Stage One will bring Grand Junction’s first regional, studio-based, dance competition to town.
n Enrollment Decline
A myriad of reasons for school enrollment decline leads to local school closures.
n Williams Businesses
James and Samantha Williams collectively own several business and are involved in the community
n Affordable Housing
Scarcity of affordable housing and it’s impacts for the Grand Valley.
n Cloudrise Acquired
Cloudrise, a data-security company headquartered in Grand Junction, has been acquired by Exclusive Networks.
n
250th Knee Surgery
Dr. William Rainer surpasses 250 knee-replacement procedures utilizing the VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution and the ATTUNE Knee System.
n New Development
A news affordable housing development in Fruita is nearing
Enter: Stage One
Myriad
reasons
drive District 51’s declining enrollment
Brandon Leuallen The Business Times
The School District 51 Board of Education last week voted unanimously to close three elementary schools that were recommended for closure by Superintendent Brian Hill. Clifton, Scenic and Nisley elementary schools join two other schools the district closed in the past two years: East Middle School and Fruita 8/9 School.
The reason for closing schools is a simple one: shrinking student enrollment. The district’s enrollment has decreased by more than 2,000 students during the past five years, and it is projected to continue decreasing.
The reasons for the decline are more complex. Some seem obvious, but The Business Times reviewed data and conducted interviews to delineate those reasons and explain why the elementary-school level suffered the consequences.
A presentation titled “Creating a Sustainable D51,” available in the Quick Links of the district’s website, www. d51schools.org, says: “The number of elementary students living in Mesa County and attending Mesa County Valley School District 51 schools has steadily declined since our peak enrollment year in 2019, largely due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, state and nationwide declining birth rates, and families leaving our county and state for various reasons, including affordability.”
The following is a breakdown of the reasons:
Pandemic Impact on Enrollment
Enrollment numbers from the superintendent’s office, broken down by categories of students entering and leaving, showed the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020 had a significant impact on enrollment.
The district lost 873 students in 2020 due to moves out of the district, homeschooling, private schooling, out-of-district charter schools, and online schooling. In 2021, the district regained 155 students, resulting in a combined net loss of 718 students in the two school years.
The greatest loss during that time is attributed to homeschooling, with 220 students leaving. Among them 147 moved out of state, and 43 enrolled in nonpublic schools. Since then, the district experienced 632 students leaving in 2023 and 222 in 2024. See ENROLLMENT on page 10
Enter: Stage One
Local connection brings national dance promoter to Grand Junction for the area’s first regional, studio-based,
John Kelley’s passion for dance has been front and center no matter where life has taken him in education, marriage, parenthood or career.
“No matter what I’m doing or where I am in life, dance has always been an important part of it from being a part of a studio when I was younger to following me into working at competitions since 1999, the last 17 years with Stage One,” Kelley said. “And for the past several years, I’ve been trying to get Stage One to host one if its annual events in Grand Junction.”
In March of 2025, Kelley’s dream will come true as Stage One will be bringing a regional competition to Grand Junction at Colorado Mesa University’s just-opened Asteria Theater. “I think having a state-of-the-art venue put the choice to come to Grand Junction over the top with Stage One,” Kelley said. “And between the new (Grand Junction) High School and the Asteria, we now had two to choose from.”
But if you ask Greg Massay of Stage One, what put Grand Junction over the top was having a project manager the quality of John Kelley in making Grand Junction an easy choice for its newest host city.
“When we started out 29 years ago, we began in cities that were somewhere a little different, who hadn’t hosted larger competitions before,” Massay said. “When you go to a major metropolitan area, there are already several competitions in the planning so there’s competition for studios, competitors and entries.”
Massay noted that finding new host cities like Grand Junction also gives studios and teams a fresh atmosphere to compete against other teams they maybe haven’t seen before.
“And having an experienced managing director like John doing his job, that he’s done many times over the years in our other host towns, in his hometown from concept to through the entire weekend of the event is a great comfort level to have for this initial competition,” Massay said.
While the Grand Junction competition got started a little later in Stage One’s season than its other events, studios and high school
dance competition.
teams are warming up to the event and signing entries.
“We’re trending toward our goal of 200 or more entries,” Kelley said. “And that will make for a full day of competition and awards on Saturday for a first event.”
Massay added, “Studios and teams begin committing to competitions during the summer and early fall for competition season the following winter and spring, so we’re pleased how this initial Grand Junction event is proving to be filled like other first events we’ve had over the years. And, of course, if we meet those goals, we’ll be back again.”
One way the coming competition is being filled with entries is not unique, but certainly a familiar aspect for competitive dance teams and studios from the Grand Junction area, and that’s always traveling to compete. But with Stage One now coming to Grand Junction, local teams and dancers are eager to participate.
“As soon as I announced the competition to our team, the girls’ excitement was obvious,” said Kerri Bensley, coach of the Fruita Monument Poms dance team. “Without the cost of travel we can not only compete as a team, but also in solos, duets and trios. Better yet, we get to compete with friends in other local studios and invite more friends and family to watch the girls compete locally.”
For Crystal Heinsma, who helps operate the area’s oldest dance studio, Dance Works, with her mom Kathryn (its founder in 1980) and sisters April and Rachel, the feeling is mutual on travel and more.
“As a studio, we’ve traveled all over the country to compete over the years and are excited to have multiple entries for Stage One’s event,” said Heinsma.
Additionally, with her contacts from regional travel, Heinsma has been reaching out to studios she’s familiar with promoting the event.
“Stage One is passionate about building confidence in dancers through an encouraging atmosphere, and studios and teams across the region know what our studios and teams in western Colorado bring in terms of talent and the qualities of our dancers,” Heinsma said.
Brian Hill
Competition picture courtesy of Stage One Productions.
Williams defies 24-hour day, finds time to run one more business
Tim Harty The Business Times
FRUITA – James Williams and his wife, Samantha, own a music and clothing store in downtown Fruita. And a gym. And a concert-promotion business. And James is a touring musician.
Then, a few years ago he decided he had too much time remaining in the day to sleep, so he decided to run for public office, and he won election to the Fruita City Council.
Yeah, James Williams is kind of busy. So, the 52-year-old who has been in the Grand Valley about 25 years wasn’t looking to start another business. No time for it.
But sometimes the stars align – or your daughter Chloe comes home from college – and before you know it that business you never had time to pursue is a shiny new reality.
That’s pretty much how Rhema Talent Agency came to be, and Williams is ready to represent musicians, handling the minutiae that goes into booking gigs. The agency will be based at 219 E. Aspen Ave. in Fruita, the home base for all of his businesses.
Williams said he had long entertained the idea of starting a booking agency, because as a member of the Williams Brothers Band, or sometimes as a solo act, he’s had to do it for himself for a long time. He said he played his first show in 1990, then as his brain took a second before relaying the math, he realized, “Actually, wow, I guess it’s almost 35 years.”
Williams has experience, relationships and contacts in abundance, and others wouldn’t mind mining it.
“I’ve been asked over the past probably 15, 20 years if I would handle booking for a lot of people,” he said. “I’ve had that question pop up over and over and over. I’ve always had my idea to do this. Really I just didn’t have the time to dive into it.”
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
No time? Enter Chloe Williams, recent college grad, problem solver, Dad motivator and business starter.
“The big thing with this,” James said, “is that my daughter graduated college, so she was home this summer. She was able to help me work on all the paperwork, stuff like that. So, I needed that extra hand to help me do all the infrastructure to get it going.
“And she was here to help me with that, so that was the big catalyst for it. It presented itself, the timing was right for us to do it, and here we are.”
After a couple weeks of a “slow opening” of the business, Williams said he’s ready to do “a big push this week as I get all my email lists together and everything ready to push it out.”
He already has about seven or eight bands he’ll be working for, and while some of them are local – StrayGrass, The Frank Bregar Orchestra, The Violet Pines – he emphasized his scope is nationwide for artists and venues.
“Everybody is hand-picked. They’re bands we’ve worked with over the years, established relationships with,” Williams said, adding he just picked up the singer from Blood, Sweat & Tears, who is going out on a solo tour.
New acts are welcome to call, and anyone who wants to find out more about the agency can visit the website rhematalentagency.com. All genres are welcome, too, such as the Latin ska band he said he’s worked with for a while and is trying to get.
“It just depends on what it is and the talent level and production and professionalism and stuff like that,” Williams said. “We will take on new people as we can, and if it’s a good fit.”
James Williams shown performing with the Williams Brothers Band. Photo courtesy of the Williams Family Archives
Young families left behind in local housing construction
Brandon Leuallen The Business Times
Scarcity of affordable housing emerged as a key reason School District 51’s enrollment declined by 2,049 students in the past 5 years.
The impact of that decline was center stage at two District 51 Board of Education meetings last week, during which the board voted unanimously to close three elementary schools at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
District 51 demographer Shannon Bingham collected data that showed lack of affordable housing, especially starter homes, was one of the primary factors in an overall reduction of the Grand Valley’s school-age population.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with The Business Times about housing inventory, Grand Junction City Council member Scott Beilfus said, “Single-family homes is our biggest economic issue around here right now. We need to have an affordable way for working families to put down roots in Grand Junction and not just rent for the rest of their lives.”
Beilfus later added, “When you look at the demographics, elementary kids are the smallest group here and they should be the largest group. You know, in a family, once you have two kids you don’t want to live in an apartment anymore. You want a house. So, we should be addressing that issue big time.”
Identifying affordable housing as a problem is easy. Addressing it, on the other hand, is not so easy.
The Business Times reached out to local officials, builders and other stakeholders to explore the challenges preventing the construction of starter homes that young families desire and can afford in the area.
The demand is clearly there for building affordable homes, according to Diane Schwenke, a governmental affairs consultant for the Home Builders Association of Western Colorado and the Grand Junction Area Realtors Association. She said 80 percent of people who rent want to own a home, but they can’t afford it.
“It’s the lack of inventory that is driving up the cost, which is making it almost impossible for people to own a home, for sure,” she said.
In turn, she added, “The high cost of housing and lack of inventory makes it harder to bring businesses to town.
“We are competing with counties like Pueblo for business to move here. Pueblo’s cost of housing is at 82.7 percent of the (national) median. Grand Junction is at 116 percent. I mean, we’re up there with, we’re not quite Denver, but we exceed Colorado Springs in cost of housing.”
