Phil Castle, The Business Times Janie VanWinkle helps organize an annual parade of sorts through the Grand Valley that serves as a celebration of the contributions of farmers, ranchers and the agricultural industry. “It’s really just about awareness and celebration,” said VanWinkle, who works with her husband, Howard, and family on a cow-calf operation based […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Nathan Perry quantifies the Mesa County economy with a variety of indicators and statistics. And a few encouraging words. “I think Mesa County is doing really well,” says Perry, an economics professor at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction who compiles quarterly and twice-yearly economic updates for Mesa County and […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times In astronomical terms, summer officially started in the Northern Hemisphere with the solstice on June 21. But the summer tourism season started in the Grand Valley well before that. Before the Memorial Day holiday weekend in May even. Elizabeth Fogarty, director of Visit Grand Junction and the city’s destination marketing […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Tabi Britt hopes to change any perceptions of the Mesa County Workforce Center as a last stop for employers looking to fill vacancies or, for that matter, people looking for jobs. “I’d love to have them see us as their first stop,” says Britt, the new employment services supervisor at […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Brittany Dixon loves nothing more than bringing people to the table to discuss issues affecting Western Colorado. And she’s got a table. A figurative one in the coalition she oversees as the new executive director, but also literal ones at the events Club 20 hosts across the region. “There’s space […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Brad and Becky Brehmer could begin a lot of stories with the well-worn phrase “once in a blue moon.” Except it’s the Blue Moon. And it’s seldom just once. Not when it comes to the customers who’ve frequently patronized the couple’s downtown Grand Junction bar and grill for nearly 36 […]
Palisade winery fulfills grape expectations Phil Castle, The Business Times Patric Matysiewski and Kaibab Sauvage bring a passionate and innovative approach to growing grapes and making wines. But none of the pretension. It’s a combination the owners of Sauvage Spectrum say has resulted in unique and popular products as well as growing recognition for the […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times The owners of JFS, Låda Cube and Lyttle’s Fleet Maintenance manage far different companies. But they also share some things in common in overseeing fast-growing operations that provide unique products and services and emphasize customer service. What’s more, the three Grand Valley companies also are among the finalists in the […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Lisa Mills admires the passion and commitment the people who run community resource agencies and institutions bring to their missions to help others. “They’re more heart than anything else,” says Mills, behavioral health strategies manager for Mesa County. But those people also could benefit, she says, from more knowledge of […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Kelly Maves says she’s aggravated by what she sees as a contradiction: Calls for more affordable housing at a time when increasing regulations and fees on new home construction drive up prices. “It’s beyond frustrating,” says Maves, who works as a real estate agent and whose husband, Michael, operates Maves […]