We Hate Price Increases 

Of all the things we do at Denver Concierge, managing our pricing is our least favorite. We absolutely love what we do, and we hate the thought of our service costing more each year.

Unfortunately, in the city of Denver, it is tough to run any profitable business without following their lead on costs.

See, unlike a company that makes physical things, our highest cost is labor.

70% of every dollar we earn goes to our folks. That leaves us 30% to pay for everything else, including vehicles, office staff, and all other non-field costs like workers’ comp insurance, liability insurance, etc.

In order to understand the difficulty in holding our price steady, a little history is needed. Back in 2019, Denver rolled out a very aggressive minimum wage campaign. It set wages for the first three years and then ensured fairly aggressive increases each year going forward. 

The increases are tied to the regional consumer price index and cannot be violated. This means Denver’s current minimum wage is 27% higher than the Colorado state minimum wage of $15.16.

So, how does this affect our business? Well, Denver now has the 7th highest minimum wage in the country, trailing only four Washington cities, and two in California. At $19,29 per hour, it rose $.48 year over year, an increase of 2.5%. 

It will continue to go up, per the 2019 mandate.

Beyond minimum wage, Denver businesses have been hit with FAMLI, mandatory sick leave, and Colorado Secure Savings. Please click on each of these if you are curious about what they are.

Without boring you, our fine city and state have added a ton of costs to Denver (and Colorado) businesses. 

If any of this sounds like we are complaining, we are not. We love our folks and wish we could pay them more. We fully support our people earning every penny they can for themselves and their families.

In fact, we are one of the only cleaning companies (maybe the only one) that still offers vacation to our folks on top of all of the benefits listed earlier.

The reality of it is very simple, however. Were we not to move our pricing with the minimum wage, we wouldn’t be in business very long. Labor is our main cost, so a little increase levers our costs significantly.

Why are we writing about this topic? Simply because we believe in transparency, and the last thing we want any client to think is that we are greedy and just trying to extract more money from them. Also, some of you have asked questions about the recent increase, and sharing the economic conditions seems like the right thing to do.

We cannot recall a price increase where we came out “ahead”. Each time we hold our breath and hope that we haven’t become too expensive. It’s not easy running a business in Denver.

Going forward, we have one mandate. We must make sure that our service is world-class in every way. Regardless of the price, it is our mission to make every client feel like what they get from Denver Concierge is 100% “worth it”.

Most of the people you see in your home have been with us a very long time, and we like to think that is directly related to our desire to give them the best possible place to work. We hope that shows up in the care we give to your home.

Rest assured that we will do everything in our power to hold our pricing year over year, but it is never going to be easy.

Thank you so much for supporting our small business. We hope you understand that anytime we raise prices, it is simply to hold serve against a strong headwind of costs that businesses are forced to absorb.

We appreciate every one of you, and hope to serve you going forward for a very long time.

We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter. Read on to see what new things we have uncovered in the world, as well as our 2025 annual award winners! 

Thank you again for your kindness and support of Denver Concierge. We have been here for nearly 30 years, and we hope to serve you for 30 more. 

Do Hearts Hold Memories? 

Is it possible that your heart actually has memory?

Recent studies show that it indeed does.

In fact, your heart emits a magnetic field up to 5,000x stronger than the brain’s, extending up to 2 meters, measurable via magnetocardiography (MCG), and modulated by emotional state.

This field is structured, not random, and communicates coherent signals via afferent pathways to the brain. Its waveform encodes not just rhythm, but affective state.

Prove it, you say!? Of course. 

The most concrete examples of this come from transplant patients. Many of whom wake up with a donor heart and have new, unique cravings, or in some cases, specific memories from the life of the donor.

Psychology Today did an informative piece on this phenomenon and the full article is here.

We also found an article on Medium that goes into the ways that the heart communicates with the brain, which is fascinating and is here.

Neuroscience is leading us in many new directions as we uncover more about how our bodies and minds work together.

So, the next time someone says “Follow your heart”, it might be a wise choice.

Denver Pavilions 

Denver Pavilions has always felt like the heart of the 16th Street Mall to us.

Oh, how times have changed. After defaulting on an $85 million loan that was due in July of 2025, the Denver Pavilions and their owner, Gart Properties, were headed for foreclosure.

Enter the Denver Development Authority.

Way back in 1998, Denver leaders launched the Pavilions, and it was valued at $100 million.

Now, the city of Denver has stepped in and for the discount price of $37 million are planning to purchase the Pavilions.

From the article on 9 News, “Mayor Mike Johnston said the authority is purchasing the property for about $37 million. The board also approved up to $8 million in additional DDA funds for property improvements, leasing, and redevelopment planning.”

“The DDA will move forward with renewing leases for current tenants and working to attract new tenants, the mayor’s office said in a news release. The authority then intends to sell Pavilions to another buyer who can implement the new vision for the site, according to the release.”

COVID was the driving factor in the decline of the Pavilions, with the construction that has been ongoing on the mall also driving the decline. Throw in the work-from-home trends created, and there was a perfect recipe for disaster.

We found a most informative article courtesy of Denverite, which covers the history of the Pavilions, as well as some cool newspaper articles from the 1990s that show the history of this iconic space.