Similarly, Beilfus addressed the lack of single-family attached homes, such as condominiums. “We’ve had virtually no condos built here, which is a great entry-level housing piece, but in Colorado the warranty laws on a condo building enable the whole condo to sue a developer if something goes wrong in one of the condos.”
Beilfus continued, “They’re working to change all that, and I think if that ever happens, it’ll benefit Grand Junction, it’ll benefit the whole state. But right now, it is what it is, so we just have rentals in Grand Junction coming online.”
Echoing that sentiment, Schwenke added developers are likely to continue building multifamily units that they rent out themselves, and they’re unlikely to build multifamily units for sale.
That lack of affordable housing, especially single-family, detached homes, also stands to prevent District 51 from regaining the students it lost in recent years.
Data compiled by Bingham shows apartments have the lowest yield of students to the district, with just 0.12 students per unit. In comparison, single-family homes yield about 0.42 students per unit, while mobile homes generate roughly one student per home.
Despite the need, building affordable single-family detached homes is not part of the City of Grand Junction’s efforts to transform the city into a vertical, highdensity urban community. According to Grand Junction Mayor Abram Herman, the city wants to avoid sprawl and bring residents closer to services within walking and biking distance. It also has incentivized high-density housing through a tiered system, offering builders lower fees as density increases.
See HOUSING page 14
Construction is ongoing by Chaparral West Inc. at this 106-unit development in Whitewater. Photo by Brandon Leuallen.
International Cybersecurity Giant Acquires Cloudrise
Cloudrise, a data-security company headquartered in Grand Junction, has been acquired by Paris-based Exclusive Networks, a global leader in cybersecurity with offices in more than 45 countries and the ability to serve customers in more than 170 countries.
Exclusive Networks announced the acquisition Nov. 21 in a news release, saying it acquired 100 percent of Cloudrise, a security-services provider specializing in managed services and professional services for leading Security Access Service Edge, Data Security Posture Management, and Cloud Native Application Protection Platform solutions.
The acquisition marks a further step in Exclusive Networks’ strategy to enrich its global service capabilities by leveraging Cloudrise’s advanced expertise with some of the fastest-growing cybersecurity vendors, such as Netskope, BigID and Cyera.
Cloudrise will continue to operate under its established
brand within the Exclusive Networks ecosystem, maintaining its focus on innovation and client satisfaction.
Clients and partners of both organizations will benefit from Exclusive Networks’ infrastructure, global reach and robust service delivery, combined with Cloudrise’s specialized focus on SASE, DSPM and CNAPP services.
Cloudrise was founded in 2019 by Chief Executive Officer Rob Eggebrecht, Chief Operating Officer Joe Infantino and Chief Operating Officer Hillary Laird. The company maintains delivery centers in the U.S., United Kingdom and Colombia.
Eggebrecht said Cloudrise is excited to join the Exclusive Networks family, adding, “Together, we are wellpositioned to empower more organizations to safeguard their most valuable assets and navigate the ever-changing cybersecurity environment.”
Cloudrise’s services are offered exclusively to businesses. It does not reveal its customers, but they usually are 1,000-plus-user organizations to Fortune 100 enterprises, and Cloudrise targets: financial services; life sciences and healthcare; consumer industries; and technology, media and telecom companies.
Heart care services are expanding
Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital has opened a fourth cardiac catheterization lab in partnership with regional health care entities to enhance cardiac care for the community. This combination lab improves efficiency because it serves both cardiologists who specialize in interventional cardiac needs and structural heart disease, as well as electrophysiologists who focus on the heart’s electrical system. It is the only combination lab on the Western Slope, said Sarah Herrera, manager of clinical cardiovascular services.
Over the past five years, St. Mary’s cath labs have seen an increase in patient volume. The addition of a fourth lab directly addresses this growing demand, ensuring that patients have greater access to timely and comprehensive heart care.
“St. Mary’s is committed to providing top-tier heart services locally, so patients don’t have to travel out of town for advanced heart care,” said Bryan Johnson, president of St. Mary’s. “We know that when people can get care close to home, they are closer to family, don’t need to take as much time away from work, and have a better overall experience.”
The new lab enables the hospital to conduct routine, scheduled procedures while maintaining the capacity to respond to emergencies as they arise.
The hospital offers a full spectrum of heart services, including structural heart procedures such as minimally invasive heart valve procedures; interventional cardiology, including stent placement to treat sudden cardiac arrest; and electrophysiology procedures to treat conditions such as irregular heartbeat.
F
Rob Eggebrecht Joe Infantino Hillary Laird
Bryan Johnson
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Dr. William Rainer, a joint-replacement orthopedic surgeon with Community Hospital’s Western Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, reached a significant milestone in knee-replacement surgeries performed at Community Hospital.
Dr. William Rainer recently surpassed 250 knee-replacement procedures utilizing the VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution and the ATTUNE Knee System.
According to a news release from Community Hospital, the VELYS RoboticAssisted Solution uses a variety of advanced technologies to provide surgeons with the information and tools they need to perform an accurate and precise knee replacement, personalized for the patient’s specific anatomy. The technology is designed for digital precision, which may improve early patient outcomes following total-knee-replacement surgery.
The VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution is controlled entirely by the highly skilled surgeons and does not operate autonomously.
Meanwhile, the ATTUNE Knee System, an innovative knee implant that works in harmony with the patient’s anatomy to deliver stability and motion, has been used in more than 2 million individuals worldwide since 2011. Compared to other primary knee systems, ATTUNE Knee delivers greater flexion and a faster recovery that allows patients to get back to living the life they want to live.
Dr. Rainer shared his perspective on the milestone, saying, “The addition of the Velys robot to Community Hospital’s technology platforms for contemporary surgery has been excellent. I have personally seen exceptional patient outcomes and satisfaction utilizing this robotic assisted strategy for knee replacement. The intraoperative process has also been streamlined making for a more enjoyable and reliable surgical experience with less unexpected results.
“Patients also appreciate knowing they are getting the most advanced surgical strategy available, right here in the Grand Valley.”
Dr. William Rainer stands next to the VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution devices that he uses for knee-replacement surgery. Photo courtesy of Community Hospital.
with assistance
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ATTUNE Knee implant that patient’s motion, has individuals to other ATTUNE Knee recovery living the perspective on the the Velys technology surgery has been exceptional utilizing for knee process has for a more experience knowing they surgical strategy Valley.”
Enrollment
Continued from page 2
The district’s high schools, though, are defying the enrollment decline. District 51 recorded its highest graduation rate in 17 years in 2023, and District 51 demographer Shannon Bingham said the opening of the new Grand Junction High School “helped bring some students back into the district.”
Reasons for Leaving
The Business Times conducted interviews with more than a dozen parents about why they moved their children out of the district. Their reasons included:
• The district’s offerings didn’t include an approach that aligned with their children’s needs.
• Concerns about what they perceived as “political indoctrination” in public schools.
• Excessive bullying.
• Cost of living is too high in Grand Junction.
One parent whose family moved out of state said it was because of the cost of living, while another said it is for political reasons, primarily the state of Colorado’s Democratic leanings.
Population Trends
Bingham said the local school-age population in Mesa County is declining despite an increase in the overall population. Census data shows the county’s population increase is driven by incoming retirees aged 65 and older.
Mesa County Public Health Department data indicates birth rates declined over the past decade, averaging about 40 fewer births per year. In the “Tracking Population Trends in Mesa County” report from Jan. 5, 2024, the county showed 2,035 births in 2008 compared to 1,433 in 2023. The decline is attributed to factors such as increased access to birth control, with a 56 percent decrease in births among low-income women under age 25 from 2008 to 2022.
The birth-rate decline is not unique to Mesa County; it is a national and global trend, according to Bingham, who added,
“We started seeing smaller families about eight years ago.”
He described what he’s seeing as a demographer who has worked for more than 200 school districts over a 42year period, offering: “American education is in the midst of a generational change, and millennial and Generation Z young adults are having smaller families. And that’s pretty profound. It’s affecting (school) districts all over the United States. A lot of districts are closing schools.
“Millennials had about 70 percent of the child volume that prior generations had. And Generation Z population, which is 11 to about 26 years old right now … what we’re seeing in actual family creation and in focus groups (is) that we’re probably going to see about half as many kids from Gen Z young adults once they get into their kind of childbearing years than the current generation.”
School Choice and In-District Charters
One common question from community members in open school board meetings and on social media is why the district is closing schools rather than relocating students from schools that have large class sizes that could stand to be reduced.
District officials have explained that while there are enrollment caps for schools, they cannot force students to attend schools with low enrollment or outside their residential zones. According to Superintendent Hill, as schools close, the district plans to rezone students accordingly.
During the Nov. 19 school board meeting, Hill said elementary schools were at a 65 percent usage rate overall. He also said he considered recommending closing four to five elementary schools, but he did not because the district then would have lay off employees.
District 51 has a long-standing policy of providing school choice to families. Students may attend a different-zoned neighborhood school if space is available. The district also offers what it calls “option” schools, such as Dual Immersion Academy and New Emerson, which determine enrollment by a lottery rather than a residential zone.
There are also District 51 charter schools, including Juniper Ridge, Mesa Valley and Independence Academy. These schools have waiting lists, determined by a lottery system with sibling preference.
Out-of-District Charter and Private Schools
State-run charter schools such as Caprock Academy, GOAL Online High School, Ascent Classical Academy and Wildflower Montessori School are other options available in the area. State charter schools are not part of the district and also use a lottery system for enrollment. Students enrolled in those schools decrease District 51’s enrollment.
Caprock Academy opened in 2007, and GOAL opened in 2013. Ascent Classical Academy, and Wildflower Montessori were released to the state by the school board by a unanimous vote in 2022. Ascent opened in August 2023, and Wildflower held its ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 14, 2024.
Additionally, at least 14 active private schools are operating in Mesa County.
Hill, who became superintendent in July 2022, first suggested the possibility of exploring school closures in December of 2022, after the new charters were released.
Affordability and Housing Challenges
Bingham said the lack of affordable housing is a major issue for young families with school-age children. “The Western Slope is pricing young families out of the market,” he said.
Bingham’s demographic data shows that new, single-family, detached homes yield an average of 0.42 students per home. However, higher-priced homes yield fewer students, while many new high-density housing developments have even lower student yields.
For example, he said he knows of a development with more than 100 apartments that produced only eight District 51 students. In contrast, mobile homes, typically more affordable, average 1 student per home.
GOT CHAIRS?
DANCE
Continued from page 2
Kelley and Massay agree on the positive experience and quality event Stage One is committed to bringing to Grand Junction and the region.
