Home builder plans Star effort

Darin Carei draws a distinction between the home construction techniques required by building codes and the techniques required to meet Energy Star standards for energy efficiency. “The code is the way we can build and Energy Star is the way we should build,” says Carei, owner of a Senergy Builders in Grand Junction. Carei expects […]

Development plan proceeds with meeting on energy hub

Having helped set goals for economic development in Mesa County, business owners and managers are encouraged to now help decide how best to achieve those goals. A two-hour meeting is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. June 29 at the Colorado Mesa University College Center ballroom in Grand Junction to discuss ways to establish a hub for […]

Monumental change: Committee considering national park designation

Monumental change: Committee considering national park designation

Joan Anzelmo hears the same story nearly every day. Travelers see the signs for the Colorado National Monument and pull off Interstate Highway 70 expecting to find a roadside marker or perhaps a statue of some sort. What they discover instead is a vast landscape of redrock canyons and towering spires. As superintendent of the […]

No ice, no problem: Rink goes green with synthetic surface

Charles Crawford operates an ice skating rink that offers all the advantages of a hard and smooth surface, only without all the disadvantages associated with actually freezing and grooming ice. Crawford and his wife, Elizabeth, own On Edge Skating, a Grand Junction business that provides one of the few year-round synthetic skating facilities in the […]

Uncivil workplace costly problem

An increasingly uncivil workplace costs businesses not only talented employees, but also paying customers. It’s up to owners and managers to address behavior that creates a “toxic environment,” said Evan Abbott, director of organizational development and learning for the Mountain States Employers Council (MSEC). “They set the tone. They create the norm of what’s accepted.” […]

Right code for marketing? Develop strategy first

Businesses enjoy more ways nearly every day to promote their products and services and connect with customers. But it’s important to put marketing strategies in place before using emerging techniques, not after the fact. The increasing popularity of quick response codes offers a good example, said Valerie Stow, an internet marketing specialist with RSW Partners […]

Nutritional supplement business flexes its muscles

Mary Leeds and Donnie Tanner consider themselves a fairly good representation of the demographic they expect their new Grand Junction business to serve. Leeds competes in fitness events, while Tanner maintains a hectic schedule as a crop duster, farmer and volunteer fireman. That’s not to mention their responsibilities as parents. The two say the nutritional […]

Mesa County jobless rate retreats to six-month low

The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County has retreated to its lowest level in six months, but a shrinking work force remains a concern. According to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), the seasonally unadjusted jobless rate in Mesa County fell three-tenths of a point to 9.8 percent in […]

Entrepreneur out to plug coming “brain drain”

Now that he’s hit 60, Tom Sawyer has begun contemplating retirement in earnest. The majority owner of a Grand Junction marketing and consulting firm, Sawyer looks forward to cutting back on his hours and eventually transferring management responsibilities to a successor. Because of differences in the way members of younger generations view work and careers, […]