Phil Castle, The Business Times What’s usually the slowest quarter of the year for real estate activity in Mesa County was even slower this year. Year-over-year declines in sales and dollar volume in both March and January pulled down the overall numbers for the first quarter. “You still see the slowness we’ve been hoping would go away,” said Annette […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County has slipped from what’s usually the highest level of the year as labor conditions gradually improve. “I think we’re going to see continued, but very slow, improvement,” said Sue Tuffin, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center n Grand Junciton. Accrording to the latest statistical […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Answering three questions offered Don Stephens some of the direction that changed his life and, subsequently, the lives of millions of others. For Stephens, that meant founding Mercy Ships, an international charity that over the past 36 years has delivered an estimated $1 billion in medical services to more than 2.4 […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Bonnie Petersen remains hopeful Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will attend a meeting to talk face-to-face with representatives from across Western Colorado about ways to improve the economy in the region. The governor isn’t available to participate in what initially was scheduled as an April 23 meeting in Grand Junction. But as […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times In the beginning there were pots and pans, expensive ones stacked up inside a kitchen cabinet, but difficult to pull out one at a time without moving the whole pile or scratching the nonstick surfaces. Jenny Hall believed there had to be a better way to store cookware without all […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The jobless rate in Mesa County once again spiked in January, but at 8.3 percent was at the lowest level for the month since 2009. Moreover, increasing demand for seasonal and full-time positions offers encouragement labor conditions since have improved, said Suzie Miller, business services manager at the Mesa County Workforce Center […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times A small business advocacy group warns a court ruling threatens a constitutional right to vote on tax increases in Colorado. The ultimate outcome of the litigation could be higher taxes imposed by a Colorado Legislature unchecked by constitutional limits or voters, said Tony Gagliardi, state director of the National Federation of […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times What local government officials hoped might be a trend of increasing sales tax collections has ended. If there’s a consolation, declines reported in February come during what’s usually one the lowest months for collections anyway. The City of Grand Junction reported a 2.3 percent decrease in February sales tax collections compared […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Export opportunities exist for coal mined in Western Colorado, according to the founder of a research company that tracks coal from mines to markets on a global basis. The high energy content and low sulphur content make coal mined in the region especially attractive, said Stephen Doyle, founder and chief executive […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Even after studying the energy industry for 40 years, John Felmy remains surprised by innovations that could make the United States the top producer in the world. “It’s a really exciting time. I never dreamed this was possible,” said Felmy, chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute. A combination of hydraulic […]