“Stage One creates such a positive atmosphere for dancers and attendees and I’m blessed to be a part of so many events over the years,” said Kelley, who has directed events in as many as a dozen cities in a year during his tenure. “The family, Christian values which a Stage One production provide is the perfect setting for the dancers to express their art form.”
“Our entire business and event model is based on the premise of always doing the right thing and success will follow,” Massay said. “It’s how we’ve done things for 29 years. Our experience in working in smaller cities and building those events into annual successes will assure similar success in Grand Junction.”
While Massay didn’t have specific numbers on the economic impact for Grand Junction’s Stage One event, he noted most of the dancers and their families will be from around the region and staying at local hotels, eating meals and shopping while enjoying all the Grand Valley has to offer over the weekend of the event.
Massay, who manages the business side of Stage One after being born into a dance studio family – where his mother opened her studio 70 years ago and his wife (along with mom at 90 years old) and sister run studios in Oklahoma – stated Stage One takes its core belief beyond promotion and production. “I remember when Covid 19 hit our competition season in 2020 and we simply refunded all entry and prepaid fees for competitions which had to be cancelled. In our hearts we knew those studios and families were going to need every dime for what was coming, and it was easy to do the right thing for them,” Massay said.
This way of doing business has made Stage One into a production entity where more than 10,000 entries compete in its regional and national competitions every year.
“Bringing the values and quality of a Stage One production to Grand Junction has been a dream of mine for several years,” Kelley said. “I’ve always known Grand Junction has what it takes to become a premier regional event for Stage One.”
With a seasoned, locally based director, one of the nation’s biggest dance competition companies as producers and local support from studios, teams and coaches, Stage One is setting up Grand Junction for not only a successful event this year, but to become a host city for annual competitions for years to come.
Greg Massay
John Kelley
the positive Stage One is Junction and
One
a positive for dancers and I’m a part of events over the Kelley, who events in as dozen cities in his tenure. Christian a Stage production provide setting for to express entire and event based on the always right thing said. “It’s years. Our cities and successes Junction.” specific for Grand noted most will be from local hotels, enjoying all weekend business born into his mother and his wife and sister Stage One promotion and Covid 19 2020 and we prepaid fees cancelled. studios and dime for to do the has made where more regional and quality of a Junction several years,” known Grand a premier locally based biggest dance producers and teams and up Grand successful event city for come.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Colorado Gives Day 2024 Tuesday, December 10 THIS COLORADO GIVES DAY SUPPORTS THE NONPROFITS THAT SHAPE THE GRAND VALLEY
From November 1 to December 10, every donation will be enhanced by the Colorado Gives Day incentive fund.
Housing
Continued from page 5
“You’re trying to grow smart as a city,” Herman said. “And also, the less dense the development is, and the farther out it falls, the more expensive it is to extend road infrastructure. To set up everything like that becomes much more expensive for taxpayers to provide that kind of infrastructure when you don’t have density.
“So there’s nothing saying people can’t do single-family … there’s many areas where they can. But we definitely want to try and incentivize dense development, especially at the city core, because it’s a much more effective use of taxpayer dollars, and it’s a much better way for any city to grow.”
Beilfus said the city has done well building rentals, and more are coming online, “which is great.” But, he added, “We have almost no affordable single-family homes, and the developers that are building some single-family homes under $400,000 are pretty much doing it all in the county.”
A major reason, he said, the county doesn’t have all of the city’s infrastructure requirements that potentially deter builders.
“If they have access to sewer in the county, they’ll do it out there, because they don’t have to do bike lanes,” Beilfus said. “They don’t have to do landscaping. They don’t have to do large sidewalks. It’s infrastructure. Our connection fees are a little higher than the county.”
One drawback for the county, he said, is “there isn’t the same access to services,” but that’s not enough to make a builder overlook the city’s infrastructure requirements.
Beilfus then said a relatively small difference in monthly mortgage payments make a big difference in affordability.
“When you’re talking about the difference between a $2,200 a month house payment and a $1,900 a month payment, for most people that’s make it or break it on buying a house,” he said. “That’s the difference in the fees they pay in the city vs. the county. The developers want to build in the city, and they will continue to build more expensive houses
“Just saying that we need to completely reduce regulations, well, if that’s what you’re looking for, you can see examples of that. That’s Clifton, that’s part of the county. That’s Delta, and if that’s the form of development you like, I think that’s different than what we aim for.”
— Grand Junction Mayor Abram Herman
here, I believe, but it’s just hard to make it pencil out.”
Schwenke added builders aren’t inclined to build subdivisions populated with smaller, less expensive houses, because infrastructure costs make them less profitable than subdivisions with larger, more expensive homes.
Providing a builder’s perspective, Ron Abeloe of Chaparral West Inc. said, “Infrastructure costs $45,000 to $65,000 per lot and doesn’t include land costs, or unit fees. This is all before starting to construct the home.”
Abeloe said he builds homes with the same floor plans in the county and city, other than the finishes in some of his projects, but the city’s entitlement process is more intensive, drives up his engineering costs, and it takes longer. One of his current developments in the county is a 106-unit, urbanstyle neighborhood with houses priced as low as $330,000 in Whitewater. Of note, the homes are connected to Clifton Sewer, not septic systems.
Abeloe said he suggested to Grand Junction officials that they could have exceptions for low-volume sidewalks to reduce costs and increase the number of homes being built in a neighborhood, but they wouldn’t budge. “Why aren’t sidewalk widths based on actual data for the volume of traffic on them?” he asked.
Abeloe said the cost of housing is going to continue to
increase because of upcoming regulations at the state level.
“Due to state legislation,” he said, “on a 1,500-squarefoot home it will add another $10,000 to $15,000 per home. So that’s the difference between 2024 and sometime in 2025.”
Mayor Herman has heard the suggestions and complaints regarding regulations and offered this: “There needs to be a reasonable conversation there about what’s most impactful. But just saying that we need to completely reduce regulations, well, if that’s what you’re looking for, you can see examples of that. That’s Clifton, that’s part of the county. That’s Delta, and if that’s the form of development you like, I think that’s different than what we aim for.”
When asked about developers paying for multimodal infrastructure such as expanded sidewalks and bike lanes, Herman said it is similar to developers paying for roads already.
“Why would existing taxpayers pay for that impact?” he said. “If they’re building units for people moving into the community, it would just be fundamentally unfair to our taxpayers.”
Schwenke said home buyers ultimately pay for the increase in infrastructure costs because they pay for it in the price of the house, then said, “The impact study that the city is currently doing would increase those fees substantially.”
One of those fees being considered, Schwenke said, is a linkage fee to help pay for affordable housing.
Grand Junction City Council member Cody Kennedy said the city is looking at charging the linkage fee to builders of commercial property rather than residential.
“I’m all about affordable housing, but putting that on the backs of commercial development coming into Grand Junction is just going to shut down economic growth in the community,” Kennedy said.
A community meeting concerning potential increases in impact fees is scheduled on Dec. 10 at the Lincoln Park hospitality suite, 1240 Gunnison Ave, and a Grand Junction
Affordable housing development in Fruita is nearing completion
Work on the 50 affordable housing units in a development called the Fruita Mews is nearing completion, which means soon the townhomes can be occupied.
That’s why the Fruita Housing Authority, which in June 2023 partnered with Indibuild to build the housing development at 1601 K 4/10 Road, has put out word it is taking applications from potential residents.
Who can apply?
For applicants to be eligible, the housing authority requires an applicant’s income must be 30 to 100 percent of the area’s median income, which is $64,000.
Interested residents can contact Syringa Property Management at 970-730-7826 or email thefruitamews@ syringa.com. Additional information is available at thefruitamews.com.
About the townhomes
All of the townhomes are rentals, and monthly rent ranges from $800 to $1,000. The Fruita Mews townhomes feature amenities such as paid water, sewer, trash, and recycling; pet-friendly units; Energy Star appliances; high-efficiency HVAC heat pumps; and property-level Wi-Fi.
The grounds of the development offer a dog park; playground; common-house meeting room; bicycle parking and maintenance station; and electric-vehicle charging stations.
For families with elementary-school-aged children, the development is adjacent to Monument Ridge Elementary School.
Why was this needed?
According to a news release from the Fruita Housing Authority, the income requirement for renters will ensure long-
term affordability for the local workforce.
Attainable housing was identified as a priority in the City of Fruita’s comprehensive plan. From 2010 to 2018, single-family houses were the primary development in Fruita, with few options for people looking to rent, live in smaller houses, or live in multifamily dwellings.
In 2020, the Fruita Land Use Code was adopted by Fruita City Council to encourage diversity of housing types to fit the needs of the Fruita community. And that led to the limited partnership with IndiBuild, an affordable housing development company.
“Our partnership with IndiBuild represents a significant step forward in providing quality, attainable housing options for Fruita residents. We are able to expand housing options in the community, ensuring more residents can live, work and play in Fruita,” said Matthew Breman, Fruita’s mayor and a city council member since 2020.
What’s with these tax credits?
The Fruita Housing Authority news release also mentioned the benefits of this housing development being the first in Fruita to be supported with housing tax credits. IndiBuild will receive property tax abatement for
15 years, sale/use tax abatement specifically for the construction of the Fruita Mews development, and $93,000 in waived parks, open space and trails impact fees.
After a 15-year compliance period, IndiBuild will provide the Fruita Housing Authority financial projections to determine if the limited partnership should continue or if the project will achieve financial viability without the tax credits, which would then end the partnership.
The FHA will have the option for first right of refusal if the partnership receives an offer from a third party to purchase the project. The FHA also has a purchase option. The partnership will pay the FHA a $5,000 annual fee, pay for all legal fees and administrative costs, and the FHA will have a 0.01% interest in the limited partnership.
Photo showing one section of the new Fruita Mews affordable housing units. Picture taken by The Business Times staff.
Experience the Magic of the 2024 Small Business Holiday Expo!
DECEMBER 5, 2024 / 4 – 7 PM / BUSINESS INCUBATOR CENTER, 2591 LEGACY WAY, GRAND JUNCTION, CO
Join us for the Small Business Holiday Expo hosted by the Business Incubator Center and proudly presented by our title sponsor, Alpine Bank. This annual event is back with a cozy, European-style holiday market. Don’t miss this must-see, musttaste experience!
Wander through magical European Christmas market stalls decked out in holiday cheer, filled with unique treasures, festive treats, and the warmth of the season.
