The Business Times Volume 28 Issue 15

THE BUSINESS T IMES News AUGUST 12-25, 2021

THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE FOR GRAND JUNCTION BUSINESS NEWS SINCE 1994

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 15

THEBUSINESSTIMES.COM

TrendsFurnishing an 2 educational Contributors endeavor Opinion 4 Business Briefs 5 Business People Almanac

In this issue n Search on

A search is expected to soon begin for a new director of a Grand Junction-based economic development group.

n Fun driving force

n West Slope firm keeps pace with classroom trends.

See page 2

Ty Antonides believes golf should be fun. Not just on the course, but also shopping for equipment and apparel.

n Colorado Proud

The manager of the Colorado Proud program promotes connections between ag producers and their customers.

n Upward trend

Dave Huerkamp, president of ProSpace Interiors, works with daughter Rachel Huerkamp, a marketing assistant, in supplying innovative furnishings for educational settings as well as offices and health care facilities in the region.

6

New business filings continue to rise on a year-over-year basis in Colorado, a trend portending economic recovery.

n Market update

19

Real estate sales slipped slightly in Mesa County in July, but year-to-date activity remains well ahead of last year.

n Pay law evolving

21

Job postings excluding Colorado applicants have raised questions about the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

n Departments Almanac Business Briefs Business People Contributors News Opinion Trends

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

Business Times photo by Phil Castle

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THE BUSINESS T IMES News The Business Times

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august 12-25, 2021

Search on to hire new GJEP exec

Trends Contributors Opinion Business Briefs Business People Almanac

Director resigns to join CMU leadership team

A search is expected to soon begin for a new leader of a Grand Junction-based economic development organization.

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership announced Robin Brown resigned as executive director to join the new leadership team at Colorado Mesa University. She will serve as vice president of development and Robin Brown chief executive officer of the CMU Foundation. Her last day at GJEP is scheduled for Aug. 27.

“We are confident in our ability to find a strong successor and to continue the great work Robin started. And we look forward to continuing to work with Robin in her new capacity,” said Mike Sneddon, chairman of the GJEP board of directors.

Brown attributed the diversification of the economy over the past five years in large part to the growth of CMU programs and partnerships with local industries. “Growing CMU is the best economic development investment we can make as a community,” she said. “I’m excited to continue my work making sure everyone knows Grand Junction is leading the charge across sectors, a big one being higher education.”

John Marshall, the newly hired president of CMU, welcomed the addition. “Robin is a proven leader with vast experience building and guiding dynamic teams and advancing strategic goals. From her work serving as the executive director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership to leading a major capital campaign for the historic Avalon Theater, we’re thrilled to have Robin join the team and look forward to watching her thrive in her new role.”

Brown joined GJEP in 2017 to lead an organization that works to bring companies and jobs to Mesa County.

Before that, she served as co-director of the Downtown Grand Junction Business Improvement District, updating and managing events downtown. She also operated Brown House Public Relations to promote and market Mesa County businesses and industry sectors outside the county. She launched Spoke + Blossom, a magazine promoting Grand Valley and Western Colorado lifestyles.

Brown attended Fordham University in New York on a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship and subsequently served in the Army as a helicopter pilot.

See SEARCH page 16

From left, Shane Haas, president of FCI Constructors; Kim Davis, principal of Grand Mesa Middle School; and Dave Huerkamp, president of ProSpace Interiors, check out a new Rover table at the school. ProSpace donated the mobile station to the School District 51 Foundation, while FCI Constructors provided underwriting. Grand Mesa Middle School won a drawing for the table, which Davis said students will use for a variety of collaborative projects.

Learning opportunity

West Slope firm furnishes products for changing educational settings

D

ave Huerkamp remembers the old-school ways of furnishing classrooms. Straight rows of metal and wood desks weren’t particularly comfortable, he says.

Or especially conducive to collaboration among students stuck to their assigned seats.

These days, schools are dynamic places in which furnishings are rearranged at a moment’s notice to accommodate a lesson or project, Huerkamp says.

Furnishings also have become more innovative to serve multiple functions — a table flips up to transform into a whiteboard, for example.

As president of ProSpace Interiors — a Western Colorado furniture design, Dave Huerkamp supply and installation firm — Huerkamp has observed another change. A market once driven by the lowest prices now favors design and quality. “I think that trend will continue, if not grow.”

Huerkamp cites as a prime example of the new products furnishing schools a table branded as the Rover. The table comes with bins for supplies and storage for six stools.

The table is large enough to accommodate a group of students working on a project, but small enough to fit through standard doors. Moreover, the table comes on wheels so it can be moved from classroom to classroom.

Huerkamp was so excited about the potential for the Rover, he donated one to the School District 51 Foundation.

See LEARNING page 18

Flexibility key in school design

Flexibility tops the list of considerations that go into designing schools — from the way they’re the constructed to the layout of the interiors to the furnishings that go into them.

“That’s the big thing right now that I’ve seen,” says Peter Icenogle, president and director of architecture at BG + co. in Grand Junction.

Casey Sievila, an interior designer at Chamberlin Architects in Grand Junction, agrees. “That’s really important.”

BG + co. and Chamberlin Architects — and along with them Icenogle and Sievila — have been involved in a multitude of school projects in the Grand Valley and Western Colorado.

While security and safety play increasingly prominent roles in school design, Icenogle says the overall objective is to create environments that accommodate students of all abilities and learning styles. “A big part of that is flexibility,” he says.

That includes flexibility in day-to-day operations as well as flexibility over the long term that allows for changes, he says. That might mean partitions that enable teachers to enlarge or shrink classroom spaces for a given activity or project.

See FLEXIBILITY page 16

STORIES AND PHOTO BY PHIL CASTLE

August 12-25, 2021

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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 Ty Antonides explains the functions of a simulator he uses at Golf for of club decision making and Frank in turn represent theGJresidents the Whidden fittings.for Themore simulator spin and launch angles worked than analyzes swing speed, county andrates express their will, he said. “We to select and club Whidden heads for has golfers.

Antonides and his wife, Melissa, 20 years shafts as a minister. work for the people.” purchased the golf March (Business Whidden Times photo byalso Philconsiders Castle) himself worked for large andshop smallinorganizations said he in both the private and public sectors. a liaison between the commissioners and Whidden expects to draw on all of his county staff, and one of the priorities is to experiences in helping Mesa County make sure employees feel valued. Whidden commissioners make and carry out decisions. said he hopes not only to improve morale, Valuing staff and making the county but also take steps that will make Mesa an employer of choice is among the County an organization for which people priorities, Whidden said. So is planning want to work.

Phil Castle that results The in Business sustainable Meanwhile, Whidden expects the Timesfunding and balanced budgets on a long-term basis. county to continue policies and initiatives Meanwhile, Mesa golf County Ty Antonides believes shouldwill be that support local business and economic continue to pursue efforts that promote fun. Not just on the course, but also shoppinga development. There are additional steps friendly business environment and that can be taken to make it easier for local for equipment and apparel. economic development, Whidden said. he businesses to sell products and services to It’s a conviction Whidden officially working as the county, he added. bringsbegan to the operation county administratorof athis the family’s beginninggolf of Mesa County will keep working with the year. He succeedsshop TominFisher, who was other government entities, organizations Grand Junction. hired as county manager in Summit and institutions on fostering an environment It’s reflected in the County, Utah. that supports existing businesses and inventory, some of Whidden joined Mesa colorful, County he in attracts new businesses, he said. it wildly August 2011 as information technology Whidden said there could be a stocks. It’s also evident director. In April 2014, he became deputy opportunities to encourage the additional in the friendly service county administrator for resource development of businesses that provide he strives to provide Ty Antonides management in a staffing reorganization services to the agricultural industry as well customers. that eliminated four director positions. as promote Mesa County as a distribution Actually, he prefers the term partners.

Before joining Mesa County, center for the region.

“I want it to be a partnership with my Whidden worked for a company providing The important thing is to consider customers.” information technology services to issues from a well-rounded perspective, Antonides and his wife, Melissa, colleges and universities.

In that role, he Whidden said. “We won’t be myopic as we purchased GJ Golf in March, completing managed IT systems and services for look at things.” a process that stretched through most of institutions Alabama,ofArizona, Illinois ✦ 2020 in partin because the COVID-19 The Business Times

Fun the driving force at family golf venture

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.

pandemic. Their daughter, Brooke, also works at the family operation.

Ty Antonides said the couple always wanted to return to their native Grand Junction, but figured it might not happen until their retirement. When they discovered GJ Golf was for sale, they seized what they also deemed a business opportunity. “I saw a lot of potential.”

GJ Golf is the only operation of its kind between Denver and Salt Lake and serves a region Antonides said features an abundance of remarkable golf courses and a substantial population of avid golfers.

“We have an unbelievable golf community in Western Colorado.”

Antonides brings to the venture more than 20 years of experience in the golf industry, including work as a sales

GJ Golf offers a wide selection of apparel and equipment, including colorful putter grips from Sweet Rollz.

(Business Times photo by Phil Castle) representative for major brands as well as an independent rep who carried a variety of brands of equipment and apparel.

In operating GJ Golf, Antonides has changed roles to become a buyer and retailer. But he continues to carry a variety of brands of equipment and apparel. And he said he’s always open to suggestions from partners looking for additional brands.

See FUN page 14

August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

Ag manager promotes connections between producers, customers Phil Castle

The Business Times

Danielle Trotta grew up in New Jersey and managed a ranch in Eastern Colorado.

Living in both urban and rural settings and raising cattle have been useful, Trotta said, in her latest position managing a program promoting Colorado agricultural products.

It’s helped in communicating with Danielle Trotta people whether they live in big cities or small towns as well as connecting farmers and ranchers with consumers, stores, restaurants and other customers for their products.

It’s important at a time when more consumers want to know where their food comes from and develop relationships with producers, she said. “People want to know the story. People want that connection.”

Trotta, a senior marketing specialist with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, manages the Colorado Proud program.

She discussed her work in a telephone interview with the Business Times in the midst of what in August is Colorado Proud Month and efforts promoting the program and Colorado agricultural products.

The timing coincides with the harvest of many fruits and vegetables in Colorado and such activities as farmers markets, u-pick operations and farm tours, Trotta said. “It’s a really vibrant time for Colorado agriculture.”

