Two Grand Junction wineries are the first Colorado in to take advantage of a law allowing wineries to share the same premises to manufacture their products. Two Rivers Winery has established what’s called an alternating proprietor licensed premises agreement to share a part of its operation with Kahil Winery. Kahil Winery is owned by Tyrell […]
A monthly index tracking conditions for small businesses in Colorado has climbed to its highest level in nearly four years as recession gives way to growth. “Even as the U.S. economy has slowed, Colorado continues its transition from serious recession to modest growth,” said Jeff Thredgold, a corporate economist who calculates the Vectra Bank Colorado […]
American inventor Thomas Edison coined the phrase “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 perspiration.” I’m not sure the percentages are always the same, but Edison stated an undeniable principle: Nothing happens without a good idea and a lot of hard work. There are some very good idea people and there are a lot of […]
The latest national labor estimates reflect little change in the United States with payrolls down and unemployment up, but only by slight amounts. The Labor Department estimated that nonfarm payrolls shrank 54,000 in August as temporary jobs ended for more census workers and declines in government and manufacturing employment offset gains in other industry sectors. […]
A monthly index tracking business conditions in Colorado has slumped to its lowest level in nearly a year, yet continues to forecast growth in the months ahead. The Business Conditions Index fell more than three points to 53. That’s the lowest level since the index stood at 48.7 in September 2009. Still, the latest reading […]
Business owners and managers realize that having difficult conversations with employees sometimes comes with the job. So owners and managers attend training and listen to webinars that outline what difficult conversations sound like. They gain an understanding of what’s expected and plan on how they’re finally going to talk to “that” employee. Only the conversation […]
A monthly measure of consumer confidence advanced in August on more optimistic expectations for improving business and labor conditions. Consumers remain less upbeat about present conditions, though, especially employment. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index rose 2.5 points to 53.5. The gain erases some of the declines over the past two months. […]
TheHill.com recently reported that House Democrats are focusing on the party’s small business agenda as a way to regain ground among voters. But considering the policies that a Democratic White House and Democrat-led Congress have been pushing for the past 20 months, is that really a smart strategy? Consider, for example, federal spending and taxes. […]
The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County held steady in July with only slight changes in the overall work force and the number of those counted as unsuccessfully looking for jobs. According to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), the unadjusted jobless rate remained unchanged at 9.5 percent. That […]
Exports of agricultural products from Colorado continue to grow with increased shipments of beef leading the way. The value of agricultural exports from the state totaled $508.9 million through the first half of 2010, a 27 percent increase over the same span last year, according to statistics reported by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. For […]