Offering incentives to entice companies to move to a community or encourage existing companies to add jobs can be a controversial proposition. Detractors question why it’s necessary to tamper with the free market system and why some firms should receive land and tax breaks when others don’t. But those who support the economic development efforts […]
With the unemployment rate above 11 percent in Mesa County and possibly 20 percent of adults working less than full-time, it can be difficult to find a silver lining for people between jobs or graduates entering the work force. But there are optimistic signs at the most popular place to hunt for jobs in Mesa […]
Whether it’s helping those hunting for jobs or job applicants, the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction offers an effective one-stop shop for a range of employment services. A cooperative venture among the State of Colorado, Mesa County and Hilltop Community Resources, the center offers job searchers a computer database of current openings. Employers […]
While proponents and opponents of national health care legislation debate the potential merits and pitfalls of the plan, both sides seem to agree on one prediction: employment opportunities will continue to escalate as an aging population visits doctors offices, hospitals and senior care facilities. Openings for health care positions at the Mesa County Workforce Center […]
Education remains a promising sector for employment over the next decade, along side health care and the financial sectors, according to John Silvia, chief economist of Wells Fargo. In his State of the Union message in January, President Barack Obama urged young people to consider the teaching profession, citing an estimated 100,000 teaching positions that […]
Wells Fargo plans to close a mortgage processing center in Grand Junction, a move that will affect 55 employees. Cristie Drumm, a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo, told the Business Times the center will close over the next 60 days as mortgage application processing is transferred to other centers around the country. “This is a very […]
A monthly index tracking economic conditions for small businesses in Colorado has dipped for the first time in 18 months, but continues to forecast growth in the months ahead. “In the future, a more impressive U.S. economy should set the stage for stronger Colorado economic growth,” said Jeff Thredgold, a corporate economist who calculates the […]
Technological advances have quickly and dramatically changed the way energy companies produce natural gas in Western Colorado. Companies not only drill far more wells at a single location, but also extend those wells thousands of feet horizontally and in different directions. Production processes once conducted in succession now occur simultaneously so that as one well […]
A monthly measure of optimism among small business owners has declined for a second straight month, an indication uncertainty persists in the small business sector over the strength of economic recovery. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported that its Small Business Optimism Index retreated seventh-tenths to 91.2 in April. The index lost 2.6 […]
Business owners and managers responding to a chamber survey are more upbeat about the Grand Valley economy, including their expectations for sales and hiring. But most don’t expect a recovery to begin until next year. “It’s cautious optimism,” said Diane Schwenke, president and chief executive officer of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s […]