Beltway and broadband measures added to city ballots

Phil Castle, The Business Times Grand Junction voters will be asked to finance construction of a beltway as well as give the city authority to explore options for broadband communications services under two measures that will appear on municipal election ballots. The Grand Junction City Council approved the addition of the measures to the ballot […]

Space for innovation: Entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses

Space for innovation: Entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses

Phil Castle, The Business Times Jon Maraschin knows well what happens when entrepreneurs gain access to equipment and counseling: They start and expand businesses. But the secret sauce, Maraschin says, is the collaboration that occurs whenever ideas are discussed, experiences shared and, in the end, businesses made even better. “That’s magic. That’s what we do […]

Leading index forecasts growth, but also risk

A monthly index forecasting economic conditions in the United States continues to rise, but at a slower pace that  could signal less growth in the months ahead. The Conference Board reported that its Leading  Economic Indicator edged up two-tenths of a percent to 121.1. Separate indexes tracking current and past economic performance also increased. Considered […]

Lodging tax collections trend upward

A monthly measure of hotel and motel stays in Grand Junction continues to trend upward. According to the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau report for January, $64,253 in lodging taxes were collected. That’s a 5.3 percent increase over the $61,014 in collections reported for the same month in 2014. Since lodging tax reports lag […]

Tax numbers reflect stronger holiday sales

Phil Castle, The Business Times If  tax collections are any indicator — and they usually are — Grand Valley businesses enjoyed slightly higher holiday sales this year. The City of Grand Junction and Mesa County both reported year-over-year gains in January sales tax collections based on December sales. The numbers are doubly important not only […]

State agriculture commissioner named

Don Brown, a third-generation farmer who’s been involved with a number of industry issues, has been appointed state agriculture commissioner. Brown succeeds John Salazar, who retired after serving four years. “We are fortunate to welcome Don Brown to the team and thrilled to add his experience and leadership to Colorado’s thriving agriculture industry,” said Colorado […]

Business offers trenchless sewer line repairs

Phil Castle, The Business Times Fred Shurtleff knows there’s more than one way to fix broken sewer pipes. There’s the traditional method, which means digging up a broken pipe and replacing it with a new pipe. But there’s also a trenchless method in which a pipe bursting head and new piping is pulled through the old […]

Entries sought for worksite wellness awards

Businesses that apply by March 2 for a Colorado program establishing benchmarks for healthy and safety workplaces also will be considered for a new award recognizing worksite wellness. The Governor’s Council for Active and Healthy Lifestyles will launch two new awards in 2015: The Governor’s Award for Worksite Wellness and Governor’s Award for School Health […]

Participant sought for efforts to invest in early stage firms

Phil Castle, The Business Times Matt Varilek hopes to convince more investment fund managers to participate in a government program that not only offers them the potential to earn higher returns, but also offers access to more capital to small businesses. “It’s truly a classic public-private partnership,” said Varilek, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration […]