Phil Castle, The Business Times Chris Thomas heralds the long-anticipated construction of a new Community Hospital in Grand Junction with a single word: finally. There’s been a benefit, though, to the nearly decade-long wait. And that’s been ample time to design a facility from scratch that will meet the needs of patients, accommodate a rapidly […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County has dropped a full point, moving below the 5 percent milestone on its way to its lowest reading in nearly six years. Although the retreating jobless rate and a number of other indicators signal improving labor conditions, the labor force has yet to rebound […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The upward trend in sales tax collections in the Grand Valley has prompted increasingly upbeat projections for the remainder of this year as well as next year. “We certainly think we’re headed in the right direction,” said Frank Whidden, deputy Mesa County administrator for resource management. “We think it’s encouraging,” […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Tom Sawyer knows from personal experience the importance of financial modeling to business management. A self-described serial entrepreneur with a long and varied career, Sawyer said he’s repeatedly relied on financial modeling to project everything from sales and revenues to production costs and staffing needs. The end result of the […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times While average wages paid in Mesa County remain well below the national average, local pay has increased as the economy has recovered. “That’s a really good indicator,” said Suzie Miller, business services manager at the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. According to statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Like so many entrepreneurs, Pattie Dravis traces the origin of her business to the moment she realized she could make a better product — or in her case, bake a better product. Dravis recalls she was at a birthday party and had grabbed a store-bought cupcake only to discover the […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times While economic conditions are slowing improving for small businesses in the United States, obstacles continue to slow growth — among them government regulations and political uncertainty. “Things are heading up for small businesses, but the pace is too slow,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist of the National Federation of Independent […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Sue Tuffin has made a career out of bringing things together, in particular the myriad services offered at the Mesa County Workforce Center she’s run since the center opened in 1998. The center provides a range of services to people looking for employment, not to mention businesses looking for employees. […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Todd Conklin poses the same question whenever he has to make a decision: Does this help agents sell more real estate? The answers have guided training, marketing and other support for agents, Conklin said. The answers also have guided in a broader sense an operation that ranks among the fastest-growing […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times A Grand Junction entrepreneur who’s developed video-editing software that combines powerful features with ease of operation believes his product has a lot to offer in the classroom. And he’s inviting schools to try it out. The first 100 Colorado schools that sign up for the initiative will receive free use […]