Phil Castle, The Business Times Seven candidates vying for election to the Grand Junction City Council emphasize the importance of everything from good infrastructure and streamlined regulation to public safety and especially affordable housing. The economic vitality of the city remains important as well to generate the funding needed to address problems. The candidates answered […]
A ground breaking ceremony celebrated the start of construction on a new performing arts center at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. CMU President John Marshall joined Doug and Jamee Simons, co-chairs of a fund-raising campaign for the project, at the event. CMU already has received $39 million in state funding for the project and […]
Tax collections, a measure of sales activity, continue to trend upward overall in Mesa County. Mesa County collected more than $3.4 million in sales taxes in February, an increase of nearly $106,000 and 3.2 percent over the same month a year ago. February collections reflect January sales. Mesa County tax collections on retail sales topped […]
Phil Castle, Business Times The monthly unemployment rate spiked again in Mesa County in January, but to a lower level that offers encouragement of improving labor conditions in the year ahead. More will be known when February numbers are released. There’s also a risk of recession that could affect the Mesa County market. “I think […]
United States payrolls continue to grow, although at slightly slower pace. Nonfarm payrolls increased 311,000 in February, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate edged up two-tenths of a point to 3.6 percent as more people looked for jobs. Estimated payroll gains for the previous two […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Real estate sales continue to decline in Mesa County as higher interest rates make financing on home purchases less affordable. Year-over-year decreases in transactions and dollar volume are all the more dramatic given what was a robust market in early 2022. While the trend could continue, industry observers hold out […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Nominations will be accepted through March 15 for new awards honoring the memory of a Colorado Mesa University alumnus. The CMU Alumni Association will present the Doug Sortor Maverick Spirit Award to an alumnus or alumna who supports CMU and Western Colorado Community College. The Honorary Maverick Alumni Award will […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Pressed to succinctly assess the efforts of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, Curtis Englehart settles on two words: positive momentum. After scoring five of what he terms wins — business relocations or expansions — in the fourth quarter of 2022, the executive director of the economic development organization holds out […]
The technology industry generated more than $75 billion in economic output and directly accounted for 9 percent of employment in Colorado, according to the results of a report prepared for an industry group. “This report provides detailed information on our growing technology industry and work force in Colorado and the immense impact the industry has […]
A woman who’s served in leadership roles in mentoring youth and women coaches and also operates a small business has been hired to lead the Small Business Development Center network in Colorado. As the new state director, Hannah Krieger will administer programs and services offered at 14 full-time centers and 50 satellite offices across Colorado. […]