The Business Times Volume 28 Issue 14

THE BUSINESS T IMES News JULY 29-AUGUST 11, 2021

THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE FOR GRAND JUNCTION BUSINESS NEWS SINCE 1994

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 14

THEBUSINESSTIMES.COM

In this issue

Trends 2 Contributors Opinion 4 Business Briefs 5 Business People Almanac

n Energetic efforts A local consultant sees links between a program offering financing for energy projects and a firm providing services.

n Build the halls

Construction is expected to begin next year on two of four community halls planned in Mesa County.

n Adaptive efforts

Farmers and ranchers in Colorado have had to adapt in the wake of freezes and pandemics to stay in business.

n Taxing matters

6

Sales, use and lodging tax collections continue to rise in Grand Junction, one sign of increased economic activity.

n Jobless jump

19

The jobless rate jumped in June in Mesa County as high school and college graduates joined the work force.

n Anything but usual It’s anything but business as usual for Grand Valley employers facing labor and supply shortages.

21

n Departments Almanac Business Briefs Business People Contributors News Opinion Trends

30 28 30-31 21-24 2-18 26-27 19-20

Work in progress n Mesa County center tops in state for career development efforts.

See page 2 Curtis Englehart, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center, oversees a range of services available to employers and those seeking jobs.

Business Times photo by Phil Castle

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 67 The Business Times 609 North Ave., Suite 5 Grand Junction, CO 81501

THE BUSINESS T IMES News The Business Times

Page 2

July 29-august 11, 2021

Energetic possibilities envisioned

Trends Contributors Opinion Business Briefs Business People Almanac

Local consultant sees connections between financing program and services provider Phil Castle

The Business Times

Tim Haggerty recognizes the potential connections among Grand Valley businesses, a program offering financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and companies providing energy services.

“I just see so many things that could start coming together. It could end up being a winwin,” said Haggerty, co-owner of Haggerty Brothers Consulting & Exploration in Grand Junction.

Haggerty said he’s Tim Haggerty worked with one of the companies he has in mind in World Energy Innovations, an Ohiobased firm that provides a range of services to help customers reduce energy use and emissions while meeting sustainability goals. “They need to be Tracy Phillips a considered player.”

Haggerty organized an online meeting to discuss the possibilities.

Theparticipantsincluded Tracy Phillips, director of the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program in Colorado, Joe Soldano and Joe Soldano, vice president of sales and marketing at World Energy Innovations (WEI).

The meeting followed an online presentation hosted by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce in which Phillips provided an overview of the C-PACE program.

The program offers the owners of eligible commercial and industrial buildings up to 100 percent financing for renewable energy, energy efficiency and water conservation projects,. Financing is available for agricultural properties as well as industrial and retail properties, hotels, multifamily housing, offices and buildings used by nonprofit organizations. Private providers offer capital with competitive interest rates and payment terms of up to 25 years.

See ENERGETIC page 18

The team working on career development programs at the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction includes, clockwise from bottom left, Megan Fry, Anjuli Jackson, Karen Sightler, Ashley Park, Christina Pierce, Lindsay Bullock and Renee Patterson. Between January and May, the staff worked with a total of 142 people enrolled in on-the-job-training and internships programs, the most of any workforce center in Colorado.

Work in progress

Mesa County center tops in the state for career development efforts

C

urtis Englehart believes it’s important not only for new hires to bring the right skills to jobs, but also constitute good fits for businesses and their staffs.

That’s why the director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction says he’s so pleased with the latest numbers for career development programs offered at the center that promote those attributes while also reducing risk for employers.

Between January and May this year, the workforce center worked with a total of 142 people enrolled in internship and Curtis Englehart on-the-job training programs. That’s the most of any center in Colorado, including those with larger staffs and more funding.

“To me, what is says is we’re very efficient in what we do,” Englehart says.

There’s another number Englehart tracks, and that’s the proportion of people still working for the same employers a year after starting the programs. In Mesa County, it’s 83 percent.

“That’s extremely high.”

The numbers are all the more important at a time when Mesa County businesses face labor shortages and struggle to fill job openings, he says. The programs help in recruiting and retaining employees while reducing the cost of that process.

“It’s a slam dunk, and we want more employers to take advantage of it.”

Englehart credits Lindsay Bullock, supervisor of career

FOR YOUR INFORMATION For more information about career development programs offered at the Mesa County Workforce Center, call 248-7560 or visit https://mcwfc.us. development at the Mesa County Workforce, and her team.

“It’s a blessing to be able to work with them on a daily basis.”

Bullock also shares the credit. “I am very proud of the efforts of my team. They are all amazing.”

Englehart says the center offers on-the-job training and internship programs for adults, dislocated workers and youth and young adults age 16 to 24 years old.

The center covers the pay for interns for up to 29 hours a week. The center reimburses employers 50 percent to 75 percent of the wages for those involved in on-the-job training.

The goal is to place workers in permanent positions when they’ve completed the programs, but employers aren’t obligated to do so, Englehart says. The important thing is to find the right fit not only for employers looking to fill positions, but also job seekers looking for meaningful employment. “It’s really a great way to make sure you’re hiring for fit.”

The workforce center assists in the process in screening candidates and assessing their skills, he says.

See WORK page 17

STORY AND PHOTO BY PHIL CASTLE

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 3

THE he B BUSINESS usiness T T Times IMES

PPAGE age 4 4

JulyJANUARY 29-august 11, 2015 2021 15-28,

THE BUSINESS TIMES Administrator brings

WE OFFER COMPLIMENTARY

HOME & OFFICE DELIVERY/PICK UP! Delivery Hotline: 970-314-8356

599 Patterson (25 Road & Patterson)

The Business Times The Business Times 609 North Ave., Suite 2, 609 North Ave.,CO Suite 5 Grand Junction, 81501 Grand Junction, CO 81501 Telephone: (970) 424-5133 (970) 424-5133 FAX: (970) 424-5134 www.thebusinesstimes.com www.thebusinesstimes.com TheThe Business Times is published twice Business Times is published twice monthly and distributed throughout Grand monthly and distributed throughout Junction, and Palisade.

Advertising GrandFruita Junction, Fruita and Palisade. rates Advertising and deadlines areand available upon are rates deadlines request. Opinions expressed in this available upon request. Opinions expressed publication are those of the writers and do in this publication are those of the writers not necessarily reflect the views of the and don’teditor, necessarily the views of publisher, staff orreflect advertisers. the publisher, advertisers.

Copyright © 2015 editor — Allor rights reserved.

Copyright © 2021 — All rights reserved

Let’s create something

...for your home, business, or toys!

S O L A R

P O W E R E D

1707 I-70 Business Loop Grand Junction

970-243-6310

allmetalswelding.com

Life is Precious

Serving families of the Western Slope for more than 100 years.

well-rounded perspective to new Mesa County role Phil Castle

as well as New England and Canada.

Whidden said people who work in information technology aren’t just “geeks,” Frank Whidden brings what he but offer an important perspective because considers a well-rounded perspective to his they’re familiar with nearly every aspect of new job as Mesa County administrator. operations and how work gets done. They Whidden worked also tend to think about new and potentially in information better ways of doing things in asking and technology and holds answering “what if ” questions. “They know a master’s degree in how to effect change in an organization.” computer information Whidden expects to bring that same systems. But he also approach to his duties as administrator. holds a doctoral Whidden said it’s his role to help degree in applied county commissioners make and then management and implement decisions. The commissioners decision making and Frank Whidden in turn represent the residents of the worked for more than county and express their will, he said. “We 20 years as a minister. Whidden has work for the people.” worked for large and small organizations Whidden said he also considers himself in both the private and public sectors. a liaison between the commissioners and Whidden to draw onScott all of McInnis his county staff, andan oneeffort of the Mesa Countyexpects Commissioner announces topriorities build is to experiences in helping Mesa County Whitewater make sure and employees feel valued.

Whidden community halls in Clifton, De Beque, the Loma and Mack commissioners make and carry out decisions. said he hopes not only to improve area. The estimated cost for the project, including land acquisition, totalsmorale, Valuing(Business staff and making the county also take steps that will make Mesa $8 million.

Times photo

by Philbut Castle) an employer of choice is among the County an organization for which people priorities, Whidden said. So is planning want to work. that results in sustainable funding and Meanwhile, Whidden expects the balanced budgets on a long-term basis. county to continue policies and initiatives Meanwhile, Mesa County will that support local business and economic continue to pursue efforts that promote a development. There are additional steps friendly business environment and that can be taken to make it easier for local economic development, Whidden said. businesses to sell products and services to Whidden officially began working as the county, he added.

Phil Castle county administrator at Times the beginning of Mesa County will keep working with The Business the year. He succeeds Tom Fisher, who was other government entities, organizations hired as county manager in Summit and institutions on fostering an environment Construction is expected to begin next County, Utah. year on community halls in Clifton and that supports existing businesses and Whidden joined Mesa County in De Beque, the first of four such facilities attracts new businesses, he said.

August 2011 as information technology Whidden said there could bea a planned in Mesa County.

Mesa County will allocate director. In April 2014, he became deputy opportunities to encourage the additional The community halls will not only total of up to $3.5 million in federal county administrator for resource development of businesses that provide offer venues for classes, meetings and other funding for projects in Collbran, management in a staffing reorganization services to the agricultural industry as well events, but also fulfill a nearly 40-year-old De Beque and Palisade. that eliminated four director positions.

Mesa County as aauthorized distribution promise to voters who approved a measure as promote County commissioners Before joining Mesa County, center for the region. to impose a county sales and use tax. the allocations from federal funding Whidden worked for a company providing The important is American to consider Mesa County Commissioner Scott the county receivedthing through information technology services to issues from a well-rounded perspective, McInnis announced the project at a news Rescue Plan enacted in the aftermath colleges and universities. In that role, he Whidden said. “We won’t be myopic as we conference. He said the opening of the of the COVID-19 pandemic. managed IT systems and services for look at things.” new halls will serve as triggering events Collbran will receive up to institutions in Alabama, Arizona, Illinois ✦ that will lead to additional improvements $1 million for a broadband project in The Business Times

Build the halls: Project under way to open venues in Mesa County locations County allocates up to $3.5 million in federal funding

in Clifton and De Beque as well as in Whitewater and the Loma and Mack area.

The estimated cost for all four halls, including land acquisition, totals $8 million.

Commissioners Cody Davis and Janet Rowland also praised the effort.

“We’re more than happy to support the project,” Davis said.

“It is exciting,” Rowland said “I think it’s exciting for all those communities.”

Mesa County Administrator Pete Baier said the county is in the process of locating and purchasing land and securing utilities and access in Clifton and De Beque.

Construction should begin early next year.

The same process will follow in Whitewater and the Loma and Mack area.

