Colorado business index rebounds from four-month slump

An index tracking business conditions in Colorado rebounded in October to end a four-month slide as prospects improved for computer and electronic component manufacturers as well as the energy industry. The Business Conditions Index rose 1.4 points to 53.3. The gain was the first since May and pulled the index off its lowest level in […]

Grand Valley Power names new manager

A lawyer who’s worked for a Texas electrical cooperative for more than a decade is expected to take over next year as the new general manager of Grand Valley Power. Thomas Walch has been hired as executive vice president and general manager of the Grand Junction-based not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative. Walch succeeds Jack Broughton, who […]

Industry veteran new president of American National Bank

An executive with more than 30 years of industry experience has been hired as the new president of American National Bank. Koger Propst oversees a bank that operates a total of 36 locations in Colorado and Wyoming, including locations on the Western Slope and in Grand Junction. “We are extremely pleased to have Koger join our […]

Fast-growing grocer plans Grand Junction store

A Colorado-based chain of grocery stores that’s quickly expanded by selling natural and organic products at competitive prices has announced plans to open an outlet in Grand Junction. Sunflower Farmers Market expects to open a 28,000 square-foot store in the Rimrock Crossing Shopping Center next fall. Sage Horner, vice president of merchandising and marketing for […]

Proactive process: New director plans more aggressive approach to economic development

Proactive process: New director plans more aggressive approach to economic development

Kelly Flenniken brings a new title and a new role to a new approach to economic development. As executive director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, Flenniken will oversee efforts to leverage local business connections in proactively developing leads for new and expanding companies. “We’re going to be more aggressive going forward,” she says. Flenniken […]

Grand Valley restaurant reinvented

Grand Valley restaurant reinvented

Opie Johnson has helped reinvent a Grand Junction restaurant, turning what was a franchise diner into a unique operation that serves fare with a thoroughly local flavor. “We’re the absolute epitome of a local eatery,” says Johnson, general manager of Cinnamon Grill. Formerly a Black Bear Diner, the restaurant has dropped the franchise and its […]

Decline in SBA-backed loan activity in Mesa County bucks trends

The dollar volume of loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration continues to decline in Mesa County even as lending levels elsewhere in Colorado and the United States climb to record heights. While SBA officials and lenders were unable to pinpoint a specific reason or reasons for the diverging trends, they say many small […]