Heidi Ihrke has watched her solar energy business grow from two employees to 20 over the past six years, a reflection in part of the kind of growth that has made Colorado a top state for employment in the industry. “Colorado promotes a good environment for solar to flourish,” says Ihrke, co-founder and co-owner of […]
Mark Snead’s outlook for the Colorado economy has changed over the past two years. An economist and lead officer of the Denver branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Snead presented a forecast in Grand Junction in 2009 in which he predicted an economic rebound in Colorado would lag behind the rest of […]
A monthly index tracking optimism among small business owners has increased for a second consecutive month, but not yet enough to reflect a significant change in outlook. The National Federation of Independent Business reported its Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.3 points in October to 90.2. Even with gains over the past two months, the […]
An Idaho-based company will oversee continued cleanup efforts at a former uranium ore processing mill near Moab, Utah, under a federal contract worth more than $121 million over the next five years. The Department of Energy announced it had awarded a competitive small business contract worth $121.2 million to Portage, an engineering and environmental remediation […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Annette Miller believes the Mesa County real estate market is still moving through a proverbial valley, and a wide one at that. But if recent trends continue, the market slowly will move out of that valley. Real estate sales remain on pace to top last year and reverse a four-year downward […]
Payrolls continue to grow, but not yet enough to substantially reduce unemployment in the United States. According to the latest Labor Department estimates, nonfarm payrolls rose 80,000 in October while the jobless rate dipped a tenth to an even 9 percent. The private sector added 104,000 jobs, while government employment continued to trend downward with […]
What attributes best characterize Mesa County? Is it the small-town atmosphere combined with big city amenities, the variety of outdoor recreational activities readily available or the caring nature of the residents? Those were among the ideas suggested during a brainstorming session for conveying a community image that promotes economic development. “They’re all very positive and, […]
Education and training key to developing the right workforce “It’s important that students have the skills and knowledge that an industry requires,” says Dana Nunn of Colorado Mesa University, “and the growth and development in our programs at CMU and WCCC will continue to reflect our commitment to the energy industry and enhance those relationships.” […]
When you say the word “shale” to someone on the western slope, you’ll get a reaction,” says David Ludlam, Director of the Western Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association, “And because of the western slope’s past history with oil shale, which is headed toward a more promising future today, the reaction is more of a […]
Newly formed district announces available grants. By using the newly formed Federal Mineral Lease District (FML) to receive federal lease funding, a new competitive grant process has been created to provide opportunities for eligible organizations to strengthen and enhance the communities of Mesa County. The grant approach was selected because of the business-driven, community-wide economic […]