Trotta assumed management of the Colorado Proud program in March.

She previously worked at the Colorado Department of Agriculture as a business development specialist, helping food and ag companies start and expand operations.

Before that, Trotta worked nine years as co-manager of an Angus cattle ranch near Karval in Eastern Colorado and another year as a livestock audit specialist.

Trotta said she grew up in New Jersey.

She attended Colorado State University and initially wanted to become a veterinarian.

She said she became interested instead in the agriculture and livestock industries.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from CSU in animal sciences and master’s degree in agriculture with a focus on integrated resource management.

Now in its 22nd year, the Colorado Proud program promotes through various efforts food and other agricultural products grown, raised and made in Colorado.

A total of more than 3,000 farmers, ranchers, retailers, restaurants and associations participate in the program. A logo makes it easier for consumers to identify and purchase Colorado products.

A recently completed survey of 500 Colorado consumers confirms the

AG BY THE NUMBERS

Here’s a look at some of the numbers quantifying the Colorado agriculture industry: n The sector contributes more than $47 billion to the state economy annually and employs more than 195,000 people. n Colorado exports about $2 billion worth of agricultural products annually. n Farms and ranches cover a total of nearly 32 million privately owned acres, almost half the total acreage in the state. n Cattle and calves constitute the top agricultural commodity in the state with $7.1 billion in cash receipts annually. n Hay production is valued at more than $785 million. n Peaches and apples are the top fruit crops, while annual wine grape production is valued at more than $45.6 million. effectiveness of the program, Trotta said: 76 percent of those who responded say they’re familiar with the Colorado Proud logo and look for it while shopping. Moreover, 40 percent of consumers said they’re intentionally buying more Colorado products, she said.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated several shopping trends, Trotta said, including the increasing proportion of consumers who purchase food online and growing interest in local food sources.

That makes it more important for producers to sell products online if they can, but also offer customers convenience and communicate with them, she said.

“Convenience and social media are here to stay. These kinds of things are not going to go away.”

Trotta said she’s hopeful an allocation of $2.5 million to the Colorado Proud program enacted by the Colorado Legislature will provide additional resources to producers and further increase the sale of food and agricultural products.

The agricultural sector is an important one in Colorado, she said, in contributing $47 billion to the economy annually and employing more than 195,000 people.

Moreover, farmers and ranchers care for a total of more than 32 million privately owned acres in the state and preserve vast areas of open spaces, she said.

While most Coloradans are aware of agriculture products and the contributions of the ag industry, Trotta said, “We can always do better.”

That’s where the Colorado Proud program as well as her experiences will come into play in making connections between producers and their customers, she said.

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Year-over-year gain in business filings portends recovery New business filings continue to increase on a year-over-year basis in Colorado, a trend that portends economic recovery in the aftermath of a pandemic.

“Colorado is on the road to recovery despite historic economic challenges,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

According to the latest report based on statistics from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, 39,252 new entity filings were recorded during the second quarter of 2021.

New filings fell 12.3 percent from the first quarter — a decrease attributed to a seasonal pattern. But compared to the second quarter of 2020, filings were up 25.7 percent.

The business research division of the Leeds School of Jena Griswold Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder compiles the report. New entity filings constitute a leading indicator of business and job growth.

Filings for limited liability companies rose 27.4 percent on a year-over-year basis. Filings for domestic corporations increased 19.4 percent. Filings were down 4.2 percent for nonprofit corporations.

For the 12 months ending in the second quarter of 2021, 157,300 new entity filings were recorded. That’s an increase of 26.3 percent over the same span a year ago.

Rich Wobbekind A total of 154,995 renewals for existing entities were recorded in the second quarter of 2021. That’s up 1.7 percent from the second quarter of 2020.

A 2.3 percent increase in renewals for limited liability companies more than offset a 1.6 percent decrease for domestic corporations.

For the 12 months ending in the second quarter of 2021, 627,389 renewals for existing entities were recorded, up 4.7 percent from the same span a year ago.

Dissolution filings also increased in the second quarter of 2021, however, climbing 6.9 percent from the same quarter last year to 9,255.

For the 12 months ending in the second quarter of 2021, 38,415 dissolution filings were recorded. That’s an increase of 7.9 percent over the same span a year ago.

The overall number of companies, corporations and other entities in operation continues to increase in Colorado. For the second quarter of 2021, there were 830,303 entities in good standing, a 9.6 percent increase over the same quarter last year.

Rich Wobbekind, a senior economist and faculty director of the business research division at the Leeds School of Business, said Colorado continues to recover overall, although at different rates in different regions.

The Colorado Springs and Fort Collins areas lead the state in employment recovery, but other areas lag.

Over the past 14 months, Colorado has regained 276,400 of the 375,800 jobs lost between February and April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions.

The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 6.2 percent in June, the latest month for which estimates are available. That ranks 35th nationally, Wobbekind said. Still, the labor participation rate of 68.5 percent in Colorado ranks third, he said.

“The high participation rate indicates many Coloradans are employed or actively seeking employment. This trend could lead to a full jobs recovery from the recession in 2022,” Wobbekind said.

Gross domestic product, the broad measure of goods and services produced in the state, grew 1.4 percent year over year.

A separate index based on a quarterly survey of Colorado business leaders also signals a more upbeat outlook, Wobbekind said. The Leeds Business Confidence Index rose 2.9 points to 67.3 for the third quarter. Readings above 50 reflect more positive than negative responses. The index was 23 points lower at 44.3 in the midst of the pandemic a year ago.

Challenges remain, however, Griswold said. “While the latest data is encouraging, we know that the pandemic has deepened wealth and income inequality in our state, and many Coloradans have not see a return to pre-pandemic normal. As we continue to rebuild from the pandemic, there is incredible opportunity to ensure that Colorado’s strengthening economy is benefiting all communities.”

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august 12-25, 2021

Mesa County tax collections trend upward

Tax collections, a measure of sales activity, continue to increase in Mesa County.

Mesa County reported collecting more than $4 million in sales tax in July, a 20.4 percent increase over the same month last year.

The county also collected nearly $401,000 in use taxes — almost all of it on automobiles purchased outside the county, but used in the county. That’s a 19.1 percent increase over last year.

July collections reflect June sales.

For Mesa County, combined sales and use tax collections were up more than $755,000 and 20.3 percent over the same month a year ago.

Tax collections on retail sales topped $1.38 million, a 14.2 percent increase over a year ago. Collections rose in nearly every category, including a 68.3 percent increase in health and personal care products and 22.4 percent increase in clothing. Internet sales rose 21.9 percent.

Sales tax collections also increased on a year-over-year basis 57.7 percent on construction materials, 40.8 percent on restaurant meals and hotel stays and 22.9 percent on home improvements.

Through the first seven months of 2021, Mesa County collected a total of nearly $27.5 million in sales and use taxes.

That’s an increase of nearly $5.2 million and 23.2 percent over the same span in 2020.

Sales tax collections rose 21.8 percent. Use tax collections jumped 41.1 percent.

County tax collections on retail sales exceeded $9 million through the first seven months of 2021. Tax collections on internet sales rose 67.6 percent to more than $1.7 million. Collections rose 48.8 percent on clothing and 41.8 percent on health and personal care products.

Sales tax collections rose 36.2 percent on construction materials 34.3 percent on home improvements and 33.5 percent on restaurant meals and hotel stays.

Collections declined 49 percent in the oil and natural gas category.

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Board petitions due

Nomination petitions for the next Mesa County School District 51 Board of Education election are due 4 p.m. Aug. 27.

Three seats will be open in the upcoming election — those in Districts C, D and E. Candidates must have been a resident of those districts for at least a year prior to the election.

Candidates must submit nomination petitions with the signatures of at least 50 eligible voters and written notice of intention.

Petitions are available at the Mesa County School District 51 administrative services center located at 2115 Grand Ave. in Grand Junction.

School board members serve four-year terms with a two-term limit.

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august 12-25, 2021

Poll confirms firms affected

by I-70 closure

Companies face difficulties in shipping in and out supplies as well as a decrease in business related to the closure of Interstate Highway 70 through the Glenwood Canyon, the results of a poll indicate.

“There is no question that our businesses are being affected by yet another issue that is totally outside of their control,” said Diane Schwenke, president and chief executive officer of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. “I am, however, encouraged by the ingenuity and flexibility of our business community as they find ways to cope.”

The chamber polled its members to assess the effects of the extended closure of the highway and how they’ve responded.

Of the 211 who responded, 44 percent indicated they’re experiencing difficulty getting supplies in and 14 percent difficulty in shipping products out. Meanwhile, 20 percent of respondents reported a decrease in business. Another 25 percent indicated they’d experienced no effects.

Some businesses reported they were having difficulty getting employees to job sites on the east side of the Glenwood Canyon. Hotels reported reservation cancellations.

Respondents also reported they were finding ways to respond to the closure. Some indicated they were flying employees to Denver, while others placed larger orders for products.

Asked about what keeps them up at night, 52 percent of respondents said they’re worried a surge in the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to business closures, while 44 percent cited concerns over inflation, 41.5 percent disruptions in the supply chain and 41 percent additional government regulations and mandates.

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New exhibit explores history of the railroad

A new exhibit at the Museum of the West in Grand Junction recounts the history and legacy of the railroad in Western Colorado.

The exhibit, titled “United by Two Steel Rails,” includes photographs, historic documents and other artifacts. The lights, bells and whistles of trains invite visitors to climb aboard.

On Nov. 21, 1882, mere hours after a wooden bridge over the Colorado River was completed, a Denver & Rio Grande train rolled through Grand Junction for the first time. Within a year, the population climbed into the thousands. The exhibit explores how trains, transportation and travel ushered Western Colorado into the modern world.

The Museum of the West is located at 462 Ute Ave. and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 242-0971 or visit the website at www.museumofwesterno.com.

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august 12-25, 2021

Retiree receives Grand Valley Rotarian award

A retiree whose community service includes work with the Community Food Bank and Horizon Sunrise Rotary Club has been honored for his efforts.

Biff Messenger received the 2021 Rotarian of the Grand Valley award.

Whittney SmytheSmith, the assistant governor of Rotary District 5470, and Sam Kevan, district Biff Messenger g o v e r n o r - e l e c t , presented the award to Messenger. District 5470 covers the lower two-thirds of Colorado and encompasses 61 clubs with a total of nearly 2,000 members.

