Great article on 9News.com today about the Colorado company, Alpine Access.. We really need more companies like this that are making such a terrific impact for the work at home/telecommuting community!

A new Colorado based "Work-at-Home" company says they're the solution to sending jobs off-shore. Given the number of workers they've signed-up in the just the last few months, it's clear there's a lot of demand for legitimate "work-at-home" opportunities in Colorado.

9News looks at that company and another opportunity with a company that's a little more entrepreneurial.

But first more on "Alpine Access," a firm that hires home-based workers to do customer service work, a job that has been going overseas to the big call centers.

Alpine Access is growing very fast. They've hired 4,000 employees in just the past few months, all of them people like Barbara Zilk, who find working at home a perfect fit for their lifestyles.

For Barbara, another day at the "office" means a few hours in an upstairs bedroom at home. She's an employee of 1-800-Flowers, but never leaves home. She does it all online.

"It's perfect," she says. "You can stand here and iron as calls come in. You just turn around and get right back to the computer." And Barbara says her start-up costs were minimal. "You need the computer set-up and you either need two phone lines or one phone line and DSL."

The rest is whatever she makes it. "I play with scrapbook stuff and you name it. You can sit here and work on laundry--and get paid for it," she says laughing.

1-800-Flowers found Barbara through Alpine Access, a company that also counts Office Depot, Bath and Body Works and My Twinn as clients.

"Right now we're operating in 44 different states," says Alpine's Jim Ball.

Ball says his company is experiencing explosive growth, hiring willing American workers for jobs that were going to overseas call centers.

Ball says Alpine Access is looking for "Internet athletes."

Oddly, their office headquarters in Golden is a ghost town. Ball says that's on purpose.

"People often say 'boy it's quiet in the office today,' and I put them online and remind them, 'it's not quiet out there.'"

"Out there" meaning on the Internet, where they employ thousands.

"It's roughly a $10-an-hour job. If you're working 20 hours a week, it's a couple hundred bucks a week."

On the other hand, if you don't want to work "for" somebody, Highlands Ranch moms Mary Ireland and Susan Harned say you don't have to. They decided to sell a clothing line from a company called "Etcetera." They operate out of Mary's living room, offering new selections four times a year.

Their start-up costs were $750, money they say they made back in their first week.

"They gave us training," says Mary. "We have a manager who gave us training on how to set-up the house."

And they love it that they only do four shows a year. "Truly, you can't find another job where you can work four weeks a year," says Mary.

They show by appointment and then they deliver. Clients like Tammy Rohde say it works. "It works well for me. As a busy mom of three young kids, I know the times of my day where I'm free.

Mary and Susan say, it's wonderful that a dinning room table is as close as they ever get to an office. They're willing to discuss the business with those interested at 303-683-7868.

CONTACT INFO for Etcetera: 303-683-7868 or email at meireland@comcast.net

CONTACT INFO for Alpine Access is www.alpineaccess.com, click on the link to their Web site.