That process also will include working See HALLS page 17

the Plateau Valley.

De Beque will receive up to $1 million for a water treatment plant.

Palisade will get up to $1.5 million either for a medical clinic or wastewater treatment project.

The towns must enter into intergovernmental agreements and comply with provisions of the American Rescue Plan.

It’s expected Mesa County will receive a total of $29.9 million from the American Rescue Plan local fiscal recovery fund. The fund is part of a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill Congress enacted to provide relief to state and local governments.

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

Colorado ag producers emphasize adaptability West Slope grower joins in online discussion Phil Castle

The Business Times

Steve Ela estimates he lost half the peach trees on his family farming operation near Hotchkiss to an October freeze.

Ray Moore figures he lost in one week in 2020 about 80 percent the customers Steve Ela of for bison from his Rock River Ranches operation when the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions affected restaurant operations.

Ag producers like Ela and Moore have weathered the weather Rex Moore as well as a pandemic, though, by adapting, diversifying and developing relationships that turn consumers into customers more interested in where their food comes from than what it costs.

“It takes price out of the factors that go

FOR YOUR INFORMATION A recorded presentation of the Colorado Proud virtual roundtable can be viewed on the website at http://coloradoproud.com/events. into the decision,” Ela said.

Ela and Moore were among the panelists who discussed a variety of issues and answered a range of questions during a virtual roundtable hosted by Colorado Proud, a program of the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

The panel also included Becca Jablonski, an assistant professor and food systems extension economist at Colorado State University, and Kate Greenberg, Colorado commissioner of agriculture.

Ela said it’s been a difficult couple of years for Ela Family Farms, a more than century-old operation growing more than 55 varieties of organic tree fruits as well as organic heirloom tomatoes.

A freeze in October killed about half the peach trees. The operation also has had to contend with hail and drought conditions, he said, See ADAPTABILITY page 16

PAge 5

Page 6

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

Grand Junction wildfire center renovations announced The facilities at a wildfire management and operations center in Grand Junction will be replaced as part of a $6.1 million investment announced

by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Haaland announced the investment will touring the Grand Junction Air Center.

Haaland also met with state and local officials to discuss the future Deb Haaland of the Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Grand Junction.

At the air center, a dispatch and air tanker base of the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit, Haaland said older, structurally deficient buildings with be replaced by a single building. Repairs to the

concrete apron at the tanker base will bring the apron into compliance with federal requirements.

The renovations are intended to keep workers safe and increase efficiency while decreasing operation costs.

“We owe the brave women and men on the front lines the right tools and training they need to protect our communities and our lands from the increasing threat of fire,” she said.

“By making smart investments in critical infrastructure as well as climate resilience, we will strengthen our wildland fire prepared and response across the West.”

The center supports wildfire fighting efforts and is the only facility that can support large air tanker coverage for Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

Haaland also met with state and local officials, who made the case to keep the BLM headquarters in Grand Junction.

The U.S. Department of Interior announced in 2019

plans to relocate BLM headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction as well as reassign BLM staff to other locations closer to the public lands the federal agency manages.

BLM headquarters could be moved back to Washington under the Joe Biden administration, however.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republication whose 3rd Congressional District covers Western Colorado, introduced legislation to keep the BLM headquarters in Grand Junction and BLM employees in western states.

Boebert stated in a news release issued after the meeting with Haaland in Grand Junction it makes sense for land managers to work and live near the areas and people affected by their decisions. Moreover, moving BLM headquarters back to Washington would be costly, she said.

F

Grand Junction tax collections trend upward

A measure of sales activity in Grand Junction continues to increase.

The city reported collecting nearly $4.9 million in sales taxes in February.

That’s an increase of almost $952,000 and 24.3 percent over the same month last year.

The city also received nearly $865,000 as its share of county sales tax collections, a 43.8 percent year-over-year increase.

City use and lodging tax collections also increased in June on a year-over-year basis.

June collections reflect May sales.

The increases also reflect in part the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions last year. However, the latest collections also topped those for 2019.

Use tax collections, a smaller and more volatile source of revenue based on activity in the construction and energy sectors, totaled $70,329 in June. That’s an increase of $19,261 and 37.7 percent over the same month last year.

Lodging tax collections, a measure of hotel and motel stays in Grand Junction, totaled almost $202,000 — an increase of 135,200 and 202.5 percent over June 2020.

For the first half of 2021, city sales tax collections climbed to nearly $28 million, a jump of almost $5.5 million and 24.3 percent over the first half of 2020. The city share of county sales tax collections totaled nearly $4.5 million, a gain of more than $719,000 and 19.1 percent over last year.

Use tax collections for the first half of 2021 topped $440,000, a decrease of almost $50,000 and 10.1 percent from the first half of 2020.

City lodging tax collections exceeded $658,000 for the first half of 2021. That was an increase of nearly $224,000 and 51.4 percent over the first half of 2020.

F

Subscribe today to the journal that means business.

(970) 424-5133

www.thebusinesstimes.com

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 7

Page 8

The Business Times

Undersheriff appointed to serve as sheriff Todd Rowell has been appointed to serve as the next Mesa County Sheriff.

Mesa County Commissioners appointed Rowell to serve the remainder of the term of Matt Lewis until an elected sheriff takes office in January 2023.

Lewis recently resigned and accepted a position as director of safety and security at Community Hospital in Grand Junction.

Rowell is scheduled to begin his new role Todd Rowell Aug, 6.

Rowell has served 20 years with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office — as undersheriff since 2018. He’s served in multiple divisions and held various leadership positions, including supervising court services, professional standards and patrol operations. He has received several awards during his career,

July 29-august 11, 2021

including two life-saving medals. He holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice and bachelor’s degree in public administration.

“The voters elected Matt Lewis twice, so I believe we have an obligation to listen to his thoughtful recommendation to appoint Undersheriff Rowell to fill his vacancy until the next election,” said Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland. “In addition to that, Todd is very interested in many community endeavors, especially in the Clifton area. He is a solid choice for Mesa County sheriff.”

Rowell said he’s pleased with the appointment. “This community is my home and where I’ve chosen to raise my family.

I am honored for the opportunity to serve as sheriff and look forward to partnering with our residents to find creative solutions to resolve public safety concerns in Mesa County,” he said.

“Thank you to the board and community for putting your faith and trust in me.”

F

Ann and Dave Brach show off their interior storage spaces shortly after opening the facility in 2019. The Brachs recently sold all three of their storage locations in Grand Junction to Advantage Self Storage.

(Business Times photo

by Phil Castle)

Colorado firm purchases Brach’s Storage

A Colorado-based company has purchased Brach’s Storage and its three locations in Grand Junction.

Advantage Self Storage acquired in the transaction Brach’s Self Storage, Brach’s Mini Storage and Brach’s Interior Storage.

Dave and Ann Brach opened the first Brach’s Storage location in 1995.

Their facilities are located on part of the land Dave’s parents purchased 60 years ago along Broadway.

The couple constructed an interior, climate-controlled storage facility in 2019 in a nearly 19,000-square-foot, two-story building.

“We are confident Advantage Self Storage will continue the quality customer service and storage our customers have grown accustomed to over the years,” Dave said,.

Ann said the couple is grateful for the community’s support and trust over the years. “Providing clean, secure, accessible and affordable storage options to customers has been our passion for nearly three decades.

It’s now time to pass the torch.”

Advantage Self Storage operates two locations in Arvada as well as locations in Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.

Brach’s Storage customers who have questions should call 241-9012.

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 9

Page 10

The Business Times

News, views and advice you can use

Subscribe today to the journal that means business in the Grand Valley.

(970) 424-5133

www.thebusinesstimes.com

July 29-august 11, 2021

Going to the dogs: Wüffstock Festival slated for Aug. 14 at Los Colonias

An upcoming festival will offer participants an opportunity to enjoy music, food and activities — and bring along their dogs.

The Roice-Hurst Humane Society has scheduled the fifth annual Wüffstock Music Festival for Aug. 14 at the amphitheater at Los Colonias Park in Grand Junction. The gates will open at 2:30 p.m. Bands will play from 3:30 to 9 p.m. Well-behaved dogs on leashes will be welcome.

“After an incredibly long year and a half of distancing and isolation, we are so excited to bring Wüffstock back and bring people together where they can spend time bonding with Anna Stout their pets and with each other in a safe, open-air venue,” said Anna Stout, chief executive officer of the Roice-Hurst Humane Society. “This is what we live in this valley for — being outdoors, listening to live music and eating and drinking our local fare.”

What’s billed as the largest dog-friendly music festival in the region will feature Telluride Bluegrass Festival winner Bowregard as well as Denverbased Leon & The Revival and the Grand Valley band Stray Grass.

The event also will include food trucks, vendor booths, activities for children and adoptable dogs.

VIP tickets sell for $65 and include reserved parking and seating, early entrance; beer, cider and wine in the VIP tent, Wüffstock posters signed by the bands; and limited edition 2021 Wüffstock t-shirts.

Tickets sell $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 13 to 17 years old. Children 12 and under will be admitted at no charge.

Tickets are sold online at the website at https://www.theampgj.com. For more information, contact the Roice-Hurst Humane Society at 434-7337 or visit https://rhhumanesociety.org/wuffstock2021.

Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. No outside food or beverages will be allowed, although empty water bottles will be permitted and can be filled inside the venue.

Sponsors for the 2021 Wüffstock include Chow Down Pet Supplies, Comet Cleaners, Fidelity Mortgage, Home Loan Insurance, Tito’s Vodka for Dog People, Townsquare Media and Wag Resort.

The Roice-Hurst Humane Society operates a nonprofit shelter and adoption center that provides housing, medical treatment and care for dogs and cats. The organization also provides such resources for pet owners as animal behavior counseling, free and low-cost pet food and supplies and low-cost pet vaccinations.

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 11

Page 12

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

Banff Film Festival scheduled to return to Grand Junction

An annual festival showcasing films featuring outdoor sports, stunning landscapes and remote cultures is scheduled to return to Grand Junction.

A stop on the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is set for Sept. 24 and 25 at the Avalon Theater, 645 Main St. The doors will open at 6 p.m. The films will begin at 7 p.m. Separate film lineups are planned for each night.

Reserved seating tickets sell for $25 from https://www.ticketmaster.com/ event/1E005AEFFBC18041 for Sept. 24 and https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/ 1E005AEF012D80BC for Sept. 25.

The Rotary Club of Grand Junction brings the film festival to the Grand Valley.

Proceeds from the event will support the Colorado Canyons Association, Colorado Mesa University International Student Program, Colorado National Monument Association and Western Colorado Conservation Corps.

Films that will be shown in Grand Junction were selected from among those entered in the annual Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival in Canada.

