Virgil Boggess remains every bit as passionate about solar energy these days as he was when he started out in a nascent industry 33 years ago. If anything, he’s more excited about the financial incentives, technological developments and changing attitudes that have made solar energy systems increasingly popular to a growing market. Even as the […]
A monthly measure of consumer confidence has seesawed back up on more upbeat assessments of business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) advanced more than nine points to 70.8 in January. The CCI gained a total of almost 24 points in November and December before losing nearly four […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Daniel Hannaher has been helping small businesses since he was a child working at his family’s office furniture dealership in North Dakota. Of course, the role is considerably different today for Hannaher, who’s in charge of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in a six-state region that includes Colorado. Still, […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Having served during some of the best and subsequently worst of economic times in Mesa County, Craig Meis says he’s heartened by indications conditions are slowly improving again. “As a community, we have cause for optimism,” said Meis, a Mesa County commissioner since 2005. Sales tax revenues have increased even […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Brad Stieg keeps an old photograph of his grandmother standing next to long shelves stocked with food she’d canned in glass jars. Stieg said his grandmother was a stickler for correctly processing foods and wouldn’t use inferior canning lids — even if her son had invented them. It’s a testament, […]
The City of Grand Junction and Colorado Department of Revenue will present two free sales tax classes. The first class is set for 10 a.m. Feb. 29 at the City Hall Auditorium, 250 N. Fifth St. The class will cover tax licenses, sales tax rates, use tax requirements and available resources. The second class is […]
Registration remains open through Feb. 29 for a workshop that will offer Colorado farmers and ranchers information about agritourism opportunities for their operations. The workshop is set for March 3 at the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Colorado Springs. The event will include sessions on available resources, liability, marketing and price development […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Two months after the fact, sales tax reports confirm what many Mesa County retailers already knew: Holiday sales increased compared to the year before. The latest gains extend an upward trend in year-over-year increases in tax collections government officials say reflect slowly improving economic conditions. “Hopefully, we’re stabilizing here,” said […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: A group of Colorado Mesa University students aspiring to become future business leaders hosts an event each year featuring current business leaders. While serving primarily as a fund-raiser, the Distinguished Executive Program Dinner also offers a chance for students, as well as others, to talk with invited guests about their […]
A measure of construction activity in the United States declined in the fourth quarter of 2011, but remains well ahead of last year. Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) fell from 8.1 months to 7.8 months. The latest reading is 3.2 percent lower than the third quarter of 2011, but […]