Tony Gagliardi spends his winters and springs lobbying at the Colorado Capitol and his summers and falls talking to small business owners across the state. One thing has everything to do with the other. As state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, Gagliardi bases his lobbying efforts on what he hears from owners […]
Apartment vacancy rates held steady in Grand Junction during the second quarter at their lowest level in two years even as average rents dropped nearly $26. According to the latest results of a quarterly survey conducted for the Colorado Division of Housing, the average apartment vacancy rate in Grand Junction remained unchanged at 6.3 percent. […]
The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County retreated in July even as increasing labor demand in several industry sectors offers encouraging signs of job growth. “I think it’s going to be slow growth. But I think we’re at a point where we’re going to see some growth,” said Suzie Miller, an employment specialist with the […]
Actor Alan Alda once offered a memorable observation of human behavior. In a commence address at Connecticut College, where his daughter was graduating, Alda said: “Deep in our hearts we know the best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come […]
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper launched a statewide grassroots economic development initiative in the Grand Valley and returned here to promote the results of the effort. “Where better than to do it it here?” Hickenlooper said during a stop at Lewis Engineering, a precision machining, assembly and design firm in Grand Junction. Hickenlooper toured the facility […]
A continued effort to interview Mesa County business owners to identify and help them overcome barriers to growth ranked among the most popular plans to come out of the latest in a series of economic development brainstorming sessions. “There were all kinds of ideas,” said Diane Schwenke, president and chief executive officer of the Grand […]
2011 has turned out far differently than what Doug May anticipated back in January. Forecasts for economic growth, albeit modest, have given way in the aftermath of extreme volatility in the financial markets to concerns about stock market declines and a return to recession. “The economy is much, much, much slower than I expected,” says […]
Debbie Kovalik increasingly hears what she considers encouraging words about retail development in the Grand Valley. As the department director over economic, convention and visitor services for the City of Grand Junction, Kovalik serves as a point of contact for businesses interested in expanding or opening retail ventures in the area. She said she’s talking […]
While one measure of real estate activity in Mesa County movers higher, another measure continues to decline. According to figures compiled by Annette Miller, senior vice president of Heritage Title Co. in Grand Junction, 235 real estate transactions worth a combined $48.32 million were reported in Mesa County during July. The number of transactions was […]
As the sun shines intensely through a clear summer sky, Derek Elder walks behind a long row of photovoltaic solar panels to a check a digital readout monitoring how well the panels convert all that sunshine into electricity. Over the course of the next year, Elder expects the 88 panels to generate a total of […]