In a filing in U.S. District Court in Denver, former accountant James Kozlowski maintains he and others asked the Securities and Exchange Commission for help but didn't get answers.

"For the SEC now to sue Mr. Kozlowski claiming that he and other accountants at Qwest got it wrong and, in effect, attempt to irreparably damage if not destroy this young man's career, is inexcusable," wrote attorney Kevin Evans.

The SEC last year sued Kozlowski and six former Qwest executives including Joe Nacchio, accusing them of participating in a $3 billion financial fraud.

Boulder lifestyle company Gaiam filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell up to $100 million of stock. The company said proceeds will be used to expand Gaiam's business, and for other purposes. Gaiam said it has no immediate plans to issue any shares.

The company's stock more than doubled in 2005 after it snatched the assets of GoodTimes Entertainment Ltd. out of bankruptcy for $40 million. It got the rights to Cindy Crawford fitness and Billy Blanks Tae Bo videos and also got the Benji and Jungle Book video libraries as part of the package.

Also Monday, Gaiam announced the hiring of Vilia Valentine as chief financial officer and Rob Sussman as president of new media. Janet Mathews, Gaiam's current CFO, has been promoted to chief administrative officer.

The authority wants to extend the terms on its bonds to 30 years from 28 years and reduce the size of a debt service reserve to $12.5 million from $40 million, when it sells $358.5 million of bonds this week.

"We're not really doing it for interest-rate purposes," said Bill Mosher, chief executive officer of the Denver Convention Center Hotel Authority. "We're trying to free up money that can be used in other places."

The 1,100-room Hyatt Denver Convention Center Hotel, which opened Dec. 20, has booked $105 million of convention business through 2010, reducing the risk that it won't attract enough events to pay back the debt on the bonds, Mosher said.

Hearthstone, the nation's largest institutional investor in residential development projects, has committed $9.6 million in structured financing to develop 159 homes in the metro area.

Anthony Botte, Hearthstone senior vice president for the Western U.S., said the San Rafael, Calif.-based investment firm's financial commitment with Newport Beach, Calif.-based John Laing Homes is a lot-option transaction to build 159 single-family homes on 31 acres in the master-planned community of Southshore at East Arapahoe Road and South Powhatan Road on the southern shore of Aurora Reservoir.

The master-planned community will include 2,656 home sites and offer 146 acres of open space and parks. It is located in the Cherry Creek School District and is adjacent to the Cherokee Trail high school and middle school complex.

AeroGrow International, a Boulder-based company that is developing kitchen-gardening systems, plans to sell stock and get listed on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board.

The company registered 7.3 million shares of stock and warrants, with an estimate that the common shares will sell at $5 apiece. All the stock and warrants are held by existing shareholders, meaning the company would see no money from the offering, and $21.7 million if the warrants were used in the future.

Tech-sector job cuts announced in the first quarter were 40 percent lower than the same quarter a year ago. It was the fourth consecutive quarter in which tech cuts were below the year-ago level.

The tech sector, which includes computer, telecommunications, electronics and e-commerce, announced 39,379 job cuts in the first three months of 2006, down 34 percent from 59,537 in the first quarter of 2005.

Mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the telecom industry, have been a driving factor behind tech- sector job cuts for several quarters, and the first quarter of 2006 was no exception. Nearly half (43 percent) of the job cuts this year in all sectors resulted from mergers, and 88 percent of these merger cuts occurred in telecommunications.

"Despite the inevitable job-cutting that typically follows mergers, the job market picture for the nation's tech workers is definitely improving. Many job seekers in high-demand fields such as storage systems administration and information security are probably finding themselves in the driver's seat when it comes to negotiating employment terms," said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The Denver-based will host 13 international senior commercial officers for the Trade Americas Conference on May 4. The event will showcase experts from Central and South America. Registration is due by April 28. For more information visit www.buyusa.gov/colorado/trade_americas .html.

The Colorado's largest nonprofit association representing providers of aging services, announced that a HUD-certified independent-living residence for seniors in Delta, has joined the organization.

the automated DVD rental service located at participating McDonald's restaurants, has upgraded its 109 kiosks in the metro area to increase the capacity of its machines.

launched a new Web site at www.SalvageLady.com . The company specializes in recovering hard-to-find items for home projects, including pedestal sinks, clawfoot tubs, leaded and stained glass and hardware for cabinets and doors.

Boulder-based which specializes in tape backup and recovery systems, introduced the Magnum 224 LTO Tape Library, aimed at meeting data protection needs of small and midsized businesses and remote offices/branch offices of larger enterprises.

has appointed public affairs director for its Rocky Mountain region. Sparks will provide public relations support for KeyBank's operations in the Colorado, Utah and Idaho districts, which are led by regional President Michael Dulan.

Denver-based bought two New York City apartment buildings for $266 million, making it the largest publicly traded owner of rental housing in the market.

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