Business owners and managers realize that having difficult conversations with employees sometimes comes with the job. So owners and managers attend training and listen to webinars that outline what difficult conversations sound like. They gain an understanding of what’s expected and plan on how they’re finally going to talk to “that” employee. Only the conversation […]
A monthly measure of consumer confidence advanced in August on more optimistic expectations for improving business and labor conditions. Consumers remain less upbeat about present conditions, though, especially employment. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index rose 2.5 points to 53.5. The gain erases some of the declines over the past two months. […]
TheHill.com recently reported that House Democrats are focusing on the party’s small business agenda as a way to regain ground among voters. But considering the policies that a Democratic White House and Democrat-led Congress have been pushing for the past 20 months, is that really a smart strategy? Consider, for example, federal spending and taxes. […]
Apartment vacancy rates continue to decline in Grand Junction as hiring in the energy and health care sectors as well as home foreclosures bring more people to the rental market. According to the latest results of a quarterly survey conducted for the Colorado Division of Housing, the average apartment vacancy rate for the Grand Junction […]
Ever wonder how much electricity that aging refrigerator consumes? What about the computer? And how much savings could be realized by replacing old appliances with new, more efficient models? A program offered through the Mesa County Libraries encourages people to literally check out a meter to find out the answers to those and other questions. […]
The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County held steady in July with only slight changes in the overall work force and the number of those counted as unsuccessfully looking for jobs. According to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), the unadjusted jobless rate remained unchanged at 9.5 percent. That […]
Exports of agricultural products from Colorado continue to grow with increased shipments of beef leading the way. The value of agricultural exports from the state totaled $508.9 million through the first half of 2010, a 27 percent increase over the same span last year, according to statistics reported by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. For […]
Naomi Shepherd-Smith recalls a time when the fledgling Colorado wine industry was something of a novelty and some tourists were more interested in taking home a bottle with a Colorado label than drinking what was inside. But like the fine wines its produces, the industry since has matured, says Shepherd-Smith, manager and co-owner of Grande […]
Last year was nothing to write home about for the home building industry in the Grand Valley, but it looks good compared to this year. “The recovery is being delayed,” says Annette Miller, who, as senior vice president of Heritage Title Co. in Grand Junction tracks the real estate industry. “I see it being pushed […]
With the cost of home building joined at the hip with the cost of materials, July offered more opportunity in the form of slightly lower prices for construction materials. Overall, prices were 0.2 percent lower in July than they were in June, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, prices aren’t […]