With stops planned in a total of about 550 communities in more than 40 countries across the globe, the film festival tour reaches a combined audience of more than 550,000.

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 13

Page 14

The Business Times

Pediatric practice extends office hours A pediatrics practice has extended its hours to accommodate checkups, sports physicals and vaccinations before the start of the school year Western Colorado Pediatrics Associates (WCPA), a division of Primary Care Partners, offers extended hours until 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at its Grand Junction location at 3150 N. 12th St. The location also is open for same day and urgent appointments from 8:30 a.m. until noon on Saturdays.

WCPA operates a location in Fruita at 456 Kokopelli Blvd., Unit D. WCPA providers will donate $5 to the Kids Aid Backpack Program for every well child checkup they complete before school starts. The Kids Aid Backpack Program provides backpacks filled with food to students who might not have access to meals over the weekends.

“For every $5 we receive, we are able to fill a backpack for one child for an entire weekend,” said Emilee Powell, president of the Kids Aid board of directors. “We are going to be able to help a lot of kiddos this school year because of this generous commitment by Western Colorado Pediatric Associates.”

Dr. Michael Whistler, a pediatrician with WCPA, said many families missed annual checkups in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. “We recently saw

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

To schedule an appointment or obtain additional information about Western Colorado Pediatrics Associates, call 243-5437 or visit the website located at www.westerncoloradopediatricsassociates.com. a report from the Urban Institute that found almost 30 percent of youth ages 19 and younger didn’t get their annual health checkups last year because of COVID concerns. That means in Mesa County alone, an estimated 11,000 kids didn’t see their pediatricians last year. It also means health problems aren’t being caught early or in preventable stages.”

Dr. Megan Stinar, another pediatrician at WCPA, also stressed the importance of yearly checkups. “We will ensure your child is growing and developing as expected as well as help answer your questions. I know many families may have missed last year’s well child check due to the pandemic. But with the new school year and fall sports starting soon, this is a great time to come in, make sure your child is healthy and up to date on their immunizations. And don’t forget, those school forms and sports physicals need to be signed.”

F

July 29-august 11, 2021

Family Health West offers free clinics to administer COVID vaccines

Family Health West in Fruita has scheduled two clinics a week to offer COVID-19 vaccinations.

The clinics are set for Wednesday and Friday mornings at 215 N. Plum St. with the ramp leading to the Family Health West employee entrance. The clinics are free and open to the public.

Registration is required and can completed online at the website located at www.fhw.org.

“By getting the vaccine, you are not Diane Dill only protecting yourself, but others as well,” said Dr. Diane Dill, a family practitioner in Fruita.

The clinic will offer Pfizer vaccines, which require two immunizations.

The vaccine will be administered to those 12 years old and older.

Minors must have a parent or guardian present.

Because the clinic is located in a medical facility, those entering the building are required to wear masks.

For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine clinics, log on to www.fhw.org or call 858-2190.

F

Meeting set to review regional strategy for economic development

A final regional meeting has been scheduled as part of an effort to update an economic development strategy.

Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado has scheduled the virtual meeting for 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 29.

The organization is updating its comprehensive economic development strategy as part of the requirements to maintain its designation from the U.S. Economic Development Administration as an economic development district in the region.

The strategy outlines collaborative efforts and serves the basis in which the public sector works with industries, businesses and individuals in creating an environment for economic prosperity.

Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado represents Mesa County and four other counties as well as municipalities in the five-county region.

To participate in the meeting, register online at https://agnc.org. More information about the process for developing a regional strategy is available at https://eda.gov/ceds.

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 15

Page 16

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

Adaptability

Continued from page 5 Ela said the circumstances have prompted him to consider moving away from some of the production of tree fruits and further diversifying the operation.

Some of the possibilities could include more agricultural tourism on the farm.

“We’re brainstorming.”

Moore, a third-generation rancher, said he lost 80 percent of the sales of his bison products in a single week when the pandemic effected the restaurants to which he sold meat.

Moore said he adapted by using social media to promote sales directly to consumers. He said he now sells more bison to consumers than he used to sell to restaurants.

In selling fruits, vegetables and meats to consumers, Ela and Moore said it’s important to promote personal connections between customers and their food suppliers.

Ela said his operation not only sells products at farmers markets, but also takes advantage of those events to communicate with consumers — to tell stories and build relationships.

Ela Family Farms also hosts tours and dinners. For many consumers, their values align with the values promoted on the farm, he said.

There’s also a matter of quality customer service, he said. “You want to provide what they want, when they want it and where they want it.”

Moore said Rock River Ranches promotes itself as a family owned operation and strives to differentiate its products with consumers.

Jablonski and Greenberg said the pandemic and drought conditions likely will have lasting effects on farms and ranches in Colorado.

Jablonski said the pandemic accelerated several shopping trends, increasing the proportion of consumers who purchase food online as well as promoting more awareness of local food sources.

Producers can take advantage of those trends, she said, by targeting markets and identifying what they care about. In many cases, customers care more about certain values than they do prices. “What do customers value?” she asked.

Farmers and ranchers have always faced variability in weather and extreme weather events, she said. But the ability to face those risks is tied profitability.

Greenberg said both conservation and marketing efforts will continue as producers switch to low-water crops and new markets are developed for those crops to keep the Colorado industry competitive.

Diversification will help as well, she said.

“Diversification is an incredibly important tool for us.”

Other efforts are under way in Colorado to strengthen the connections between producers in rural and urban areas of the state, Greenberg said. “All of us have a stake in the future of agriculture.”

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

Work

Continued from page 2 In covering wages paid to interns and those receiving on-the-job training, the programs reduce financial risk to employers trying out applicants, Englehart says.

The programs also reduce the pressure to hire applicants even if they aren’t necessarily a good fit.

But the majority of those applicants who complete the programs and are hired become good employees — as reflected in the high retention rates, he says.

“It’s low risk, high reward.”

In addition to on-the-job training and internship programs, the Mesa County Workforce Center pays for short-term occupational training for those who fill positions in high demand, Englehart says.

That includes those who receive certified nursing assistance designations and commercial drivers licenses.

Still other services are available, he says, including assistance in purchasing clothing and equipment required for some jobs and even gasoline to get to work.

For employers, the center offers assistance with job fairs and customized hiring events.

The numbers aren’t yet available for the latest program year. But for the 2019 program year, he says the Mesa County Workforce Center served 14,277 customers and 832 employers. In the process, the center helped in filling 1,660 job openings and saved local employers more than $2 million.

Those numbers belie the funding the center receives under a federal formula, Englehart says — among the lowest levels in Colorado.

Staffing levels are also lower at the Mesa County center than at workforce centers in other populous counties in the state, he says.

The center has been successful nonetheless in connecting employers and employees and helping them make good fits, Englehart says.

And while the center already leads the state in its career development programs, he says he’s hopeful to involve even more employers and employees in those efforts. “Yes, we’re leading the state. But that doesn’t mean we’re satisfied with that.”

F

News, views and advice you can use

Subscribe today to the journal that means business in the Grand Valley.

(970) 424-5133

www.thebusinesstimes.com

Halls

The Business Times

Continued from page 4 with residents in those communities to determine what they want to include in community halls.

Nothing is yet decided, but the Mesa Community Center offers a model, McInnis said. That facility includes a gymnasium, industrial kitchen and meeting rooms.

A community center also operates in Gateway.

Pete Baier The new community halls won’t be recreation centers or house permanent events, he said.

The community halls will offer venues for a variety of uses, he said, including fitness and computer classes, health clinics, public meetings and weddings and other special events.

The halls also will help in promoting civic pride and building

PAge 17

stronger communities, he said, while serving the portion of the Mesa County population that lives outside more urban areas.

The new halls have been a long time coming, McInnis said.

They were promised prior to an election in 1981 in which voters approved a measure imposing a 2 percent county sales and use tax, half of which is earmarked for capital improvements.

The oil shale bust followed, as did other economic downturns that made it difficult for the county to fulfill that promise. “We weren’t able to do that mission.”

A legal issue involving ownership of the existing Clifton community hall — a situation McInnis dubbed the “Clifton stall” — took years to resolve.

Baier said increased tax collections and other resources are now available that enable Mesa County to do more. “This is an exciting time to be in local governance.”

F

Page 18

The Business Times

Energetic

Continued from page 2 Payments are collected as part of the county property tax assessment process.

Financing is available through C-PACE for nearly any project that results in utility cost savings. That includes solar panels and other forms of renewable energy. That also includes heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as insulation, lighting, roofing and water pumps.

Although not required, savings realized through renewable energy and efficiency improvements often exceed the assessments, Phillips said.

Mesa County Commissioners voted in April to opt into the program. While no projects yet have been approved in the county, Phillips said, “There’s plenty of interest.”

Haggerty said the consulting firm he operates with his brother, Bill, helps clients open and expand businesses as well as transition into retirement.

The firm also serves as a kind of hub, Tim Haggerty said, in connecting businesses with available resources — including programs as well as other businesses.

He said he’s eager to promote not only the resources available through the C-PACE program, but also companies that provide energy efficiency services.

World Energy Innovations could be among the links between the program and participating businesses.

Haggerty said he worked with WEI when he was a plant director for Ocean Spray and managed the opening of a production and bottling facility in Pennsylvania.

WEI designed and installed energy systems in the nearly 300,000 square foot facility, using a modular system to pasteurize juice. WEI also incorporated low grade heat captured from cooling towers into the pressurized Bigfoot heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to heat the building in winter without burning natural gas. The plant was the first of its kind in the United States to run entirely on hot water instead of steam.

Soldano said the systems save Ocean Spray $1.3 million annually in lower utility costs, a savings WEI guarantees.

Soldano described the more than 40-year-old WEI as a clean technology company that offers energy conservation measures for commercial, industrial and health care facilities as well as other spaces.

July 29-august 11, 2021 FOR YOUR INFORMATION For more information about the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program, log on to https://copace.com.

For additional information about World Energy Innovations, visit https://worldenergyinnovations.com.

Reach Tim Haggerty by email at info@timothyhaggerty.com.

The company also will sell energy efficiency as a service, he said, charging an annual fee to achieve guaranteed performance metrics. WEI can manage the systems, allowing companies to allocate capital for other uses.

In addition to Ocean Spray, WEI has worked with many large companies, including Ford, General Motors and Goodyear.

WEI also worked with Hero MotoCorp, a motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in India, on an assembly plant that includes a wall of vegetation that filters indoor air. In addition, the facility produces more water than it uses, Soldano said.

WEI works with customers to not only reduce energy and water use, but also help them become carbon-neutral operations, he said. That’s become an objective for a growing number of companies.

Soldano said he sees a potential fit for his company’s services with the C-PACE program in Colorado. “It all comes down to a project.”

