Kelly Sloan, The Business Times Two state lawmakers discussed their victories and shared their frustrations about the latest legislative session during an annual review organized by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. State Rep. Ray Scott and State Sen. Steve King, both Republicans from Grand Junction, offered their takes on the session at the legislative […]
Kelly Sloan, The Business Times The West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association could withdraw its support for a proposal to change the Colorado National Monument into a national park if protections for the energy industry and economy are stripped from federal legislation at any stage of the process. Susan Alvillar, president of WSCOGA, presented those […]
Kelly Sloan, The Business Times Sharp differences of opinion over a proposal to change Colorado National Monument into a national park surfaced again during a public hearing in Grand Junction. U.S. Rep Scott Tipton — who, along with U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, is considering federal legislature to create Red Rocks National Park — said comments at […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County continues to drop, but along with it a labor pool that’s drained to its lowest level in nearly eight years. With fewer people in the work force, employers could face more difficulty in finding qualified applicants for job openings, said Suzie Miller, business services […]
A measure of local hotel and motel business has jumped with a more than 8 percent increase in lodging tax collections. According to a Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau report for April, $86,022 in lodging taxes were collected. That’s an 8.1 percent increase over the $79,596 reported for the same month last year. Because […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Year-over-year increases in sales tax collections in the Grand Valley continue to offer encouragement retail activity has picked up and economic conditions are improving. “Overall, it looks good,” said Jodi Romero, financial operations director for the City of Grand Junction. Frank Whidden, deputy administrator for resource management at Mesa County, agreed. […]
A Colorado man who has climbed some of the highest mountains in the world and survived an 80-foot fall into glacial crevasse will share his insights on resiliency during an upcoming leadership conference in Grand Junction. Local business owners and executives will address other topics during the June 6 event presented by Club 20, a […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times A regional bank holding company headquartered in Montana has announced plans to acquire a Grand Junction-based bank that has operated in Western Colorado for more than a century. Glacier Bancorp has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire First National Bank of the Rockies in a transaction valued at nearly […]
A bank that operates locations in Grand Junction and other Western Slope communities has announced an acquisition that will expand its operations in Colorado and Wyoming. ANB Bank has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Capital West Bank. ANB Bank, part of the Sturm Financial Group based in Denver, operates a total of 30 […]
Small business owners are more optimistic, but not yet as upbeat as they were before the recession, according to the latest results of separate measures tracking their outlook. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.8 points to 95.2 in April. The reading is the first above 95 […]