It’s official: Mesa State College is now Colorado Mesa University. A state law authorizing the change took effect Aug. 10. Staff, faculty and students at the university joined community members in celebrating the change the day before at a grand opening ceremony at Houston Hall, where a project expanded and renovated the first building on […]
Grand Junction has suffered some of the worst downturns in the labor and housing markets in a state that continues to lag behind the nation in economic recovery. A number of factors continue to hamper the Grand Junction economy, including lower educational attainment levels and household incomes, according to Scott Anderson and Ed Kashmarek, economists […]
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper launched a statewide grassroots economic development initiative in the Grand Valley and returned here to promote the results of the effort. “Where better than to do it it here?” Hickenlooper said during a stop at Lewis Engineering, a precision machining, assembly and design firm in Grand Junction. Hickenlooper toured the facility […]
A continued effort to interview Mesa County business owners to identify and help them overcome barriers to growth ranked among the most popular plans to come out of the latest in a series of economic development brainstorming sessions. “There were all kinds of ideas,” said Diane Schwenke, president and chief executive officer of the Grand […]
2011 has turned out far differently than what Doug May anticipated back in January. Forecasts for economic growth, albeit modest, have given way in the aftermath of extreme volatility in the financial markets to concerns about stock market declines and a return to recession. “The economy is much, much, much slower than I expected,” says […]
Commercial real estate avoided the fate many economists predicted in the wake of the Great Recession. With bond payments coming due for shopping malls and other major commercial properties — along with tighter lending regulations —owners of commercial properties were expected to file for foreclosure in massive numbers. So went the hypothesis. While it’s true […]
In the midst of dire predictions for large-scale commercial construction projects, the Grand Valley has been home to several landmark efforts. Some were recently completed. Others are scheduled for completion within the next 12 months. Beyond that, though, few are willing to predict how much activity will occur. “We are a long way from much […]
As large commercial construction projects wind down in the Grand Valley, people working on the front lines nervously join real estate agents, bankers and mortgage brokers in hoping that more large projects come on line beyond the middle of next year. Employment remains a concern across all industries, but the construction sector has been hit […]
Debbie Kovalik increasingly hears what she considers encouraging words about retail development in the Grand Valley. As the department director over economic, convention and visitor services for the City of Grand Junction, Kovalik serves as a point of contact for businesses interested in expanding or opening retail ventures in the area. She said she’s talking […]
If the marketplace hates the uncertainty of an up-and-down stock market, the marketplace might love an announcement from the Federal Reserve that short-term interest rates will remain low for at least another two years. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke announced earlier in August the Federal Open Market Committee expects to keep the benchmark federal funds rate […]