Mesa County jobless rate climbs

Phil Castle, The Business Times The unemployment rate continues to increase in Mesa County along with layoffs in the energy sector. If history repeats itself, the jobless rate could climb even higher with additional layoffs after the holidays before warmer weather and the seasonal hiring that goes with it returns. “I would expect it to follow […]

Gold’s Gym helps clients reach next level in performance

Phil Castle, The Business Times People resolved to get fit  — and there are a lot of them at the beginning of a new year — can get help at Gold’s Gym. That includes small group classes designed to enable them to reach the next level in their personal performance regardless of where they start. […]

Tax collections continue upward trend in 2015

Phil Castle, The Business Times Year-over-year gains in sales, use and lodging tax collections in December added to higher numbers in the Grand Valley during 2015. Mesa County reported a 5.1 percent increase in sales and use tax collections for 2015 over 2014. The City of Grand Junction reported a 2.6 percent increase. Lodging tax […]

Marketing director: Healthy journeys start at Crossroads

Phil Castle, The Business Times Crossroads Fitness kicks off the new year with a challenge designed to not only promote health and fitness, but also help participants stick to their resolutions. “We’re just getting people to engage in healthy activities, to create consistency in their workouts,” said Paula Reece, who operates the Grand Junction health […]

Businesses sought to join in internship program for young adults

Phil Castle, The Business Times It’s a chicken-and-egg dilemma: Young adults need experience to compete for jobs, but encounter difficulty landing jobs to gain experience. Meanwhile, employers lament their own difficulties in finding qualified applicants with the required skills and work ethic. A new program under way in Mesa County is expected to address both […]

2015 a “happy year” for real estate

Phil Castle, The Business Times Increases in the number and dollar volume of real estate sales in December added to what industry observers characterized as a good year for the Mesa County market. “If you can have what you call a happy year, it was 2015,” said Annette Miller, senior vice president of Heritage Title […]

Leap frog: Brand switch bolsters spa sales

Phil Castle, The Business Times The old saying about what happens in offering a better mousetrap apparently holds true — at least when it comes to spas. Customers have been beating a path to the door of Watermark Spas & Pools in Grand Junction to purchase Bullfrog spas. Sales have doubled over the past year, […]