After another difficult year, Grand Valley leaders believe the coming Holiday season will be a make, not a break, for local businesses. Holiday shopping really comes down to one thing.” says Diane Schwenke, President and CEO of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, “And that is consumer confidence.” Schwenke points to several factors in […]
Craig Hall, The Business Times: “This year we will have two of our anchor stores open at midnight after Thanksgiving day,” says Jammie McLoed, Marketing Manager at Mesa Mall, “Both Target and Herberger’s will open at midnight, with a few of the smaller stores in the mall following suit.” And although this first ever kind […]
Craig Hall, The Business Times: Whether you call it a Christmas or Holiday party, planning a great event for employees is high on the priority list for many companies in the Grand Valley. Best of all, the valley offers a variety of venues to fill almost any bill your company, small group or corporate family […]
Obviously, the main focus of the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau (GJVCB) is to attract folks from all over the world to the Grand Valley and all it has to offer in the surrounding area. And while 2012 is stacking up to be a very significant year in terms of conventions and travelers already […]
The search for a silver lining in dark economic clouds goes on, particularly at a time of year when retailers gear up for the holiday shopping season and what they desperately hope really will be the most wonderful time of the year. Fortunately, the news isn’t all bad. For some trends, in fact, the news […]
Heidi Ihrke has watched her solar energy business grow from two employees to 20 over the past six years, a reflection in part of the kind of growth that has made Colorado a top state for employment in the industry. “Colorado promotes a good environment for solar to flourish,” says Ihrke, co-founder and co-owner of […]
Mark Snead’s outlook for the Colorado economy has changed over the past two years. An economist and lead officer of the Denver branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Snead presented a forecast in Grand Junction in 2009 in which he predicted an economic rebound in Colorado would lag behind the rest of […]
A monthly index tracking optimism among small business owners has increased for a second consecutive month, but not yet enough to reflect a significant change in outlook. The National Federation of Independent Business reported its Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.3 points in October to 90.2. Even with gains over the past two months, the […]
Most business owners start their companies with the intention of creating greater wealth and freedom. They have a dream of achieving financial independence and using this to travel, relax, give back and enjoy their lives as much as possible. However, many never realize this dream, even if the business is successful in generating financial abundance, […]
As we interface with businesses throughout the region, we encounter many businesses that have never developed an Employee handbook. Let me say up front — if you have an employee, you really need a handbook! Employee handbooks set expectations and rules for work, conduct, dress, punctuality, language and more at your business. This is important […]