Phil Castle, The Business Times While a pandemic derailed what was forecast as a good year for the Mesa County economy in 2020, there are opportunities to get back on track in 2021. The unemployment rate has retreated nearly seven points since peaking in April even as the labor force has grown and wages have […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Employment is expected to grow in Colorado next year, but not enough to recoup job losses attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Payrolls are expected to increase 40,500 in 2021, about a third of estimated job losses for 2020, according to the latest Colorado Business Economic Outlook. The […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times As a fourth-generation rancher on a century old family operation in Eastern Colorado, Wil Bledsoe brings a long-term perspective to the agricultural and food industry in the state. His takeaway from 2020 and his prediction for what could happen in 2021? “Always expect the unexpected.” Bledsoe was among five panelists […]
A business certification program implemented in response to the pandemic in Mesa County could serve as a model for similar efforts elsewhere in Colorado. A coalition of businesses, chambers of commerce, hospitals and trade associations submitted a proposal to Colorado Gov. Jard Polis and the director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment […]
The Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction created a virtual call center, hosted customized hiring events and offered other services to those looking for jobs and new hires, according to an annual report on workforce development activities in Colorado. The Colorado Workforce Development Council submitted the report on activities funded through the Workforce Innovation […]
Colorado received more than $57 million in the latest disbursement of revenue from energy production on federal lands in the state. The disbursement was about half the $108 million Colorado received for the 2019 fiscal year, though, and the lowest amount in the last five years. The money was part of more than $8 billion […]
A realignment of U.S. Bureau of Land Management district boundaries in Colorado has resulted in the establishment of an Upper Colorado River District headquartered in Grand Junction. The federal agency realigned boundaries for what are four districts in Colorado. This effort is expected to create more efficient geographic boundaries as well as improve public and […]
Comments will be accepted through Dec. 15 on final designs for highway and street improvements planned for an area in downtown Grand Junction. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) offers virtual reviews for its final design for a project involving the Interstate Highway 70 Business Loop, First Street and Grand Avenue. “This stretch of I-70B […]
Registration is underway for the Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association annual conference, an event that will be conducted virtually. “With a very reasonable registration rate and no need to travel, we expect even more registrants than the 300 we typically have for in-person conferences,” said Robert Sakata, president of the group of growers. “While […]
Payrolls grew and the unemployment rate slipped in November as labor conditions continue to recover in the United States. The payroll gain was the smallest in six months, however, a slowing in hiring attributed in part to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Nonfarm payrolls increased 245,000 and the jobless rate edged down two-tenths of a […]