After surveying 7,766 small businesses across the country, an online hiring agency is calling Colorado Springs one of the best cities for small businesses.

Thumbtack looked at a dozen metrics before putting the Springs in its No. 4 spot. That may come as a surprise, given that the Springs has seen many longtime businesses, like Steaksmith, close in recent years. Makes you wonder if we're really the best place for small business, or if we just have a lot of really upbeat shop owners.

Guess it can't hurt either way. Read on:

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The Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey is the only survey to obtain data from an extensive, nationwide universe of job creators and entrepreneurs in order to determine the most business-friendly locations. While there are various “business climate rankings” that rate locations as good or bad for business, there are no others that draw upon considerable data from small business owners themselves.

“For the second year in a row, Colorado Springs small businesses rated the city among the best in the nation,” said Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com. “The Colorado Spring's clear and consistent approach to regulations and its helpful small business resources help local entrepreneurs view the city as a partner rather than an obstacle.”

Some of the key findings for Colorado Springs — and Colorado generally — include:

• Colorado Springs earned an 'A+' for its overall small business friendliness, improving from last year's 'A' grade. Denver also rose in the rankings, earning an 'A-', up from a 'B+' in 2012.
• The city ranked very well in nearly every category, including a pair of 'A+' grades for the ease of hiring additional employees in the city and for its environmental regulations.
• In addition to an 'A' grade overall, Colorado earned an 'A' for the quality and availability of its training and networking programs. The state also ranked in the top 10 for its online business resources.
• Nationally, professional licensing requirements were more important to small business owners than taxes in determining a state’s overall business-friendliness, confirming the findings from last year’s study.
• African-American and Hispanic small business owners were more likely than their white counterparts to encourage others to start a new business.

The top ranking cities overall were Austin, Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Houston, Colorado Springs and San Antonio. The lowest rated were Los Angeles, San Diego, Cincinnati, Sacramento and, in last place, Newark, NJ.

One of the few categories where Colorado Springs did not improve was in the ease of starting a new business: the city earned an 'A-', down from a 'A+' in 2013.

“It is critical to the economic health of every city and state to create an entrepreneur-friendly environment,” said Dane Stangler, director of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation. “Policymakers put themselves in the best position to encourage sustainable growth and long-term prosperity by listening to the voices of small business owners themselves.”

Mark Bruning, who worked for Americal Medical Response for three decades, including overseeing the Colorado Springs operation through a complete revamping of how medical transport is handled in the 1990s, will be leaving the Greenwood Village-based company.

The AMR website reports Bruning's departure this way:

EMSC CEO William A Sanger today announced the departure of AMR president Mark Bruning. EMSC is the parent company of AMR, a provider of emergency medical transportation services. Sanger said Bruning will continue to serve as an adviser to the company.

The Denver Business Journal reports his last day is Monday.

Bruning served for four years as president of the company and survived an ownership change in recent years.

Here's the bio from the company's website:

Mr. Bruning is responsible for leading the successful implementation of AMR's strategic and operational initiatives company wide. His direct reports include AMR's regional chief executive officers and other key AMR executive and support staff. Previously, Mr. Bruning served as Chief Operating Officer of AMR's Central Division where he was widely acclaimed for his efforts to improve and streamline customer service at the local level. Involved in EMS for more than 24 years, Mr. Bruning has worked as a paramedic, supervisor and a variety of operational leadership positions including vice president in the company. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. He has served as the President of the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado (EMSAC). In 2005, he was awarded the Peg Hamilton award by the EMSAC Board of Directors for outstanding service to the Association and its members.

Neumann Systems Group, Inc., the homegrown company that's invented a brand of emissions-control technology, says it's NeuStream System has been nominated for an Edison Award. The awards recognize "game changing" products, services, design and innovation in multiple arenas.

The nomination was recommended by an unnamed member of the Edison Awards steering committee, Neumann says in a press release.

Neumann Systems Group, owned by Dave Neumann, a retired Air Force officer and professor at the Air Force Academy, developed technology that's cheaper, smaller and more efficient than competitors at removing sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plants. The equipment is currently being installed on the city-owned Colorado Springs Utilities' Martin Drake Power Plant, its testing ground for several years.

From Neumann's release:

NeuStream is a disruptive 'platform' technology, meaning it has potential for revolutionary impact in a wide-range of product areas important to the industrial and economic well-being of the United States and the rest of the world. NeuStream technology enables cost effective capture of pollutants from fossil fuel plants including greenhouse gases and it enables the cost effective use of these captured pollutants in the production of chemicals such as fertilizers and sulfuric and nitric acids; building materials such as gypsum; rare earth and strategic metals needed for energy efficiency, electric vehicle and wind and solar applications.

