Life as a trip adviser: Career to continue in consulting role

Life as a trip adviser: Career to continue in consulting role

Phil Castle, The Business Times Barbara Bowman has seen the views from the Devils Kitchen picnic area in the Colorado National Monument a thousand times. A slick rock canyon opens nearby, the bottom clogged with a jumble of boulders. The Grand Valley lies in the distance, the Bookcliffs and Grand Mesa delineating the horizon. Taking […]

Lodging tax increase headed to ballot

Phil Castle, The Business Times Representatives from four groups have voiced their support for a proposed increase in the Grand Junction lodging tax and in turn funding to promote tourism, air service and sports events. A committee comprised of members from the same groups also has been formed to campaign for the lodging tax measure […]

Couples makes a splash in opening wakeboard park

An entrepreneurial couple have made a big splash literally and figuratively in opening a cable wakeboarding park in Fruita. Since Victor and Kodi Imondi opened Imondi Wake Zone in June, more than 1,000 people have come to the park. Of those, 70 percent have come from outside the Grand Valley — some from as far […]

June joblessness jumps

Phil Castle, The Business Times The June jobless rate has once again jumped in Mesa County, spiking from what had been its lowest level in more than a decade. But after the seasonal speed bump, what’s been a trend of lower unemployment rates and a growing labor force is expected to resume, said Curtis Englehart, […]

Work force analytics touted as way to manage human assets

Phil Castle, The Business Times Most business owners and managers keep close tabs on assets, whether that’s equipment, inventories or accounts receivable. But Craig Madsen believes owners and managers also should pay attention to another important asset: the employees who work for them. Regardless of the opportunities or problems businesses face, employees play a crucial […]

Survey: West Slope wages going up

Phil Castle, The Business Times Western Slope employers expect to increase average wages in 2019 by the largest proportional amount in more than a decade, according to the latest results of an annual compensation survey. Pay raises are projected across Colorado next year as employers compete to recruit and retain workers, said Sue Wolf, director […]

Collaborative efforts with CMU promoted

Phil Castle, The Business Times Page Tucker promotes collaborations between his company and Colorado Mesa University, hiring students as first interns and then employees. CMU graduates prefer to remain in the Grand Valley, and Tucker’s only too happy to help keep local talent local, he said. “I think there’s lots of opportunities and lots of […]

Grand Valley sales tax collections trend upward

Sales tax collections, a key indicator of retail activity, continue to increase in the Grand Valley. The City of Grand Junction reported a 6.9 percent increase in sales tax collections for June compared to the same month last year. The proportional increase was even larger at 8.8 percent for Mesa County. Grand Junction lodging tax […]