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 […]

Irrigation districts receive salinity reduction grants

A Grand Valley irrigation district has been awarded $2.8 million in federal funding to line canals and convert ditches into pipelines as part of ongoing efforts to reduce salinity in the Colorado River. Four irrigation districts in Western Colorado will receive a total of $20.1 million in cost-share awards, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced. “Salinity […]

Business coach out to bridge generation gaps

Tinker Barnett foresees problems for businesses unwilling to bridge generational gaps in the workplace. Aging baby boomers, many of them in management and ownership positions, must not only understand their differences with younger employees, but also adapt business practices to those differences to avoid costly turnover and lost productivity. While the issue isn’t as pressing […]