The Edison Award, named for Thomas Alva Edison (who held 1,093 U.S. patents), is considered among the highest honors a company can receive for new product development.

Past winners include the 2012 Ford Focus electric car, Apple's iPad and OnStar, the in-vehicle security, communications and diagnostics system.

Finalists will be named in early February. The awards are sponsored by Nielsen, Discovery Communication, Science Channel, USA Today and applepeak.

Yes, this is the same company that Colorado Springs Councilor Tim Leigh has accused of hoodwinking the city, saying its "experimental" technology hasn't been vetted by a third party. That claim isn't true; the NeuStream has been vetted by outsiders. Neumann recently called for an ethics investigation into Leigh's statements, which he contends are designed to persuade the Utilities Board, comprised of City Council, to abandon the Drake project.

• Leigh: Accused of ethical breaches.

Leigh has been promoting Mayor Steve Bach's desire for a sports stadium in lower downtown where Drake now sits, adjacent to property owned by the Jenkins land-development family, which funded the $1-million strong-mayor government change that led to Bach being elected mayor in 2011.

In his ethics complaint, Neumann notes that Hoff & Leigh, for whom Leigh works, has several properties listed in the vicinity of the lower downtown area, which Neumann says poses a financial conflict of interest for Leigh.

Leigh hasn't returned our e-mail seeking his comment on the ethics complaint, which has been forwarded to the city's Independent Ethics Commission for review. If he gets back, we'll post his response.

• Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce
• Eric Lee

President and CEO Dr. Eric Lee is leaving the position to become executive director of Colorado Community College Online.

Prior to working for the Chamber, Lee was assistant to the president at Suffolk University in Boston, and taught at Suffolk's Sawyer Business School and the College of Arts & Sciences. In April 2009, Lee replaced former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb as leader of the Chamber.

The Chamber is searching for a new leader. Lee's last day is Nov. 9.

DR. ERIC LEE LEAVING COLORADO BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO RETURN TO LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION

7 November 2012 (Denver) - After four years of leadership Dr. Eric Lee, President and CEO of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce to become Executive Director of Colorado Community College Online, Chairman Richard Lewis announced today.

"Eric has done a tremendous job at the CBCC, where he has worked tirelessly on behalf of our growing membership. I am sorry to see him go," Lewis said. "However, the good news is that Eric and his family are staying in Colorado and in his new position will continue helping to serve people in our community."

Lewis praised Lee's accomplishments during his tenure at the chamber: "Eric increased the number and quality of programs offered to chamber members; he led a strategic visioning and merging with the African American Construction Council; he saw beyond barriers and forged a partnership with the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado to develop the highly successful Contractor Academy program; he provided the and he broadened the chamber's reach with nationally recognized programs to support black entrepreneurs. While it is always hard to lose dedicated, talented people, I am confident that with the processes and procedures established by Eric; the chamber will continue to function at a high level."

Lee's resignation is effective November 9th and a search for Lee's replacement will begin immediately.

"It has been an honor to work with Richard Lewis and former Mayor Wellington Webb and their colleagues on the board of directors," Lee said. "I have been privileged to work with an incredibly dedicated, hard-working and talented board at the chamber."

"This has been a difficult decision for me," Dr. Lee said. "The work at the chamber has been rewarding - and much remains to do. However, the opportunity to return to higher education in a leadership role returns me to my core expertise as an educator. The CBCC served as a tremendous opportunity in my professional career and for that, I'm eternally grateful to the board and the individuals who recruited me to Denver."

In his new role, Lee will provide leadership and administrative direction for all of CCCOnline's operational, academic, educational and technical activities. CCCOnline is an extension of and a service to each of the 13 Colorado Community College System (CCCS) colleges offering students an entire virtual educational option and greater access to all the CCCS colleges.

About Dr. Lee and Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Eric Lee was appointed President & CEO of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce in April 2009.

The Colorado Black Chamber (CBCC) began in 1985 with just a staff of one and a handful of Black business members. Now, the organization boasts more than 50 corporate members and nearly 1000 business members. The Chamber remains a solid voice for the Black business community while continuously refocusing its efforts to meet the ever changing needs of its members.

The CBCC provides extraordinary customer service, reasonable member rates and value-add resources. It works with other area chambers to give members a broad range of opportunity for networking and visibility. It's more than a business as usual membership organization. It's the best friend and partner of its members, working exclusively on their behalf and providing the assistance and support they need.

