GJEP update: Economic news mostly good

Phil Castle, The Business Times Steve Jozefczyk considers the economic news more good than bad for Mesa County. The unemployment rate has dropped even as sales and lodging tax collections have increased. So have passenger enplanements on commercial flights at Grand Junction Regional Airport. Moreover, Mesa County ranked 57th in the latest comparison of how […]

Ag big economic contributor, but faces challenges

Phil Castle, The Business Times The agriculture industry plays a substantial role in the Mesa County economy, but also faces encroaching development, changing attitudes and other difficulties. “It’s an ongoing challenge,” said Bruce Talbott, co-owner and operator of Talbott’s Mountain Gold in Palisade. Talbott was among three Mesa County producers who discussed the future of […]

President: CMU poised to serve as human-scale university

Phil Castle, The Business Times John Marshall keeps in his office a scale model of a barn, one built by an Ohio carpenter to show his new design. Marshall said his great-grandfather developed the design to provide more space inside barns and in turn offer his neighbors something better. Colorado Mesa University similarly could serve […]

Retired CMU president and geographic data firm awarded

The retired president of Colorado Mesa University and a geographic data company were honored for their contributions to economic development as well as their community involvement. Tim Foster received the Joseph Prinster Leadership Award. Kaart received the Charter Communication Spirit of Economic Development Award. The Grand Junction Economic Partnership presented the annual awards as part […]

Mesa County tax collections outpace 2020

Tax collections, a measure of sales activity, continue to increase in Mesa County. Mesa County reported collecting more than $3.7 million in sales tax in September, a 16.8 percent increase over the same month last year. The county also collected more than $472,000 in use taxes — nearly all of it on automobiles purchased outside […]

Grand Junction firms among companies to watch winners

Four Grand Junction-based firms are among the latest winners of awards honoring fast-growing Colorado companies. Aspen Technologies Group, Cloudrise, Growl Agency and Phoenix Haus are among the 50 winners in the 2021 Colorado Companies to Watch program. MLS Senior Care and Timberleaf Trailers were finalists. The awards will be presented in a gala scheduled for […]

U.S. payrolls up, jobless rate down

Payrolls keep growing in the United States, albeit at a slower pace, and the unemployment rate continues to drop. Nonfarm payrolls increased 194,000 and the jobless rate dropped four-tenths of a point to 4.8 percent in September, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest payroll increase was about […]