What had been for four months a steadily increasing measure of consumer confidence in the United States has retreated on less upbeat assessments of labor and business conditions. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index fell more than eight points to 86 in September. Assessments of current conditions as well as short-term expectations […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times While economic conditions are slowing improving for small businesses in the United States, obstacles continue to slow growth — among them government regulations and political uncertainty. “Things are heading up for small businesses, but the pace is too slow,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist of the National Federation of Independent […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Sue Tuffin has made a career out of bringing things together, in particular the myriad services offered at the Mesa County Workforce Center she’s run since the center opened in 1998. The center provides a range of services to people looking for employment, not to mention businesses looking for employees. […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Todd Conklin poses the same question whenever he has to make a decision: Does this help agents sell more real estate? The answers have guided training, marketing and other support for agents, Conklin said. The answers also have guided in a broader sense an operation that ranks among the fastest-growing […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times A Grand Junction entrepreneur who’s developed video-editing software that combines powerful features with ease of operation believes his product has a lot to offer in the classroom. And he’s inviting schools to try it out. The first 100 Colorado schools that sign up for the initiative will receive free use […]
If you had to describe your life with just one word, chances are good you’d be tempted to say “stressful.” A July survey conducted by National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health found that more than 60 percent of Americans feel stressed and more than 25 percent say […]
Kettlebells might seem like a new fitness trend, but the concept is actually centuries old. This funny shaped weight resembles a cannonball with a handle and is often made of cast iron or steel. Kettlebells originated in Russia in the 1700s — although it wasn’t originally used for exercise, but rather for weighing crops. Kettlebells […]
Anyone who knows me well knows I love fall. The Grand Valley offers many of the things I grew up with in Michigan. We have crisp mornings. The fall colors in the mountains rival any I recall from my youth. Orchards abound, and therefore, so does cider! My favorite holiday — Thanksgiving — nears, bringing […]
The latest labor estimates as well as the outlook for small businesses affirm once again the necessity of the well-worn wish for the one-armed economist. One the one hand, the monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County has slipped below 6 percent to its lowest level in almost six years. On the other hand, the local […]
Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Sue Tuffin knows how she’s put the work and force into the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. As the administer of the center since the facility opened in 1998, Tuffin has labored tirelessly and fearlessly to develop a remarkable one-stop shop that offers a wide range […]