Messenger and his wife, Kathleen, moved to Grand Junction to live near their children, John Messenger and Robin Brown, as well as their grandchildren.

Biff Messenger was nominated for the award in part for his efforts to promote Rotary in the Grand Valley and the way he exemplifies the Rotary motto of service above self.

Messenger served as an officer in the Army, living in 10 states and six foreign countries during his career. He later held leadership positions with the Fork Union Military Academy, USAA and TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

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CMU announces executive departing

Colorado Mesa University announced the executive director of marketing and communications will soon leave that position.

Mike Mansheim will leave on Aug. 27 to become regional director for the Colorado Health Network.

Mansheim has worked 16 years at CMU, the last four in Mike Mansheim his current position.

“Mike’s creativity, leadership and determination has been integral to CMU’s growth and evolution,” said John Marshall, president of CMU. “Mike has always given 110 percent in everything he does, and he will be greatly missed. But where he is heading is just another example of how CMU and the individuals who work here give back to the larger community.”

Mansheim has served as a volunteer with a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the Colorado Health Network, which has sought to meet the needs of Coloradans living with and at risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus and other health conditions.

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august 12-25, 2021

SBA launches PPP loan forgiveness application portal The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched a streamlined portal to enable borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program loans of $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA. “The SBA’s new streamlined application portal will simplify forgiveness for millions of our smallest Isabel Guzman businesses — including many sole proprietors — who used funds from our Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive the pandemic,” said SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. “The vast majority of businesses waiting for forgiveness have loans under $150,000.

These entrepreneurs are busy running their businesses and

are challenged by an overly complicated forgiveness process.

We need to deliver forgiveness more efficiently so they can get back to enlivening our Main Streets, sustaining our neighborhoods and fueling our nation’s economy.”

Lenders are required to opt-in to this program through https://directforgiveness.sba.gov.

In addition to the technology platform, the SBA has assembled a PPP customer service team to answer questions and assist borrowers with their applications.

Borrower that have questions or need assistance can call (877) 552-2692 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

“This initiative allows PPP borrowers to put their concerns of achieving full forgiveness behind them and focus on operating and growing their businesses again,” said Patrick Kelley, associate administrator for the SBA Office of Capital Access. “We are pleased to be able to

assist financial institutions across the U.S. in processing forgiveness applications for small business owners.”

Overall, the SBA and participating lenders originated more than 11.7 million loans worth a combined $800 billion under the PPP program to offer relief to a total of more than 8.5 million small businesses In 2021 alone, the SBA approved more than 6.5 million loans worth a collective $275 billion.

The average loan size in 2021 was $42,000, compared to $101,000 in 2020. Nearly all the loans — 96 percent — went to businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

More than 600 banks have opted in to direct forgiveness, enabling almost 2.2 million borrowers to apply through the portal. That involves about a third of loans of $150,000 or less not yet submitted for forgiveness.

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Fun

Continued from page 4 The 2,400 square feet inside GJ Golf are filled with an assortment of shafts and club heads from major brands as well as bags and balls. There’s also a variety of apparel and footwear.

In addition to products, GJ Golf also offers services.

Those include custom club fittings.

A simulator allows customers to try out different brands of clubs and analyzes the customers’ swing speeds, spin rates and launch angles.

Antonides said he uses that information to help customers select the best clubs for their swings. Custom fittings also are available for putters.

A separate system equipped with cameras is available to analyze golf swings. Antonides said he hopes to soon bring in a PGA teaching pro to help golfers with their games.

A repair shop can shorten, lengthen and regrip clubs.

“We try to be a full-fledged facility,” Antonides said.

But also a fun facility, he said.

GJ Golf hosts special events for men and women.

Golfers also are encouraged to hang out at the store, talk and enjoy an atmosphere Antonides said his wife compares to a barbershop. “We enjoy that people enjoy coming into the store.”

Antonides said he enjoys golf for many reasons. The game and its rules teach important life lessons, including respect and honesty.

Plus, golf affords an opportunity to spend time in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world — and in the company of family and friends.

Golf should be enjoyable not only on the course, though, but also while shopping for equipment and apparel, Antonides said.

“I think golf should be fun.”

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FOR YOUR INFORMATION GJ Golf is located at 625 24 1/2 Road, Suite C, in Grand Junction.

For additional information, call 208-1030 or visit www.gjgolf.net.

August 12-25, 2021

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august 12-25, 2021

Search

Continued from page 2 Brown flew the Kiowa Warrior helicopter and also commanded a company of pilots and crew. Brown was twice stationed in Iraq and survived a mission in which her helicopter was shot down.

With the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, Brown was involved in several economic development efforts, among them the federal opportunity zones tax credit program, Riverfront at Las Colonias business park and relocation of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction.

GJEP also experienced an increase in business prospects, expansions and relocations that resulted in more than 100 new jobs and a total economic contribution of nearly $50 million in Mesa County.

“I want to thank Robin for her vision, her drive and her commitment to GJEP’s mission over the last several years,” Sneddon said. “During her tenure, Robin navigated one of the most difficult times not only for our community, but across the country and the world, And Mesa County has served as an exemplar of economic resiliency and ingenuity throughout the pandemic.”

Sneddon said the board will begin a search for a new executive director and the work of the organization will continue.

“GJEP has numerous exciting prospects and projects in the pipeline, for which Robin has laid a strong foundation.”

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Flexibility

Continued from page 2 Schools also must be designed to allow for changes over time, Icenogle says. High school classrooms used for one subject at one time might be used for a different subject or even a different use at another time.

Some schools have been designed to accommodate different college and career pathways, he says.

Sievila says schools include multiple spaces with different uses. But uses can quickly change even in one space — a classroom, for example.

Alcoves built off classrooms in one school offer separate spaces for different uses, she says.

Furnishings play a key role in school design, Sievila says. Chairs, desks and tables must be durable, but also easy to move so they can be quickly rearranged.

Furnishings enabling students to stand or even sit on the floor help those with different learning styles, she says.

Technology constitutes yet another consideration to incorporate into school design, she says, especially at a time when some schools offer a mix of in-person and remote learning.

Icenogle says support for schools and education is important in not only bettering the lives of students, but also communities.

“It just makes a big difference to the local economy.”

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Page 18

Learning

Continued from page 2 To raise money for the foundation and its support of Mesa County School District 51, Huerkamp auctioned off naming rights for the Rover during a virtual auction conducted as the part of the White Iced fund-raiser. FCI Constructors submitted the winning bidder.

The School District 51 Foundation sent the Rover to Grand Mesa Middle School in Grand Junction, the winner of a drawing among middle schools in Mesa County School District 51.

Kim Davis, principal of Grand Mesa Middle School, expects the Rover will be popular for projects involving not only science and technology, but also other subjects.

The Rover also promotes collaboration among students, which Davis says has become an increasingly important part of education.

Huerkamp says ProSpace has long supported schools in Western Colorado, and he believes there’s no responsibility more important or investment more beneficial than educating children.

Shane Haas, president of FCI Constructors, said underwriting the Rover constituted a natural fit for the company given its work on schools and efforts to

The Business Times

august 12-25, 2021

FOR YOUR INFORMATION ProSpace Interiors operates a showroom at 634 Main St. in downtown Grand Junction.

For more information, call 242-7575 or visit the website located at www.prospace.biz. encourage students to consider careers in the construction industry. The Rover will help students discover they can work with their minds and their hands, he says.

It’s also fitting, Haas says, the Rover ended up in Grand Mesa Middle School. He says he served as project manager when FCI built the school in 1997.

Angela Christensen, executive director of the School District 51 Foundation, says she’s grateful for support from businesses like ProSpace and FCI Constructors. “It’s exciting to see our business community come together to support School District 51. We want to improve our community’s technical capabilities by ensuring that current and future generations of students have access to the types of technology they will use for years to come.”

Huerkamp says it’s important for ProSpace to keep abreast of trends in the classroom because educational settings account for about a quarter of sales for the company.

At Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction,

ProSpace has been involved in a series of renovation and new construction projects there for nearly a decade. That includes the renovation of Houston Hall, the Tomlinson Library and health sciences building as well as the construction of an engineering building and hotel.

ProSpace also supplies furnishings and design and installation services for offices and health care facilities in a core region of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah.

ProSpace operates a showroom in downtown Grand Junction and location in Delta, employing its own space planners and designers as well as a team of installers.

While classroom furnishings were once utilitarian, they now add to creative and inspiring environments, Huerkamp says. Furnishings are often mobile so they can be arranged in different configurations.

In the end, furnishings can help improve academic performance, he says.

Huerkamp’s daughter, Rachael Huerkamp, recently graduated from CMU and now works at ProSpace as a marketing assistant. She says new furnishings at CMU made a difference. “The environment does help. It changed the way we learned.”

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Preschool program includes curriculum from science museum

A new full-day preschool program has opened in Grand Junction incorporating into its curriculum science, technology, engineering, arts and math content from the Eureka McConnell Science Museum.

The Nest Preschool operates at the New Emerson Elementary School at Columbus. Joy Davis, director of the Nest Preschool, will work with teachers Ashley and Vonnie Davis to instruct an initial class of 15 students.

The Nest Preschool offers a nurturing environment for children the year before kindergarten. Powered by Eureka, the program incorporates content from the Grand Junction science museum. Students also will receive free family memberships to the museum.

The program will use the outdoors as a classroom. The New Emerson playground will offer students a place to not only stay active, but also observe natural phenomena. Off-site field trips will offer other learning experiences.

Nest Preschool offers tuition scholarships to low-income, underserved and underrepresented families, with 30 percent of spots reserved for qualifying families.

Nest Preschool also will accept students on the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program and provide meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Mesa County School District 51 Lunch Lizard program. Bus service is available to scholarship students if access to transportation is a barrier.

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News Trends Contributors Real estate sales slow Opinion Business Briefs Business People Almanac

August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 19

INDICATORS AT A GLANCE

n Business filings

s New business filings in Colorado, 39,252 in the second quarter, up 25.7% from the second quarter of 2020.

But year-to-date activity in Mesa County remains well ahead of 2020

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. t National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index 99.7 for July, down 2.8.

Real estate sales slowed in Mesa County in July, but overall activity so far this year remains well ahead of last year.

