The latest indicators offer an opportunity to once again attempt to connect the dots and, hopefully, complete a picture of the Grand Valley economy. For the most part, that picture is more encouraging. Additional information is available elsewhere in this issue of the Business Times, but a quick review here is in order: One of […]
Congratulations to Jack Hays, the latest winner of the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award bestowed as part of Entrepreneurship Day at Colorado Mesa University. Hays personifies the successful entrepreneur in his remarkable work in turning Western Pump & Dredge from a one-man startup into an enterprise with a staff of 500 and annual revenues of $100 […]
There’s encouraging news in the latest labor estimates for Mesa County as well as the most recent results of a quarterly survey of Colorado business leaders. The Mesa County unemployment rate dropped a half point to 5.3 percent in February, a welcome change of fortune after the usual spike in joblessness in January. What’s more, […]
There are dreamers and there are doers. Occasionally, there are those who are both dreamers and doers. It’s an important combination in successful entrepreneurs who develop better products and services and take advantage of opportunities few others recognize. Ron Allred constitutes a prime example of a dreamer and doer as the dentist turned developer who […]
It’s been written here before and undoubtedly will be again. Nonetheless, the statement deserves repeating. The best part about publishing a business journal is telling stories about hard-working entrepreneurs and the remarkable things they do not only with their businesses, but also for the communities in which they live. Every issue of the Business Times […]
A famous quote attributed to German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck perhaps best describes the legislative process. “Laws are like sausages,” Bismarck supposedly said. “It’s better not to see them being made.” Imagine then, the gruesome spectacles that must occur under the gold dome of the Colorado Capitol, where the process grinds even the most common-sense […]
There’s some good news in the results of research conducted by an associate professor at Oregon State University. Not surprisingly, a healthy sex life at home boosts employee satisfaction and engagement at work. The implications could turn “Not tonight dear, I have a headache” into “For sure tonight, dear, I have an important presentation tomorrow.” […]
The results of a national survey confirm what small business owners think about government regulations. What most owners think is there are an increasing number of regulations that are costly and difficult with which to comply and, in the end, offer little or no value to consumers. Here’s the bottom line, so to speak: Nearly […]
According to the latest results of an economic analysis, Grand Valley business owners and managers can thank tourists for at least a portion of their sales. The exact portion depends, of course, on the business. Hotels and motels, for example, rely nearly entirely on tourists. But restaurants and retailers also can attribute revenue to tourism […]
here are those who regard economic impact studies with suspicion — sometimes justifiably so — the benefits of this industry sector or that event are inflated. But the analysis conducted every two years of the economic effects of Colorado Mesa University in Western Colorado is, if anything, conservative in quantifying the role of CMU. And […]