Best Move by a Former CEO 2004 | Ed McVaney | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Move by a Former CEO

Ed McVaney

As co-founder and chief executive officer of J.D. Edwards, Ed McVaney made millions. As former chief executive of J.D. Edwards, he made tens of millions more when the software company was sold to PeopleSoft Inc. last summer. But the sixty-something entrepreneur wasn't about to sit back and take things easy. Instead, he volunteered to go to Iraq last fall to help rebuild that country's economy. If only he does half as well for Iraq as he did for J.D. Edwards.

Best Website for Former J.D. Edwards Employees

www.ExJDEdwards.com

When a company like J.D. Edwards is sold to a giant like PeopleSoft, you lose more than jobs (and in this case, the layoffs started soon after the sale). You also lose the sense of corporate culture and camaraderie built up over 26 years. To help keep that alive -- and to help former colleagues stay in touch -- Nick Gomersall, a ten-year-veteran of J.D. Edwards who now works for a British software maker, set up a members-only website, www.ExJDEdwards.com, "dedicated to all ex JD Edwards employees who have contributed in making this a great company." Even Ed McVaney contributed to the cause, sending in documents of the early years.

Best Website for Former J.D. Edwards Employees

www.ExJDEdwards.com

When a company like J.D. Edwards is sold to a giant like PeopleSoft, you lose more than jobs (and in this case, the layoffs started soon after the sale). You also lose the sense of corporate culture and camaraderie built up over 26 years. To help keep that alive -- and to help former colleagues stay in touch -- Nick Gomersall, a ten-year-veteran of J.D. Edwards who now works for a British software maker, set up a members-only website, www.ExJDEdwards.com, "dedicated to all ex JD Edwards employees who have contributed in making this a great company." Even Ed McVaney contributed to the cause, sending in documents of the early years.

Best Online Diatribe

Shoun Flynn, "Needles for Teeth"

When local agit-zine The Hooligan called it quits after a decade of caustic satire and poor spelling, contributor Shoun Flynn decided to focus on the web version of his infamous "Needles for Teeth" column. Half blog, half meth-stoked rant, "Needles" pokes merciless fun at cops, the Disney Channel, Denver poets and, of course, its own author, all the while extolling the virtues of John Coltrane and Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary mix. It's kinda like if Hunter S. Thompson doused himself in absinthe and plugged his dick into a mainframe.

Best Online Diatribe

Shoun Flynn, "Needles for Teeth"

When local agit-zine The Hooligan called it quits after a decade of caustic satire and poor spelling, contributor Shoun Flynn decided to focus on the web version of his infamous "Needles for Teeth" column. Half blog, half meth-stoked rant, "Needles" pokes merciless fun at cops, the Disney Channel, Denver poets and, of course, its own author, all the while extolling the virtues of John Coltrane and Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary mix. It's kinda like if Hunter S. Thompson doused himself in absinthe and plugged his dick into a mainframe.

Best Online Gadfly

Michael Zinna

As scabrous as it is scoop-minded, Michael Zinna's website focuses on the alleged public and private follies of the powers that be in Jefferson County, including the county commissioners and the county attorney. Unlike many oddball crusader sites, this one's fun to read -- so fun that Zinna's recently been investigated by the feds, who were concerned about the online mushroom cloud that recently showed up over Jeffco's Taj Mahal. Many of Zinna's tips are anonymous, but he's also relentless in his open-records requests, and his broadsides are delivered with plenty of bile, hyperbole and old-fashioned outrage. "We're funny, we're crass, and at times we're even insulting," the site proclaims. (The "we" is Zinna and his German shepherd, Fonzi.) "Above all else, we tell it like it is." And in Jefferson County, that can be pretty refreshing.

Best Online Gadfly

Michael Zinna

As scabrous as it is scoop-minded, Michael Zinna's website focuses on the alleged public and private follies of the powers that be in Jefferson County, including the county commissioners and the county attorney. Unlike many oddball crusader sites, this one's fun to read -- so fun that Zinna's recently been investigated by the feds, who were concerned about the online mushroom cloud that recently showed up over Jeffco's Taj Mahal. Many of Zinna's tips are anonymous, but he's also relentless in his open-records requests, and his broadsides are delivered with plenty of bile, hyperbole and old-fashioned outrage. "We're funny, we're crass, and at times we're even insulting," the site proclaims. (The "we" is Zinna and his German shepherd, Fonzi.) "Above all else, we tell it like it is." And in Jefferson County, that can be pretty refreshing.

Best Hair on a TV Personality -- Male

Ed Greene, Channel 4

When veteran weather forecaster Ed Greene (not to be confused with Tom Green, or Larry Green) was younger, his dark helmet of tresses seemed utterly inorganic, as if it had been fired in a kiln just before airtime. His mane hasn't decreased in size over the years; it remains thick and robust, with a pronounced puffiness that suggests serial relationships with assorted blow dryers. But now that Greene's got some snow on his roof, he looks ever so much more distinguished and trustworthy. Going gray has saved the day.

Best Hair on a TV Personality -- Male

Ed Greene, Channel 4

When veteran weather forecaster Ed Greene (not to be confused with Tom Green, or Larry Green) was younger, his dark helmet of tresses seemed utterly inorganic, as if it had been fired in a kiln just before airtime. His mane hasn't decreased in size over the years; it remains thick and robust, with a pronounced puffiness that suggests serial relationships with assorted blow dryers. But now that Greene's got some snow on his roof, he looks ever so much more distinguished and trustworthy. Going gray has saved the day.

Best Hair on a TV Personality -- Female

Angie Austin, Channel 2

The theory that blondes enjoy life more than those with hue-impaired mops holds true when it comes to Angie Austin, who handles both weather duties and entertainment news at her station. She seems perpetually on the verge of bursting into raucous guffaws -- and her zingy coiffure, complete with a That Girl-esque flip that curves at her shoulders just like the corners of her smile, perfectly reflects her exuberance. It's a 'do that says, "The news may be filled with death and destruction, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun!"

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