, high-efficiency water fixtures, low-e windows and flooring and other finishes made of recycled and locally-sourced materials. The 10-story apartment complex is also the first in Denver to offer composting and an electrical vehicle charging station.

Zocalo is busy completing Cadence Union Station, the 220-unit apartment community at 17th and Chestnut street and we wouldn’t be surprised to see that project win a few awards as well.

We’re so proud of all Zocalo and Paul have accomplished and consider it an honor to work with such pioneering Colorado entrepreneurs. 

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Zocalo Opens Leasing Center at Cadence Union Station

It was almost a year ago that we helped Zocalo Community Development announce the groundbreaking of Cadence Union Station, the first apartment project in the budding Union Station neighborhood. We are now excited to report that Cadence’s leasing center is open and the apartment building’s first residents are expected to move in by December. Zocalo has also landed its first retail tenant – an ink! Coffee, which will occupy a 1,655-square-foot space on Cadence’s ground floor.

The Stasko Agency took a tour of the project’s models and encountered light-filled, modern units, offering outdoor space – a rarity in downtown apartment buildings. Check out the photos below.

The view from one of Cadence’s corner units
An open kitchen and dining room provide space to entertain
A bedroom in one of the model units

Cadence is offering studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, ranging from 553-square feet to 1,081-square feet. Units will rent for an average of $1,892 per month and Cadence has already secured leases for one two-bedroom unit and several one-bedroom units. The LEED Gold registered building will offer a number of green amenities as well as a rooftop pool, indoor parking, rooftop fitness center, a lobby-level lounge complete with a kitchen and bar. The rendering below offers a peek at what the finished lobby will look like.

The opening of Cadence leasing center isn’t the only exciting news Zocalo has shared recently. The company announced last week that Director of Real Estate Susan Maxwell has become an equity partner in the Zocalo. We congratulate Susan and look forward to announcing the opening of Cadence in the near future.

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2020 Lawrence Captures Attention

With apartment vacancy rates in the metro-area at just 4.6 percent, new rental properties are in deep demand. And that might explain why 2020 Lawrence, an 231-unit apartment project that began welcoming residents since last December, is already half-leased. The Stasko Agency has been promoting 2020 since the project broke ground at 2020 Lawrence Street in 2011 and we’re proud to see the community become such a huge success.

The LEED Gold registered project will “officially” celebrate its grand opening Wednesday, May 15th with tours, music and cocktails and food provided by Ballpark neighborhood eateries. The festivities will kick off at 5:30 p.m. and will last until 8:30 p.m. The celebration will also give the public a chance to enjoy the view from 2020’s amenity-filled rooftop, which features a dog park, lounge area complete with hot tub and fire pit; and a fitness center. The rooftop will also eventually house a greenhouse that will is expected to produce 15,000 pounds of food annually.

An evening view from 2020 Lawrence’s cozy rooftop lounge

The greenhouse is just one of many “green” features that separate 2020 from other downtown apartment communities. The 10-story building is the first to offer composting and an electrical vehicle charging station, available free of charge for residents. Tesla Motors will have one of their Model S Performance vehicles on display at the grand opening and representatives from the company will be handing out passes for attendees to schedule test drives. The building also features a solar array that generates power for the community, reducing the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere by roughly 50 tons per year. Overall, 2020 Lawrence residents are expected to spend 50 percent less on their utility bills than they would living in a similar non-LEED building.

A look inside one of 2020’s two-bedroom units

Legislators and community leaders got a closer look at 2020’s sustainability efforts at two recent forums. And the development’s grand opening has also gained coverage in Inside Real Estate News and YourHub.  2020 has also been featured in Confluence Denver, the Colorado Real Estate Journal, MultifamilyBiz.com and Out Front Colorado.

If you’d like to see what all the hype is about, join us for the grand opening! Simply RSVP here. Parking is available at 21st and Arapahoe or on the street in front of the building. Hope to see you there.


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20/20 Lawrence

Last month, we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at 20/20 Lawrence, the latest apartment project from Zocalo Community Development. Located in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood, the 231-unit apartment building is running three weeks ahead of schedule and should be ready for residents by December.

Like Zocalo’s other apartment developments, 20/20 is designed with the environment in mind and features an array of eco-friendly features, including Energy Star-rated appliances and high-efficiency water fixtures that use 34 percent less water than standard products. The project also boasts some unique amenities for downtown dwellers. Dog owners will have their very own roof-top bark park with artificial grass, while health-conscious residents will work up a sweat in a fitness center featuring state-of-the art exercise equipment and amazing views of the mountains and Coors Field.

The rooftop outdoor lounge area which includes a fire pit, a community grill, hot tub, and a sun deck is a great place to hang out or even host a small get together. The building is also structured for people who may be working from home with a community kitchen, a computer station, work spaces, and even a conference room.

20/20 Lawrence will be Zocalo’s third LEED certified development. The company has plans to break ground in the coming months on a 218-unit project adjacent to Union Station. The 11-story apartment building, dubbed Cadence, will provide easy access to Denver International Airport, ski resorts and other regional hubs.

20/20 Lawrence’s leasing center is scheduled to open this summer. But if you want info on this project sooner, simply click here to visit the project’s website.

