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Denver International Airport hires new COO

Denver International Airport named a new chief operating officer and executive vice president, airport officials announced last week.

Dave LaPorte, the airport’s former deputy COO, was promoted to the top operations position after working at DIA since 2012. In his previous position, he led the airport safety and operations innovation and analytics department.

LaPorte had positions as the senior vice president of airport infrastructure management between 2012 and 2015 and the senior vice president of airport operations until 2023.

Before DIA, LaPorte worked at Southwest Airlines for 19 years, including starting the air carrier’s DIA station with 13 flights a day and growing it to 175 flights a day.

LaPorte has three decades of airport operation experience, including under a national airline, said DIA’s CEO Phil Washington in a statement.

“He has earned a reputation as a problem solver, effective leader and strong communicator,” Washington said. “DEN will benefit from Dave’s expertise in this new role as the airport looks ahead to a future of growth.”

Rally House expanding across Colorado

Sports merchandise retailer Rally House opened a third location in the state in Lakewood Monday, the store announced.

The Kansas-based chain debuted in Colorado last month with locations at Outlets at Castle Rock and Boulder on Arapahoe Ave. It specializes in selling local sports gear, gifts and home décor.

The Rally House Belmar store in Lakewood’s Belmar shopping mall opened on the corner of South Teller St. and West Alaska Dr.

The store is at least 10 minutes from downtown Denver’s stadiums and sells official team merchandise from the Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, Nuggets, Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams. Rally House also sells products from Antigua, Nike, New Era and more sports brands.

Rally House has more than 200 locations in 20 states.

RiNo’s One River North fills first retail space

Denver’s new apartment building with a canyon-like gash One River North signed its first retail tenant.

A light therapy studio Beem Light Sauna will take over an 1,600-foot space on the ground floor at 3920 Blake Street. The studio offers infrared, red light and chromotherapy sauna services.

The new tenant’s holistic health approach goes alongside the “biophilic” — or nature-inspired — architecture of the apartment complex with 187 units, which opened in April with a hiking trail built into the tower.

One River North is 16 stories tall and resembles traveling up Colorado’s biomes, from the foothills of the ground-floor stores up to the rooftop pool or “alpine lake.” It was developed by Max Collaborative alongside Uplands Real Estate Partners, Wynne Yasmer Real Estate and Zakhem Real Estate Group.

The building has about 8,000 square feet in total of retail space that could be home to a coffee shop, wine bar or restaurant matching the “vision” of the building, Developer K.C. Yasmer told The Denver Gazette during an April tour.

The company did not announce an opening date yet.

Beem Light Sauna is based in Huntersville, N.C. and has locations in more than a dozen states. It has another sauna set to open in Colorado Springs, according to its website.