Nearly every election in Colorado presents the same grim prospect: Voters will further clutter the state constitution by approving needless new amendments. The upcoming mid-term election is hardly an exception with seven proposed amendments on a lengthy ballot. Even more disconcerting, some of the amendments could add still more knots to what’s already a hopelessly […]
U.S. Senator — Michael Bennett. U.S. Representative (3rd District) — Scott Tipton. Governor — Tom Tancredo. Colorado Senator (7th District) — Steve King. Mesa County Commissioner — Steve Acquafresca. Amendment 60 — No. Amendment 61 — No. Amendment 63 — No. Proposition 101 — Yes.
A monthly measure of consumer confidence has retreated nearly five points on what one official described as a “grim” outlook for the economy. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) dropped 4.7 points to 48.5 for September. Consumer assessments of present business and labor conditions as well as their expectations for the […]
The recession has restricted the ability of many small businesses to obtain traditional bank financing. Until commercial lending loosens up, here are seven alternative ways small business owners can access capital to stabilize and grow their businesses: Sell a minority stake in the company: Large companies typically have numerous owners. Many large private companies go […]
Small businesses will receive some assistance in newly enacted federal legislation that includes tax breaks as well as fee waivers for lending programs backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The measure also establishes a $30 billion fund designed to help smaller banks make more loans to businesses. The legislation constitutes a good start that’s […]
Registration is under way for a presentation on personal motivation and team building during stressful times. The Book Cliff Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) has scheduled the presentation as part of its Oct. 20 meeting. The event is set for 6 p.m. at Two Rivers Convention Center, located at 159 Main […]
American inventor Thomas Edison coined the phrase “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 perspiration.” I’m not sure the percentages are always the same, but Edison stated an undeniable principle: Nothing happens without a good idea and a lot of hard work. There are some very good idea people and there are a lot of […]
Business owners and managers realize that having difficult conversations with employees sometimes comes with the job. So owners and managers attend training and listen to webinars that outline what difficult conversations sound like. They gain an understanding of what’s expected and plan on how they’re finally going to talk to “that” employee. Only the conversation […]
Last month the Census Bureau reported the number of minority owned businesses in the United States increased 46 percent from 2002 to 2007. That’s good news. These new businesses create jobs and drive economic growth across the country. However, this increase doesn’t mean our work at the U.S. Small Business Administration is done. This is […]
An upcoming presentation in Grand Junction will focus on military veterans in the work force. The Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled the presentation for 11:30 a.m. Sept. 15 at Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main St. The event is open to the public, including business owners and managers, human resource professionals and office […]