Prior to coming to the chamber, Lee spent fourteen years in higher education developing, and administering programs to serve the needs of students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Suffolk University.

Lee has a doctorate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After my lengthy inquiry last year into the success (or lack thereof) that local restaurants experienced from Groupon and LivingSocial deals, I remain partially skeptical of the advertising method.

As I essentially said then, the sites clearly work for some businesses but not for others, often times depending on how they're structured.

That argument aside, I came across a Groupon deal this morning, here, in which it's clear that everyone involved wins.

It's an $11 donation to Not Alone toward mental-health counseling and support services for veterans.

From the campaign details:

Veterans can take part in all of the services offered through the program, including online group therapy, in-person counseling sessions, and the eClinic for 24/7 emergencies.

For every 100 donors, 10 veterans will be served. At the time of this posting, some 640 deals have been purchased.

"The Fine Print" section of the deal does say that 100 percent of donations go directly to Not Alone, so it appears that Groupon isn't taking its typical cut as the matchmaker.

• A little donation from a lot of people will go a long way.

• A new logo and a new name for the eco devo and chamber bunch.

Step one came earlier this year when the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce merged with the Colorado Springs Regional Economic Development Corp., retagging the organization as the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC.

Now, the group has a new name: the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance.

The new title shaves one word from the group's title, but still is a mouth full. Chamber officials say the new name signifies that the alliance is covering both bases for the two organizations. (The chamber used to provide support to existing businesses, and the EDC recruited new business and industry.)

"These two leading organizations dedicated to business growth and prosperity are now working as one, powerfully bonded and strategically aligned with our partners in the region and with the broader Front Range," the alliance said in a news release.

“One of the primary focuses of this new organization is its commitment to serving our existing companies in the region, both those engaged in interstate commerce and those that survive on the local economy,” said Joe Raso, president and chief executive officer of the Business Alliance. “Businesses already operating and prospering in our region play a vital role in our efforts to grow the local economy and recruit new enterprises. They know the resources that have madetheir companies successful, and are excellent ambassadors for our market. They are also the first to identify opportunities for changes that will help ourbusiness community grow, and that is why they are the primary focus of our work.

“Our name and logo establishes a single identity for two organizations that merged in February 2012,” said Raso. “This is a big step as we set our new course and continue to work as the primary advocate for the business community in the Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak region dedicated to serving businesses of all sizes and to building regional economic growth and prosperity.” While the two organizations merged earlier this year, they moved under one roof in late August with offices in downtown Colorado Springs at 102 S. Tejon Street, Suite 430.

The board is working on a 20-year "vision for our region," the release said, focusing on existing businesses of all sizes, pumping up its "leadership role in government affairs," improving communications, creating a way to develop the workforce to satisfy businesses' needs, and "establishing a culture of innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit that will attract and retain the young, diverse and educated minds important to the survival of our businesses and region."

The merger of the Chamber and EDC, both of whom claim to want to create jobs, ironically, resulted in layoffs within its own organization. Several of those wound up with government jobs, most notably Stephannie Finley, now working at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in a newly created half-time position that pays $57,500 a year.

But Raso says in an interview that there's no irony. He says the two merged organizations, which at one time had 35 positions combined, now have 20 and will rely on outsourcing for some functions. It's hired Lisa Bachman for communications work and Kevin Walker to handle governmental affairs, for example, he says.

"The first thing we need to do is be effective with our resources," he says. "Our job is not to make our organization grow." He adds the alliance will continue to change to meet the needs of the business community.

The alliance will continue and enhance the Chamber and EDC's role in the following public initiatives, according to the release:

· Supporting the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax extension for transportation infrastructure improvements, which will be voted on this November, and will pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and contractors' hands.

· Exploring governance/ownership of Colorado Springs Utilities, owned by its customers for roughly 100 years, and the future of the Drake Power Plant, which provides more than a quarter of the city's base load of power.

· Supporting the lease of Memorial Health System to University of Colorado Health, a 40-year deal that closes Monday and gives the city an upfront payment of $259 million that's already tied up in a lawsuit the city filed to try to get out of paying money the Public Employees Retirement Association on behalf of Memorial's 4,000 employees.

“We’re also visiting national leaders for discussions on the military, transportation, sports economy, fire mitigation and education,” Raso said in the release. “These are sectors critical to our economy and the Business Alliance is going to establish itself as a visionary leader in designing a strategic plan of action and community vision based on our assets and competitive advantages.”

The Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance, with more than 1,500 members, is the primary advocate of the Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak region business community.

For information, go here.