Tax Freedom Day comes earlier in Colorado

Coloradans will work two days fewer this year than last to earn enough money to pay their taxes, according to the latest results of an annual analysis of income and tax statistics. Taxpayers nationwide won’t be quite as fortunate and will have to work three more days in 2011 than they did in 2010. Tax […]

Colorado business index rises as job prospects improve

A monthly measure of business conditions in Colorado continues to rise even as prospects for job growth improve. The Business Conditions Index rose 2.5 points in March to 59.6 on stronger readings for new orders, production and sales. “Our surveys over the past several months indicate that the region will add another 60,000 jobs by […]

U.S. payroll gains continue as jobless rate edges down

U.S. payrolls continued to grow in March as the unemployment rate edged down to its lowest level in two years. According to the latest Department of Labor estimates, nonfarm payrolls increased 216,000 and the monthly unemployment rate slipped a tenth of a percent to 8.8 percent. That’s the lowest jobless rate since March 2009. Labor […]

Changes Underway at Local Chamber Offices

Here’s a preview of a breaking story that will appear in the next edition of The Business Times. The full story will be available on April 7 when the print edition hits the news stands, and online later that day. Efforts are under way to hire executive directoras at both the Fruita and Palisade chambers of […]

Palisade entrepreneur named president-elect of international trade group

Scott Fasken, vice president of Colorado Document Security in Palisade, has been elected president-elect of the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID). Fasken was elected during the national convention of NAID, an international trade association for companies providing information destruction services. Fasken will assume the presidency in 2012, becoming the first person from a rural […]

Iconic entrepreneur to deliver address at Mesa State event

Half of a dynamic duo who turned an ice cream shop into an ice cream empire and became household names in the process will share his experiences at an annual Grand Junction event celebrating entrepreneurship. Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, will deliver the keynote luncheon address at Entrepreneurship Day April 20 at […]

Confidence index tumbles on less upbeat expectations

A monthly measure of consumer confidence has dropped on far less optimistic expectations for business and labor conditions over the next six months. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index fell nearly nine points to 63.4 in March. While consumers’ assessments of current conditions improved, a measure of their short-term outlook tumbled more […]

Green business good business

David Miller quickly dispels what he considers the myth that green business practices aren’t good business practices. Efforts to save energy, water and other resources also save money, Miller says. Moreover, businesses that strive to protect the qualify of life of the communities in which they operate engender customers who feel the same way and […]

County sales tax collections up, but lodging tax collections down

Sales and use tax collections continue to climb in Mesa County, but lodging tax collections dropped after three straight months of increases compared to last year. According to a City of Grand Junction report for February, sales and use tax collections totalled $3.68 million. That’s a 15.5 percent increase over the February 2010 report. Year-over-year […]

Mesa County jobless rate declines in February

The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County slipped in February from a seasonal peak, confirming assessments that local labor conditions have improved since the beginning of the year. Gilbert Lujan, supervisor of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction, expects the jobless rate to keep trending downward. “I think it will continue with the […]