According to the latest Labor Department Estimates, nonfarm payrolls increased 115,000 in April. The jobless rate edged down a tenth to 8.1 percent — a three-year low, but a decline that reflected a decrease in the labor pool as discouraged job hunters gave up on their searches. The size of U.S. payroll gains have decreased [...]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Phil McKinney believes that developing game-changing innovations is a matter of asking the right questions. Not just any questions, but what McKinney deems the “killer” questions that provoke not only thoughtful responses, but also thoughtful processes that lead to discovery. “Killer questions are those that can’t be answered without first [...]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Annette Miller continues to observe what she considers “baby steps” toward recovery in the Mesa County real estate market. But she worries property foreclosures could trip up the progress. An uptick in the latest monthly unemployment rate adds another element of uncertainty, said Miller, senior vice president at Heritage Title [...]
A monthly index tracking business conditions in Colorado has lost some of the ground gained over the past two months, but continues to forecast growth. The Business Conditions Index retreated 2.5 points in April to 58.9. The loss followed two months of gains in which the index climbed nearly four points. Still, the outlook remains [...]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: A business executive with experience in the health care and construction industries has been hired as the new chief executive officer of Family Health West in Fruita. Mark Francis will oversee the operations of a nonprofit organization that has grown over the years to include skilled-care and assisted living facilities, [...]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Up to 11 Grand Valley restaurants could be included in a what’s considered an influential “Bible” of dining guides. Online voting will continue through May 6 to determine whether or not the restaurants will be included in a new Colorado-specific Zagat dining guide. The implications for the restaurants as well [...]
The Union Pacific Railroad has announced plans to invest $4 million in improvements to 27 miles of its rail line between Grand Junction and Cameo. The project, which is already under way and is expected to be completed in May, will include the replacement of 25,200 railroad ties and the spreading of 13,300 tons of [...]
An association that represents in part the coal mining industry in Colorado has praised a ruling allowing a legal challenge to plans to close down and convert to natural gas units at three coal-fired power plants on the Front Range. Stuart Sanderson, the president of the Colorado Mining Association, said the ruling by the Colorado [...]
Two upcoming events in Grand Junction will offer information about water and land management in Western Colorado. The Colorado River District and Water Center at Colorado Mesa University has scheduled the annual Mesa County State of the Rivers meeting for 6:30 p.m. May 2 at the University Center ballroom at CMU. The Mesa County Conservation [...]
Phil Castle, The Business Times On any given day, Dave and Sue Van Wagoner could be recording music, helping a client quit smoking or shooting photographs at a wedding. It could even be all of the above. Their busy and diverse activities constitute business as usual for the Van Wagoners, entrepreneurs gone wild who operate [...]
