Phil Castle, The Business Times The United States will lead the way in what’s expected to be strong economic growth worldwide in 2022 and a rapid recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Despite the depth of the recession in the first half of 2020 — and the unexpected setbacks of the Delta variant […]
Work is expected to begin next year on a new Grand Junction High School after Mesa County voters approved a measure to fund the project. Voters also elected three new members of the Mesa County School District 51 Board of Education whose responsibilities will include overseeing construction of the new high school. Voters approved by […]
A measure of optimism among small business owners has declined even as concerns over labor and inventory shortages mount heading into the holiday shopping season. The National Federation of Independent Business reported it’s Small Business Optimism Index decreased nine-tenths of a point to 98.2 in October. “Small business owners are attempting to take advantage of […]
Robert Frost observed in his 1914 poem “Mending Walls” that good fences make good neighbors. Well-written employee handbooks, policies and procedures similarly help employees understand their roles, rights and responsibilities while providing a framework for productive employer-employee relationships. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) gives employees the right to engage in protected concerted activities […]
You’ve probably heard the saying: “Hire for skills and fire for attitude.” This means bad attitudes far outweigh the skills people bring to their positions. Failing to take corrective action puts a company at risk. Most businesses have a number of skilled team members, many with decent and even great attitudes. They come to work, […]
You probably have a number of activities in your workplace that are repetitive, process-driven and require specific performance. These are the sorts of activities that should be documented in the form of policies and procedures (P&P) or standard operating procedures (SOP). Your P&Ps and SOPs have many applications. But one thing all P&Ps and SOPs […]
The holidays are here. So is COVID-19. A sharp increase in cases occurred in Mesa County in November 2020 — some might argue the first real wave of illness. A year later, illness levels are rising again. Mesa County has seen a steady increase in COVID-19 illness levels since early August. In recent weeks, the […]
They’re universal questions: What does the future hold? What does it mean for me? While challenges remain, the outlook for Mesa County appears bright with sustainable growth for years to come. Mesa County has been affected over its history by a series of boom-and-bust cycles. But the community also has enjoyed steady economic growth as […]
When Monument Health was launched in 2016, health care costs were considerably higher on the Western Slope than the Front Range. Primary Care Partners, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and SCL Health St. Mary’s Medical Center joined in an effort to align incentives and take a more innovative approach to lowering costs. Five years later, I’m […]
I could have written the headline “Of Colorado and Texas: a COVID-19 story.” But just covering airports and stadiums will allow you to get the gist. I’m also writing this off the top of my head because I’ll never get my head around the two Americas we’re living in related to the pandemic. My story […]