Phillips encouraged Soldano to sign up WEI as one of the registered contractors offering services through the C-PACE program. Phillips said he can’t recommend a specific contractor for a project, but refers program participants to the list of contractors.

In the case of WEI, he said it could help that financing is available to cover anything related to energy efficiency projects, including engineering services and energy audits.

Soldano said it’s important for customers to understand WEI will monitor its projects and guarantees their operating performance. “We want companies to hold us accountable,” he said. “That, along with innovative proven technologies, is what differentiates WEI.” F

News Trends Contributors June joblessness jumps Opinion Business Briefs Business People Almanac The Business Times

July 29-August 11, 2021

PAge 19

INDICATORS AT A GLANCE

n Business filings s New business filings in Colorado, 44,740 in the first quarter, up 32.2% from the first quarter of 2020.

n Confidence

s Consumer Confidence Index 129,1 in July, up 0.2. s Leeds Business Confidence Index for Colorado, 67.3 for the third quarter, up 2.9. s National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index 102.5 for June, up 2.9.

n Foreclosures n Foreclosure filings in Mesa County, 3 in June, unchanged from June 2020. t Foreclosure sales in Mesa County, 1 in June, down from 3 in June 2020.

n Indexes

s Conference Board Employment Trends Index, 109.84 for June, up 1.14. s Conference Board Leading Economic Index 115.1 for June, up 0.7%. t Institute for Supply Management Purchasing Managers Index for manufacturing, 60.6% for June, down 0.6%.

n Lodging

s Lodging tax collections in Grand Junction, $201,955 for June, up 202.5% from May 2020.

n Real estate

s Real estate transactions in Mesa County, 676 in June, up 23.1% from June 2020. s Dollar volume of real estate transactions in Mesa County, $255 million in June, up 60.4% from June 2020.

n Sales

s Sales and use tax collections in Grand Junction, $5.8 million for June, up 27% from May 2020. s Sales and use tax collections in Mesa County, $4.26 million for June, up 25.4% from June 2020.

n Unemployment s Mesa County — 6.9% for June, up 0.9. n Colorado — 6.2% for June, unchanged. s United States — 5.9% for June, up 0.1.

But businesses struggling to fill jobs as labor demand hits record levels Phil Castle

most difficulty in filling job openings, he said, among them restaurants and retailers.

Some restaurants have limited operations June May The Mesa County unemployment rate because of shortages of not only labor, but s Delta County 5.6 5.1 jumped in June as high school and college also food and other supplies. s Garfield County 5.6 5.5 graduates joined the work force.

Some people have been reluctant s Mesa County 6.9 6.0 At the same time, to return to work in part because of a s Montrose County 5.8 5.4 business struggled to $300 federal stipend added to weekly s Rio Blanco County 5.9 5.2 fill job openings as unemployment benefits, he said. That one measure of labor stipend expires in early September. demand increased to record levels The Mesa County Workforce Center strives to help employers “The demand is huge right now for jobs,” fill job openings through a number of efforts, including what said Curtis Englehart, director of the Mesa Englehart described as “micro” job fairs with 25 employers. The County Workforce in Grand Junction. next job fair is set for 9 a.m. to noon July 29 at the center, located The seasonally unadjusted unemployment at 512 29 1/2 Road.

Englehart said he expects the jobless rate to retreat in coming Curtis Englehart rate rose nine-tenths of a point to 6.9 percent in Mesa County, according to the latest estimates months as labor shortages ease. “I’m hopeful the situation will from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. change as we get through 2021.”

A year ago, when the labor market bore the brunt of the Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates also increased in COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, the jobless rate stood neighboring Western Colorado counties in June — a tenth of a at 11.1 percent. point to 5.6 percent in Garfield County, four-tenths to 5.8 percent For June 2021, Mesa County payrolls decreased 717 to in Montrose County, a half point to 5.6 percent in Delta County 70,864. The number of people counted among those unsuccessfully and seven-tenths to 5.9 percent in Rio Blanco County. looking for work increased 639 to 5,220. The labor force, which The statewide seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained includes the employed and unemployed, slipped 78 to 76,084. unchanged at 6.2 percent, although nonfarm payrolls increased Compared to COVID-19 pandemic conditions a year ago, 10,800 between May and June. payrolls increased 3,153. The ranks of the unemployed decreased Employment increased 5,300 in leisure and hospitality; 3,210. The labor force edged down 57.

3,300 in professional and business services; and 1,000 in trade, Englehart said the unemployment rate historically increases transportation and utilities. from May to June as high school and college graduates look for Since June 2020, nonfarm payrolls have increased 154,100. work. This year, though, the labor market is far tighter than a Over the past 14 months, Colorado has regained 276,400 of the 6.9 percent jobless rate indicates, he added.

375,800 jobs lost between February and April of 2020 because of The number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce the pandemic and related restrictions.

Center has nearly doubled from a year ago, he said. For June, 1,060 The largest employment increases occurred in the leisure and orders were posted. That compares to 617 a year ago. For the first hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; and professional and half of 2021, 5,567 orders were posted — the highest number on business services sectors. record. For the first half of 2020, 2,862 orders were posted.

The average workweek for employees on private, nonfarm The latest numbers exceed not only 2020 and pandemic payrolls lengthened two-tenths of an hour over the past year to 33.9 conditions, but also 2019 and 2018, Englehart said. hours. Average hourly earnings increased $1.23 to $31.58.

Businesses hit hardest by the pandemic have encountered the F The Business Times

AREA JOBLESS RATES

Consumer Confidence Index edges upward A measure of consumer confidence remains at its highest level in 17 months on mostly upbeat assessments of business and labor conditions.

The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index rose two-tenths of a point to 129.1 in July. With gains in each of the last six months, the index has climbed to its highest level since it stood at 132.6 in February 2020.

Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, said the index suggests growth in the third quarter is Lynn Franco off to a strong start. “Consumers’ optimism about the short-term outlook didn’t waver, and they continued to expect that business conditions, jobs and personal financial prospects will improve.”

A larger proportion of consumers reported plans to purchase homes, automobiles and major appliances in coming months, Franco said.

The business research and membership group bases the index on the results of monthly household surveys. Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of economic activity.

Assessments of current conditions pushed the present situation

component of the index up seven-tenths of a point to 160.3.

The proportion of consumers responding to the survey upon which the July index was based who described business conditions as “good” rose 1.2 points to 26.4 percent. The share of those who characterized conditions as “bad” edged up two-tenths of a point to 19.3 percent.

The proportion of consumers who called jobs “plentiful” rose two-tenths of a point to 54.9 percent. The share of those jobs are “hard to get” remained unchanged at 10.5 percent.

The expectations component of the index slipped a tenth of a point to 108.4.

The share of consumers who said they expect business conditions to improve over the next six months retreated three-tenths of a point to 33.4 percent. The share of those anticipating worsening conditions also decreased three-tenths of a point — to 10.5 percent.

The share of those who expect more jobs to become available in coming months rose 1.1 points to 27.7 percent. The proportion of those expecting fewer jobs also rose 1.1 points — to 16.8 percent.

Asked about their expectations for income, 20.6 percent of those who responded said they anticipated increases in the next six months — up six-tenths of a point. Meanwhile, 8.6 percent said they expected decreasing income, up two-tenth of a point.

F

Page 20

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

Rising leading index signals growth ahead in U.S. An index forecasting economic conditions in the United States continues to climb higher, signaling growth in the months ahead.

The Conference Board reported its Leading Economic Index (LEI) rose seven-tenths of a percent to 115.1 in June.

A separate measure of current economic conditions also increased, while a measure of past performance Ataman Ozyildirim remained unchanged.

“June’s gain in the U.S. LEI was broad-based and, despite negative contributions from housing permits and average workweek, suggests that strong economic growth will continue in the near term,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, senior director of economic research at the Conference Board.

The Conference Board forecasts year-over-year growth in gross domestic product, the broad measure of goods and services produced in the country, of 6.6 percent in 2021 an 3.8 percent in 2022.

The Leading Economic Index increased 5 percent during the first half of 2021, less than the 6.6 percent gain in the second half of 2020. Strength among the leading indicators remained widespread, however.

For June, eight of 10 indicators of the index advanced, including consumer expectations, interest rate spread, leading credit and new order indexes, new orders for consumer and capital goods and stock prices. A decrease in average weekly initial claims for unemployment benefits also bolstered the index.

Average weekly manufacturing hours and building permits retreated.

The Coincident Econmic Index rose four-tenths of a percent to 105.5. The index increased 2.4 percent over the past six months, For June, all four indicators of the index advanced — industrial production, nonfarm payrolls, personal income and sales.

The Lagging Economic Index held steady at 105.8.

The index increased 3.6 percent over the past three months.

For June, two of seven indicators advanced: consumer debt and cost of services.

Commercial and industrial financing and labor costs retreated. An increase in the average duration of unemployment also pulled down the index.

The average prime rate charged by banks and inventories held steady.

F

Trends Contributors Opinion Challenging situation Business Briefs Business People Almanac

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 21

COMING ATTRACTIONS

n The Business Incubator Center in Grand Junction has scheduled workshops offering information about startups as well as a business planning and management course.

Business startup workshops are set for 9 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 10 and 27 at the center, located at 2591 Legacy Way. The workshops will cover the business planning process, including financing options, licensing requirements, legal structures, trade name searches and state registration.

Admission is $55.

The next session of the Leading Edge business planning and management course is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays Aug. 25 to Nov. 10 at the center.

The course offers a combination of classroom sessions, interactive learning exercises and conversations with subject experts. By the end of the course, participants will understand the various aspects of running a business, complete a business plan or strategy and test their models for financial viability. The course also includes three hours of individual consulting.

Tuition is $275 for one person and $100 for each additional person from the same business.

For more information about upcoming events, services and programs offered at the center, call 243-5242 or visit the website at https://gjincubator.org. n The Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled its annual member appreciation event for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 29 at the Redlands Community Center, 2463 Broadway in Grand Junction.

The event will include food, beverages and networking. For more information, visit the website located at www.wchra.org. n The Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce has scheduled its annual banquet for 5:30 to 10 p.m. July 31 at the Fruita Community Center, 324 N. Coulson St. Individual tickets for chamber members sell for $50. Sponsored tables for eight sell for $500.

To register for or obtain more information about chamber events, call 858-3894 or visit https://fruitachamber.org.

With shortages and regulations, business anything but usual It’s been a year like no other. Even as they navigate through the usual human resources maze, Grand Valley employers face labor and supply shortages as well as other obstacles.

As they reboot following the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses must devote attention and resources to meet new employment regulations.

They include the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and equal pay transparency rules. Don’t forget the Colorado Overtime & Minimum Pay Standards Act and specifically wage order 37.