Celebrate the vibrancy of our local small businesses and support the impactful work of the Business Incubator Center, all while enjoying a festive atmosphere that’s perfect for the holiday season.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Local Vendor Booths
Find unique gifts while supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Silent Auction
Bid on incredible items to benefit our community’s growth.
Appetizers, Food & Festive Drinks
Savor delicious bites and seasonal beverages to keep warm.
Holiday Crafts for Kids
Keep the little ones entertained with fun, holiday-themed activities.
Santa’s Special Appearance
Capture magical memories with Santa – bring your camera!
Admission is FREE (must RSVP), the whole family is welcome! Don’t miss this chance to celebrate the season and showcase the achievements of our incredible small business community.
RSVP now. Scan the QR code or visit gjincubator.org/business-expo to reserve your spot!
A special thank you to Alpine Bank, our Title Sponsor, for their ongoing support of the Business Incubator Center and the local community. Join us in making this holiday season truly special for all.
The Business Incubator Center 2591 Legacy Way • Grand Junction, CO 81503 970.243.5242 • GJIncubator.org
Local producers win Colorado Conservationist of the Year Awards
The Mesa Conservation District announced Philip Frank and Lowell King of Lifetime Ag LLC, based in Loma, and Harry Jackson of Vineland Enterprises in Palisade received 2024 Conservationist of the Year Awards from the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts.
Frank and King were honored in the Farmer category, while Jackson was recognized in the Small Acreage category.
The CACD Conservationist of the Year Award honors individuals who implement groundbreaking conservation practices, engage with diverse audiences and serve as role models in agriculture.
The Mesa Conservation District said in its news release, Frank and King “have set an exceptional standard for conservation, land stewardship, and agricultural education. Through their commitment to sustainable practices, Frank and King demonstrate all six principles of soil health: understanding the system context; minimizing disturbance; maintaining soil cover; fostering biodiversity; sustaining living roots; and integrating livestock. “Additionally, their efforts extend beyond their own fields, as they provide essential resources like cover crop seed and no-till seed drill rentals, helping farmers and ranchers of all scales improve soil health.
They have hosted numerous educational farm tours, inviting the community to learn from their innovative methods.”
Jackson was lauded in the news release as “a dedicated conservationist whose lifelong commitment to sustainable agriculture has left a profound impact on his land and community. Starting his farming journey at just 13 in New Jersey, Jackson brought his passion for agriculture to Palisade, where he revitalized a peach orchard and later diversified into wine grape production.
“Jackson’s innovative practices, including microjet irrigation and advanced water filtration systems, have set a benchmark for water conservation in agriculture. His dedication extends to wildlife conservation, having created a refuge along Watson Creek and earning the Shavano Conservationist Wildlife Habitat Award in 2008. Collaborating with Colorado State University, he has advanced research in soil regeneration, pest management, and water conservation techniques."
Harry Jackson
Farmers Lowell King and Philip Frank. Photo provided by Mesa Conservation District.
Scouts Troop selling Christmas Trees
Boy Scouts of America Scout Troop 353 in the Redlands will sell Christmas trees again this year, beginning Black Friday at Meadowlark Garden Center, 2259 S. Broadway in Grand Junction.
This is the second year for this indoor tree lot for the troop and serves as its primary fundraiser for the year. All proceeds will support various scouting activities for troop members throughout the year.
“Every campout, every adventure, every Merit Badge Rally where a Scout works toward rank advancement has a cost associated with it. This fundraiser helps defray costs and in some cases zero them out,” BSA Troop 353 Scoutmaster Remi Galvan said.
The trees range in size from 3 feet to 12 feet tall in Noble, Nordmann and Douglas species. Pre-decorated wreaths will also be available, as will homemade baked goods. Shoppers will be treated to complimentary hot chocolate.
In addition to the main lot at Meadowlark Garden Center, a mobile popup lot will appear in other locations.
“Last year, we had some success bringing our trees to Orchard Mesa where there were no other tree lots nearby,” Galvan said. “We’re hoping to do that again this year, but locations haven’t yet been confirmed.”
The lot will feature trees ranging in size from 3 feet to 12 feet tall in Noble, Nordmann and Douglas species. Pre-decorated wreaths will also be available, as will homemade baked goods. Shoppers will be treated to complimentary hot chocolate.
Members of the military (active or retired) and first responders upon valid proof will receive a 10 percent discount.
The main lot opens Nov. 29 and the scheduled hours will be:
• Nov. 29 – Dec. 1: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Dec. 4 – Dec. 6: 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Dec. 7 – Dec. 8: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sales will continue until the items are sold out. Visit facebook.com/Troop353GJ for the latest information.
BSA Scout Troop 353 is sponsored by the Redlands Lions Club and meets in the Redlands every week. Troop 353 is Scout-led and Scoutrun, providing Scouts with valuable experience in leadership, planning and organization.
F
INDICATORS
Scout Troop Christmas Black Friday 2259 S. this indoor its primary proceeds will for troop adventure, every Scout works associated costs and Troop 353 from 3 feet Nordmann and wreaths homemade treated to Meadowlark will appear success bringing there were said. “We’re locations ranging in size Nordmann Pre-decorated wreaths homemade treated to (active or valid proof and the 8 p.m. p.m. p.m. items are facebook.com/Troop353GJ for sponsored by the Redlands and Scoutexperience organization.
INDICATORS AT A GLANCE
n Business filings
t New business filings in Colorado, 41,622 in the third quarter, down 5.3% from the third quarter of 2023.
n Foreclosures
t Foreclosure filings in Mesa County, 19 in September, down from 32 in September 2023.
s Foreclosure sales in Mesa County, 4 in September, up from 3 in September 2023.
n Real estate
t Real estate transactions in Mesa County, 284 in September, down 5 percent from September 2023.
s Dollar volume of real estate transactions in Mesa County, $156.5 million in September, up 29.3% from September 2023.
n Sales
s Sales and use tax collections for mesa County, $4.74 million for October, up 0,8% from October 2023
n Unemployment
t Mesa County Unemployment
4.4% for October, up 0.2%
t Grand Junction Unemployment
4.4% for October, up 0.2%
n Colorado Unemployment
4.1% for October, up 0.1%
t United States Unemployment 4.1% for October, unchanged
Entrepreneurship is our last, best hope for economic resilience in the future
It’s time to face facts, the U.S. economy is not delivering the growth or opportunity that American workers and families deserve. October’s job report tells us that only 12,000 jobs were added nationwide. This means stagnation, pure and simple. Over the last 12 months, tech employment, a sector once hailed as the growth engine of the future, mustered a net gain of just 16,000 jobs. The big picture is even more sobering. From March 2023 to March 2024, while the nation created 1.39 million new jobs, a staggering 2.13 million positions were shed by established businesses. If not for new businesses, we would be looking at a landscape of lost livelihoods and declining communities.
Here’s the startling reality: For over 30 years, existing businesses have cut jobs nearly every single year. Without the constant churn of new startups, without that unstoppable force of entrepreneurial drive, our economy would be circling the drain. Let’s be blunt, if we ignore the lifeline that entrepreneurship provides, we’re dooming ourselves to slow decline. And yet, in the midst of this job loss, there’s a blueprint for hope.
Entrepreneurship is more than a buzzword. It’s the economic engine that creates jobs, stimulates innovation, and injects vitality into communities. At the heart of America’s economic resilience are the new businesses that take risks, innovate and drive growth. These aren’t just tech startups or Silicon Valley dreams. They’re local businesses, small manufacturers, service providers, and food entrepreneurs who set up shop in communities across the country and within our communities. Startups are where real job creation happens. New businesses, those less than a year old, generated 3.5 million jobs in the last year alone. That’s more than double the losses cut by older businesses. But here’s the thing about startups, they need support at every phase of their journey, from launch to stabilization, through growth and scaling, and even in planning for a successful exit. That’s where business development organizations like the Business Incubator Center, Startup Colorado, Energize Colorado and Innosphere Ventures come in. It’s not just about helping businesses get off the ground, but rather provide the guidance, resources, and networks needed at each critical stage. At launch, offering the tools to turn an idea into a viable business. In the stabilization phase, helping entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of sustaining operations. As businesses grow, connecting them to mentorship, funding and strategic advice, so they’re ready to scale successfully. And when it’s time to exit, ensuring they’re positioned to leave a legacy, whether that means succession, sale, employee ownership or expansion to new markets. It’s about building sustainable, thriving enterprises that become pillars of our community.
Entrepreneurship doesn’t happen in isolation. It needs an ecosystem, one that includes access to mentors, funding, training, and strategic connections. Organizations like the Business Incubator
Center understand that an entrepreneurial ecosystem isn’t just a series of buzzwords. It’s a community-led development model that invests in people, skills and the stability needed for long-term growth. We’re not here just to launch businesses, we’re here to help them stabilize and scale, creating sustainable jobs that last through economic cycles.
For every successful entrepreneur, there’s a phase that comes after the excitement of launch that is stabilization. This phase is where business dreams either turn into enduring legacies or fizzle out. Community-driven economic development organizations are there to catch these businesses when the initial momentum dips, helping them find their footing and strategize for long-term success. Whether it’s connecting them to local markets, providing vital mentorship or opening doors to funding and incentives, our role is to equip these entrepreneurs with tools that go beyond the first year.
The truth is: Recessive trends and economic slowdowns don’t have to spell doom. Community-led economic development is about building resilience from the ground up. When we support entrepreneurs, we’re fostering individual success stories and we’re strengthening the fabric of our local economies. Every time a new business stabilizes and scales, it creates a ripple effect: more jobs; more local spending; and more opportunities for other small businesses.
In a time when existing businesses are laying off employees, it’s the entrepreneurial spirit that will keep our economy afloat. Supporting entrepreneurship is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. As policymakers, community leaders and citizens, we need to commit to building and nurturing these ecosystems that empower people to create and sustain jobs. The stakes are high, either we invest in the entrepreneurial engines of our economy, or we settle for stagnation.
So, let’s get real. If we want to reverse the trends of job loss and declining economic dynamism, we have to start with our communities. We need more organizations willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of building entrepreneurial ecosystems. We need leaders who understand that supporting startups means supporting the future of American workers. We need a cultural shift that respects and celebrates the scrappy, determined risk-takers who build businesses that keep this country moving forward.
Our economic future depends on them. Let’s make sure they have every chance to succeed. Join us in the battle for a future that’s bright, because we invested locally, stood by our entrepreneurs and championed our small businesses.