Robert Bray, chief executive officer of Bray Real Estate in Grand Junction, remains optimistic. “I still think it’s going to be a very good year.”

Annette Miller, administrator coordinator at Heritage Title Co. in Grand Junction, said she expects neither a big decrease nor big Robert Bray increase in the market. “I don’t see any red flags that it’s going to change dramatically either direction.”

Miller said 595 real estate transactions worth a total of $242 million were reported in Mesa County in July. Compared to the same month last year, transactions slipped 1.5 percent, but combined dollar volume rose 24.7 percent.

Miller said low inventories continue to hamper sales, but real estate activity typically Annette Miller slows in July given the holiday and summer vacations.

Eighteen transactions worth a combined $48.9 million bolstered dollar volume in July, she said. The transactions included the sale of the Peppermill Lofts apartments for more than $7 million, Liberty Center office building for nearly $6.3 million and a 72-unit apartment building for $5.5 million.

Through July, 3,657 transactions worth a total of more than $1.3 billion were reported in 2021. Compared to the same span last year, transactions increased 23.3 percent and dollar volume jumped 43.3 percent. The increases reflect in part the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions in 2020.

If the current pace of activity continues, 2021 would end with

n Confidence

n Foreclosures t Foreclosure filings in Mesa County, 2 in July, down from 4 in July 2020. t Foreclosure sales in Mesa County, 0 in July, down from 2 in July 2020.

n Indexes

s Conference Board Employment Trends Index, 109.80 for July, up 0.84. s Conference Board Leading Economic Index 115.1 for June, up 0.7%. t Institute for Supply Management Purchasing Managers Index for manufacturing, 59.5% for July, down 1.1%.

n Lodging

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

n Real estate

t Real estate transactions in Mesa County, 595 in July, down 1.5% from July 2020. s Dollar volume of real estate transactions in Mesa County, $242 million in July, up 24.7% from July 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, $4.47million for July, up 20.3 % from July 2020.

n Unemployment s Mesa County — 6.9% for June, up 0.9. n Colorado — 6.2% for June, unchanged. t United States — 5.4% for July, down 0.5.

Phil Castle

The Business Times

6,269 transactions worth a total of $2.2 billion, exceeding what ultimately was a record year in 2020.

According to numbers Bray Real Estate tracks for the residential market, 365 transactions worth a total of more than $140.5 million were reported in July. Compared to the same month last year, transactions dropped 17.2 percent and dollar volume edged down three-tenths of a percent.

Through the first seven months of 2021, 2,388 residential transactions worth a total of more than $862.7 million were reported. Compared to the same span in 2020, transactions increased 8.8 percent and dollar volume jumped 30.8 percent.

Bray said the year-to-year decrease in closed transactions in July reflected some slowing in sales for that month and the previous two months.

Low residential inventories continue to pose a challenge, he said. As of the end of July, there were 348 active listings. That’s a decrease of 19.3 percent from the same time last year.

Low supplies and high demand continue to push prices upward. The median price of homes sold through the first seven months of 2021 increased 18 percent to $325,000.

As for new construction, 72 building permits for single-family homes were issued in Mesa County in July, down from 79 for the same month last year. Through the first seven months of 2021, however, 585 permits were issued. That’s up 39.6 percent from the same span in 2020.

Bray said residential activity could remain soft in August, but the overall market remains strong in Mesa County with dollar volume that will soon pass the $1 billion milestone.

Meanwhile, property foreclosure activity continues to decrease in Mesa County, Miller said 13 foreclosure filings and 13 completed sales were reported during the first seven months of 2021. During the same span in 2020, 73 filings and 21 sales were reported. The seven resales of foreclosed property during the first seven months of 2021 constituted a fraction of all transactions and the 10 percent threshold Miller considers indicative of a healthy market.

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Small Business Optimism Index retreats A measure of optimism among small business owners has retreated on less upbeat expectations for the economy, sales and earnings as well as concerns about labor availability.

The National Federation of Independent Business reported its Small Business Optimism Index fell 2.8 points to 99.7 in July. The decrease nearly erased a 2.9-point increase in June, but the index remains above its average reading of 98.

“Small business owners are losing confidence in the strength of the economy and expect a slowdown in job creation,” said Bill Bill Dunkelberg Dunkelberg, chief economist of the NFIB. “As owners look for qualified workers, they are also reporting that supply chain disruptions are having an impact on their businesses,” Dunkelberg said. “Ultimately, owners could sell more if they could acquire more supplies and inventories from their supply chains.”

The NFIB bases the index on the results of monthly surveys of members of the small business advocacy group, most of them small business owners.

For July, six of 10 components of the index declined, three advanced and one remained unchanged.

The proportion of those who responded to the survey upon which the July index was based who expect the economy to

improve over the next six months fell eight points from June. At a net negative 20 percent, more respondents indicated they expected worsening conditions.

A net 26 percent reported plans to make capital outlays, up a point. A net 13 percent said they consider now a good time to expand, down two points.

The share of those who said they expect higher sales dropped 11 points to a net negative 4 percent.

The proportion of those reporting higher earnings fell eight points. At a net negative 13 percent, more reported lower earnings.

Among those reporting lower earnings, 32 percent blamed weaker sales and 31 percent higher material costs.

A net 27 percent of respondents reported plans to increase employment, down a point from a record-high reading in June. But a record 49 percent reported unfilled job openings, up three points.

Asked to identify their single most important business problem, 26 percent cited labor quality and 9 percent cited labor costs.

A net 38 percent of owners reported raising compensation, down a point from a record-level in June. A net 27 percent reported plans to increase compensation over the next three months, up a point to a record high.

A net 6 percent reported plans to increase inventories, down five points. A net 12 percent said they consider they consider current inventories too low, up a point to a record high.

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The Business Times

U.S. payrolls swell as jobless rate drops U.S. payrolls swelled and the unemployment rate retreated in July with hiring in the leisure and hospitality and education sectors accounting for more than half the job gains.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 943,000 and the jobless rate declined a half point to 5.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Estimated payroll gains for June and May were revised upward a total of 119,000 to 938,000 and 614,000, respectively.

Payrolls have grown 16.7 million since April 2020, but remain down 5.7 million from the pre-pandemic level in February 2020.

For July, 8.7 million people were counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work. Of those, 3.4 million have been out of work 27 weeks or longer.

Another 4.5 million people were counted among those working part-time because their hours were reduced or they were unable to find full-time positions.

The labor participation rate rose a tenth of a point to 61.7 percent, still 1.6 points lower than February 2020.

Employment increased 380,000 in the leisure and hospitality sector, 253,000 of that in food services and drinking places. Still, employment in the sector remains 1.7 million below its February 2020 level.

Payrolls rose 221,000 in local government education and 40,000 in private education.

Employment also increased 60,000 in professional and business services, 50,000 in transportation and warehousing, 37,000 in health care and 27,000 in manufacturing.

The average workweek remained unchanged at 34.8 hours.

The manufacturing workweek lengthened two-tenths of an hour to 40.5 hours. Average hourly earnings increased another 11 cents to $30.54, the fourth consecutive month for gains.

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august 12-25, 2021

Labor index rises

An index tracking labor trends continues to increase, signaling job growth in the months ahead.

The Conference Board reported its Employment Trends Index rose nearly a point to 109.8 in July for a fifth consective month of gains.

Labor recruiting and retention challenges — along with rapid wage growth — also are expected through the summer, said Gad Levanon, head of the Conference Board Labor Markets Institute. Wage growth could lead to higher inflation, he said.

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Trends Contributors Opinionpay law evolves Colorado Business Briefs Business People Almanac

August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 21

COMING ATTRACTIONS

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

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, located at 2591 Legacy Way. 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.

Upcoming sessions of a business startup workshop are set for 9 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 27 and Sept. 7 and 16 at the center.

The workshops will cover the business planning process, including financing options, licensing requirements, legal structures, trade name searches and state registration.

Admission is $55, which also includes admission to Fast Trac one-hour business classes.

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 will offer a presentation on coaching troubled employees as part of its next monthly membership event.

The event is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Aug. 18 at Warehouse 2565, located 2565 American Way in Grand Junction. Admission is included in WCHRA membership. Guests pay $20. Students in the Society for Human Resource Management Club at Colorado Mesa University pay $5.

Kenra Haftel will lead the presentation, offering information about how supervisors and managers can recognize employees who could be struggling and help employees find the assistance they need. Haftel brings to the presentation her education and experience in corporate wellness programing and as group fitness instructor.

To register for the event or obtain more information about the Western Colorado Human Resource Association, visit the website at www.wchra.org.

Job postings raise questions about transparency requirements In my column in a June issue of the Business Times, I reviewed the basics of Colorado’s new Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEW).

EPEW is split into two parts. The first part prohibits employers from paying different wages on the basis of sex or sex plus another protected status to employees who perform “substantially similar” work. The second part imposes new requirements on employers to promote pay transparency, including posting and promotion requirements.

Soon after my column was Dean published, news stories appeared in Harris Colorado and national publications reporting the trend of employers to post remote jobs welcoming applicants from any location except Colorado.

State legislators who supported EPEW responded with resistance. According to a Denver Post story, State.

Sen. Jessie Danielson, an EPEW sponsor, described efforts to avoid the requirement to post compensation ranges as “shameful.”

Software engineer Aaron Batilo developed a website located at www.coloradoexcluded.com to expose national employers attempting to bypass Colorado job posting requirements.

How prevalent is the problem? In a webinar offered by the Colorado Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (CDLSS) in July, the CDLSS stated only one investigation was open, and its own audit of more than 200 Indeed postings showed only one excluded Colorado applicants.

But when the Wall Street Journal interviewed Batilo in June, his website showed 46 employers excluding Coloradans from applying for jobs. That number increased

by June 26 to a total of 193 job listings for remote work positions from 98 companies. On Aug, 4, the number jumped to 445 total job listings from 146 employers.

In the July webinar, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, of which the CDLSS is a part, stated its enforcement position on the job posting requirements of the EPEW and its regulations.

Several highlights stood out. First, the CDLSS stated that whether a company placing a job add has at least one employee in Colorado or no Colorado employees, the employer isn’t required to post compensation information if the job is “tied to a location outside of Colorado.”

