Phil Castle, The Business Times Rich Wobbekind foresees good things in the year ahead for the Mesa County economy and local businesses. “Right now, the economy here looks to be in a very strong growth phase,” said Wobbekind, senior economist at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The agriculture, […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Ivan Geer enjoys his career as an engineer because, he says, he likes to learn how things work and solve problems. He also prefers a team effort over top down management. It’s an approach Geer says he brings not only to his role as an owner of River City Consultants […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The monthly unemployment rate remains unchanged in Mesa County even as labor demand remains strong, especially in the health care sector. The labor force continues to grow, positioning the county well for the year ahead, said Curtis Englehart, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. “I’m hopeful […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times While a pandemic sidetracked business and economic growth in Mesa County, the area is recovering. The prognosis for 2022 is mostly upbeat. “The overall health isn’t bad,” says Rich Wobbekind, senior economist at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Higher commodity and natural gas […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Employment is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in Colorado in 2022, according to the latest results of an annual business and economic forecast. But some industry sectors will continue to lag, says Rich Wobbekind, senior economist at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder. […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times After a banking career that’s extended more than 20 years, Karen Troester cites the same two things as the most enjoyable aspects of her job. “Helping people and watching them be successful.” Troester expects that to continue in her latest role as president and chief executive officer of Grand Junction […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Lynnea Tai considers 2021 her best year in business by any measure — not only sales and revenue, but also the number of events in which she’s participated and the extent of her community outreach. “It’s been a lot of work. But it’s amazing to me,” Tai said. “ I’ve […]
The question for Mesa County business owners and managers isn’t only whether the upcoming holidays will be merry and bright. That’s important, especially for retailers. But what about 2022? Fortunately, there are some encouraging words in the latest business and economic forecast for Colorado. While the COVID-19 pandemic sidetracked business and economic growth in Mesa […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The number of real estate transactions in Mesa County continues to trend down compared to what was a busier time last year. But higher prices and large commercial deals have propelled the year-to-date dollar volume past the $2 billion milestone. There are signs the market could return to more normal […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times There’s more than fun to games. Jennifer Stoll makes it her business to quantify just how much more. Stoll believes it’s important to recognize the role of sports in generating billions of dollars in direct and indirect spending, building tax bases and contributing to economic development. That’s not to mention […]