The Equal Pay for Equal Work Jessica Act and equal pay transparency Callow rules prohibit employers from asking applicants about their wage histories, change how employers post jobs internally and externally and require intensive auditing and reporting of wages to ensure businesses don’t discriminate based on gender.

Add in the record keeping requirements, and the challenges can become overwhelming. The most notable provision requires employers to disclose salary and benefit information for job openings — first internally and then externally — and imposes up to a $10,000 fine for each policy violation. This applies any job “tied” to or based out of Colorado, including remote positions.

If an employer incorporates a career ladder or “steps” into its wage scale, it might cause a “promotion” opportunity that must be posted internally. If, for example, an employer promotes a tech I position to a tech II position upon completion of a competency evaluation, the advancement could be deemed a “promotion” due to extended responsibilities and increased pay. In most circumstances, such a promotion must be must be posted internally with the criteria required by the statute.

Additional employer obligations include new mandated paid sick leave — such as the paid sick leave and public health emergency leave required under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. Still more changes could be coming with new legislation and amended rule changes.

Meanwhile, labor shortages have become apparent throughout the Grand Valley. Some restaurants in Grand Junction have reduced hours or closed on specific days.

Fast-food outlets have resorted to closing dining rooms.

Job fairs offer hundreds of openings, but few applicants show up.

The state government has tried to respond. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order creating the Colorado Jumpstart Program. The program offers Coloradans a $1,600 bonus for returning to work. However, those who remain unemployed receive an additional $300 in federal pandemic unemployment compensation a week until Sept. 6.

Equipment and supply shortages have become increasingly burdensome for business and consumers alike. Technological needs are especially pressing.

Cori Savageau — director of operations at Sequent Information Technology, a Grand Junction-based provider of IT services — said customers are waiting for laptops and such other IT equipment as wireless access points for up to seven months. Warehouses distributing IT equipment were deemed non-essential and shut down during the pandemic. Upon reopening, they’ve struggled to keep pace with demand even as they experience labor and supply shortages.

Returning to business as usual has become for some operations a nearly Herculean task.

All of this begs the question: How can employers overcome these challenges?

One possible answer to addressing employee shortages is enlarging the net cast to catch active and passive applicants alike. Look to second chance hiring and contingency staffing plans to provide at least short-term solutions until we get past the uncertainty.

Eventually, those receiving unemployment benefits must return to the workforce. Hopefully, we’ll see a return to normalcy when it was only somewhat difficult to find qualified staff. In the meantime, strengthen your networks and broaden your ideas.

Jessica Callow works as a disadvantaged business enterprise specialist and engineering project coordinator with Armstrong Consultants, a consulting firm specializing in airport planning, engineering and construction administration. She also serves as co-director of membership on the Western Colorado Human Resource Association board of directors. For more information about the WCHRA, visit www.wchra.org.

F

Page 22

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

Caring approach key to exceptional service Remember the last time you received exceptional customer service? How did you feel? Chances are, the experience was pleasant, satisfying and endearing.

Moreover, you’re likely to spend your hard-earned money with this business again and recommend it to others.

Now, consider a time you received paltry customer service that left you feeling uncared for, unsatisfied and unhappy. Given the bad taste left in your mouth, it’s likely you won’t do business again with this company.

You’ll advise friends and family to avoid it as well.

As a business owner, which of these experiences do you want to give your customers?

Marcus We’ve finally emerged from Straub the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. Consumers are visiting businesses with a sense of relief and excitement. Are you and your team greeting them with gratitude and a desire to make their lives better? If you do — and keep it up — you’re likely to develop lasting relationships that benefit everyone.

If you truly want to become successful, you must focus on attracting and retaining customers. If you intend to take your company to new heights — to rank among the exceptional — you must pay attention to the level of care you and your team provide and genuine relationships you build.

The primary ingredient in delivering consistently exceptional customer service is demonstrating you care about your customers first and foremost. Revenues are important, no doubt. But if you don’t care, revenues will evaporate. The difference between an exceptional

If you truly want to become successful, you must focus on attracting and retaining customers.

If you intend to take your company to new heights — to rank among the exceptional — you must pay attention to the level of care you and your team provide and genuine relationships you build.

customer experience and an awful one lies in the level of care provided by each person in your business who contributed to that experience.

Here’s the key: To earn the loyalty of customers, you as the owner must first care deeply about them and the quality of their experiences with your business. Caring in business is expressed in both word and deed and is a direct byproduct of the attitudes and behaviors of the people who own and operate the company. Whether you truly care about your customers or not, they can feel it.

As a business owner with a profound and innate level of caring, you’lll hire as many team members as you can who also care and then treat each member of the team with consideration and respect. In turn, they’ll rise to the occasion and share this same feeling of happiness with each customer. The result will be an exceptional experience.

Given all we’ve gone through over the past 18 months, there should be more gratitude, appreciation and mutual respect for business owners, team members and

customers than there’s been in a long time. There’ll be no more taking each other for granted now that we’ve been reminded we truly need each other.

The more you and your team care about customers and consistently demonstrate it, the higher their level of satisfaction with you and the products and services you provide. Not only will you become the primary solution to fulfill their purchasing wants and needs, you also will become the well-deserved recipient of their gracious comments and referrals.

Here are two main points to remember: When business owners care about people, they position their companies to create happiness and satisfaction as well as profits. When team members feel truly cared for by the owners and managers for which they work, they pass this feeling along to customers — who in turn care about the company and provide repeat business.

The ultimate key to your lasting success lies in a simple and timeless rule: Treat people the way you want to be treated, and better is a superior choice.

The only way to achieve this is if you truly care. How deeply you care will determine the amount of business that comes back full circle to you.

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 208-3150, marcus@ligcoaching.com or through the website located at www.ligcoaching.com.

F

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

For best results, try the three things rule

You’ve just met a business prospect or potential referral source. Maybe you’re meeting with an existing client, sitting in a leads group meeting or attending a business mixer. These situations present a great opportunity to introduce yourself and offer some information about what you provide.

What do you do? If you’re like many business owners, consultants or marketing or sales specialists, you go through the entire list of products, services or benefits you provide.

Then what happens? The very person or persons you try to impress roll their eyes and back away with some vague excuse about being late to wash their trucks.

What went wrong? You’re just trying to demonstrate you could be a valuable resource.

Social media offers an apt term for what Janet you just did: TMI. Too much information.

Arrowood You sent the person into information overload and turned them off like a tap.

Most people will only remember two to four things off a list unless you’re talking to someone with your expertise or background. But why would you do that? You might as well talk to yourself.

Instead, hone your message or pitch into a list of three things — OK, you might occasionally need four things. Perhaps you need different lists of three things to present to different prospects or clients.

My rule and approach: Please don’t tell me more than three things — three types of insurance or three features of the car I’m considering buying. When you start on the fourth item on the list, I forget the first item.

Consider, for example, the friendly financial specialist in a leads group. When her turn comes to present a 60-second pitch, she stuffs everything into that short span. “Hi. I’m Susie Money.

I specialize in helping people become financially secure and plan for retirement. I provide them with life, accident, health, disability,

long-term care, auto, boat, motorcycle, renter’s and homeowner’s insurance as well as such investment products as mutual funds, stocks, bonds, annuities, retirement accounts, investment advice and financial allocation services on a commission or fee basis.”

If a quiz were to follow this exhausting list, what would you remember about Susie’s products or services? Likely either the three things of greatest interest to you or the last three things she mentioned. What if nothing caught your interest — including the last three things? How likely would it be to do business with her? Would you refer others to her? Would you have confidence she’s competent enough to trust with the needs of your clients, friends or family? Or, do you suspect she’s a struggling generalist throwing products and services against the proverbial wall in the hope something sticks?

When you talk with a potential referral source or center of influence, you count on them to represent your business to potential clients. If you own an automotive repair shop and talk with the owner of an insurance agency, you don’t want to give them your entire services and products list. Provide just enough information to make them comfortable to recommend you to clients. The top three services you find are most often needed by the agent’s clients are enough. Anything more is TMI. The three things rule applies as well to your brief presentations — an “elevator pitch,” so named because it’s short enough to make during an elevator ride. This could be your only chance to make a good first impression, so ensure your pitch is concise, focused and simple. See? Those three things make my point.

Your pitch should be easy to remember — for you as well as the people with whom you just spoke.

Janet Arrowood is founder and managing director of the Write Source, a Grand Junction firm offering a range of services, including grant and proposal writing, instruction and technical writing. Reach her at janet.arrowood@thewritesourceinc.com. For additional information, log on to www.TheWriteSourceInc.com.

F

PAge 23

Page 24

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

Hunting for success? Conditioning can help While people might not associate hunting with a fitness routine, hunters know good physical conditioning positions them for a better chance of a successful season.

And if not always successful, at least more enjoyable.

Fitness enables hunters to deal with two components of hunting in Colorado — rugged terrain and high altitude. The average elevation in the state climbs to 6,800 feet. Planning and conditioning is crucial and should include cardiovascular and strength training.

Cardiovascular training improves stamina and energy levels by Paula increasing the oxygen in your lungs and strengthening your heart. Climbing Reece stairs and hiking offer great ways to improve your cardio health.

Try high intensity interval training. These short bursts of cardio training will prepare you for those times when you need to exert energy to quickly hike up a ridge to find game.

Take some time to hike the area in which you plan to hunt. Learn the terrain and obstacles you could encounter in the months ahead.

Strength training is also beneficial. Think of lifting, bending, squatting and twisting. These are some of the

If you’d like to get into the best shape to enjoy the best chance of filling your tag, try these tips, join in a fitness program and get busy improving your cardiovascular health and strength.

movements you’ll likely find yourself doing during a hunt.

Practice these movements at home or the gym.

Bobby Brown, a personal trainer at Crossroads Fitness and fellow hunter, has created a five-week fitness program designed specifically for hunters. His program will include a plan to get you ready for the big hunt. You can sign up at either Crossroads Fitness location in Grand Junction.

Practicing with the equipment you plan to take on your hunt will take out some of the guesswork when you’re trekking through the mountains.

Never underestimate the importance of good footwear.

Nothing screams agony more than uncomfortable, blister -causing boots. Walking and hiking in your boots will break them in — or motivate you to get something more comfortable.

Your hunting pack becomes another appendage when hunting. Make sure it fits your body and isn’t too heavy when your gear is packed. Test your conditioning with your filled pack to simulate your hunt.

Nutrition and hydration are crucial in keeping your body fit and healthy. Pack healthy snacks and remember to drink a lot of water, especially if it’s hot. It’s a good idea to bring along electrolyte mixes to put in your water.

If you’d like to get into the best shape to enjoy the best chance of filling your tag this year, try these tips, join in a fitness program and get busy improving your cardiovascular health and strength.