But “omitting compensation by posting that a remote job is for anyone, anywhere, except for Coloradans” is “not compliant with the act.” The CDLSS pointed out that EPEW regulations can’t add exceptions to the statute itself. However, the CDLSS stated the EPEW allows one “implied exception” — a job that “truly must be done out of state” is “arguably” beyond the reach of the act.

Unfortunately, this implied exception is narrower than CDLSS regulations. Rule 4.3 (B) states: “The compensation posting requirements (section 201(2)) do not apply to either (1) jobs to be performed entirely outside Colorado, or (2) postings entirely outside Colorado.”

By the plain language of the rule, the compensation requirements don’t apply to jobs that will be performed outside Colorado, not to a job that cannot be performed in Colorado.

But as the golden rule states: He who has the gold makes the rules. So, any employer wishing to exclude Colorado applicants from remote jobs must understand the division that makes the rules also enforces the rules and will take enforcement action in the future.

No one disagrees an employer with no Colorado employees at the time of the job posting is beyond the reach of the EPEW. And an employer with any employees physically in Colorado must post compensation information for jobs to be performed physically in Colorado or remote jobs that can be performed in Colorado.

Here are other highlights from the July webinar: n Employers aren’t required to post external job opportunities. But if an employer chooses to do so, the job listing must include the salary or salary range as well as a summary of benefits, including health coverage, retirement, paid leave and any other benefits that must be reported as income for federal income tax purposes. n Employers may satisfy the requirement to include a benefits summary by including a hyperlink or URL to the benefits summary. But this provision applies only to online postings, not print advertisements. n Employers must post all promotional opportunities to all employees on the same day. The employer may post promotional methods by any method so long as employees can access the opportunity at their regular workplace, either online or in hard copy and are informed where to find required postings or announcements, If a method reaches some but not all employees, the employer must use an alternative method to reach those employees.

The CDLE continues to focus on obtaining compliance from employers who violate Part 2 of the EPEW on pay transparency requirements. The CDLE waives fines for employers who come into compliance after the first violation. But employers can expect this forbearance to end should employers not voluntarily comply.

The CDLE includes several guidance documents on the EPEW pay transparency requirements on its website.

Dean Harris is an attorney and Western Slope Area Manager for the Employers Council. The Employers Council counsels, represents and trains member employers in all phases of employment relationships.

Contact Harris at dharris@employerscouncil.org or 852-0190.

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Virtual summit planned for National Small Business Week The U.S. Small Business Administration has scheduled a virtual summit as part of its annual National Small Business Week observance.

“We look forward to celebrating with you as we rebuild our economy and help our small businesses build back better,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.

The summit is set for Sept. 13 to 15 and will include

panel presentations on how entrepreneurs can retool and recover as well as information about programs and services available to help small businesses tap new markets, retain employees and grow operations.

Representatives from Fortune 500 companies will discuss their paths to success and share resources to help entrepreneurs along thier journeys.

Virtual booths will enable participants to develop

one-on-one connections with public and private sector partners and create opportunities for collaboration.

Participants also will learn more about new business strategies, meet other business owners and talk with industry experts.

To register for or obtain more information about the National Small Business Week virtual summit, visit the website at http://www.sba.gov/NSBW.

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august 12-25, 2021

Strike a balance to achieve success and happiness A lot of time and energy go into running a business.

With everything there is to do, it’s easy for those who own businesses to sacrifice many aspects — if not the entirety — of their personal lives in the pursuit of success.

Your business is only one aspect of your life, though. You also have important relationships with family and friends, your health, hobbies and other interests. When you choose or unconsciously allow yourself to become consumed by business and neglect other aspects of your life, your well-being and happiness fade away.

There’s no real benefit to working yourself into the ground. When you Marcus become fatigued, your business Straub suffers because you don’t possess the energy, composure and mental clarity necessary to lead or achieve success at the levels you desire. What’s more, you’re unhappy.

Conversely, there’s tremendous benefit to everyone involved — business owners, team members, customers and families — in creating and maintaining balance between business and personal lives.

The more out of balance and unhappy you are, the less your financial success will ultimately mean to you because of the tremendous price you paid and what you sacrificed along the way. You can’t go back and recapture those magical times in life after your children are grown.

After a divorce, it’s impossible to make up for neglecting a marriage. When your health fails, it can be difficult — if not impossible — to get it back.

The interesting thing about creating balance between life and business is that in addition to improving the quality of your life, you also become a more productive, creative

When you make time to care for yourself and engage other aspects of your life, you recharge mentally, emotionally and physically.

You have more to give. In other words, you increase your own potential and, therefore, the potential of your business.

and effective business owner. When you make time to care for yourself and engage other aspects of your life, you recharge mentally, emotionally and physically. You have more to give. In other words, you increase your own potential and, therefore, the potential of your business.

When you’re in balance with your life and business, you tend to treat the people in your personal and professional lives better because your perspective is clearer. Your attitude is more pleasant. You’re more patient. And you’re happier.

When you treat people better, they have the tendency to do the same, and all your relationships improve as a result.

When you vacation with your significant other or ski with your kids, be fully present with them. When you attend a family function, spend time with friends, go for a bike ride, read a book in a hammock, take a swim or anything else you decide to do, enjoy the moment for all it’s worth.

Taking your spouse out for your regular date night, spending quality time with your kids, pursuing your passions and going on vacation aren’t synonymous with working and doing business. While it’s true you can take your work with you on vacation, the reality is that neither

will be the best they can be as long as your attention is divided between them. One must give way to the other.

A working vacation isn’t a vacation, it’s just working in a different location.

The secret to all of this is truly stepping away from your business when you leave the office and engage in the rest of your life. Turn off your phone and computer and leave your business thoughts and concerns behind as much as you can — and you can much more than you realize.

When you choose to do so, all the moments of your life will take on a greater meaning for you and for everyone involved.

As a business owner, you’re the foundation of your enterprise. The more energized, inspired — and balanced — you are, the stronger your company will perform. When the quality of your life begins to diminish, take notice and take action.

In the end, each of us is left with the sum of the moments of our life. We’ll either be pleased with the lives we lived or we won’t. Live your life with the intention of creating balance among its different aspects and you’ll not only be successful, but also — and perhaps more important — happy.

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.

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August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

What can a workforce center do for you?

Workforce centers in Colorado — including the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction — offer a range of free services to employers and employees. Here’s an overview courtesy of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

Among other things, centers provide: n Job listings, generally for a local county and surrounding areas. n Computer and internet access. n Career counseling and job training for employees. n Worker recruitment, prescreening of candidates and referral services for employers. n Tax credits and training reimbursement for employers. n Staff-supported and self-service access Janet to provided services.

Workforce centers have trained, experienced Arrowood career counselors to help connect employees with local employment, training and educational opportunities. These counselors can also help improve job-seeking and interview skills, enhancing the ability to find and get the most suitable opportunities.

Business services representatives connect employers to funding and training opportunities while helping recruit, hire and retain skilled employees.

How are these services funded? In part, workforce centers across the state benefit from their share of a nearly $5.7 million dislocated worker grant from the federal government. This grant enables workforce centers to provide services to displaced workers. There’s still funding, but the grant ends March 31. The grant funds efforts to provide career, training and employment services to dislocated workers and minimize the employment and economic disruption for these workers.

Workforce centers work with other public agencies and community based organizations to identify temporary job opportunities

Business services representatives connect employers to funding and training opportunities while helping recruit, hire and retain skilled employees. for workers laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specific services provided under this grant include: n Career services, including basic and advanced assessments of job seeking needs and processes, information on the labor market, development of basic and advanced employment plans, connections to job openings and information about other support services. n Training services, including occupational training, skill upgrading and retraining, job readiness, adult education and literacy and entrepreneurial training. n Work-based learning, including on-the-job training, internships, transitional jobs and virtual and classroom training. n Supportive services, including job-related personal protective equipment, work clothing, dependent care, transportation assistance, books and supplies for training, application fees and reimbursement for mileage and relevant utilities.

Veterans have priority for services, but services are available to all dislocated workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mesa County Workforce Center is located at 512 29 1/2 Road.

More information is available by calling 248-0871 or visiting the website at https://mcwfc.us.

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.

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august 12-25, 2021

Evaluate tenants to reduce risk Commercial real estate brokers are hired to handle a variety of responsibilities. And some brokers are willing to offer more after-transaction services for owners and landlords as sales and leasing activities lead to property management, tax protesting, speculative construction ideas and other non-transactional needs.

One responsibility I haven’t seen any broker take on, though, is insuring against tenant default or offering rent payment protection. But I’ve been asked in the past to do exactly that.

A commercial broker’s primary duties to a landlord are to find a tenant that’s ready, willing and able to sign a lease contract.

But sometimes — usually after a landlord has a tenant default on a multi-year commitment — the landlord will ask the Max Taylor broker to take on some of the risk and expenses in the form of rebating commissions or finding a replacement tenant at the broker’s expense.

This request typically comes when a tenant defaults or otherwise prematurely stops paying rent and vacates. Depending on commission structure, the landlord might have paid lease commissions on a long-term lease, but only realized part of the income upon which those commissions were based.

Who’s responsible for the remaining gap? Landlords ask if the broker will give it back, while brokers would very much like that to not be the case — although there’s certainly some give and take in broker-landlord relationships.

The logical outcome is to bring this cost to the attention of and hold responsible the party that caused these commissions to go unrealized — the defaulting tenant.

By agreeing to a longer-term lease, a tenant has caused the landlord additional upfront expenses. That cost recovery can be achieved through different legal instruments when lease clauses are negotiated.

What happens if a tenant doesn’t have the ability to reimburse the landlord for those costs?

Every investment comes with risks and rewards. Investors shoulder those risks either individually or with co-investors because they also enjoy the rewards when the investment produces a return.

Managing and accepting tenant risk is really what being a landlord is all about. If it was risk-free, the returns would be much lower, and that trend can be seen in properties with low-risk tenants versus high-risk tenants.

After talking to several insurance agents, I couldn’t find any policies offering protection against commercial tenant default.

I conducted some additional research and located one insurance company that offers rent protection and security deposit insurance for four- to 24-month leases on residential rental properties, but none for commercial property landlords with business tenants.

Evaluating a tenant’s financial history and capabilities constitutes a good first step to mitigating risk. A national retailer with 4,000 stores that’s expanding its existing presence in the market poses a lower risk than a two-employee startup making the jump from operating in a garage and scraping together enough money to pay the first month’s rent.

