As my stories in this issue of the Business Times reflect, I spent a lot of time over the past two weeks covering meetings and news conferences. That included the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce state of the valley and legislative update meetings. That also included news conferences announcing an initiative to reduce tuition […]
With the change in real gross domestic product turning negative in the first quarter of this year, a question keeps popping up: Are we headed into a recession? While the National Bureau of Economic Research is the official arbiter of when recessions start and end, the definition is the economy contracts for two consecutive quarters. […]
In celebrating the efforts of small businesses, elected officials and policymakers must also celebrate the drivers of entrepreneurship and small business growth — and that includes Big Tech. Companies usually targeted by politicians and their appointees — Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, among them — have taken the entrepreneurial journey from startups to wildly successful […]
Recent headlines posed the question: Is the United States dollar in danger? Corresponding newspaper and cable television reports raised concerns over the possibility the U.S. dollar could no longer serve as the world’s reserve currency. What does it mean to be the world’s reserve currency? According to “A Primer on Reserve Currencies” by Brent Radcliffe, […]
There’s a conception of entrepreneurs as rugged individuals who pull themselves and their ventures up by their bootstraps. They work for themselves, call their own shots and assume the risks of their pursuits. I’m not an entrepreneur myself, but I’ve reported on their activities long enough to know there’s a lot of truth to that […]
As I begin today’s column, it’s hard to believe I have nothing I want to write about. After all, the world is upside down with fish-in-a-barrel content to jump upon. Please forgive me if you think I shouldn’t write about fish in a barrel having a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness […]
Of all the Ronald Reagan quotes I enjoy, this one might be my favorite: “Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.” I bet Ronnie is turning over in his grave knowing all too many Republicans believe this as well today. Just look at their […]
I’m reluctant to quote lines from a movie because of the nearly ubiquitous convention of so many who do. I’m willing to make an exception, though, because these particular lines encapsulate the sense of urgency I so often confront. I feel the need. The need for speed. Not as a jet fighter pilot, obviously. But […]
The pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry has the reputation for being all about large businesses, a mistaken view widely pitched in political circles. While large firms remain critical to the industry and the life-saving, life-enhancing treatments it produces — firms that grew as a result of producing new and improved drug treatments — it pays […]
Remember our parents’ warning about getting what we ask for coming back to bite us in our backsides? Even if we don’t, life has a way of making us realize what our parents warned about was an eternal truth. In my life, it’s more than just that single truth to be careful about as I’ve […]