Dalida Sassoon Bollig, CEO of the Business Incubator Center in Grand Junction, is an experienced strategist with demonstrated work in international affairs. She brings to her duties experience in leadership partnerships, economic development, entrepreneurship, public policy and trade. For more information about programs and services offered at the center, call (970) 243-5232 or visit gjincubator. org. Reach Bollig by email at dbollig@gjincubator.org.
Dalida Bollig
Celebrate Small Business Saturday in Fruita!
Get ready for a day of festive fun on November 30 in downtown Fruita! The community is excited to announce their celebration of Small Business Saturday, a fantastic holiday dedicated to supporting local shops. Be sure to check out the local businesses in Fruita, many of which will have special deals for the holidays. Visitors can purchase beautiful floral arrangements from Fruita Floral, find their best friend’s favorite record at Rhema Music & Clothing Company, or pick up a gift for their fur baby at Chow Down Pet Supplies! Plus, enjoy charming horsedrawn carriage rides from noon to 3:00 PM, courtesy of Shades of Blue.
From 11AM - 4PM, head over to Fruita Civic Center Park for the Small Business Saturday Open Air Market. Here, you’ll find a vibrant mix of local vendors showcasing unique goodies, handmade crafts, and delicious treats. This is the perfect opportunity to discover one-of-a-kind gifts that truly reflect the spirit of the community. For more local goodies, visit the online marketplace at theopenmarket.co.
As the sun sets, join everyone at Circle Park at 5:30 PM for a special ceremony featuring than Santa himself! Watch as he helps illuminate the town’s decorations,
transforming Fruita into a winter wonderland filled with beautiful colors and holiday cheer. Special thanks to Labor Etc. and Western Colorado Pediatrics for sponsoring this year’s Downtown Holiday Lighting. After the lights come on, families can capture the moment with a photo alongside Santa.
Shopping locally is a vital way to keep the community thriving! Supporting small businesses means investing in neighbors and friends, strengthening the heart of Fruita. This year, instead of visiting big box stores, consider shopping at your favorite local bakery, coffee shop, yoga studio, flower shop, or boutique. Did you know that for every dollar spent at a local shop, about 52 cents stays right in the community? Small businesses are also the backbone of Fruita, often giving back to local schools, charities, and sports teams. When you shop locally, you’re making a real difference!
Mark your calendars and bring your friends and family for a day filled with shopping, laughter, and holiday spirit. Celebrate the incredible small businesses that make Fruita unique—not just this Small Business Saturday, but every day. They can’t wait to see everyone there for all the fun on Saturday, November 30!
Insights on creating a positive work culture
In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, the importance of creating a positive work culture is more significant than ever. During her recent presentation for the Western Colorado Human Resources Association (WCHRA), Christina Harney, Associate Attorney at The Law Firm of Bechtel & Santo, explored the principles of positivity and resilience, providing HR professionals with actionable insights on how to cultivate a constructive and supportive environment within their organizations. Drawing on concepts from the Positive Thinking Movement and the works of influential authors, Harney encouraged attendees to go beyond surface-level optimism to foster true resilience in the face of inevitable challenges.
A Look Back: The Roots of Positive Thinking
Harney began by tracing the history of the Positive Thinking Movement, which gained momentum in 1952 with the publication of The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. This movement inspired countless people to explore the idea that optimism could shape one’s life experience. She referenced The Secret, a book that emphasizes the “law of attraction,” suggesting that what we project mentally has a strong influence on what we receive. However, Harney was careful to clarify that genuine positivity is not about ignoring life’s difficulties but rather equipping oneself to handle them with resilience and an open mind.
Beyond “Fake It Til You Make It”: A New Perspective on Positivity
Harney challenged the common adage “fake it till you make it,” especially when applied to positivity. Feigned positivity can lead to a state of “toxic positivity,” where individuals feel pressured to maintain a positive front, even in times of hardship. In contrast, genuine optimism involves accepting that change is constant, and control over life’s events is often an illusion. Harney emphasized resilience is rooted in learning to adapt and grow through adversity rather than pretending that everything is always good. The goal, she suggested, is not to chase perpetual happiness but to develop the capacity to navigate life’s ups and downs constructively.
Creating a Positive Environment
A key takeaway from Harney’s presentation was the importance of shaping a positive environment as a foundation
for genuine optimism. She encouraged HR professionals to be mindful of what employees are “digesting” daily, whether it’s the content they consume, the people they surround themselves with, or even the sensory aspects of their physical space. Simple changes—such as introducing affirmations, playing calming sounds, incorporating uplifting colors, and even displaying pictures of cute animals—can help foster a workspace that nurtures well-being. Creating a positive work environment is not about ignoring negativity; rather, it’s about setting the stage for resilience and constructive outlooks.
Conflict as a Catalyst for Growth
Another area of Harney’s discussion centered on resilience and conflict management, a topic that resonated strongly with HR professionals. Harney introduced the “conflict paradox,” explaining that resilience is not built by avoiding conflict but by embracing it. Conflict is a natural outcome of diverse perspectives and backgrounds, and learning to manage it constructively can lead to more positive interactions and stronger workplace relationships. On the other hand, avoiding conflict may initially seem easier but can create long-term negativity, ultimately leading to tension or outbursts.
To help HR professionals teach conflict management, Harney shared several practical tips. First, she recommended practicing “the pause” during conflict situations. Stress can trigger the release of cortisol, a hormone that heightens emotional responses and impairs rational thinking. Pausing allows individuals to reduce cortisol levels, regain composure, and approach conflict with a clearer perspective. Harney also advised assessing one’s emotional response and approaching conflict with curiosity rather than judgment, a method that can help dismantle preconceived notions and encourage open dialogue.
The Power of Stories and Effective Communication
Harney noted our brains are wired to create narratives— stories that help us process and understand our experiences. However, she cautioned that these stories are often incomplete or even inaccurate, leading to misunderstandings. Citing Brené Brown’s famous strategy, she encouraged the use of “The story I’m telling myself is…” as a way to externalize and examine these narratives. By making this a normalized part of workplace dialogue, HR leaders can foster a culture where employees feel comfortable sharing their perspectives without fear of misinterpretation.
In addition to storytelling, Harney advocated for “I feel” statements, which encourage individuals to express their emotions directly, helping to prevent misunderstandings
and resentment. She also recommended HR professionals train employees on receiving feedback—a skill that is often overlooked but is crucial for constructive communication. When employees learn to accept feedback with openness rather than defensiveness, it can reduce friction and contribute to a positive work environment.
Building Resilience Through Gratitude and Mindfulness
The presentation concluded with strategies to cultivate resilience, emphasizing the importance of gratitude as a tool for well-being. Harney explained practicing gratitude shifts the focus from what’s lacking to what’s positive, fostering a mindset that is better equipped to handle setbacks. She shared the “It Depends” story from Buddhist teachings, illustrating how situations often need time to unfold before their true impact is known. By adopting this mindset, employees can reduce the tendency to jump to conclusions and maintain a balanced perspective, even in challenging situations.
A New Approach for HR Leaders
Harney’s presentation served as a call to action for HR professionals to lead the way in creating work cultures that prioritize well-being, constructive conflict management, and resilience. In today’s workplace, where change is inevitable and stress can be overwhelming, her insights on positivity and conflict are especially relevant. By implementing these strategies, HR leaders can create environments that empower employees to face challenges with resilience, fostering a workplace culture where individuals feel supported, engaged, and optimistic about the future. Creating a positive work culture is not about eliminating all stressors or conflict; rather, it is about equipping employees with the tools to handle them constructively. The ultimate goal is for organizations to cultivate resilience, allowing their employees—and their overall environment—to continue trending upward, even amidst life’s natural ups and downs. As Harney aptly demonstrated, the path to a positive work culture is not about avoiding conflict or faking optimism but about embracing genuine positivity, adaptability, and openmindedness.
Jenny Yeager, a certified human resource professional, is administrative liaison with Insight Financial Solutions in Grand Junction and a board member of the Western Colorado Human Resource Association. For additional information, visit www.wchra.org
I will do it... tomorrow! Dealing with procrastination
Procrastination: A term I am all too familiar with. Take this article; I am a day past my deadline. I have had weeks to prepare, but here I am again, a classic example of procrastination, “putting off doing something.” I am not alone in this syndrome of self-inflicted worry! Although there are many areas of life that one can “put off,” the one that stands out in my mind as a neon sign is the procrastination of health and fitness. The overwhelming tradition of New Year’s Resolutions; January 1 of every year becomes that day that we have put off. This is the day we all get a fresh start. Everyone wants to reach their goals – everyone. So why do we wait until a new year rolls around in hopes that this will be the year that we change our lives for the better?
Start with the obvious: Why DO people start a fitness program? Health issues dominate the top of the charts. So
many times I hear someone say that their doctor told them it was necessary. For others, it may be an important event like a wedding, a vacation or a holiday party. For some, it may be that they are tired of not feeling their best, or they just decided it was important for them.
Maybe you don’t fall into those categories. Then what? There are reasons why people put off starting a fitness program. One main reason is that it is not a quick one-day task. Starting a fitness program is starting a healthy lifestyle. It’s ongoing! It’s for life! That is pretty intimidating for most people, especially someone who is just beginning. So what’s the first step? Start thinking about it! Ask yourself these questions: Why am I considering it? What is my life lacking without it? What are my goals?
After you have answered these questions, then comes the hardest one? It’s the question that most people would rather not answer. The question is “Why haven’t I done this?
We all know the benefits of exercise and that it’s important to every one of us. Try telling yourself that it can’t wait another day, another month, or another year.
Feeling better and taking care of your body needs to be the reason that you stop procrastinating. If you are really ready to do it for yourself, you will. Barring all excuses that you don’t know how to exercise or that you need to be fit before you go to a gym, or that you don’t have time, just take the first step and start! Making the decision to start is a promise to yourself. You can do it. Try telling yourself this motto: “Decide – Begin – Commit – Succeed.”
I’ve learned to put my workout before many of my other daily tasks so I feel better and can accomplish more things. I don’t know why I procrastinated writing this article instead of just doing it. I will start thinking about my next article . . . tomorrow.
Paula and Dale Reece own Crossroads Fitness Centers in Grand Junction with a downtown location at 225 N. Fifth St. and north location at 2768 Compass Drive. For more information, call (970) 242-8746 or visit the website crossroadsfitness.com.
