Small business optimism index rebounds to one-year high

A monthly measure of confidence among small business owners has rebounded to its highest level in a year, but not yet enough to reflect strong growth for the sector. “Small business confidence rising is always a good thing. But it’s tough to be excited about meager growth in an otherwise tepid economy,” said Bill Dunkelberg, […]

U.S. payrolls and jobless rate up

U.S. payrolls grew again in May. But the unemployment rate edged up as more people searched for worked. The Labor Department reported that nonfarm payrolls rose an estimated 175,000 with gains spread across several industry sectors. The jobless rate inched up a tenth of a point to 7.6 percent, an increase attributed to more unemployed […]

Public participation sought in Orchard Mesa planning

Phil Castle, The Business Times Three open houses are scheduled to answer questions and hear comments as work continues on a long-term plan for the Orchard Mesa area of the Grand Valley. The events will offer business owners and managers as well as residents an opportunity to participate in the process of drafting a plan […]

Trends continue to point to improving real estate conditions

Phil Castle, The Business Times Increasing real estate activity and decreasing property foreclosure activity continue to point to improving conditions in Mesa County. “We keep trudging that way, and it’s really great to see,” said Annette Miller, vice president of Heritage Title Co. in Grand Junction. Michael Burkhard, a real estate agent with RE/MAX 4000 […]

British diplomat sees opportunities for Grand Valley businesses

Phil Castle, The Business Times A British diplomat building relationships between Colorado and the United Kingdom sees potential in the Grand Valley for increased exports of agricultural products and wines as well as more tourism business from visiting Brits. Regardless of what industry sector is involved, though, a wide range of information and assistance is […]

New name reflects growing mission for hospice organization

Phil Castle, The Business Times An organization that for 20 years has provided a growing array of services to people facing serious illnesses, end of life and grief has changed its name to better reflect its expanding mission. Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado is now HopeWest. “It’s who we’ve become as an organization,” […]

Emergency preparedness group plans West Slope meeting

An organization that promotes collaborative efforts between the private sector and government in responding to disasters has scheduled its first official meeting in Western Colorado. The Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership (CEPP) will host the meeting at 9 a.m. June 13 at the Colorado Mesa University Center, located near 12th and Elm streets in Grand Junction. […]

CMU students place second in national marketing competition

A team of five Colorado Mesa University students placed second in a national marketing competition. Sara McGuire, William Owen, Jackie Ramsey, Jeff Loveland and Sylvester Thabit competed in the first AT&T Campus Marketing Challenge. Teams from six universities created marketing and sales agencies for a semester. The students received $3,000 and mobile telephones to implement […]