Counterbalancing the good news about economic recovery in the Grand Valley is the increasingly worrisome news about sales tax collections. According to the latest monthly reports, sales tax collections dropped on a year-over-year basis 4.4 percent in Mesa County and 4.1 percent in Grand Junction. The declines are doubly troublesome because they reflect sales in […]
If you’re a commercial property owner or tenant, obtain a map from the Business Incubator Center or Mesa County to determine if your location is in a state-designated enterprise zone. You can also use the GJ Incubator EZ Map webpage at www.gjincubator.org/enterprise-zone/mesacountygisezmap to determine of your property address lies within an enterprise zone. If your […]
The ongoing implementation of federal health care reform legislation in the workplace naturally prompts questions from employees. Here are some of the common questions likely to arise, along with the answers: When do health care reforms become effective? The federal health care reform law was enacted in March 2010. Changes will continue to go into […]
Is it time to buy a home? Certainly, if you need one, this is the time. In fact, in my 39 years in the business, I’ve never seen a better time. The combination of low home prices and record-low interest rates make the cost of owning a home very attractive. Even people like John Talbott […]
Do bad money habits constrain your financial progress? Many people fall into the same financial behavior patterns year after year. If you sometimes succumb to these financial tendencies, a new year offers as good an occasion as any to alter your behavior. Lending money to family and friends. You might know someone who has lent […]
Your New Year’s resolutions very likely included weight loss. It all sounded so easy on Jan. 1. You were so excited, committed and motivated. Now, weeks later, some of the excitement has worn off. Even with the best plans, weight loss constitutes a difficult endeavor for everyone. So how do you stay on the right […]
While the economic environment has improved, small businesses continue to face lingering challenges from the recession, according to the latest version of an annual report published by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. “‘The Small Business Economy 2012’ demonstrates that small businesses have been at the core of our economy’s growth over the […]
Kelly Sloan, The Business Times A proposed measure subjecting Colorado businesses that employ fewer than 15 people to the same legal sanctions in wrongful-dismissal lawsuits as larger employers has drawn harsh criticism from the small business community and Republican lawmakers. House Bill 13-1136 would extend payment of attorney’s fees; court costs; and punitive and compensatory […]
Kelly Sloan, The Business Times A public comment period remains open through April 25 on a proposed plan guiding management of more than 1 million acres of federal land in Mesa County, including provisions affecting energy development and off-road travel. Comments will help determine how various alternatives are integrated into a revised management plan (RMP) […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Having lived through the best and worst of economic times during her more than 30-year legal career in Grand Junction, Betty Bechtel believes the area is poised for growth beyond that associated with boom and bust energy cycles. “I feel right now we’re on a positive incline,” Bechtel said. “I […]