Paula Reece
Jenny Yeager
Delegating: aligning the right people with the right tasks
Delegating isn’t easy. It is a skill that must be practiced and honed over time. However, the better you become at aligning the right people with the right tasks and responsibilities, the more effective you’ll become at your job as a leader.
Delegation refers to the transfer of responsibility for specific tasks from one person to another. From a servant leadership perspective, delegation occurs when that leader assigns specific tasks to their employees. In delegating those tasks to trusted team members, the servant leader frees up some of their time (the leader’s time) to focus on higher-value activities while also keeping employees engaged with greater autonomy.
Delegating effectively is like planting seeds that yield a bountiful harvest. Let’s explore the returns that leaders can expect when they master the art of delegation:
• Increased productivity and revenue: According to a Gallup study, CEOs who excel in delegating generate 33 percent higher revenue. When leaders delegate, they free up time to focus on strategic activities while empowering their team members to handle day-to-day tasks. It’s like having more hands on deck to steer the ship toward success. See: “How to Delegate Effectively: 9 Tips for Managers (hbs.edu).”
• Boosted morale and engagement: When team members are entrusted with meaningful responsibilities, they feel valued and motivated. Delegation provides a sense of ownership and autonomy, leading to higher job satisfaction and engagement. Happy employees are productive employees.
• Better decision making: Delegating encourages
diverse perspectives. As leaders distribute decision-making authority, they tap into the collective wisdom of their team. This diversity of thought often leads to better choices and innovative solutions.
• Skill development: Delegation isn’t just about offloading tasks; it’s an opportunity for growth. When leaders delegate, they allow team members to stretch their skills, learn new things and develop professionally. It’s like investing in a talent-development program within your own organization.
• Time for strategic thinking: Leaders who delegate effectively can shift their focus from the minutiae to the big picture. They have mental space to strategize, plan and envision the future. Remember, you can’t steer the ship if you’re constantly bailing water.
• Reduced burnout: Ever felt overwhelmed, drowning in a sea of tasks? Delegation is your lifeboat. By sharing the load, leaders prevent burnout and maintain their energy and enthusiasm. Plus, they avoid becoming the bottleneck for critical decisions.
• Cultural impact: Delegation sets the tone for your organization’s culture. When it’s embedded in your leadership style, it becomes an expectation. A culture of trust, empowerment and collaboration emerges — one in which everyone contributes their best.
• Succession planning: Effective delegation prepares the next generation of leaders. As you empower others, you’re grooming potential successors. It’s like passing the baton in a relay. Smooth transitions ensure the race continues without stumbling.
The art of delegation in the workplace involves more than just assigning tasks; it’s about entrusting responsibility and authority to team members. This process empowers them to make decisions and act on behalf of the Servant Leader, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability.
Some key aspects to consider
• Choose the right people: Match tasks with team members’ strengths and skills. This not only ensures the task is done well but also helps in their professional growth.
• Identify what to delegate: Not every task can or should be delegated. Focus on tasks that others can handle effectively, allowing you to concentrate on higher-priority activities.
• Communicate clearly: Provide clear instructions and expectations. Make sure your team understands the goals, deadlines and any specific requirements.
• Provide resources and support: Ensure your team has the necessary tools and support to complete the tasks successfully.
• Trust and empower: Trust your team to handle the tasks. Avoid micromanaging and allow them to take ownership of their work.
• Follow up and provide feedback: Regularly check in on progress and provide constructive feedback. This helps in maintaining accountability and improving future performance. Effective delegation not only boosts productivity but also enhances team morale and development.
How do you approach delegation in your work?
Timothy Haggerty and his wife, Bernadette, operate a consulting firm based in Grand Junction that helps clients transition from command and control to servant leadership and change the view of wages and benefits from expenses to investments. Haggerty brings to the venture more than 40 years of experience in operations management and a record of decreasing costs while increasing productivity and revenue. He also serves as president of the Grand Junction Kiwanis Club. Reach him at info@timothyhaggerty.com, (610) 737-0496 or timothyhaggerty.com
Timothy Haggerty
Improve operations and profitability with assessments
It’s what you don’t know that really limits your ability to hire, place, manage and develop team members successfully.
A very real challenge business owners face in building a solid team is a lack of credible, unbiased information. When considering the future growth of your business, having clear, unbiased and accurate information that positions you to build and develop the best team possible is a key ingredient to your success.
Are you looking for a way to hire correctly the first time, reduce turnover and increase retention?
Do you wish you had access to clearcut information that would allow you to place your team members in positions where they would be the most effective and the happiest?
Do you want to enhance engagement and productivity? Would discovering the specific areas for the training and professional development that would deliver the greatest return on your investment appeal to you?
If you answered yes to any one of these questions, then accurate, nonbiased, comprehensive and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission compliant assessments may be just what you need.
There are five key assessments that lead the charge when building a great team is your intent:
• Behaviors (DISC): Behavioral assessments and effective training position individuals to gain more understanding of themselves and others. With this, they come to appreciate the differences in people and can adapt their communication style for more effective communication.
Team members are also exposed to their time wasters, areas to improve and how they break down under pressure.
When combined with effective coaching, team members learn how to manage these for superior performance.
The assessment results enhance the hiring process by revealing how an individual is likely to perform.
• Driving Forces (Motivators): An assessment that measures one’s driving forces helps illuminate and amplify a person’s motivating factors. Motivators can be referred to as the aspects of life that you are passionate about, things that you perceive as important, or the thoughts that provide you with purpose and direction in life. Motivators are the drivers of our behavior or what motivates our actions.
By combining coaching, training and the knowledge of motivators, you can position and encourage team members in ways that satisfy their inner drive right from the start. The results will benefit hiring and coaching initiatives by revealing why individuals act the way they do or what motivates their behavior.
• Emotional Intelligence: An EQ assessment helps identify how well a person is able to manage emotions and impact relationships with others. It looks at a person’s emotional intelligence, which is the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions to facilitate higher levels of collaboration and productivity.
• Business Acumen Indicator: This assessment is unique in its ability to assess how astutely a person analyzes and interprets their experiences. A person’s acumen, or keenness and depth of perception or discernment, is directly related to their level of performance. The stronger a person’s acumen, the more aware they are of their reality in both their external and internal world and the better they are at responding effectively to them.
This report gives insight into the thought processes of the individual that affect performance and reveals what they can do, describing their capacity for superior performance.
• Competencies: This assessment describes what an
individual’s strengths are in 25 research-based capacities, or personal skills, that directly relate to the business environment. The top skills outlined in the report highlight individuals’ well-developed capabilities and reveal the areas where they are most effective.
The results also provide a straightforward and easy way to close the gaps in competencies that are necessary for top performance. When used as a benchmarking tool, this component helps ensure the inherent skills of each individual match the personal skills required by the job.
This suite of powerful assessments provides business owners and managers with high quality, unbiased information that is critical in hiring, placing, managing and developing team members successfully. They provide a level of understanding and clarity that you and your team cannot get anywhere else.
This powerful information, when combined with professional development and training, creates greater buy-in and enhances communication and teamwork while increasing productivity, job satisfaction and talent retention.
When administered properly, the positive impact of these assessments on business performance is exceptional.
If you are going to hire effectively, understand where the gaps in ability exist, manage from a better understanding of your people, train with the greatest impact, retain talent and build a team of top performers, then high-quality assessments are essential to your success.
Marcus Straub owns Life is Great Coaching in Grand Junction. His personalized coaching and consulting services help individuals, business owners, executives and companies build teams, organizations and lives filled with happiness and success. Straub is winner of the International Coach of the Year Award and author of “Is It Fun Being You?” He’s available for free consultations regarding coaching, speaking and trainings. Reach Straub at (970) 208-3150, marcus@ligcoaching.com or www.ligcoaching.com.
Marcus Straub
We’re about to make this
a
weekly occurrence
And it’s our sincere hope you can’t get enough of us. After all, starting on Jan. 8, 2025, the Business Times will be published every week on Wednesdays.
Why is the Business Times going weekly, you must be asking? And you should. Because as dedicated readers, you know darned well under the editorship of Phil Castle, the Business Times became a well-oiled machine in bringing its readers quality, local, business coverage in its twice-a-month format. We’d dare say Phil almost perfected it. Certainly, for Grand Junction, it has been as good as it gets.
And we’ve been honored to be a big part of your newspaper reading for the past quarter of a century or more. So naturally, and if we’re being honest a little slowly, we’ve made the decision to do more. Why slowly? In full disclosure, we’ve been asked on many occasions the past decade to give serious consideration to doing a weekly paper. We’ve always thought it a good idea. Our main problem? We’d have to start from scratch with a completely different publication and when the business model was basically two guys with nothing better to do every couple of weeks, the little voice in the back of the publisher’s head kept saying, “It ain’t broke so there’s nothing to fix.” So, our two-man show rolled on like the Gunnison and Colorado rivers merging into one grand publication.
And then, necessity became the mother of invention. Phil retired. And when the only pony trick remaining in the left-behind publisher’s stable is a newspaper, he had no choice than to go into action. After all, the newspaper business is all he’s known for the past 25 years, and it’s the last job he’ll have. That is, if all goes according to plan. If initial reactions are any indication, it’s going to go even better.
And here’s why. Our readers and advertisers have always come first at Grand Junction’s little newspaper that could. And they are the first folks we rely on for feedback and, more important, for being able to feed the staff.
And here’s what they told us. They’d love more from and of the Business Times. And as they do now, they said they’d never miss an issue and support our efforts with their advertising. Just like those asking us to do a weekly over the years, they realized a weekly, local, business-first paper would be a great asset in the Grand Valley.
But they also told us the one other piece of information that solidified our decision to finally make this move. While the Business Times has always been the obvious, go-to publication for Grand Junction and Grand Valley business news, it has become so much more for the residents of our beautiful area of western Colorado.
And it’s that we’re looked at as a newspaper of the community.
After all, what do we do stories on? We now know the better way to phrase that question is WHO do we do stories on? When we look at it, it’s friends, neighbors, businesses and institutions our readers know and love. So, our tagline really should read: The definitive source for Grand Junction business and community news since 1994. And beginning this issue, that’s exactly how it will read. Because all of our stories begin with business and Grand Junction and the surrounding communities in mind.
We’re fully committed to this new way to provide our readers and advertisers with more of what they want while doing the business changes we’ve been pondering for quite some time. And while the papers will be a little smaller with more frequency to start, we don’t think it will take long for the Business Times to grow with more stories, content and advertising opportunities.
