Opinion

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The Business Times Contributors THE BUSINESS TIMES SePtember 29-OctOber 12, 2022JANUARY 15-28, 2015 Opinion Opinion Business BriefsA new year affords Business Peoplea new opportunity to meet local needs Almanac

A new year almost always brings an opportunity for a fresh start and renewed ambition to do things better.

In business, that usually boils down to providing customers better products and services faster and at lower cost than competitors. Part of the process must include listening to customers to determine what they actually need and then meeting that need. After all, it does little good to offer the latest and greatest if nobody actually wants what you’re selling.

Just like the businesses that belong to the group, the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce invariably starts out the new year with a reassessment of the services and resources it provides and how well they match with members needs. Jeff Franklin, the new chairman of the chamber board of directors, personifies this approach in describing what he considers his role for the coming year: listen to members, determine their needs and then meet those needs. It’s a role with which Franklin is familiar as market president of Bank of Colorado.

The process will take on a more structured approach in what the chamber plans as the resumption of a program aptly called Listening to Business. Under the program, business owners participate in in-depth interviews to identify barriers to growth and other problems they encounter.

The new year offers a good time to join the proverbial club.

As an advertiser or reader, what do you need from the Business Times?

While business journals traditionally gather and report the relevant news to readers, communication isn’t necessarily a one-way street. That’s especially true as Web sites and e-mail make the dialogue more convenient than ever.

Good publications don’t exist in a vacuum. They respond to the needs of advertisers and readers. They provide what’s needed.

So what do you need?

F Is there additional news coverage that would help keep you informed about local business developments? Are there features that would be interesting or useful? Is there advice that would make your jobs a little easier?

It’s equally important to ask what you don’t need. With limited time to produce content and limited space in which to publish it, would time and space be better devoted to something else?

What’s good? What isn’t? What’s needed? What isn’t?

Let us know. Send us an e-mail. Comment online on the Business Times Web site at www.thebusinesstimes.com. You could even write an old-fashioned letter to the editor if you’d like. Your feedback, both positive and negative, is valued and will be carefully considered.

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It’s a new year. Please help us to do so. ✦ THE BUSINESSTIMES 609 North Ave., Suite 2, Grand Junction, CO 81501

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Copyright © 2015 — All rights reserved.

It’s that time of year when resolutions and prognostications abound. My favorite saying applied to New Year’s resolutions is in saying they’re basically a bunch of promises to break the first week of January. And while I won’t predict a whole lot, I can pretty much accurately nail a few things that without question will make the news. You will see these are pretty, well, predictable: ■ Prediction one: There will be some sort of weather event, natural disaster or heinous occurrence where someone will be interviewed and say the following: “I’ve never seen anything like that in my lifetime.” It’s as if this person is a required attendee at every news reporting event. While I understand most people’s perspective can indeed be limited by, or contained within, their own personal experiences, it is too much to ask to consult some historical perspective before saying such a thing? Yes, this response can apply to some events. But when it comes to weather and natural disasters, I’m pretty sure this is simply history repeating itself. Same as it has for millions and millions of years. More important, the planet made it! What didn’t were certain species. How’s that for perspective? ■ Prediction two: When it comes to a crime or something that occurs between humans, the other required attendee at all news reporting events is the person who says this: “They we’re just the nicest people, and in no way did I see something like this coming.” Exactly. No one does most of the time when it comes to neighbors and acquaintances. People should be surprised at what goes on from time to time in their neighborhoods, towns and with people they know because people are good. And for the times that they shouldn’t be shocked — like with politicians, repeat offenders and terrorists — where’s the interview that says, “This doesn’t surprise me in the least.” ■ Prediction three: Something good will happen economically, and the government will take credit for it. The most recent example is gas prices, where people ask me why I won’t credit the president for low gas prices. My answer is simple: Government never makes the price of something go down and simply takes credit for good news. Gas pricing is subject to many global factors. Now there are government answers to addressing some of them to keep prices stable for Americans, but our government has none of them in place. The only things it has in place in the

Bold predictions for 2015 more like not-so-bold repeats long run always hurt consumers. Another fact is that unemployment reaches a certain level based on the economy. And while the government might brag the number is low, it’s more than likely the government did something to cause that number being low — and not in a good way. Conversely, when business picks up, it’s because the people who need to buy widgets who were not buying widgets because the economy was contracting due to natural (or unnatural, government caused) reasons, decided we better buy some widgets. The government had nothing to do with this. ■ Prediction four: In keeping with things the government does, I predict the government will manipulate the numbers to make the claim the economy is getting better because of how hard it is working to help all of us “working Americans.” Now Craig Hall you might say, “Craig, you always say this about President Obama because you don’t like him.” You’re right in a sense. I don’t know the man, but what I know of him and his thinking, I don’t like it or him one iota. Before you go off, however, I didn’t like President Bush and his bailouts, stimulus and his abandoning the free market to save the free market. And I don’t know him either. What the government does, and the only thing it can do, is hurt the economy. Unless it does nothing or put criminals in jail instead of partnering with them, nothing the government does will help. Always look at it this way, whatever the government says it is doing, whatever the name of the law it is passing, or whatever the name or goal of the bureaucracy it is presenting to the people, expect the polar opposite to occur. I guess what I’m saying is that perhaps it’s time to get out of our own perspective. There’s plenty of history books and historical research out there to begin to understand that all of this has happened before. And it will again, whether the topic is people or government. The best recommendation is to find some books or try that whole Google thing. There’s a lot of information on the Great Depression. The truth is it wasn’t even a good one until the government got involved. There’s also plenty of research on the medieval warm period when the planet was much warmer than today with a whole lot less people (and warmer well before man was here at all). And yep, people have been killing other surprised people since history was first written. Maybe some research will help stop all of these trends. Otherwise, we’ll be saying we’ve never seen anything like it in our lives. And not in a good way. Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 Copyright © 2022 — All rights reserved. or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com. F ✦

There was a movie back in the 1990s titled “Sneakers” in which a coded message that’s finally decoded reads, “Too many secrets.”

