Office furnishing firm: new name, renewed focus

Tom Huerkamp learned from one of his early business mentors to remain cautious during booms and aggressive during downturns. That seemingly counterintuitive approach has worked well for Huerkamp and the commercial furnishing and installation company he founded with his wife more than 40 years ago. The firm doubled business in 1982, the year Exxon announced […]

Mesa County tumbles to 57th in list of best-performing areas

Mesa County tumbled 54 spots in an annual ranking of how well small metropolitan areas create and sustain jobs. The Grand Junction metropolitan statistical area, which equates to Mesa County, fell from third to 57th among 179 small metro areas ranked in the 2010 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index. The annual rankings constitute a lagging […]

Local stations compete in television ratings race

November is one of those months in the television industry when prime time programs can be a little spicier and newscasts feature enticing special reports. It’s a Nielsen ratings month, when the national company surveys households to determine viewership for various programs. The results also determine what networks and local TV stations charge for commercial […]

Williams diversifies with major oil play

Williams has announced a deal to acquire more than 85,000 acres in one of the biggest onshore oil plays in the country in a move to more than triple oil production for a company better known in Western Colorado for developing natural gas. Williams announced an agreement to acquire from private owners a total of […]

Mesa County foreclosures rise again in third quarter

Foreclosure activity continued to increase in Mesa County during the third quarter, with foreclosure filings and sales both up from last year. With the latest increases, Mesa County ranked third among the most populous counties in Colorado for the highest foreclosure rate. According to statistics reported by the Colorado Division of Housing, 451 foreclosure filings […]

County sales tax revenues up second straight month

For a second straight month, Mesa County has reported an increase in sales tax collections over last year. According to the October report, which reflects consumer spending the month before, the county collected $2.96 million in sales tax revenues. That’s a 3.15 percent increase over the report for October 2009. However, October 2010 revenues were down […]

City proceeds with public safety initiative

Construction is expected to begin in April on a project to replace and renovate aging police and fire department facilities in Grand Junction. The Grand Junction City Council has directed city staff to proceed with a public safety project to build a new building for police and an emergency dispatch center as well as remodel […]

Western Slope energy outlook: Multiple factors affect industry

Global energy consumption is sure to increase, especially with emerging markets in China and India. And a bevy of  discoveries of natural gas deposits portends well for that particular segment of the energy business. However, with natural gas prices at lower levels than during the boom days of 2005 to 2007, companies face a bit […]