Please know, as much you want to read more stories about your friends and neighbors, we want to tell them even more. And when we all do the right thing for our community, we all win.
The taxpayer is never
safe when the faculty lounge is in session
Just so you aren’t confused, I am not talking about any meetings on the corner of 12th and North. No, I’m talking about downtown on Fifth and Rood. And while I am sure the faculty meet regularly at our university, those meetings don’t do nearly the damage the way our city council infects its personal petri dish known as the citizens of Grand Junction and Mesa County. Pontificating and affirming amongst themselves like educated educators is the only explanation for what our city council continues to inflict upon the people.
To help some of my detractors on the resale goods issue, these “leaders” would tax your garage sale if they could. After all, they just couldn’t take the “revenue hit” from not taxing our local resale shops, according to our former mayor.
Heaven forbid our city government base its community budgeting and priorities on the premise we fought a revolution on the concept the people are overtaxed.
I saw an opinion recently stating our all-knowing city council has lost its “appetite for experimentation.” And this was after the beginning of the article took paragraphs to describe the “pilot program” on Fourth and Fifth streets as an example of a good, needed experiment. If I had to guess, they are a biking buddy of our mayor and a few council members, or they don’t use Fourth and Fifth in their daily commute. Because even with using up all the spare PVC pipe in the valley, I have yet to see a bicyclist commuting on either street.
I can assure the author that a majority of the elected, learned leaders of Grand Junction have no shortage of experiments in the hopper. Why else would they increase the budget in such a nonchalant, yet dismissive of the public, manner and keep the taxes on resale goods (the other topic of the opinion) to keep the coffers filled?
After all, we just don’t know it’s for our own good. They just need to solve a problem for one person (read: buddy), and it’s worth every penny, effort and inconvenience to the other 99.99 percent of the people. I can imagine them saying, “We’re do-gooders, doing good, and we’ve got a study we’ve paid for to prove it’s a good in need of doing.” Such studies conveniently, make them immune from the consequences of the results of every edict, proclamation and policy they make or every dollar they waste. Except in the case of Fourth and Fifth streets, where’s it’s simply impossible to have a study saying this is a desperate need for our city — unless the PVC vendor had one.
I know all too many will read this and retort, “All Craig does is (insert B word) and complain about things.” I mean, I do at times. But only about things worthy of my B-wording and complaining. Like the Fourth and Fifth Street jackassery and wondering why the premise with public servants always starts with, “We should be taxing that,” on things like resale goods.
The truth is our government at all levels truly embraces the “Taxation without representation is tyranny” theory, but in the opposite way — although in Colorado we’ve changed the terminology to “fees” — to the point where it taxes WITH representation. It’s mainly because we tolerate this tyranny and keep electing folks who are more than happy to tax us into oblivion for our own good.
Here are two quotes to better understand my premise when it comes to the freedoms that are inalienable according to some parchment from 1787:
“When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion — when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing — when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors — when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you – when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice — you may know that your society is doomed.” — Ayn Rand.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” — C.S. Lewis
Now look at the actions of government and its do-gooders at all levels over your lifetime and tell me these aren’t commonplace in your experience. Don’t want to go back that far? Then how about during and after Covid 19? Still too remote? Then drive into town on Fourth Street and buy some pot and look at your receipt.
When it comes to taxes and tyranny, no one in our country does it better than those we elect. And no one does less good with the power and money that come from them.
Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com
Craig Hall
The “ is A-Changing for 2025! Times “
Take our reader survey. We haven’t talked in a while!
Since 1994, it has been the mission of the Business Times to be the definitive source of Western Slope business news. It has been our honor to serve our readers twice monthly with interesting, local, original stories about the businesses, people and your friends and neighbors while creating a preeminent vehicle for our advertisers.
As 2025 approaches, we’d like to do more. If we’ve learned anything the past 30 years, it’s that all news affects business. And that’s across all spectrums of business, commerce and government. So we’re coming to you with a brief survey to update our readership profile and ask what you’d like to see more of in addition to our great business stories as we move forward. After all, you’re going to be seeing more of us!
Demographic Information
How old are you?
o 19 or under o 20-29 o 30-39 o 40-49 o 50-59 o 60-69 o 70 or over
Which are you? o Male o Female o Prefer not to answer
Marital Status Education Level
o Single o Married o High School o Associate degree
o Divorced o Widowed o Bachelor’s degree o Masters and above
o Single Parent
Income
o $0-$29,999 o $30,000-$59,999 o $60,000-$89,999
o $90,000-$119,999 o $120,000+ o Prefer not to say
Do you currently own or rent your home? o Rent o Own
Employment
o Full-time o Part-time o Contract or temporary o Retired
o Unemployed o Unable to work o Prefer not to say
o Other (please specify)________________________________
■ Advertising contracted for must be specified as either Business Times Run of Press (BTROP) or Focus Special Section Advertising (Focus) on contract. Combined contracts are not allowed unless approved by the publisher although earned rates in the Focus sections may apply.
■ Submitted ads must be complete and print ready quality (300 dpi) otherwise design fess will apply if changes or adjustments by the publisher are required. All full color ads must be CMYK. It is recommended that black used in the ad (particularly in small type) be 100% black and not four color process black.
■ Photos must be a MINUMUM of 300 dpi and no smaller than 2” x 3”.
■ Photos and ad files accepted are .jpg, .pdf, .tif and .eps.
■ Basic design of advertisements is included in the contracted price and includes the initial design of ad proof as long as the materials provided by the advertiser meet specifications, otherwise, design fees of $25.00 per hour will apply—billed in 1/2-hour increments. Minor proof adjustments will be provided at no charge at the publisher’s discretion and major adjustments may be subject to the publisher’s $25.00 per hour rate.
■ Advertiser is responsible for getting all materials or completed advertisements to the Business Times in a timely fashion so as to meet deadlines. The deadline for finalized ads is 5pm on Thursday the week before publication; for ads that need to be built, materials must be in by 5pm Tuesday the week before publication. Advertisers will be provided an editorial/publication calendar with their contract to assist them in adhering to the deadline schedule. The Business Times will additionally alert advertisers for upcoming editions in a timely manner after the proceeding publication is printed and in distribution. The Business Times will not guarantee publication of ad materials or completed ads received after the deadline has passed. In this occurrence, the Business Times reserves the right to publish a previously run ad from the advertiser, the latest proof available for the current ad or no ad at all, depending on the circumstances and the advertiser will be billed per the contract.
■ The publisher retains the right to not publish any ad for any reason it deems inappropriate for publication.
Employement Level
o Entry Level o Managerial Level o Business Owner
■ New advertisers that have not established credit with the Business Times will be required to pay the first month’s advertising with their contract, and the first 6 months of the contract billed in advance. New, credit-approved advertiser contracts that go past due 60 days will be automatically cancelled and charged a 25% cancellation fee on both the unpaid balance and the remaining, cancelled ads. Cancelled contracts may also be subject to collection fees.
Do you give back to the community?
o Charity o Church o Volunteer o Prefer not to say how o Do not give back
Important Readership Information
■ Billing terms are due on receipt and invoiced on the first day of the month for any ads the advertiser is running for that month. Ad accounts that go past due 90 days will be automatically cancelled and charged a 25% cancellation fee on both the outstanding debt and the remaining, cancelled ads. Cancelled contracts may also be subject to collection fees.
How often do you read The Business Times?
o Every edition (twice monthly) o Once a month o Occasionally o Online
What interests you the most about the current paper? (can choose more than one)
o Business Profile Stories
o Contributors
■ Advertiser may cancel this contract at any time with a 30 day, written notice. Upon cancellation, advertiser will be invoiced for all ads run at its retroactive, earned rate based on the cancellation date and billed a 25% fee on the remaining cancelled ads. Advertiser will be given full credit for all monies paid toward the final invoice.
o Business Briefs
o Local Business Announcements o Ads
o Opinion
o Business People
o Other (please specify)_______
■ Prepaid advertising is non-cancellable and will not be refunded under any circumstances, although the advertiser may opt (and publisher reserves the right) to pull all remaining, scheduled advertising.
What would you like to see more of or new for 2025?
Investigative stories, local government coverage, more unique/untold stories?
■ Non-profits and governmental agencies receive the 12 time rate on all ads contracted. If a longer contract is desired, the Business Times and non-profit/government entity will negotiate a special rate. Political advertisers will receive the 24 time rate and must be paid in advance with contract. We have reviewed the policy information and agree to the terms.
I’d be interested in having the Your name, address, phone number: Business Times mailed to my home.
o Yes o No o Would consider it
Please fill out the survey and mail to: The Business Times 609 North Avenue Suite 5 Grand Junction CO 81501
Completed surveys will be entered in a random drawing to possibly win one of four $50 local restaurant gift certificates or receive one of 10 free subscriptions for The Business Times for 2025 (If you already subscribe, your renewal is free).
NOTEWORTHY
n LULULEMON OPENS FOR BUSINESS IN MESA MALL
Women’s activewear, loungewear and footwear retailer Lululemon became the newest addition Mesa Mall when it opened its doors to customers on Nov. 15.
The store is next to Torrid and across from Bath & Body Works at Mesa Mall, 2424 US Highway 6&50.
“Mesa Mall is excited to welcome such a great brand as lululemon, and just in time for the holiday season,” Mesa Mall General Manager Jay Greenberg said in a news release. “We strive to provide our guests with dynamic national and local brands and retail concepts, as well as family-friendly dining and entertainment options all within our property.”
Lululemon offers technical athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories for a variety of activities including yoga, running, training and more. Its goal is to create products, programs, and experiences to improve the wellbeing of people and communities.
For additional information on Mesa Mall, please visit www. shopmesamall.com.
n SUNROC CORPORATION ACQUIRES
GRAND JUNCTION-BASED M.A. CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION
M.A. Concrete Construction Inc. has been acquired by Sunroc Corporation, a subsidiary of Clyde Companies Inc. Sunroc specializes in construction services and supplying concrete, asphalt, aggregate, masonry, and other construction materials. The company will operate under the Sunroc name as it expands operations in western Colorado.
“We are eager to enter the western Colorado market with the support of M.A. Concrete Construction,” said Mark Elder, President of Sunroc. “In a rapidly growing geographical region, this acquisition allows us to augment our capacity and provide even greater value in the area.”
Since its founding in 1985, M.A. Concrete Construction has grown to become an industry leading infrastructure construction company. It has done major projects for the City of Grand Junction, City of Fruita, Mesa County, and the Ute Water Conservancy District. The acquisition includes experienced personnel, gravel pit operations and a fleet of gravel processing and crushing machinery.
