Phil Castle, The Business Times The upward trend in sales tax collections in the Grand Valley has prompted increasingly upbeat projections for the remainder of this year as well as next year. “We certainly think we’re headed in the right direction,” said Frank Whidden, deputy Mesa County administrator for resource management. “We think it’s encouraging,” […]
A monthly measure of optimism among small business owners has declined on less upbeat expectations for capital outlays and hiring. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index retreated eight-tenths of a point in September. At 95.3, the index remains nearly five points below its prerecession average of 100. “Small […]
Lodging tax revenues have rebounded as the measure of hotel and motel stays in Grand Junction continues to outpace last year. According to the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau report for September, $140,007 in lodging taxes were collected, a 3.5 percent increase over the $135,317 in collections reported for the same month last year. […]
The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors has endorsed a slate of seven candidates in the upcoming election — all of them Republicans. The chamber board also came out against a ballot measure requiring labels for genetically modified organisms in foods. In the race for the Mesa County Commission seat in District […]
United Way of Mesa County has launched its latest fund-raising campaign with more than $400,000 already raised in workplace contributions. Workplace drives at 28 so-called Pacesetter companies and organizations raised a total of $407,472. That’s more than 37 percent of the $1.1 million goal for the 2014-2015 campaign. On average, contributions from Pacesetters account for […]
An annual country music festival in Mesa County generates nearly $11 million in economic benefits, a new study estimates. The addition of a second festival next year is expected to push that number even higher. Townsquare Media, a media company that operates radio stations and live events across the United States, commissioned the analysis of […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Tom Sawyer knows from personal experience the importance of financial modeling to business management. A self-described serial entrepreneur with a long and varied career, Sawyer said he’s repeatedly relied on financial modeling to project everything from sales and revenues to production costs and staffing needs. The end result of the […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times While average wages paid in Mesa County remain well below the national average, local pay has increased as the economy has recovered. “That’s a really good indicator,” said Suzie Miller, business services manager at the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. According to statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Like so many entrepreneurs, Pattie Dravis traces the origin of her business to the moment she realized she could make a better product — or in her case, bake a better product. Dravis recalls she was at a birthday party and had grabbed a store-bought cupcake only to discover the […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Annette Miller most often uses the word steady to describe the real estate market in Mesa County. While the number of transactions lags slightly behind last year, the combined dollar volume of those deals slightly outpaces last year. Meanwhile, the property foreclosure activity that tends to pull down prices has […]