The recent election in Wisconsin got me thinking about the opportunities to change the direction in the country that should be plain as day, but are somehow missed due to busy lives, attentions being diverted elsewhere and for all too many, absolute ignorance. What occurred in Wisconsin was a simple exercise to re-affirm freedom and […]
The number of small businesses in Colorado providing health insurance to their employees continued to decline in 2011, but at a slower pace than previous years. According to a report from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the number of small group employers offering health insurance dropped 2,210, or about 7 percent from 2010. The number […]
Proposed federal rules regulating hydraulic fracturing to produce oil and natural gas on public lands would impose an estimated $1.5 billion a year in additional costs on the energy industry, according to the results of an analysis prepared for a trade association. Given the potential costs involved, the Western Alliance for Energy has written letters […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Libby Collins and Mary Hughes gush nearly effusively in describing the business support that’s made it possible to preserve a Grand Valley landmark as a recreational area. “Having them as part of this project has been spectacular,” said Collins, a coordinator with the Mesa Land Trust. Hughes, development officer with […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Rosemary Litz grows nearly 50 lavender plants as part of the meticulous landscaping surrounding her Grand Junction home. The rounded bushes with purple blooms add color and fragrance to the serene setting. But for Litz, lavender constitutes a growing enterprise in another sense. She harvests blooms from the plants to […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times From a conference room at Reynolds Polymer Technology in Grand Junction, Mark Miller can see a whole world of potential markets. Even as demand in the United States for the acrylic components Reynolds Polymer manufactures for aquariums, architectural features and swimming pools lags along with the economy, exports to such […]
Business plans are one of those things that bankers request and college professors love. They are the kind of thing that start-up businesses think they should write and growing businesses feel compelled to update. But, let’s hold on a second. Why go through all the work of putting ideas that are already clearly formulated in […]
Based on recent polling, 78% of respondents indicated “No” to the question posed of: “Does your company currently have a policy or practice that permits or prohibits political related activities in the workplace?” Being that it is a political year and there seem to be many hot button issues, […]
A market dominating position is the result of doing business in a way that fosters customer loyalty. It happens when the customer receives such tremendous value in the quality, quantity and price of your products and services that they will not buy elsewhere. It happens when the customer service […]
A monthly measure of optimism among small business owners remains stuck at an historically low level that reflects continued uncertainty over economic conditions. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Index of Small Business Optimism edged down a tenth of a point in May to 94.4. “In the last year, small business optimism […]