“We are glad to join forces with Sunroc and are confident that our customers and employees are in good hands,” said Martin Azcarraga of M.A. Concrete Construction.
Sunroc is a top-rated sitework contractor with current projects and operations in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. For more information about Sunroc, visit www.sunroc.com
n INCUBATOR CENTER HOSTING EUROPEANSTYLE OUTDOOR MARKET
The Business Incubator Center and Alpine Bank invite the public to their annual Small Business Holiday Expo & Silent Auction on Dec. 5, 4-7 p.m. at the incubator center’s campus, 2591 Legacy Way, Grand Junction.
The event will be a European-style holiday market featuring local makers, entrepreneurs, and start-ups born at the Incubator, selling their unique and handcrafted products. Santa Claus will be on site along with 20 local businesses, including food-truck vendors and local caterers from the incubator’s commercial kitchen.
n CREDIT UNION OF COLORADO DONATES TIME AND MONEY TO “HERE TO HELP DAY”
Credit Union of Colorado recently held its annual Here to Help Day, during which more than 200 employees volunteered at 18 charitable, nonprofit organizations across Colorado. The credit union also contributed more than $19,000 in cash and in-kind donations to support this year’s efforts.
This year’s team of volunteers included Credit Union of Colorado team members, friends and family. The nonprofit organizations spanned the state, from Fort Collins to Pueblo to Grand Junction, with a focus on supporting organizations that align with the credit union’s focus on equity, education and the environment.
“During Here to Help Day, Credit Union of Colorado team members in Grand Junction proudly donated their time and efforts to Kids Aid,” said Lucas Ferguson, branch manager of Credit Union of Colorado in Grand Junction. “We look forward to Here to Help Day every year and the opportunity to serve and make a difference in our community.”
Credit Union of Colorado offers the latest in banking with 19 fullservice locations throughout the state, featuring lobby service centers, drive-up tellers and access to thousands of fee-free ATMs, including its branch at 202 Main Street in downtown Grand Junction.
n ENSTROM CANDIES TO BREAK GROUND ON DEC. 6 ON NEW FACILITY ON 28 ROAD AND GRAND AVENUE
Enstrom Candies announced it will break ground Dec. 6 for the new facility it will build on the corner of 28 Road and Grand Avenue in Grand Junction.
The 50,000-square-foot facility will include a warehouse, distribution center and office spaces.
“We are incredibly excited to break ground on this new facility, which represents a significant step forward for our family business,” Enstrom Candies President Doug Simons said. “This expansion not only allows us to better serve our customers around the world, but also reinforces our commitment to Grand Junction, the community that has supported us for generations.”
PNCI Construction will build the facility, continuing a 20-year partnership with Enstrom Candies.
n CANVAS CREDIT UNION COLLECTING SOCKS FOR ANNUAL SOCK DRIVE
Canvas Credit Union branches are collecting donations through the end of December for an annual sock drive.
Donations of new and gently used socks will be distributed to homeless shelters and resource centers. Last year, Coloradans donated 4,032 pairs of socks in the drive, and Western Slope recipients included Homeward Bound, Hope of the Grand Valley and Feed My Sheep.
Canvas Credit Union operates branches at 2302 North Ave. in Grand Junction and 577 Kokopelli Blvd. in Fruita.
SHARE YOUR NEWS
The Business Times welcomes submissions for free publication in Business Briefs. Email stories and headshots to publisher@thebusinesstimes.com or submit a news release online at www.thebusinesstimes.com.
n COLORADO STAMPEDE RODEO AWARDED “MOST IMPROVED RODEO”
The Colorado Stampede Rodeo has been named “Most Improved Rodeo” by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in the Mountain States Circuit.
Contestants voted at the end of the rodeo season, and the Colorado Stampede, which is held annually at the Mesa County Fairgrounds, was selected out of 136 rodeos.
“Receiving the ‘Most Improved Rodeo’ award is a great honor and reflects our entire team’s hard work and the incredible support from our local community,” said Tara Carleo, board member of Colorado Stampede Rodeo. “We set out to create an experience that not only showcases the talent of our competitors, but also celebrates the spirit of Colorado rodeo culture.”
More improvements are on the way as the Colorado Stampede Rodeo executive board is dedicated to further elevating the event for future seasons. Plans for 2025 include a junior rodeo, a 4H livestock show, rodeo queen clinic, additional VIP seating closer to the arena for sponsors and partners, more hospitality for competitors and investing in more community outreach.
“This award means so much to our team, and I am so proud of our amazing committee for accomplishing so much in less than a year,” said Laura Mendel, president and CEO of Colorado Stampede Rodeo. “We could not have pulled such an amazing rodeo off without our incredible volunteers, staff, sponsors and our contestants. I am so grateful to them for voting for us.”
F
Tara Carleo
Laura Mendel
n FRUITA APPOINTS VASSEN AS INTERIM CITY MANAGER
The City of Fruita announced the appointment of Shannon Vassen as interim city manager. Vassen, who will start his new role Dec. 3, has been employed by the City of Fruita for six years and was serving as the assistant city manager before the appointment.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Shannon for the past four-and-a-half years and have seen firsthand his dedication and contributions to the City of Fruita. The City Council and I are thrilled to have him step in as Fruita’s interim city manager,” Fruita Mayor Matthew Breman said.
As assistant city manager, Vassen oversaw Fruita’s administration department, which includes finance, human resources, city clerk, utility billing, budget and more. He also continues to create the city’s annual budget.
Vassen has spent most of his life in the Grand Valley. After graduating from Central High School, he received his bachelor’s degree in political science at Colorado Mesa University. After college, he started his career in local government at Mesa County and worked for the City and County of Denver while attending graduate school, attaining a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado School of Public Affairs.
The community will have multiple opportunities to meet Shannon, including a Hot Chocolate with the Interim City Manager event on Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. at Starbucks, 532 Raptor Road, Fruita.
n SHARON BOUSE-FERRY HAS JOINED THE FOSTER ALUMNI MENTORS TEAM AS THE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Sharon Bouse-Ferry has more than 20 years of expertise in program development, strategic operations and fundraising, with a deep focus on improving outcomes for children, youth, and families.
With a strong professional foundation in child development and early childhood education, foster care, and youth homelessness, Sharon combines her professional and personal experience as a foster/kinship and adoptive parent to design, implement and support impactful programs.
Bouse-Ferry is passionate about supporting efforts that create meaningful and lasting impacts for young people in the community, and she actively serves on various boards and committees, including Mesa County Behavioral Health’s steering committee, the MCBH youth subcommittee and the Mesa County Suicide Prevention Coalition. For more information about the Foster Alumni Mentors program, visit www.fosteralumnimentors.org.
n MIND SPRINGS ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH LARKIN HEALTH, INTRODUCES CEO TORRES
The Mind Springs Health board of directors signed a management agreement with Larkin Health System, a healthcare organization that has served the health needs of South Miami, FL, and the surrounding region for more than 40 years.
As part of this new direction, Mind Springs introduced its new interim chief executive officer, Nicholas D. Torres. The joint board statement said, “Dr. Torres brings a wealth of healthcare experience and a dynamic vision for our future. His impressive track record and dedication to innovation and excellence make him an ideal fit for our organization as we embark on this new path together. We are confident that under Dr. Torres’ leadership, we will forge stronger community ties, enhance patient care access, and cultivate a healthy organizational culture.”
Torres currently serves as the CEO at Larkin Community Hospital’s South Miami Campus and is an adjunct clinical faculty member at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies. His previous roles include director of patient care services at Jackson Health System and director of behavioral health at Larkin Community Hospital. He holds a doctoral degree in nursing practice from the University of Miami and a master of science degree from Chamberlain University as a family nurse practitioner.
Torres replaces John Sheehan, according to Mind Springs Health’s announcement, “graciously stepped down to pave the way for the new leadership team.”
Mind Springs Health is the Western Slope’s largest provider of counseling and therapy for mental wellness and assists individuals and families dealing with and recovering from substance abuse and addiction.
n GJARA WELCOMES POWELL TO ITS RANKS
Heiden Homes Realty agent Debby Powell was inducted as a member of the Grand Junction Area Realtor Association at GJARA’s quarterly luncheon Oct. 31 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Grand Junction.
Powell is a graduate of Regis University in Denver and worked in the Human Resources field for 25 years. She was also a Realtor in California. Debby moved to the Grand Valley seven years ago, and joined Heiden Homes this year. For more information about Heiden Homes Realty, celebrating 23 years in business in downtown Grand Junction, log on to www.heidenhomes.com.
Dec. 4
East Mesa County Business Roundtable 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Clifton Community Center, 3270 D ½ Rd., Clifton or 970-263-2918
Dec. 4
Fruita Chamber Women in Business End of year Party 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Two Rivers Winery, 2087 Broadway, Grand Junction. Members attend at no additional charge. Members $30. 970-858-3894 or fruitachamber.org
Dec. 10
Mesa County Women’s Network December Workshop: Financial Wellness for the Working Woman 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Abstract & Title Company Boardroom, 2464 Patterson Rd. Grand Junction. Members attend at no additional charge. Non-member drop in $35. mcwn.us/events
Dec. 11
Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce Networking at Noon 12p.m. to 1 p.m. Rockslide Brew Pub, 401 Main St., Grand Junction. $20 for members, $25 for non-members. 970-263-2912 or gjchamber.org
Dec. 11
Palisade Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn: Zero barriers to business Noon to 1 p.m., Location TBD. Free for members, $5 for non-members. 970-464-7458 or palisadecoc.org/events
Dec. 12
Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce business after hours, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Alpine Bank, 2297 125 North Park Sq., Fruita. Admission $5 chamber members, $15 for others. 970-858-3894 or fruitachamber.org
Dec. 16
Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce Annual Economic Outlook Luncheon, Noon to 1:30 p.m., Grand Junction Convention Center, 159 Main St., Grand Junction. $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers. 970-263-2912 or gjchamber.org
Dec. 18
Palisade Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Orchard River View. 3962 Hwy 2 and 24, Palisade Members are free, $5 non-members, $8 non-members. 970-464-7458 or palisadecoc.org/events
Dec. 19
WTF Networking Lunch 12 p.m.-1 p.m. Rib City Grill. 455 Kokopelli Blvd. Ste. E, Fruita. 970-858-3894 or fruitachamber.org
