Consumer Confidence Index rebounds

A monthly measure of consumer confidence has rebounded on more upbeat assessments of business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index rose 11.4 points to 135.7 in July, the highest level this year. The gain more than offset a drop in June attributed to concerns about trade and tariffs. “Consumers are […]

Grand Valley tax collections on the rise

Tax collections, an indicator of sales and economic performance, continue to increase in Grand Junction and Mesa County, according to the latest reports. Combined sales and use tax collections for the City of Grand Junction increased 4.4 percent in June. Mesa County reported a 5.6 percent gain. Lodging tax collections on hotel and motel stays […]

CNBC: Colorado ninth among top states for business

Colorado continues to rank among the top 10 states for business in the latest results of an annual analysis that takes into account more than 60 measures of competitiveness. Colorado ranked ninth overall in the latest list of America’s Top States for Business complied for the CNBC cable television network. To determine the ranking, each […]

Wallethub ranks Colorado 10th in entrepreneurial analysis

Colorado ranks 10th among the 50 states in the latest analysis of the best places to start and grow businesses. Colorado ranked sixth for its business environment, 18th for access to resources and 34th for business costs in an analysis conducted by WalletHub. The personal finance website used information from federal agencies, foundations and media […]

Local information exchange advances in national competition

An information exchange designed to help those at risk and promote their well-being has been selected as a semifinalist in a national health innovation challenge. The Quality Health Network based in Grand Junction announced its Community Resource Network is among five semifinalists in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Social Determinants of Health Innovation Challenge. “We […]

Program aids to increase employment for disabled

Colorado will join a growing number of states participating in a program to help people with disabilities obtain employment, the state labor and employment department announced. The Employment First initiative promotes competitive, integrated employment as the first choice for people regardless of the levels of their disabilities. “Our Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will be a […]

CU studies explore workplace harassment

American women experienced significantly lower levels of sexual harassment in the workplace from 2016 to 2018, but increasing levels of gender harassment, according to the results of new studies at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The results, published in the PLOS One journal, also found the effects of […]

In economic development race, tortoises beat hares

There’s a temptation in economic development to look for the silver bullet, the one solution to solve all problems and quickly bring prosperity to an area. But there’s another metaphor that might prove more useful in describing efforts to sustain an economy over the long term, and that’s the tortoise. While the announced plans to […]

Liquor Barn makes list of top retailers

Fisher’s Liquor Barn in Grand Junction has once again earned national recognition for its operations. Beverage Dynamics magazine, a trade publication for alcohol  beverage retailers, named Fisher’s Liquor Barn a Top 100 Retailer for a second straight year “It’s always an honor to receive this award,” said Brandi Pollock, owner of Fisher’s Liquor Barn. “It […]