Medicare issue coming to a head

Mike Moran Business Times While medical offices and their patients continue to sort through the effects of national health care reform, the more immediate concern could be Medicare. When Congress reconvenes from recess next month, it will have a little more than two weeks before a Dec. 1 deadline to either allow another 23 percent […]

Energy Star shines bright: Demand increasing for energy efficient home construction

Mike Moran Business Times Energy Star construction is gaining momentum as builders take advantage of increasing demand for more energy efficient homes and buyers take advantage of the savings and tax credits. Bonnie Petersen is one such builder who says that investment in Energy Star construction is speculative for builders during an economic downturn, but […]

Xcel strives to use more renewable energy sources

Mike Moran Business Times Xcel Energy faces more stringent requirements to use alternative energy sources now that the Colorado Legislature has weighed in on the issue a second time. State lawmakers voted earlier this year to mandate that Xcel and other large utilities produce at least 30 percent of their power from renewable energy sources […]

Geothermal system used to heat and cool Mesa State dorm

Mike Moran Business Times When Haining Refrigeration installed units to heat and cool the mixed use dormitory building at Mesa State College, the company tapped into a geoexchange system that lies beneath a large open space northeast of the dorms on the Grand Junction campus. “Mesa State is going to have a tremendous edge (over […]

Tapping the power of the sun: Solar systems offer benefits

Mike Moran Business Times Solar power continues to move forward across the nation. And in areas where the sun shines most of the year, the technology can be particularly appealing. Such is the case in Colorado and the Grand Valley. “We provide quality products and services,” said Brooke Gonzales, co-owner of Blu-Sky Solar in Grand […]

Year-over-year tax gains reported

Mike Moran Business Times It might be good news only in comparison to a bad year, but some Grand Valley government entities report an increase in year-over-year tax collections. According to its report for July, sales and use tax collections for the City of Grand Junction totaled $4.08 million, a 2.2 percent increase over July […]

Supplemental insurance can help take the sting out of health care costs

Mike Moran Business Times Amid the push to cover every U.S. citizen with health insurance, average insurance premiums continue to increase. The trend continues during an economic downturn that has many clients opting for lower monthly premiums and higher deductibles. When people face deductibles that amount to hundreds and even thousands of dollars, they also […]

Agreements help ease business succession

Mike Moran Business Times Life insurance, as they say, actually concerns the alternative to life. And in the case of business partnerships or corporations, what happens to the business after one of the principals dies can be covered by a policy that ensures assets go where the deceased intended. Such agreements also can ensure that […]