The purchase will still need approval by the Denver City Council, but it seems to be rolling towards that conclusion.

We aren’t sure about our tax dollars going towards this, but we also don’t want to see this long-standing part of the 16th Street Mall fall into disrepair either.

Interesting times, we will keep you updated here as things go forward.

New Look at Life Expectancy   

Looking at the photo above, one could draw lots of conclusions.

If you look really closely, though, you will see something a bit different.

Normal “by state” life expectancy, most of us have probably seen. Hawaii usually leads, with a Southern state in dead last.

Sure enough, the range by state is about 9 years, with Mississippi last at 71.9 and Hawaii at 80.7.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

In that photo, you will notice not just a state breakdown, but one by county.

This completely changes the range.

By county, you can see a low of 66.8 years, and a high of 86.8, a full 20-year gap.

Wow, we were fascinated by this. From the article on LinkedIn, “Geography aligns closely with economic reality. Areas with shorter lifespans often face persistent poverty, limited access to hospitals and preventive care, food insecurity, and higher rates of chronic illness.”

“Public health research consistently shows that living conditions, education, and local infrastructure exert a powerful influence on long-term health outcomes.”

Interesting for sure. As an example, Denver residents average 77.8 years, while Boulder residents average almost five years more at 82.4.

This information sure sheds new light on this topic for us. 

Of course, we have included a link to the “by county” longevity rates, and it can be found here. Just put your zip code in and away you go.

We hope you find this as interesting as we did!!

AI Pet Companions?

Being an only child would be tough.

Being an “only pet” is also challenging (we assume) as owners travel, go to work, or simply conduct their lives on a day-to-day basis.

While the obvious solution is to get a second pet and hope they get along, it is risky business.

Or, what if there was a new solution to keep your pet busy and happy while you are away?

There now is.

A company called Tuya has recently launched Aura (the cute little one in the photo), an AI companion for your pet.

From the recent article on their website, “Pets have become vital emotional companions for people—yet their own emotional needs are often overlooked. When your pet starts hiding under the bed, excessively grooming, or losing interest in treats, these seemingly minor changes may actually be distressing signals.”

“Research shows that long periods of solitude can lead pets to experience anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues. While traditional smart devices can handle basic tasks such as feeding or monitoring, they fall short of addressing pets’ deeper emotional needs. Pets need more than just to be fed—they need to be seen, understood, and accompanied. Driven by this insight, Tuya unveiled Aura.”

So cool.

The AI robot can handle many different things for your pet. From giving treats to capturing photos of your pet, Aura can move freely throughout your home and will return to its charging dock when in need.

Pricing for this very fun gizmo has yet to be announced, as this is a brand new launch for Tuya, announced recently at CES Vegas.

The complete rundown on this fascinating new technology can be found on the Tuya website here.

Fox News also did an article on this new toy and it can be found here.

We can’t wait to see how this new tech plays out, and we think our pets will be excited as well!!!

Annual Award Winners 2025

This is our favorite time for recognizing our people.

It is time for us to let you know who our top performers for 2025 were.

Before we do that, our monthly winners from December were Patricia Rodriguez, Josefina Quinonez, Nimia Espinoza, Maria Zapata,  and Sandra Vidales.

In the Team Leader ranks, Mayra Soto and Natalia Olivas led the way.

For the year, we are so proud to recognize our top Cleaning Associates and Team Leaders.

The winners for 2025:

Best Cleaning Associate: 

Aurora Dominguez

Runner Up:

Maria Zapata

Best Team Leader:

Laura Varela

Runner Up:

Mayra Soto

Big congratulations to our top performers for 2025. These ladies are truly the best of the best.

We are so proud of our winners and of all the folks who are in and out of your homes each week.

We are also very appreciative to be a part of your lives and your homes. You provide the platform for our teams to perform, and for that, we are grateful.

Please join me in congratulating our best performers not only for December but also for 2025.

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Happy Early Valentine’s Day!

To: All of our Denver Concierge clients, partners, and families

From: Queen Bee and the Denver Concierge folks who make it all come together, specifically listed below:

Our Team Leaders.  My direct conduit to our clients. They constantly amaze with their ability to guide their crews while working alongside them, inspecting, fielding, and reporting any unusual occurrences that pop up during a clean, of which there are a surprising number.

Our Cleaning Associates.  Their hard work and determination to do their very best all day, every day, is the major contributing factor to our reputation as a top-notch cleaning company. Bar none. 

Our General Manager, Maria Herrera. Capable of maintaining her cool while controlling a daily roster always in flux and frequently thrown into disarray by last-minute cancellations, requests, lockouts, and sundry day-to-day hiccups. She’s possibly superhuman. 

Our Office Manager, Blanca Garcia. She serves as resident mechanic, driver, equipment guru, and fixer. This woman can produce from her “cabinet of curiosities” just about anything from common to odd, rare, or hard-to-find items needed in a pinch, from a simple safety pin to a hex screwdriver.  Plus, she is Maria’s emotional support human.

We figured a peek at our team and their unique skills would be a wonderful way to show love to them, and to you. 

So, in that spirit and from all of us to all of you….Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Bee

• Category: Cleaning Tips, Company News