If you’re fit, you can go higher and farther, reaching areas where other hunters might not. The more country you cover, the more opportunities you’ll enjoy for success.

Fitness will not only improve your chances for hunting success, but also increase your enjoyment. And that’s when you’ll realize all the training and preparation paid off.

Paula and Dale Reece own Crossroads Fitness Centers in Grand Junction with a downtown location at 225 N. Fifth St. and a north location at 2768 Compass Drive. For more information, call 242-8746 or visit the website located at www.crossroadsfitness.com.

F

What’s next for the real estate market? Less exuberance I’m asked all the time about what I expecting to happen in the local real estate market over the next year or so.

While my crystal ball is no better than anyone else’s, I do have some opinions based on my experience and a good understanding of the cycle of real estate.

First: Prices don’t go up quickly forever. There’s a limit as to what someone is willing to pay for real estate and also what they can afford.

Supply and demand control the market. When you have low Tim inventories coupled with record-low Whitney interest rates, a lot of buyers compete to buy a limited number of properties.

This is when prices go up — sometimes way up.

Alternatively, when interest rates climb and prices rise too high too fast, a lot of buyers are priced out of the market. With fewer buyers, inventory starts to build up

The Mesa County real estate market reacts differently to economic events than other areas — sometimes positively, sometimes not.

and sellers eventually reduce their prices.

Now, back to the question of what could happen in the next six to 12 months. I don’t believe real estate activity can continue at its current pace much longer. I also don’t believe the market is headed for a crash similar to 2008 anytime soon. What I do expect is for the market to become less exuberant later this year and return to a more reasonable level next year as interest rates creep up.

Here are some other things to think about.

Remember that all real estate is local, so don’t get wrapped up in national stories about what’s happening in

New York, Los Angeles or even Denver. The Mesa County real estate market reacts differently to economic events than other areas — sometimes positively, sometimes not.

Also keep in mind the real estate market cycles about every seven to 12 years. Even if you purchase a residential or commercial property today, you’ll probably own it for seven to 10 years or more — just in time for the next real estate cycle.

And, yes, this is still a great time to sell and a good time to buy while interest rates remain low.

Tim Whitney is managing broker of Coldwell Banker Commercial Prime Properties, a commercial brokerage and property management firm based in Grand Junction. Whitney has been involved in the sale, lease and management of commercial real estate in Colorado for more than 35 years.

For more information, call (970) 243-7375 or visit the website at www.CBCPrimeProperties.com.

F

RentaSpace.DiegoCorp.com

Subscribe today (970) 424-5133

www.thebusinesstimes.com

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 25

Contributors Opinion Bold predictions for 2015 Have no fear: At some point, There’s funny more A newsomething year Business affords Briefs likewill not-so-bold repeats arbitrary come for you about the pursuit of fun a new opportunity Business People Almanac to meet local needs THE he BUSINESS usiness T T Times IMES

PAGE age 26 22

In the interest of offering a momentary reprieve from what are justifiably more serious topics — among them pandemics, politics and who’s most likely to start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos — I’d like to change the subject and write about something else. Fun. What isbrings fun, really?

We’re constantly encouraged A new year almost always an opportunity for a fresh start and to have it.

More than a barrel of monkeys, if possible.

Work should renewed ambition to do things better. be fun.

Weekends should be fun.

And wedding nights?

Well, In business, that usually boils down to providing customers better products those should take fun to a whole new level.

Even if it isn’t and services faster and at lower cost than competitors. Part of the process must supposed totobe all fun and games, clearly should include include listening to customers determine what they life actually need and then some fun.

At least that’s the message. meeting that need. After all, it does little good to offer the latest and greatest if Google fun,selling. and the same terms show up: a source of nobody actually wants what you’re enjoyment or pleasure, an group, amusing Yet, anArea image Just like the businesses that belong to the thediversion.

Grand Junction never accompanies Now, Google digestive of Chamber of Commerce invariably starts the outdefinition. the new year with a reassessment systemitand followand thehow routewell from esophagus to rectum. the services and resources provides they match with members Fun can’t be illustrated in a diagram — or explained in a needs.

Jeff Franklin, the new chairman of the chamber board of directors, Phil Castle newspaper column, for that matter. Fun creeps up when least personifies this approach in describing what he considers his role for the coming expected, tweaks a nose without trace. year: listen to members, determine their needsand andthen thendisappears meet those needs.aIt’s a look for fun inisthe obvious tried, of andBank it’s seldom there. role Don’t with which Franklin familiar as places. market I’ve president of Colorado.

As aThe child, I searched candy and amusement parks. in When waschamber a bit older, process will take onaisles a more structured approach whatI the Iplans was as certain I’d find fun at Disneyworld.

What I discovered instead was too the the resumption of a program aptly called Listening to Business. Under many Snickers upset my stomach.

So do roller coasters.

Disneyworld was fun, but program, business owners participate in in-depth interviews to identify barriers to also required waiting in lines.

A lot.

Older still, I looked for fun in bars.

I recall growth and other problems they encounter. fragments of my birthday drinking thatclub. was orange, served in The new year21st offers a goodand time to join something the proverbial a pitcher and set on fire.

Big mistake.

Huge.

And definitely not fun. Times?

As an advertiser or reader, what do you need from the Business I’ve rarely had fun at special occasions, either.

My high school prom wasto While business journals traditionally gather and report the relevant news supposed to be fun.

My college graduation was supposed to be fun, too.

Holidays readers, communication isn’t necessarily a one-way street. That’s especially true as like and New Years supposed be fun yearthan afterever. year. The WebChristmas sites and e-mail make the are dialogue moretoconvenient problem events hyped as fun free-for-alls infrequently are. And waited, Goodis,publications don’t exist in a vacuum.

They respond to theI’ve needs of disappointed, for the fun to begin. advertisers and readers. They provide what’s needed.

Fun is funny thatneed? way. Because places and activities considered dull, even So what do you dreary, turn out to be fun.

I’ve had funthat listing the help principal of Brazil on Is there additional news coverage would keepexports you informed about alocal geography I once inhaled nitrous oxide at thebe dentist’s office businesstest. developments?

Areenough there features that would interesting orto giggle way through a root canal. useful?my Is there advice that would make your jobs a little easier?

Most often, though, I’ve enjoyed when I wasn’t It’s equally important to ask what the youmost don’tfun need.

With limitedtrying time to to have any fun at all.

I remember summer evenings spent riding bikes with friends in the produce content and limited space in which to publish it, would time and space be small town in which I grew up.

We didn’t have any plans or destination.

We were better devoted to something else? just pedaling and talking until darkness fell andWhat we had to go home. The start What’s good?

What isn’t?

What’s needed? isn’t? of school seemed like a million years away, and the break stretched ahead in an Let us know. Send us an e-mail. Comment online on the Business Times Web endless succession of carefree days. site at www.thebusinesstimes.com. You could even write an old-fashioned letter to I’m fortunate theseYour daysfeedback, to experience sameand feeling of contentment in the editor if you’d like. both the positive negative, is valued and fishing with my father or interviewing an entepreneur about their innovative will be carefully considered. efforts.

Or,publications on those farare rarer writing well-turned Neither a Good theoccasions, result of not only athe efforts of phrase. their staffs, but also picture nor a thousand words quantify the pleasure of those moments. collaborative efforts involving advertisers and readers.

It’s Likefun. any other good business, we want to listen to our customers, find out what they need and then meet those needs.

Phil It’s Castle is editor of the Business a new year. Please help us toTimes. do so. Reach him at phil@thebusinesstimes. com or 424-5133. ✦ F

THE BUSINESS TIMES

609 North Ave., Suite 2, Grand Junction, CO 81501 TEL (970) 424-5133 • FAX (970) 424-5134

Publisher/Owner: Craig R. Hall

Editor: Phil Castle

Reach advertising at: publisher@thebusinesstimes.com Reach the editor at: phil@thebusinesstimes.com.

Subscribe or submit press releases online at www.thebusinesstimes.com The Grand Valley Business Times, a subsidiary of Hall Media Group LLC, is published twice monthly and distributed throughout Grand Junction, Fruita and Palisade. Advertising rates and deadlines are available upon request. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, editor, staff or advertisers.

Copyright © 2015 — AllCopyright rights reserved. © 2021 — All rights reserved.

IIt’s took of of heat (and received plenty thata lot time year when of compliments) from my last column titled resolutions and prognostications abound.

“The lost art of the follow-up My favorite saying applied toquestion.”

New Year’s The heat resolutions is wasn’t in saying they’re basically a from but to break the first week bunchthe of topic, promises rather the tone. of January. AndFor while I won’t predict a some mypretty tone much accurately wholereason, lot, I can had tellingthat without question nail people a few things me, will “This make is thewhy news. You will see these are our country so pretty, well, is predictable: divided.”

It’s as I ■ Predictionifone: was a billionaire from There will be some New City event, and sort ofYork weather all of the suddenorthe natural disaster Craig Hall tone everyone loved heinous occurrence in a public figurewill was where someone the reason for all ofsay our ills in the United be interviewed and States. the following: “I’ve tone in my column wasn’t a neverThe seen anything reflection of me like that in my — since I kinda always have one — lifetime.”

It’sbut as rather if thisa reflection of those Craig Iperson opposeisasa being on the wrong sideHall of required freedom.

That doesn’t attendee at every newsmean I won’t end up on the wrong sideWhile of winning in the latest reporting event.

I understand most version of “How COVID (read people’s perspective can indeedgovernment) be limited stole freedom.”

I have been forpersonal a while. by, oryour contained within, their own It’s because theask fewtofighting experiences, it isI’m tooamong much to the biggest bully on the block: government. consult some historical perspective before Worse, I’m fighting saying such a thing?arbitrary Yes, thisgovernment. response can And the worst applyarbitrary to somegovernment events. Butiswhen it comes version.

The people who espouse project to weather and natural disasters, it, I’m pretty it andthis useisgovernment to enforce it onitself. others sure simply history repeating are theas hardest with because of Same it has to fordeal millions and millions of their views to whymade I mustit! years.ever-changing More important, theasplanet acquiesce to their andHow’s desires.

What didn’t werewanton certain needs species.

It’s also because I presented my that for perspective? argument in their tone in to a ■ Prediction two: (slathered When it comes sarcasm).

And if there’s thing folks crime or something that one occurs between hate in an argument, it’s being talked humans, the other required attendee attoallin the manner theyevents present After news reporting is themselves. the person who all, might resultwe’re in them questions saysitthis: “They just asking the nicest about on adid given topic, and people,their andstance in no way I see something they can coming.” never have that. This is what like this Exactly.

No one does happens when one’s beliefs become most of the time when it comes to their persona.

It literally becomes a fight the neighbors and acquaintances. Peopletoshould death.

