Tax collections reflect increase in lodging stays

A monthly measure of hotel and motel stays in Grand Junction continues to track ahead of last year. According to a Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau report for July, lodging tax collections totaled 134,864. That’s  a 2.8 percent increase over tax collections reported in July 2011. July reports reflect hotel and motel stays in […]

Pace of sales tax collections slows

Phil Castle, The Business Times The pace of sales tax collections in Grand Junction and Mesa County has slowed, but year-to-date totals remain ahead of last year. Grand Junction reported only a slight gain in monthly sales and use tax collections in July, while Mesa County reported a nearly 1 percent drop in sales tax […]

Investment advisor: Economy stabilizing, but financial markets remain “skittish”

Phil Castle, The Business Times Doug May sees a disconnection between the U.S. economy and financial markets: While the economy has stabilized, the markets don’t yet fully reflect the change. “In my mind, the market is still skittish, much more skittish than the economy deserves,” says May, president and chief investment officer of May-Investments, a […]

Real estate outlook holds steady in an unsteady election year

Phil Castle, The Business Times:  Given increasing real estate activity in Mesa County, Annette Miller expects the market to hold steady in the midst of what’s typically an unsteady election year. If local economic conditions improve, so could the market. Still, foreclosure activity could affect prices, said Miller, senior vice president of Heritage Title Co. […]

Mesa County jobless rate takes a dip

Phil Castle, The Business Times: The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County has decreased even as payrolls and labor demand continue to increase. Monthly jobless rates still could vary. But as long-term trends persist, the outlook for recovery improves, said Suzie Miller, business services manager at the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. “It will […]

Fruita factory part of purchase of insulation manufacturer

A global building products manufacturer has purchased an insulation company whose operations include a factory in Fruita. Johns Manville has acquired Industrial Insulation Group and will operate ILG has a standalone company. No significant changes are planned for ILG operations, however, including the Fruita facility that employs about 100 people. ILG was formed in 2002 […]

Local firms rank among best companies for which to work

Edward Jones, Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado and JG Management Systems rank among the best companies for which to work in Colorado. Edward Jones, a financial services firm that operates offices in the Grand Valley, ranked first among large companies with 250 or more employees in the lateEdward Jones, Hospice & Palliative Care […]

Mesa County reports highest foreclosure rate among 12 metro counties

Despite a decline in foreclosure filings in July, Mesa County continues to experience the highest foreclosure rate among 12 metropolitan counties in Colorado. According to the latest statistics from the Colorado Division of Housing, 76 foreclosure filings and 57 foreclosure sales were reported in Mesa County during July. Compared to the same month last year, […]

Business assistance sought in preventing suicides

Phil Castle, The Business Times Businesses can play an important role in helping employees recognize and treat depression, in turn reducing a suicide rate that’s far higher in Mesa County than other areas of Colorado and the United States. That’s why Karen Levad hopes business leaders will join in a collaboration to help prevent suicide. […]

Small business optimism lags along with growth

A monthly measure of optimism among small business owners continues to reflect expectations for only sluggish growth in the months ahead. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported that its Small Business Optimism Index slipped two-tenths of a point to 91.2 in July The latest reading continues a string of recession-level readings that have […]