U.S. job growth accelerates

The pace of job growth in the United States has picked back up with a bigger increase in hiring in June. According to Labor Department estimates, nonfarm payrolls increased 222,000. The unemployment rate edged up a tenth of a point to 4.4 percent as more people looked for employment. What’s more, initial estimates for payroll […]

Analysis: Colorado among best states in which to start a business

Colorado ranks seventh among the 50 states in an analysis of the best places to start and grow businesses. Colorado ranked among the top 10 states for its business environment and access to resources, but fared less well for business costs in the analysis conducted by WalletHub.  https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-start-a-business/36934/? The personal finance website used information from […]

Survey: West Slope employers expect smaller wage increases

Phil Castle, The Business Times Western Colorado employers expect to increase wages proportionally less than employers in other areas of the state, according to the latest results of an annual compensation survey. West Slope employers responding to a survey conducted by the Mountain States Employers Council projected an average pay increase of 2.4 percent for […]

Effects of minimum wage hikes studied

Low-wage workers tend to commute away from states that raise the minimum wage rather than toward them, according to the results of a study conducted at the University of Colorado that found that initiatives raising wages could have unintended consequences. “It found that low-skilled workers are actually migrating away from minimum-wage increases in their own […]

Hendricks properties in Mesa County listed for sale

LIV Sotheby’s International Realty has announced it’s listing property owned in Mesa County by John Hendricks, founder and former chairman of Discovery Communications. The listing includes the nearly 7,000-acre West Creek Ranch near Gateway as well as the Sky Adventures office building and hangar at the Grand Junction Regional Airport. The properties are priced at […]

Sprigs, Sprouts and FluffiLuff: ventures complementary

Phil Castle, The Business Times For Linda Bailey, the decision to buy a business that sells a line of products popular with her customers was a straightforward one. Faced with the prospect of losing those products, Bailey figured it was better to take over the operation. What’s more, the two Grand Valley businesses complement each […]

Energy group changes name and reach

What was a West Slope organization formed to educate people about oil and natural gas development has changed its name and reach. What was the Piceance Energy Action Council is now the Colorado Rural Energy Action Committee. “We understand that oil and gas development is statewide, and we need to expand our mission to educate […]