The Grand Junction Economic Partnership is among the first recipients of grants intended to help communities start and grow semiconductor and advanced industries. GJEP — which represents in part Grand Junction and Mesa County — received $50,000 through the Colorado CHIPS Community Support Program. The grant will fund a market study to identify opportunities for […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times A celebration featuring a marching band, cheerleaders, an assortment of speakers and a bright orange ribbon cut in two marked the opening of the new Grand Junction High School and what officials at the event hailed as the collaboration that made possible it’s construction. “This new school is a testament […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Sadye Saad owns a clothing boutique. But she welcomes customers to a home away from home not unlike a certain fictional bar in a popular television series. “It’s all about connections,” Saad says. “When they walk in the door, we know them by name.” Saad says that was the case […]
The Colorado economy should continue to grow through 2024, but at what likely will be a slower pace, according to the latest results of a midyear business review. “Based on both the quantitative and qualitative information we have received, we are optimistic of a continued, but slower, growth path for Colorado,” said Richard Wobbekind, senior […]
A federal agency has launched a pilot program to increase access to working capital for small businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that lenders that participate in the SBA 7(a) loan guaranty program may accept applications for the 7(a) working capital pilot (WCP) program. “The SBA has expanded access to capital and increased small […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times An increase in real estate sales in July bodes well for a rebound in the Mesa County real estate market. So could what’s expected will be a decrease in mortgage interest rates. “What a difference a month makes,” said Robert Bray, chief executive officer of Bray & Co. Real Estate […]
Payrolls continued to grow in the United States in July, but at a slower pace than the average monthly gains over the past year. According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfarm payrolls increased 114,000. The unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a point to 4.3 percent, the highest level since […]
A measure of consumer confidence rebounded on more upbeat expectations for business and labor conditions. Still, concerns over inflation and interest rates persist. The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index rose 2.5 points between June and July to 100.3. A component of the index based on assessments of current conditions retreated. But a component […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Cindy Ficklin has spent the past two decades concurrently pursuing careers as both an educator and real estate agent. She combines those passions in her latest effort: a book she’s written and published to provide what she considers important information to homebuyers, particularly first-time homebuyers. Her primary motivation? “To help […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The monthly unemployment rate jumped again in June in Mesa County, a seasonal increase that’s been attributed in the past to high school and college graduates entering the workforce, but not yet finding jobs. The seasonally unadjusted jobless rate rose three-tenths of a point between May and June to 4.4 […]