The warning has been out there for more than a decade: Business owners must realize their competition consists of more than what they can see looking up and down the streets of their towns. The Internet offers shoppers the means to browse products and services from around the globe. And the trend of increasing Internet […]
For the first time in nearly two years, Mesa County has reported a year-to-year increase in sales tax collections. Meanwhile, the City of Grand Junction reported its largest proportional year-to-year increase in sales and use tax collections. According to its September report, Mesa County collected $3.03 million in sales taxes, a 6.72 percent increase over […]
Commercial air traffic at the Grand Junction Regional Airport increased in September compared to the same month last year. But traffic through the first nine months of 2010 continues to lag behind a record-setting pace in 2009. A total of 20,457 enplanements — that is, passengers boarding commercial flights — was reported in September 2010. […]
Thrifty Car Rental has closed its office in Grand Junction even as local car rental operations report declining revenue. Thrifty Car Rental closed its office on Horizon Drive in October. A telephone message confirmed the closure, but also indicated the company still was accepting rental car returns as of late October. The Grand Valley Business […]
Oil shale has remained on the back burner as a potential energy source for decades. Western Colorado residents are all too familiar with the oil shale bust of 1982, when Exxon shut down its operations with no advance notice. Driven by government subsidies designed to encourage experimentation with methods of extracting oil from shale, the […]
Less than three years ago, natural gas prices were rising as concerns mounted supplies would run short by the end of the century. Continued dependence on oil also raised fears and gasoline topped $4 a gallon in the summer of 2008. Now, in late 2010, prices for natural gas and gasoline have dropped. The price […]
It’s the missing link in a system that will enable vehicles powered by natural gas to be driven from Denver to Los Angeles. At the same time, it will enable some vehicles operated by the City of Grand Junction to run more inexpensively. The city plans to open a natural gas fueling station by January, […]
Mike Moran Business Times These are challenging times for the coal industry in Western Colorado. As political and economic pressure builds to force power plants to switch from coal to natural gas, coal miners nervously wonder what the future holds for production and employment. And for a coal mine located north of Loma, that future […]
Mike Moran Business Times The Colorado Public Utilities Commission continues to stage a series of hearings, listening to testimony on a proposal to convert three Xcel Energy power plants from coal to natural gas. According to a news release issued by an organization called Good Jobs, Strong Communities, Denver City Councilman Chris Nevitt delivered written […]
Mike Moran Business Times Joe Tripoli firmly believes in the power of positive thinking, even in the midst of a downturn in real estate sales. “Your business is never really good or bad out there. It’s good or bad between your ears,” said Tripoli, a real estate agent with RE/MAX 4000 and the new chairman […]