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hen Steve Hess was eight years old, he found
some fossils |
| while hiking in the woods of central
Pennsylvania. He took them home, and thus began a lifelong love affair with
Paleontology -- the study of fossils. With the help of library books and other
research tools, he studied his finds. Later, Steve discovered that the area near
his home was rich with fossils. At first, he collected these local fossils then,
as his passion grew, he expanded his search to include other states.
After attending Penn State University, Steve decided to make
his hobby a business. "EXTINCTIONS" started out small, with Steve
attending local rock swaps with his self-collected fossils. |
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Soon, EXTINCTIONS was invited to
participate in large, international gem, mineral, and fossil shows around the
world. Three years ago, EXTINCTIONS.com
was launched on the internet. "The internet is a great tool for a business
like this", Steve says. "Collectors worldwide can see our catalogs 24
hours a day." Since then, EXTINCTIONS has opened other web sites: NatureStore.com,
and DinoStore.com.
During September 1999, Steve moved the business
to southern Colorado. Although, this Walsenburg-based business doesn't have a
storefront, he encourages local residents to visit their web sites, and call if
they have any questions or comments. "Everyone in Walsenburg has been very
supportive, says Steve's wife Erin, we really love the area and the
community." |
Steve & Erin Hess
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Y2K WAS A-OK
We made it! Despite all the dire warnings the
century and millennium have arrived, without too many problems. As predicted, we
made the transition, both in systems and services, without incident. Our
community's infrastructure also entered the new millennium without major
problems. Now that the worst anticipation is over, we thought you'd like to know
about a few other important things that have a bearing on our continued date
testing and compliance. Just because January 1, 2000, has come and gone does not
mean that issues associated with Y2K planning are over. For example, there are
other dates that have a bearing on computer programs besides 1/1/2000. Preparing
for the year 2000 has taught businesses, including banks, an important lesson:
All dates and numerical codes should be carefully monitored and tested.
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Fortunately, we tackled the problem once we
realized the problems these computer errors could cause. Programmers and CEOs of
this institution and others will apply the lesson learned during the Y2K
transition.
Here is a list of future dates that programmers
and testers will be monitoring:
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February 29, 2000 - besides being the first leap
year of a new millennium, 2000 is interesting because century leap years happen
only every 400 years. In other words, there was no leap year in 1700, 1800, or
1900.
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October 10, 2000 - the first eight-digit date of
the year (10/10/2000).
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January 1, 2001 - the actual first day of the
twenty-first century. This date reads 1/1/01, and computers will be tested to
make sure they record this date accurately.
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Federal regulators continue to keep banks
informed about the best way to handle these kinds of issues. Our bank will do
everything possible to keep customer transactions efficient and smooth. We
continue to have the resources and staff in place to respond quickly to your
questions and needs. Remember, your business and your money are safe with us! If
you have any questions about continued monitoring call our Y2K project manager,
Robin Cirone, at 719/846-9881.
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