The budget and redistricting likely will take up a lot of time during the legislative session in Colorado. But two Mesa County lawmakers also hope to reduce fees and taxes that affect businesses. Laura Bradford, a Republican from Collbran serving her second term in House District 55, said she hopes the Legislature will reverse course […]
Ernie Goss surprises even himself with his optimistic forecast for the Colorado economy in 2011. Goss expects conditions to improve and job growth to accelerate, especially during the second half of the year. “I’m much more upbeat today than I was six months ago,” says Goss, the eponymous director of the Goss Institute for Economic […]
The annual Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive didn’t go on as scheduled in Mesa County this year, but several Grand Valley businesses have pitched in to try to fill the gap. Led in part by KREX-TV, the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local No. 145 and the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, the collaborative […]
Chris Blackburn finds himself in a familiar territory of checkered tablecloths, terry cloth napkins and red glass candle holders. Framed black and white photographs cover the walls. And from somewhere in the background comes the unmistakable crooning of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. It’s no coincidence Blackburn has recreated the comfortable ambiance of a venerable […]
Nonprofit organizations in the Grand Valley face challenging times in the wake of the Great Recession. With unemployment above 9 percent in Mesa County, demand for services has increased. Meanwhile, businesses and families facing tighter budgets can be less likely to give as much as during better economic times. “It is down,” says Dan Wilson, […]
Matt Mayer foresees huge markets potentially worth billions of dollars for a unique medical device he’s helped develop. But he’s equally excited about another opportunity: reducing the risk of blood clots that kill hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year. “When you can save lives, that’s pretty cool,” says Mayer, president […]
As women head into the second decade of the 21st century in the Grand Valley, they can celebrate the strides women have made in realizing the opportunities once considered the domain of the “good ol’ boy network.” Women can be found at all levels of management — from a bank president to a grocery store […]
It’s billed as a cooperative effort to help Mesa County School District 51 prepare students for global competition in a rapidly changing world. The Grand Junction Forum, a committee of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, staged meetings for more than three years and announced in September the 500 Plan, a proposal to recruit 500 […]
Will the 2010 holiday shopping season in the Grand Valley be as strong as 2007, as poor as 2009 or somewhere between the two? These are the kinds of questions retailers and economic analysts are asking as the Grand Valley and nation head into what, from a sales standpoint, perennially raises hopes as the most […]
Less than three years ago, natural gas prices were rising as concerns mounted supplies would run short by the end of the century. Continued dependence on oil also raised fears and gasoline topped $4 a gallon in the summer of 2008. Now, in late 2010, prices for natural gas and gasoline have dropped. The price […]