But theatonly is freedom. be surprised whatthing goes dying on from time to here neighborhoods, are two ditties resulting time So in their towns andfrom my in thebecause two Americas that withconversations people they know people are exist in their highest form on Satan’s most good. And for the times that they shouldn’t divisive tool—ever Facebook. be shocked likecontrived: with politicians, repeat First up this response afterthe I offenders andwas terrorists — where’s stated there aresays, many waysdoesn’t to achieve herd interview that “This surprise immunity and not just with 100 percent me in the least.” vaccine compliance: ■ Prediction three: Something good “Craig why don’tand you will happen Hall economically, thejust start pushing old will people parking government takedown creditinfor it. The lots most and running over disabled children recent example is gas prices,and where people when a hurry? no big deal ask meyou’re why I in won’t creditAnd the president for when somebody wants to make a buck low gas prices. My answer is simple: selling opiods (sic)makes on thethe black Government never pricemarket of cuz (sic) who cares and if people something go down simplyoverdose? takes credit I’m so tired of Gas people like you.” for good news. pricing is subject to Well, okey dokey then.

This many global factors. Now there areis where Igovernment get confused.

Instead of asking answers to addressing what someIof mean, person thefortone referred them tothis keep pricesused stable Americans, to mygovernment previous column. butinour has noneAs of with themmy in column detractors, they didn’t attackinmy place. The only things it has in place the

JulyJANUARY 29-august 11, 2015 2021 15-28,

point, butalways ratherhurt me with a prettyAnother harsh long run consumers. insult. fact is that unemployment reaches a certain take simple.

TheAnd follow-up levelMy based onisthe economy. while the question is pretty It’s:number “What is dolow, government might easy. brag the you mean?” in the a civil, don’t call it’s more thanAnd likely government didme asomething murderertotone.

Here’s the deal.

We’ve cause that number being low gone slowConversely, the spreadwhen — andfrom not 15 in adays goodtoway. to social picks distancing mandated business up, it’stobecause the masks people to closing “non-essential” businesses who need to buy widgets who were notto maybe can open if we arbitrary buying we widgets because themeet economy was practices our competitors can’t afford contracting due to natural (or unnatural,to therapeutics work but don’t work or we kill government caused) reasons, decided people to banning them never to be talked better buy some widgets.

The government about again to to do now having had nothing with this. government and private entities mandating vaccines ■ Prediction four: In keeping with to have a job.

Pretty damned arbitrary, no? things the government does, I predict the All because some folksthe have government will manipulate numbers to arbitrarily decided for the first time in make the claim the economy is getting viral allowed to get to betterhistory, becauseno ofone howishard it is working sick or die from a virus.

Yet it happens help all of us “working Americans.” Now to of us (flu cases in 2019youmillions might say, “Craig, you always say this 2020 nearly 40 million in you the U.S. about were President Obama because don’t alone) every year.right Somehow, COVID like him.”

You’re in a sense.

I don’tis different?

The only wayIto battle know the man, but what know of COVID him and is a vaccine that raises serious concerns his thinking, I don’t like it or him one iota. around the world only works Before you go off,and however, I didn’tnear like 100 percent in the States?

President Bush andUnited his bailouts, stimulus Myabandoning other ditty the hasfree to do with our and his market to save kids going backAnd to school. don’thim have the free market.

I don’tIknow the exact quote, but it was something akin either.

What the government does, and the to how I don’t care about children (of only thing it can do, is hurt the economy. course) more arbitrary, immunoUnless itand does nothing or putthe criminals in compromised.

And yes, with this person is jail instead of partnering them, nothing immuno-compromised. naturally, the government does willSo help.

Alwaysthat’s look the only topic allowed in his argument. at it this way, whatever the government says Once again, thethe only solutions it is doing, whatever name of the law it allowed areorvaccines kidsof is passing, whateverfor theadults name and or goal down to 12 and itmandatory masks for the bureaucracy is presenting to the every returning toopposite school. Once people,child expect the polar to occur. again, the inference is I want I guess what I’m saying ispeople that to die.

I’m it’s not time evento going to bother say it perhaps get out of our to own again.

Because I’m truly tired of people perspective.

There’s plenty of history like them. books and historical research out there to again, if wethat gotall beyond beginThen to understand of thishis has tone we could ask about the efficacy happened before. And it will again, of vaccines while using relativeornumbers in whether the topic is people government.

MesaThe County the first day vaccines best from recommendation is to find were full effect we DON’T) someinbooks or try(hint: that whole Googleor how well masks have worked.

We thing. There’s a lot of informationcould on the discuss the ever-changing takes masks Great Depression.

The truth is itofwasn’t from don’t they’re just a way even they a good onework untiltothe government got to make people feel better to they must be involved.

There’s also plenty of research mandatory again warm with every new variant. on the medieval period when the Then again, this is the same guy who planet was much warmer than today with screamed at less me my 13-year-old neededwell to a whole lot people (and warmer be a custodian as here well at as all). student year. before man was Andlast yep, I guess easier to arbitrarily say people haveit’s been killing other surprised Ipeople want people to die — if not kill them since history was first written. myself.

Just some wait until thesewill folks have Maybe research help stop their on them.

Maybewe’ll thenbe all oftone theseused trends.

Otherwise, they’ll I want people to live. Iflike onlyit in saying see we’ve never seen anything they’d asked. our lives.

And not in a good way.

Craig Craig Hall Hall isis owner ownerand andpublisher publisherofofthe the Business Business Times.

Times. Reach Reachhim himatat424-5133 424-5133or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com. or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.

F ✦

The Business Times

July 29-August 11, 2021

Include child checkups in back-to-school plans Many of us have lost track of a few things over the past year because the pandemic threw our normal routines for a loop.

Many families are trying to make up for lost time this summer. Besides family vacations and camping trips, hopefully your summer agenda includes signing up your children for fall sports, scheduling Megan dental appointments Stinar or haircuts that might have been canceled, downloading lists for school supplies — and scheduling annual child checkups and sports physicals.

According to a recently released study from the Urban Institute, almost Michael 30 percent of youth Whistler ages 19 and younger didn’t get their annual checkups last year due to COVID-19related concerns. In Mesa County, that means an estimated 11,000 youth didn’t see their doctor last year.

Annual well child checks allow us, as pediatric providers, to partner with you to make the best health choices for your children. These visits gives us the opportunity to monitor your child’s health and catch preventable conditions before they become problems. Many pediatric diseases and conditions are preventable if caught early. That’s our aim — catching them before they’re a problem.

Summer is a great time to get back into the routine of scheduling regular checkups for your kids and making sure your kids are up to date on vaccines. Our practice at Western Colorado Pediatric Associates has extended office hours to meet you where you’re at and provide you with plenty of options to make this easier to cross off your to-do list.

Mesa County School District 51 is scheduled to begin in-person learning on Aug. 9. For our kids to remain in school this year, we need everyone to stay healthy. One way to ensure this is to make sure children are fully vaccinated. This will keep our kids playing sports, seeing all of their friends face-to-face rather than on a screen and boosting academic success.

A new strain of COVID called the Delta variant has become the dominant strain in Mesa County. Unfortunately, Mesa County had our first pediatric COVID death from the Delta variant.

We’ve come to understand this variant of COVID is more virulent, more contagious and affects children more than previous strains. If you or your children ages 12 and up haven’t yet received the COVID vaccine, we strongly encourage you to consider it when you go in for your back-to-school checkups.

As your pediatricians, we’re happy to answer your questions and talk through all of your concerns with the COVID vaccine so you can make a choice that’s best for your family’s unique needs.

In addition to the COVID pandemic, children and teens in the United States have experienced a large increase in mental health needs. Jena Hausman, chief executive officer of Children’s Hospital, declared in May a state of emergency for youth as suicide becomes the leading cause of death for children in Colorado.

This trend is also true in Mesa County. Mind Springs Health reported a 40 percent increase in adolescent inpatient admissions in 2020 over 2019. Similarly higher numbers were reported for the first half of 2021.

Although this trend is alarming, we’re responding to provide the best care for your children with our integrated pediatric behavioral health specialists in our clinic.

Our behavioral health program allows us to help parents navigate the mental health world and provide the best possible care for their children.

As pediatricians in the Grand Valley, our priority is partnering with local families to keep kids on the Western Slope healthy. Please don’t forget to schedule your back-to-school well child checkups and sports physicals. And please consider adding the youth COVID vaccine to your regular vaccination schedule.

We’re happy to answer your questions, talk through concerns and partner with you to ensure our younger generation grows into happy and healthy adults.

We’re here for you.

Dr. Megan Stinar and Dr. Michael Whistler are pediatricians at Western Colorado Pediatric Associates, a division of Primary Care Partners in Grand Junction. For more information, log on to www.westerncoloradopediatricassociates.com or call 243-5437.

F

SHARE YOUR VIEWS The Business Times welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns on issues affecting businesses in Western Colorado. Submissions should be emailed to phil@thebusinesstimes.com and include names and telephone numbers for verification.

PAge 27

Opinion Business Briefs Credit union opens in new locationAlmanac Business People Page 28

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021

NOTEWORTHY

Grand Junction Federal Credit Union was scheduled to reopen July 27 at a new and larger location at 633 24 Road.

“We are hoping that this new location will allow us to grow with our members, increase customer interactons and continue to provide the personalized service our members have become accustomed to,” said Gabriella Stockton, operations manager at Grand Junction Federal Credit Union.

The move follows the approval in January 2020 of an expanded charter that enabled Grand Junction Federal Credit Union to offer services to more customers.

Membership in the 64-yearold credit union previously required affiliations with particular employer groups or family connections to the member-run organization. The expanded charter removed those restrictions to extend membership to anyone who lives, works, Grand Junction Federal Credit Union has moved to a new and larger location at attends school or worships in Mesa, Delta 633 24 Road. (Photo courtesy Grand Junction Federal Credit Union.) and Garfield counties.

“The open charter approval last year really paved the way for a deposits, money orders, notary services, payroll deductions and lot of growth in membership,” Stockton said. wire transfers.

Grand Junction Federal Credit Union offers free checking For more information, call 243-1370 or visit the website accounts, low-balance savings accounts and low-interest loans located at https://www.grandjunctionfcu.org. as well as debit and credit cards. Other services include direct F n GRAND JUNCTION FIRMS AMONG FINALISTS FOR COLORADO COMPANIES TO WATCH AWARDS Six Grand Junction-based firms are among the latest finalists for annual awards honoring fast-growing Colorado companies.

Aspen Technology Group, Cloudrise, Growl Agency, MLS Senior Care, Phoenix Haus and Timberleaf Trailers are among 68 finalists in the 2021 Colorado Companies to Watch program.