This can be determined by gathering the right data from the tenant, something real estate brokers recommend landlords do.

From there, the landlord can decide the risk level they’re willing to accept and balance their desired return with what market alternatives will bear.

No one can predict the future — as Sears and Circuit City have taught us. But we can gather data to help make a more informed decision.

Max Taylor is a commercial broker with Bray Commercial in Grand Junction. For more information, call 241-2909 or visit the website at www.braycommercial.com.

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How to talk about COVID-19 vaccinations COVID-19 vaccines have been available for months. While many in our community have been vaccinated, others haven’t yet decided on vaccinations and could want more information as they evaluate their options.

Choosing to get a vaccine is a decision we all have to make for ourselves. It’s natural to have questions and want to know more.

If you’ve decided to get the COVID-19 vaccine, sharing your decision-making process can be incredibly helpful for friends and family still looking for more information.

Keep in mind the following when engaging with others: Build trust by being candid about why you’re talking about vaccines and assure the other person it’s natural to have questions.

Amanda Answer questions or offer to help direct them Mayle to resources. Inspire hope and share why you chose to get vaccinated.

Mesa County Public Health offers resources to help. We know conversations about vaccines can be challenging to navigate.

Here are some commonly asked questions and answers about COVID-19 vaccines: n If I already had COVID-19 and recovered, do I still need to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Experts don’t yet know how long you’re protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you’ve already recovered from COVID-19, it’s possible — although rare — you could be infected again. Studies have shown vaccination provides a substantial boost in protection in people who’ve recovered from COVID-19. n What should I expect after I get the vaccine?

You could have some side effects, which are normal signs your body is building protection. Side effects could include pain at the injection site, redness and swelling near the vaccine location as well as tiredness, headache, muscle pain, fever, chills and nausea.

These side effects could affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Some people have no side effects.

People who’ve had severe allergic reactions or an immediate allergic reactions to a vaccine will be monitored for 30 minutes after getting the vaccine. All other people are monitored at least 15 minutes after getting the vaccine. n Is it safe to get my child vaccinated against COVID-19?

Studies show COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for all eligible age groups. Like adults, children could have some side effects after COVID-19 vaccination. These side effects could affect their ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.

COVID-19 vaccination can help protect your child from getting COVID-19. Although fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 than adults, children can still get it, especially with the more contagious Delta variant widespread in our community.

Getting your child vaccinated helps protect your child and your family.

Vaccination is now recommended for everyone 12 years and older. Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is approved for children ages 12 to 17.

This pandemic has been hard on our community. Having more people vaccinated is a key part to getting back to spending time with family, going to concerts, attending quinceañeras, visiting grandparents and hugging one another.

We’re available to answer your questions. For more information about vaccine availability in Mesa County, visit the website at https://health.mesacounty.us.

Amanda Mayle is communication and marketing manager for Mesa County Public Health. Connect with Mesa County Public Health on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ MesaCountyPublicHealth or on Twitter @MC_PublicHealth.

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August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

PAge 25

Contributors Opinion Bold predictions for 2015 It took an Olympic effort Time to reflect on what more A new year Business affords Briefs like not-so-bold repeats just to watch these games ag brings to the table a new opportunity Business People Almanac to meet local needs THE he BUSINESS usiness T T Times IMES

PAGE age 26 22

I’ve long admired farmers, ranchers and others who work in the agriculture industry.

I worked on a hog farm a couple of months the summer before I started college. And I occasionally accompanied my best friend and his father, a veterinarian, on some his house calls. that barn corral calls.

A new year almostofalways brings anMake opportunity forand a fresh start andBut that’s about the extent of my personal exertions in the sector. renewed ambition to do things better.

My grandparents farmers, though. And theproducts small In business, that usually boils down towere providing customers better town Eastern in which IPart grew surrounded and services faster and at in lower costColorado than competitors. ofup thewas process must by farms, most of them growing wheat.

Trucks would rumble include listening to customers to determine what they actually need and then past my graintotooffer the elevator just down the road. meeting that need. After all, house it doeshauling little good the latest and greatest if I became more acquainted with farmers and ranchers as nobody actually wants what you’re selling. a newspaper journalist in Western Colorado and especially Just like the businesses that belong to the group, the Grand Junction Area Oregon.

I worked forout three for awith weekly publicationof Chamber of Commerce invariably starts the years new year a reassessment covering the agriculture industry in Oregon as well as the services and resources it provides and how well they match with members California, Idaho and Washington.

As reporters, we needs. Jeff Franklin, the new chairman of the chamber board of directors,used to joke we wrote about cows plows.his Butrole it was lotcoming more personifies this approach in describing what heand considers for athe complicated than that.

I ended up covering water law.

While year: listen to members, determine their needs and then meet those needs. It’s a Phil Castle I don’tis know anything about rocket science surgery role with which Franklin familiar as market president of Bankor ofbrain Colorado. or, on for athat matter, rocketapproach surgery — I suspect water law The process will—take more structured in what the chamber comes close in its complexity. plans as the resumption of a program aptly called Listening to Business. Under the I’ve been fortunate during my tenure with theinterviews Business to Times to continue program, business owners participate in in-depth identify barrierstoto cover the agriculture industry, including the peaches and wine grapes grown in the growth and other problems they encounter.

Grand Valley and cattle MesatoCounty.

The new year offersraised a goodintime join the proverbial club.

IAs was importance agriculture in the a recent interview an reminded advertiserof orthe reader, what doofyou need from Business Times?with Danielle Trotta, the new manager of the Colorado Proud program.

The While business journals traditionally gather and report the relevant resulting news to story appears on page 5 of thisnecessarily issue. Trotta is no stranger the ag industry,true of as readers, communication isn’t a one-way street. to That’s especially course, in and training or make experience.

She holds two degrees from State Web sites e-mail the dialogue more convenient than Colorado ever.

University and manageddon’t a cattle in Eastern Colorado fortonearly a decade.

Good publications existranch in a vacuum.

They respond the needs of Colorado promotes food and otherneeded. agricultural products grown, raised advertisers andProud readers.

They provide what’s and made in Colorado and makes the connections between producers and their So what do you need? customers.

A total of more than 3,000 farmers, ranchers, retailers, restaurants and Is there additional news coverage that would help keep you informed about associations participate in the program. logo makes it easierbefor consumers local business developments?

Are thereAfeatures that would interesting orto identify and purchase products. useful? Is there adviceColorado that would make your jobs a little easier?

In one sense, there is no more important industry agriculture in producing It’s equally important to ask what you don’t need.than With limited time to the food that sustains people. produce content and limited space in which to publish it, would time and space be another to sense, consider the Colorado agriculture industry contributes betterIndevoted something else? $47 billion to theisn’t?

Colorado economy employs What’sannually good? What What’s needed?and What isn’t? more than 195,000 people.

Let us know. Send us an e-mail. Comment online on the Business Times Web August is Colorado Proud Month an appropriate to reflect on all the to site at www.thebusinesstimes.com.

Youand could even write time an old-fashioned letter agriculture industry brings to the table in every meaning of that phrase. the editor if you’d like. Your feedback, both positive and negative, is valued and The next time youconsidered. bite into a succulent Palisade peach, sip a glass of elegant Grand will be carefully Valley winepublications or savor a beef steak grilled to perfection, think about thestaffs, people Good are the result of not only the efforts of their butwho also produced those products and alladvertisers their work,and sacrifice and risk. Then join me in my collaborative efforts involving readers. admiration forother farmers, ranchers andwe others worktoinour the customers, agricuture industry.

Like any good business, wantwho to listen find out what they need and then meet those needs.

Phil It’s Castle is editor the Business Reach him at phil@thebusinesstimes.com a new year. of Please help us Times. to do so. 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.

At take when on the every four It’sleast that that’s time my of year years spectacle we call the Olympics.

Well, resolutions and prognostications abound. except the new COVID calendar has itYear’s in My favorite saying applied to New aresolutions five-year (and knows what’s next) a is inwho saying they’re basically cycle around. justthe glad I get the bunchthis of time promises to I’m break first week chance to take a political, of January.

And while I social won’tactivist predictbreak a from craziness in the much world accurately to appreciate wholethe lot, I can pretty the athletes compete for the nailefforts a fewof things thatwho without question joy sportthe andnews. competition. willofmake You will see these are NOT. pretty, well, predictable: And that not one: ■ Prediction applies to quite a few There will be some athletes; the coverage; sort of weather event, the advertisers; natural disasterand, or yes, the International heinous occurrence Olympic Committee where someone will (IOC) itself. Andand alsosay be interviewed to guy who sees thea following: “I’ve bias wokeness in neverand seen anything darned everything. like thatnear in my I don’t lifetime.”

It’sknow as if why this Craig Hall announcers can’t just Craig Hall person is a required call the games or news sports as they play out. attendee at every But ever since deadmost air is reporting event.Howard While ICosell, understand apeople’s no-no. perspective It’s now made fact canworse indeedbybethe limited airtime has become social movement time by, or contained within, their own personal for broadcasters experiences, it isand too networks. much to ask to I’vesome neverhistorical been a huge fan of thebefore consult perspective vignettes about athletes thatthis take up 10 can saying such a thing?

Yes, response minutes chomping at itthecomes bit to apply to while some we’re events.

But when see them perform.

I willdisasters, admit some them to weather and natural I’mofpretty are done. history Let me provide a couple surevery thiswell is simply repeating itself. of examples of over doing and doing.

Same as it has for millions andunder millions of My first important, example comes from made men’sit! years.

More the planet tandem diving.

While I appreciate Great What didn’t were certain species. How’s Britain’s senior diver and his long quest for that for perspective?

Olympic glory, (astwo: I doWhen all who struggle, ■ Prediction it comes to a strive endure to that chase their between dreams) crime and or something occurs I’d have to his required home lifeattendee is lowest humans, thesay other at on all my preferred list of coverage.

That’s not news reporting events is the person who to saythis: his “They relationship hisnicest husband or says we’re with just the adopted child a huge of who he people, and in aren’t no way did I part see something is. are. But it’s not allNo he one is. He’s likeThey this coming.”

Exactly. doesa world-class diver.when As far as the Olympics most of the time it comes to go, that’s really all that matters. neighbors and acquaintances.