One view from the rooftop where many amazing amenities are housed
This will eventually become the workout center with a phenomenal view of the city

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Stasko Agency Adds Clients

I am absolutely thrilled about helping three old friends (who also happen to be successful entrepreneurs ) promote their latest achievements. Pasquini’s Founder Tony Pasquini, David Zucker, principal of Zocalo Community Development and Paris on the Platte Owner Faye Maguire all have very different businesses, but they share a pioneering spirit that I truly admire and I am excited about using my skills to shine the light on what they do.



Last month, The Stasko Agency spread the word about the re-grand opening of Pasquini’s Highland location, which Tony recently acquired. The event drew a big crowd and gave Tony a chance to reconnect with the neighborhood. I’ll also be helping Pasquini’s gain more exposure for the Lone Tree location as well as some new stores that will be coming on line in the next few months.

After a hiatus, The Stasko Agency is once again serving as the agency of record for Zocalo, a builder of sustainable, multi-family projects. On Thursday, we announced the firm’s latest project – a LEED Gold certified, high-rise apartment adjacent to Union Station. The story was picked up by the Denver Post and Inside Real Estate News. I look forward to providing updates on the project and Zocalo’s other developments, which include Solera and the recently launched 20/20 Lawrence Apartments. Here’s a great photo of David and Mayor Hickenlooper in action during the news conference announcing Solera’s groundbreaking.

Lastly, I encourage you to stop by Paris on the Platte Cafe and Bar on Friday, September 23rd or Saturday, September 24th as the cafe marks its 25th birthday. Friday night will feature music by the acoustic duo middleroad, while Saturday night will serve as a tribute to the cafe, with former and current employees and patrons sharing stories. The event, a benefit for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, will also include several musical performances and drawings for gift baskets and other items. Although the coffeehouse (and former bookstore) was one of the first businesses to take a chance on once lonely Platte Street, it managed to gather a devoted following of regulars who were known affectionately as “Parisites.” Congrats to Faye for building an institution that holds great memories for so many, including me! Here’s a look at me and my fellow revelers enjoying a “Little Black Dress” party at Paris two years ago.

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Groundbreaking News–Solera

This past Friday, The Stasko Agency joined Zocalo Community Development to host a launch party announcing their newest project, Solera. We alluded to this new development in our last post, but we can now proudly reveal all the details. Solera will be a 120-unit, eleven-story high-rise rental development which is targeted for Gold LEED certification, placing it among only a handful of sustainable rental properties in the entire United States. Zocalo will be adapting their award-winning Solar Mortgage Program to apply to Solera’s tenants and hope to continue making new strides within the sustainable movement in Denver.


The launch party, held on the site of Solera at 1956 Lawrence Street, was quite successful and we couldn’t be happier with the turnout! We even saw quite a bit of interest from the media. (Above: Fox 31 gets footage of David Zucker and Mayor Hickenlooper). Many thanks to the Mayor for spending the afternoon with us and showing his support for all that David and Zocalo Community Development have done through their earth-concious developments.

Check out what the Westword had to say.

Solera will also be launching a blog charting the different stages they will go through to reach Gold LEED certification. Make sure to stop by www.soleraliving.blogspot.com for semimonthly updates.

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Zocalo Does it Again!

The Stasko Agency has been asked to help out with the launch of Zocalo Community Development’s newest sustainable development! The unveiling of the project name and rendering, which up to this point has remained under wraps, will take place this Friday, May 15, 2009. Mayor Hickenlooper will be at the event to address the significance of a project like this in the Denver area.

We can’t tell you all the details yet, but be certain to check back in after the unveiling for more information about how ZCD is setting new building standards in Denver.

Here’s what we CAN say:

  • Slated to be Silver-LEED Certified
  • Eco-friendly features, which promise lowered living costs
  • Located in Downtown Denver
  • Rated as a “Walker’s Paradise” according to www.walkscore.com
  • A first of its kind

We look forward to being a part of this groundbreaking event & can’t wait to spread the news.

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Innovators Shine in Denver

The sun is finally shining on the Denver real estate market, literally.

Zocalo Community Development (ZCD) has been featured as an innovator for its mortgage program at RiverClay Condominiums: a program that is boosting sales by offering homebuyers lower interest rates if they elect to buy condominiums equipped with solar panels.

ZCD has been included in Environmental Defense Fund’s annual report on business innovation, as one of 15 businesses cited nationally (including big names such as Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola, Google, Intel and Wal-Mart).

Through the Innovations Review 2009, Environmental Defense Fund “highlights environmental innovations that are helping companies cut costs, create business opportunities and carve out competitive advantage in a challenging economy.”

According to www.innovation.edf.org, “Each year, Environmental Defense Fund surveys the landscape of environmental innovations in business for the most compelling new practices and technologies—those that continually redefine ‘business as usual.’”

All innovations considered for the report are assessed on four criteria: Environmental Benefits, Business Benefits, Replicability, and “Innovativeness.”

Zocalo Community Development feels extremely honored by the recognition and we couldn’t be happier to see their incredible work noticed on a national level. They have been a leader in sustainable development in Denver, building the first LEED-certified condominiums in the Rocky Mountain Region and are continually looking for new ways to push the green movement even further.

Congratulations are certainly in order!

Be sure to read more about ZCD’s Solar Mortgage Program and check out their website at ZocaloDevelopment.com

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