The program honors so-called second-stage companies for their innovative products, unique processes and performance in the marketplace as well as their philanthropic efforts. To participate, firms must be privately held, headquartered in Colorado, employ the equivalent of six to 99 full-time employees and generate $750,000 to $50 million in annual sales or working capital.

Aspen Technology Group provides consulting services to improve customer user experiences as well as cloud-based contact center soutions.

Cloudrise provides a range of services to companies to assess their capability to protect data and offers them automated processes and other resources as well as management services.

Growl Agency, a design and marketing firm, helps clients drive more revenue and results.

MLS Senior Care provides of range of home care services, including companionship, housekeeping, meal preparation, respite care and transportation.

Phoenix Haus is a prefabricated home designer manufacturer that specializes in environmentally friendly homes.

Timberlead Trailers builds custom teardrop trailers with sleeping quarters and rear galley kitchens.

SHARE YOUR NEWS The Business Times welcomes submissions for free publication in Business Briefs. Email submissions to phil@thebusinesstimes.com or submit a news release online at the website at www.thebusinesstimes.com. n DICK’S SPORTING GOODS NOW HIRING FOR ITS GRAND JUNCTION LOCATION Dick’s Sporting Goods has begun hiring staff for a Grand Junction store scheduled to open in August.

The retailer expects to fill about five full-time, 40 part-time and 15 temporary positions at a location opening in the Mesa Mall at 2422 U.S. Highway 6 & 50.

Employees will draw on knowledge and personal experience to guide, inform and equip customers with sports and fitness equipment as well as athletic and outdoor apparel and footwear.

Employees will receive competitive pay and store discounts.

Applicants should visit www.dickssportinggoods.jobs for more information.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Dick’s Sporting Goods operates 730 locations across the United States, selling a range of sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. Dick’s also operates Golf Galaxy and Field & Stream specialty stores as well as the GameChanger youth sports mobile application.

For more information, visit www.dickssportinggoods.com.

F

A Grand Junction-based company continues to rank among the 300 largest public accounting firms in the United States in the latest list compiled for a national newsletter.

Dalby, Wendland & Co. is included in the Top 300 Firms ranking compiled for Inside Public Accounting. The firm has made the list for seven years.

Chris West “We are truly honored to be recognized as a Top 300 public accouting firm.” said Chris West, chief executive officer of Dalby, Wendland & Co. “The growth of our firm and clients continues to be reflected in the list as we advance closer to the Top 200 Firms. Ultimately, we aspire to be a Top 100 Firm.”

“We are expanding our service lines and hiring top-level talent to advance our expertise and provide comprehensive guidance with advisory and planning in addition to our core services of tax, client accounting services and audit,” West said.

“We are grateful to our clients, employees and communities for helping us come so far.”

The ranking is based on financial and operational surveys. The Top 300 list includes firms ranked from 201st to 300th with net revenue ranging from nearly $20.7 million to almost $12.4 million. Dalby, Wendland & Co. ranks 249th with nearly $16 million in net revenue.

Dalby, Wendland & Co is the largest public accounting firm headquartered in Western Colorado with offices in Grand Junction as well as Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Montrose, Rifle and Telluride. The firm offers a range of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping and consulting services. For more information, call 243-1921 or visit www.dalbycpa.com.

July 29-August 11, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 29

Page 30

BusinessBriefs Briefs Business BusinessPeople People Almanac Business Almanac

n SHERIFF JOINS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL AS SAFETY AND SECURITY DIRECTOR

Matt Lewis has joined Community Hospital in Grand Junction as director of safety and security.

Lewis will lead safety and security efforts and initiatives at the hospital and report to Joe Gerardi, chief operating and nursing officer.

Lewis will bring to his duties 25 years of experience with the Mesa County Matt Lewis Sheriff’s Office, the last six as sheriff.

“I am excited to collaborate and work closely with everyone to expand upon the safety and security program already in place at Community Hospital,” Lewis said. “I look forward to continuing my public safety careeer in a challenging and diverse environment.”

Chris Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Community Hospital, said the safety of patients, Chris Thomas visitors, staff and health care providers remains a priority. “Community Hospital has experienced exponential growth over the past several years, and having a strong safety and security program is essential as we continue to navigate these uncertain times.”

Thomas praised the addition of Lewis. “Our community has been incredibly fortuante to have someone of Matt’s caliber leading law enforcement operations at the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, and we are confident Matt will prove to be a valuable asset to Community Hospital as he endeavors in this new role.”

Community Hospital provides a range of inpatient and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services. For more information, visit https://yourcommunityhospital.com or all 242-0920. n REAL ESTATE FIRM ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF BROKER ASSOCIATE Lori Long has joined Bray Real Estate in Grand Junction as a broker associate.

A Colorado native, Long has lived in the Grand Valley since 1997. “I just love exploring Western Colorado and the surrounding areas and experiencing the beauty of this part of the world,” she said.

Long said she focuses on keeping Lori Long buyers and sellers informed and making the real estate process an enjoyable experience.

Stewart Cruickshank, the sales manager at Bray Real Estate, praised the addition. “We are thrilled to have Lori as part of our Bray family. She is dedicated, caring and committed and has everything it takes to help her clients be successful in their real estate transactions.”

Bray Real Estate operates offices at 1015 N. Seventh St. For more information, call 242-3647 or visit the website located at www.brayandco.com.

The Business Times

SHARE YOUR NEWS The Business Times welcomes submissions for free publication in Business People and the Almanac calendar of events. Email submissions to phil@thebusinesstimes.com or submit a news release online at www.thebusinesstimes.com.

Samuel Adamson Jennifer Cook

Rhett Cook

n COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS JOIN MONUMENT HEALTH AS INTERNS Samuel Adamson, Jennifer Cook and Rhett Cook joined Monument Health in Grand Junction for summer internships.

The three Colorado Mesa University students are working in different areas with the organization as they explore their interests in health care and business.

Adamson, a sophomore majoring in electrical and computer engineering, works as an information technology intern. Jennifer Cook, a senior majoring in business analytics, works as a business opertions intern. Rhett Cook, a senior maoring in political science, works as a clinical operations intern and assists with member outreach.

Monument Health is a clinically integrated health care network. For more information, call 683-5630 or visit the website at https://monumenthealth.net. n CLINICAL PHARMACIST JOINS TEAM AT HOPEWEST IN GRAND JUNCTION Joey Wilkinson has joined HopeWest in Grand Junction as a clinical pharmacist.

Wilkonson will work with hospice and palliative care programs as well as what’s planned as the Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE).

“A pharmacist in this setting can help with many areas, such as symptom management, serving as an authoritative resource with use of medications, managing the use of medication across settings and education and medication counseling,” said Georgia Rock, executive vice president of clinical services at HopeWest Wilkinson brings 15 years of experience to his position. He graduated from the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy in 2003. He completed his primary residency with University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics, where he also completed a specialty residency in solid organ transplant pharmacy.

HopeWest operates an in-patient hospice center in Grand Junction and also provides hospice, palliative care and grief support services in an 8,000 square-mile region of Western Colorado. For more information, call 241-2212 or visit the website located at www.HopeWestCO.org.

See PEOPLE page 31

July 29-august 11, 2021

July 29 n Mid-summer job fair, 9 a.m. to noon, Mesa County Workforce Center, 512 29 1/2 Road, Grand Junction. 248-7560 n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Thursday Friends networking lunch, noon, Mountain Berry Bowls, 123 N. Peach St. 858-3894 or https://fruitachamber.org n Western Colorado Human Resource Association annual member appreciation and networking event, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Redlands Community Center, 2463 Broadway, Grand Junction. www.wchra.org n Young Professionals Network of Mesa County business after hours event, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Highlands Distillery, 782 24 Road, Grand Junction. www.ypnmc.org July 31 n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet, 5:30 to 10 p.m., Fruita Community Center, 324 N. Coulson St. Individual tickets sell for $50 for chamber members. Sponsored tables sell for $500. https://fruitachamber.org or 858-3894 Aug. 4 n Young Professionals Network of Mesa County lunch conversation, noon to 1 p.m., Daily Sentinel, 734 S. Seventh St., Grand Junction. Lunch provided. Registration required. www.ypnmc.org Aug. 5 n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Thursday Friends networking lunch, noon, Fiesta Guadalajara, 103 U.S. Highway 50. https://fruitachamber.org or 858-3894 n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Women in Business networking lunch, noon to 1 p.m., JXN Station co-working space, 575 21 Road, Grand Junction. Participants should bring a soup, salad or side dish to share. https://fruitachamber.org or 858-3894 Aug. 10 n Business startup workshop, 9 to 11:30 a.m., Business Incubator Center, 2591 Legacy Way, Grand Junction. Admission $55. 243-5242 or https://gjincubator.org Aug. 11 n Young Professionals Network of Mesa County before hours event, 7 to 8:30 a.m., Mountain Air Roasters, 126 N. Seventh St., Grand Junction. www.ypnmc.org Upcoming n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce business after hours event, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 12, Imondi Wake Zone, 1583 Cipolla Road. Admission $5 for chamber members, $10 for others. 858-3894 or https://fruitachamber.org n Leading Edge business planning and management course, 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Aug. 25 to Nov. 10, Business Incubator Center. Tuition for $275, $100 for each participant from the same business.

Registration required. https://gjincubator.org or 243-5242 F

July 29-August 11, 2021

People

The Business Times

Continued from page 30 n GRAND JUNCTION-BASED ACCOUNTING FIRM ANNOUNCES FOUR STAFF PROMOTIONS

Jennifer Street

Gabrielle Kalow

Kelsey Rickstrew

Loren Hofer, Jennifer Street, Gabrielle Kalow and Kelsey Rickstrew have been promoted to new positions at the Dalby, Wendland & Co. accounting and business consulring firm based in Grand Junction.

Hofer, a certified public accountant, was promoted to tax manager. She joined Dalby Wendland in 2013 after working for several smaller accounting firms. She works with clients in various industries, including those who need Loren Hofer advisory services to promote growth.She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer information systems from Colorado Mesa University.

Street, also a CPA, was promoted to tax manager. She has worked for more than 20 years for the firm, primarily with clients in the agricultural industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wyoming.

Kalow was promoted to audit supervisor. She joined Dalby Wendland in 2017 after graduating from CMU with an accounting degree. After a hiatus in 2019, she returned to the firm in 2020.

Rickstrew was promote to audit senior. She joined Dalby Wendland as an intern in 2019 and joined the firm full time in 2020.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting frim CMU. Dalby, Wendland & Co. operates the largest public accounting firm headquartered in Western Colorado with offices in Grand Junction as well as Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Montrose, Rifle and Telluride. The firm offers a range of accounting, auditing, bookkeeping and consulting services. For more information, call 243-1921 or visit www.dalbycpa.com.

F

PAge 31

Page 32

The Business Times

July 29-august 11, 2021