People should But for round after round, announcers be surprised at what goes on the from time to said andneighborhoods, again how “perfect” his time time in their towns and personal lifethey nowknow is andbecause that’s why he’s with people people are performing so the well.

Perhaps to a shouldn’t degree. good. And for times that they But I’d say — hislike hardwith work, dedication and be shocked politicians, repeat choosing partner a tad offenders his anddive terrorists — were where’s themore important.

Why the“This other doesn’t mattered more interview that says, surprise to don’t know. Well, I kinda do. meNBC, in theIleast.”

In women’s volleyball, we hadgood the ■ Prediction three: Something backstory a top American will happenofeconomically, andplayer the who suffered health after birthmost government willsetbacks take credit for the it. The of her example child andishow it would have people been recent gas prices, where aask struggle if the were me whytoIcompete won’t credit thegames president for held lastprices. year. The extra year enabled her low gas My answer is simple: to get back into shape andthe earn herofspot Government never makes price on the goldgomedal-winning roster.

And something down and simply takes credit with a beautiful baby boy to for good news. Gas pricing is boot. subject to wasn’t shown her vignette manyWhat global factors.

Nowinthere are was the missing piece to the story, some also of government answers to addressing known herprices husband.

He’s top-tier them toas keep stable foraAmericans, volleyball player andhas coach ownin but our government noneinofhis them right. say in histhe place. The The puff onlypiece thingsdidn’t it haseven in place

august 15-28, 12-25, 2015 2021 JANUARY

name.

Because is a close-knit long run alwaysvolleyball hurt consumers.

Another community, the announcers did a great job fact is that unemployment reaches a certain of supplying and supplementing level based onhis thename economy.

And while the the story where it lacked onnumber the husband. government might brag the is low, Why thisthan mattered to NBC, did I don’t it’s more likelysothelittle government know.

But Itokinda something causedo. that number being low Of not course, I mustway. address the Simone — and in a good Conversely, when Biles situation.

Butit’s mybecause take is the a little business picks up, people different. myself in were her situation, who need Itocan’t buy put widgets who not so the mental health aspect her doing buying widgets because the and economy was what she thought best(or was a decision contracting due towas natural unnatural, only she could make.reasons, Overall,decided it seemed government caused) we to work forwidgets. her andThe her team given betterout buybest some government the hadcircumstances. nothing to do with this.

I’ll only say this, it’s to thewith IOC: ■ Prediction four:and In keeping Shame on you for targeting one athlete things the government does, I predict the because she’swill so manipulate damned good literally government theshe numbers to has nothe competition.

And spinisitgetting how you’d make claim the economy like, the Olympics didn’t want Simone betterbut because of how hard it is working to competing even thoughAmericans.” she’s possibly help all of us “working Now the thing happenyou to international youbest might say,to“Craig, always say this gymnastics in history. that’syou howdon’t we about President ObamaAnd because got “Biles Rules.” involved likethe him.”

You’re right Anyone in a sense.

I don’t in that should be removed. forand knowdecision the man, but what I know ofAs him NBC’s take? IEh. his thinking, don’t like it or him one iota.

I’llyou make brief comment on the Before goaoff, however, I didn’t like ads.

Sad, woke, virtue-signaling pablum.

President Bush and his bailouts, stimulus Except the Toyota about the double and his for abandoning theadfree market to save amputee who was adopted willhim swim the free market.

And I don’tand know in the Paralympics.

That wasdoes, a recordeither.

What the government and the breaking medal for me. only thinggold it can do, isperformance hurt the economy.

Asitfor thenothing rest, once blocking out the Unless does or put criminals in politics (because let’s face it, the Olympics jail instead of partnering with them, nothing has been political since was born) the government does willbefore help. IAlways look and wokeness, there was some great at it this way, whatever the government says television, zonethe difference it is doing, time whatever name ofaside. the law it And yes, I or stayed up late gotor upgoal earlyof is passing, whatever theand name to live. While it was fun to thewatch bureaucracy it is presenting to see the the watch the competition was people,parties expectwhile the polar opposite to occur. goingI guess on, thewhat videos from home were I’m saying is that painful shown to the athletes perhapswhen it’s time to get outwinning of our own due to poor quality the uncomfortableperspective.

There’sand plenty of history ness spending wayresearch too longout on them. booksofand historical there to I enjoyed almost thehas beginSo, to yes, understand that all ofall this winning competing American happenedand before.

And itby will again, athletes as is those fromorother whetheras thewell topic people government. countries.

And,recommendation quite frankly, I didn’t The best is to find bother watching more a few.

But those some books or try thatthan whole Google athletes lost mea well the Olympics. thing. There’s lot ofbefore information on the Hell, of themThe lost truth me before the last Greatsome Depression. is it wasn’t Olympics.

Toone theiruntil credit, not only got even a good the they government ruined theThere’s Olympics forplenty some,ofthey also involved. also research ruined sportswarm entirely. on the their medieval period when the If you you than knowtoday who with those planet was know much me, warmer select, are.(and Thenwarmer again, my a wholespecial lot lessfolks people well viewership percent from before man isn’t was down here at50all).

And yep, last time.

Butbeen I don’t change mysurprised coverage people have killing other to suit an agenda, so maybe I’m onto people since history was first written. something.

Stronger, Maybe “Higher, some research willFaster— help stop Together” means a lot to some all of thesestill trends.

Otherwise, we’llofbeus.

NBC might rethink before 2024, saying we’ve never seenthat anything like itor in whenever our lives. the Andnext notOlympics in a goodcomes way. along.

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.

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August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

Economics should be a learning experience for every U.S. student School bells ring and students return to classrooms. While some elements of the curriculum made headlines during the spring and summer, there’s been no mention of the need for economic education.

But who needs economic education?

Right?

Consider some of the numbers.

According to the Experian Consumer Credit Review, consumer debt as of November 2020 topped $14.2 trillion in Phyllis the United States with Hunsinger Americans carrying an average personal debt of $92,727. Personal debt includes credit card balances, mortgages and student loans. Part of this mounting debt can be attributed to the ready availability of credit and the ease with which people live above their means. Do you suppose, though, there’s another reason? Could it be that many young people have completed school without learning even the basic principles of economics?

Economics is about earning and spending money — allocating resources to satisfy needs and wants. Economics is also about everything from business, insurance and taxes to credit cards, interest and savings accounts. That’s not to mention concepts and policies that shape our country and the world. Concepts like choice, entrepreneurship, free markets, innovation, market competition, property rights, self-interest and supply and demand.

High school graduates face lifeshaping questions. Do I go straight to work? Do I attend a vocational school, college or university? How much does additional education cost? What’s the cost of a student loan? What’s the return of investment on the loan? Should I continue to live at home or find my own place?

How do I afford a car and pay insurance?

Can I balance a checkbook, open a savings

account or understand interest on money?

These are basic economic questions students must answer. Economic education prepares them to do so. Students are cheated if they’re allowed to graduate without an understanding of economic concepts.

Understanding fundamental economic principles helps citizens make more informed choices not only with their own lives, but also as voting members of society. Citizens with a basic knowledge of economics know governments have no way of acquiring money except by taking money from citizens through taxation or printing money in the case of the federal government. Economically savvy citizens recognize the importance of private enterprise and understand a healthy economy requires all able-bodied individuals, not just a few, to work and pay taxes.

Entrepreneurs of the future will come from the graduates of today. All students need economic education.

John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel, once said: “There is so much at stake in getting the balance right between government regulations and marketplace freedom — and yet our educational system increasingly fails to teach our young people the fundamental workings of the free enterprise system, the system of checks and balances that restrains government from abusing its power and the crucial role of competition and capital formation to keep our economy healthy.”

Who needs economic education?

Everyone. Require students to demonstrate their proficiency in economics.

Phyllis Hunsinger is founder of the Freedom & Responsibility Education Enterprise Foundation in Grand Junction.

The FREE Foundation provides resources to students and teachers in Western Colorado to promote the understanding of economics, financial literacy and free enterprise. For more information, visit www.free-dom.us.com. Contact her by email at phyllis@free-dom.us.com.

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PAge 27

Community health centers play key role in caring effort Kay Ramachandran

National Community Health Center Week 2021 will be celebrated in person and virtually this year through Aug, 14.

Elected officials will join communities across the country in elevating the work community health centers have done while fighting on the front lines of COVID-19 to keep our communities healthy and safe. Their visits and messages will demonstrate that not only is it possible to move beyond the partisan divide over health care, but also to support and agree on a program vital to our communities.

Health centers provide preventive and primary care services to almost 30 million people and have continued to do so while facing a pandemic. Community health centers provide care to people who disproportionately suffer from chronic disease and lack access to affordable, quality care. While our approach is community based and local, collectively we are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system.

Community health centers lower health care costs to the tune of $24 billion a year, reduce rates of chronic diseases and stimulate local economies.

MarillacHealth is the community health center in Mesa County. We provide a range of services onsite — primary care services, prenatal, pediatrics, adults and seniors as well as dentistry and behavioral health services. Our patients not only get the care they need under one roof, but they also are treated as individuals with dignity and respect.

Community health centers are not just healers, we are innovators who look beyond medical charts to address the factors of social determinants of health that cause poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, lack of nutrition and unemployment. We are a critical piece of the health care system and collaborate with hospitals; local and state governments; and social, health and business organizations to improve health outcomes for people who are medically vulnerable. We have pivoted to serving our communities through telehealth, drive through COVID-19 testing and still ensuring our patients can access basic necessities like food and housing resources.

The mission of community health centers remains crucial today because access to basic care remains a challenge in parts of the United States and here in Mesa County.

We urge Congress to continue long-term funding support for CHCs to continue to serve as health care homes. Long-term and stable funding for community health centers will ensure we can keep our doors open and close the growing access gap for medically vulnerable communities. I am grateful to our Colorado representatives and senators who have shown leadership in supporting and sponsoring legislation that will protect health centers from losing a major part of our funding.

We are committed to a healthier community.

Kay Ramachandran is chief executive officer of MarillacHealth, which provides health care services for the low and middle income, uninsured and underinsured population in Mesa County. For more information, visit https://marillachealth.org.

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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 28

Opinion Business Briefs Business People Almanac

n THREE ELECTED TO THREE-YEAR TERMS ON GRAND VALLEY POWER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jesse Mease, Bill Rooks and Brian Woods have been elected to the Grand Valley Power Board of directors.

Mease and Rooks ran as incumbents in the mail-in election. They will be sworn in along with Woods at a monthly board meeting scheduled for Aug. 18. They will Jesse Mease serve three-year terms and join six other Brian Woods directors on the board.

Woods received 1,189 votes, while Meese received 1,123 votes and Rooks 1,008 votes. Dennis Haberkorn received 1,003 votes and Mike Simons 464.

Chadwick, Steinkirchner, Davis & Co., a public accounting firm based in Grand Junction, tabluated the ballots under the supervision of the Grand Valley Power Bill Rooks Election Supervisory Committee.

Organized in 1936, Grand Valley Power serves more than 18,000 consumers in Mesa County and surrounding areas. For more information, log on to www.gvp.org. n COMMENTS ACCEPTED THROUGH AUG. 31 ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Comments will be accepted through Aug. 31 on an updated comprehensive economic development strategy completed by the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado.

The organization represents Mesa County and four other counties as well as municipalities in the five-county region. The organization updated 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.

The strategy is posted on the AGNC website at www.agnc.org.

Comments may be submitted by email to tiffany@agnc.org or mailed to Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, attention Tiffany Pehl, P.O. Box 593, Grand Junction, CO 81502. n DIRECTORY NOW AVAILABLE TO CONNECT COLORADO HAY PRODUCERS AND BUYERS The latest edition of the annual Colorado Hay Directory is now available, offering information to connect producers and buyers.

The directory offers information about hay producers and brokers as well as companies that provide related products and services. The directory offers information by region for the type and amount of hay available and bale types and sizes.

The directory is available online at www.coloradoproud.ag.

To request a copy or obtain more information, call (303) 869-9175 or send an email to Loretta.Lopez@state.co.us.

The Business Times

august 12-25, 2021

SHARE YOUR NEWS

NOTEWORTHY

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.

Pinnacol Assurance once again ranks among the bestperforming property and casualty insurance companies in the United States.

The Colorado-based workers compensation insurance provider is included on the Ward’s 50 list for the fourth conseutive year.

“We are proud of our performance, especially the past year, and to have earned this coveted position on the Ward 50 once Phil Kalin again,” said Phil Kalin, president and chief executive officer of Pinnacol Assurance.

“Our commitment to the businesses and workers of Colorado coupled with our strong and discplined stewardship of our policyholders premium help keep Pinnacol stable today and in the future,” Kalin said.

To be eligible for inclusion on the Ward’s 50, companies must pass primary safety and consistency tests that take into account surplus and premiums of at least $50 million for each of the five years analyzed, net income in at least four of the last five years and compound annual growth in premiums between negative 10 percent and positive 40 percent.

Companies then are assessed for their five-year average for return on average equity, return on average assets, return on total revenue and combined ratio as well as five-year growth in surplus.

The largest workers compensation insurer in Colorado, Pinnacol Assurance has provided insurance and other resources to businesses for 100 years.

For additional information, visit the website located at www.pinnacol.com.

n DOCTOR JOINS MARILLACHEALTH AS CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Dr. Shannon Keel has joined MarillacHealth in Grand Junction as chief medical officer.

Keel succeeds Dr. Crystal Owens, who will remain with MarillacHealth as a primary care provider seeing patients at the Marillac County Clinic.

Keel brings to her latest position experience in leadership positions at St. Mary’s Hospital Family Practice Residency and HopeWest in Shannon Keel Grand Junction.

After receiving an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa. She attended medical school at the University of Colorado and completed her family practice residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver. She also received a master’s degree in public health through the Leadership in Public Health Practices Program at the University of Colorado.

She worked for Indian Health Services on the Navajo Reservation and at a community health center in Philadelphia before moving to the Grand Valley.

MarillacHealth provides a range of health care services for the low and middle income, uninsured and underinsured population in Mesa County. For additional information, visit the website located at https://marillachealth.org. n APPLICATIONS DUE SEPT. 3 FOR LATEST GRANTS FROM FEDERAL MINERAL LEASE DISTRICT Applications will be accepted through 3 p.m. Sept. 3 for the latest rounds of grants from the Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District.

The district distributes federal mineral leasing funds to local public entities to support infrastructure, construction and public service projects that address the effects of energy development.

About $350,000 will be available for the Janet Rowland fall 2021 grant cycle. All funds stay in Mesa County.

The latest grant cycle marks the 10-year anniversary of the district, which has awarded more than $8 million in grants.

“When the FML district was formed 10 years ago, the intent was to keep more of our federal dollars here locally. So it’s great to look back and see that over $8 million has been awarded into our community in fire stations, school districts, police departments, santitation districts and more,” said Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland, who also serves on the district board.

Grant applications and additional information is available from the district website at www.mesaFML.org.

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August 12-25, 2021

The Business Times

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BusinessBriefs Briefs Business BusinessPeople People Almanac Business Almanac

n QS SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES HIRING OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Leigh Sterling has joined QS Systems as chief executive officer.

The operation — a partnership between Quality Health Network in Grand Junction and Stella Technology based in San Jose, Calif.

— provides technology and services for community resource networks.

“I’m excited to lead QS Systems through its next chapter of growth,” Leigh Sterling Sterling said. “The team’s expertise on community based care combined with a cross-sector solution that is uniquely differentiated from other platforms in the market convinced me to join QS Systems as health systems, payers, accountable care organizations and (health information exchanges) are increasingly addressing the growing whole person care movement.”

Sterling brings more than three decades of experience to her latest position, including her work as CEO of the East Tennessee Health Information Network.

Dick Thompson, CEO of the Quality Health Network and co-founder of QS Systems, welcomed Sterling. “Leigh brings national leadership and on-the-ground expertise to solve the complex challenge of achieving whole person care for a community.”

Quality Health Network helps participants exchange patient records to coordinate and improve health care. The organization also launched a community resource network to address other issues affecting the well-being of people.

The network offers a snapshot of an individual, including family and housing situations, as well as information about available resources that can meet needs and the appropriate agencies and organizations that can provide assistance.

For more information about QS Systems, visit the website at https://qssystems.health. n GENERAL MANAGER JOINS TEAM AT MESA MALL IN GRAND JUNCTION Jay Greenberg has been hired as the new general manager of the Mesa Mall in Grand Junction.

“I’m thrilled to join the Mesa Mall team,” Greenberg said. “My goal is to ensure our town center provides the best experience for our guests. As general manager, I’m committed to working with our team to ensure Mesa Mall Jay Greenberg serves as a welcoming meeting place for the Grand Valley community.”

Greenberg brings to the position experience as area general manager of five properties in Indiana as well as more than 25 years of experience in hospitality, management, retail, sports and gaming and tenant relations.

Located at 2424 U.S. Highway 6 & 50, Mesa Mall is the largest indoor shopping mall serving Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. The mall offers shopping, dining and entertainment. For more information, visit the website located at https://shopmesamall.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. n COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS TO LEADERSHIP TEAM Three women have joined the leadership team at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Jody Diers has been hired as vice president for student services. Kim Medina is assistant vice president for enrollment management. Amy Bronson will serve as assistant vice president for research and innovation while continuing to lead the Jody Diers physician’s assistant program as well as the infection and communicable disease committee.

Diers will oversee the student services division. She served as director of residence life at CMU and before that a high school principal with Mesa County School District 51.

Medina will oversee the admissions office and work to improve efforts to attract and retain students. She brings Kim Medina to her latest position experience with a range of Colorado institutions.

Bronson will continue to lead the response at CMU to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as work with community partners to build on what’s called the Safe Together, Strong Together pandemic plan.

For more information about CMU, visit the website located at Amy Bronson www.coloradomesa.edu. n STRIVES ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF FOUNDATION BOARD DIRECTOR Strive has appointed Cindy Willms as its foundation board executive director.

Willms will oversee foundation initiatives, objectives and policies as well as coordinate new fund-raising efforts and community outreach for an organization that provides services to children and adults with intellectual Cindy Willms and developmental challenges. Willms previously served two years as director of community outreach.

For more information about Strive, call 243-3702 or log on to the website located at https://strivecolorado.org.

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august 12-25, 2021

Aug. 12 n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Thursday Friends networking lunch, noon, Ale House, 2531 N. 12th St, Grand Junction, 858-3894 or https://fruitachamber.org n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce business after hours event, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Imondi Wake Zone, 1583 Cipolla Road. Admission $5 for chamber members, $10 for others. 858-3894 or https://fruitachamber.org Aug. 18 n Western Colorado Human Resource Association monthly member program and presentation on coaching troubled employees, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Warehouse 2565, 2565 American Way, Grand Junction. Admission included in membership. Guests pay $20. Students in the Society for Human Resource Management Club at Colorado Mesa University pay $5. www.wchra.org Aug. 19 n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Thursday Friends networking lunch, noon, Koko’s Tavern, 152 S Mesa St., Fruita.

858-3894 or https://fruitachamber.org n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Women in Business sunset river float, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Rimrock Adventures, 927 Colorado Highway 340.

Admission $35. https://fruitachamber.org or 858-3894 Aug. 25 n Leading Edge business planning and management course, 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Aug. 25 to Nov. 10, Business Incubator Center, 2591 Legacy Way, Grand Junction. Tuition for $275, $100 for each participant from the same business. Registration required. https://gjincubator.org or 243-5242 Upcoming n Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Thursday Friends networking lunch, noon Aug. 26, Be Sweet Bake Shop, 150 W. Main St, Grand Junction. 858-3894 or https://fruitachamber.org n Business startup workshop, 9 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 27 Business Incubator Center. Admission $55. 243-5242 or https://gjincubator.org n Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce business after hours, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 31, the Golf Course at Redlands Mesa, 2325 W. Ridges Blvd. Admission for members $10 in advance and $12 at the door. http://gjchamber.org or 242-3214 n Business startup workshop, 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 7 Business Incubator Center. Admission $55. 243-5242 or https://gjincubator.org n Palisade Chamber of Commerce business after hours, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 15, Wine Country Inn, 777 Grande River Road. Admission $6 in advance. https://palisadecoc.com or 464-7458 n Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce health care summit, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 20, DoubleTree by Hilton, 743 Horizon Drive.

Admission $55. http://gjchamber.org or 242-3214 F

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august 12-25, 2021