As I look at government and the media today, the newest public relations version of secrets come in the form of what the media chooses to report and refuses to report. And the majority of problems we suffer from arrive in the form of government direction in the media’s reporting.

By now we all should know the news we hear at 6 o’clock on TV, at the top and bottom of the hour on radio and above the fold on newsstands is pretty much a word for word reproduction of what our secret keepers put out. Correct? Or do we? I’m beginning to wonder. And that wonder comes from acceptance. Taking a report at face value or accepting a quick, supportive ad lib as the only facts in a story is done at one’s own peril — especially considering the wealth of information available at our fingertips.

I looked up “government and secrets” quotes online. Here are four that seemed to sum up my take on this pandemic sweeping our nation.

“Secrecy is the freedom zealots dream of: No watchman to check the door, no accountant to check the books, no judge to check the law. The secret government has no constitution. The rules it follows are the rules it makes up.”

“News is what people want to keep hidden, and everything else is publicity.”

Ironically, these are from Bill Moyers, former White House press secretary.

“A government by secrecy benefits no one. It injures the people it seeks to serve. It damages its own integrity and operation. It breeds distrust, dampens the fervor of its citizens and mocks their loyalty.”

That’s from Russel Long, the senator from Louisiana and, ironically, son of Huey Long.

“When information which properly belongs to the public is systematically withheld by those in power, the people soon become ignorant of their own affairs, distrustful of those who manage them and — eventually — incapable of determining their own destinies.”

Most ironically, that comes from Richard Nixon.

What am I getting at? Simple. I take every news report I see and hear and go to the opposite end of the spectrum and ask a simple question. What aren’t they saying, and why did they say what they just said?

This column was spawned from a local radio report on the price of gasoline. As anyone who pumps gas regularly knows,

Research confirms sizable rec effects we don’t need a report on gas prices. But as prices went up, reporters were reporting the It’s not just what they report, it’s also what they don’t ... obvious. When prices went down, reporters

One of the biggest attractions to working and living in the Grand Valley — or were doing PR for the president. But this visiting here, for that matter — is the opportunity to play in the Grand Valley. last report had a local reporter commenting

Scenic trails not only abound, but also await uncrowded only minutes away. that gas prices were about the same as they For those who don’t want to walk, hike or bike, there’s boating and other water were 10 years ago. Gee, I wonder what sports. That’s not to mention golfing and skiing. Depending on the season, it’s was happening 10 years ago reporters possible to enjoy both on the same day. would want folks to see a parallel to for

It’s not surprising, then, outdoor recreation plays a substantial role in the political reasons? Especially when the only Grand Valley economy. A new study conducted by three professors at Colorado comparison the people care about is how Mesa University estimates just how much. much more it costs them to fuel their cars?

The study is the first outdoor recreation economic impact study conducted To quote 10 years ago isn’t relevant. Or is it? on a county level in the United States and likely will serve as model for research How about what we continue to see elsewhere. Adding the direct, indirect and induced effects of outdoor recreation businesses Craig Hall with our own eyes? I continue to see items out of stock at stores. The past few weeks and outdoor recreation tourism in Mesa County, the economic impact tops included lettuce and celery. Lettuce and $484 million a year and accounts for a total of nearly 10,000 full- and part-time celery? Seriously? Even items that were jobs. Those numbers constitute 7.2 percent of gross domestic product, the broad scarce due to panic buying at the onset of measure of goods and services produced in the county, and 11 percent of all jobs. the “pandemic” are subject to this ongoing

Nathan Perry, an economics professor at CMU and lead author of the study, problem. I see certain pastas out of stock puts it succinctly: “It’s such a big deal here.” along with their sauce counterparts.

Perry emphasizes the study was conducted only to estimate the economic On occasion chicken parts and beef grinds impact of outdoor recreation in Mesa County, not advocate for the diversity of aren’t available. Rice is rare off and on. businesses involved in outdoor recreation or recommend any policies or decisions. And there’s no sriracha. This tells me the

It’s difficult, though, to look at the findings and ignore the possibilities. supply chain remains a problem. Not the least of which is a tool in attracting and retaining employees as well as Yet, reporters only seem to want to know enticing businesses to move here to take advantage of the quality of life the area Mayor Pete’s take on Ron DeSantis’ affords. addressing of illegal immigration.

Who knows? Maybe some of those businesses will be involved in outdoor Ask yourself when the last time you recreation. They’ll add to the growing economic effects of working, living, read, heard or saw an investigative report visiting — and playing — in Mesa County. on any issue? When was the last time you saw a report on our border with video Hail to the new chamber chief and pictures of what’s really going on? Have you heard about the 75,000-square foot warehouse in the Chicago area which

At the risk of further wearing well-worn idioms, Candace Carnahan has some is home to thousands and thousands big shoes to fill as the new president and chief executive officer of the Grand of classified documents belonging to Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. But if anyone is well-suited to follow President Obama the National Archives in the footsteps of Diane Schwenke after her more than 30 years of work at the has no interest in? How about any chamber, it’s Carnahan. reporting on the updated COVID shot

Carnahan has worked at the chamber for seven years, the last year as vice telling us it’s untested or how exactly president. She’s also managed programs and events and played an important role it’s new and improved outside of it’s in carrying out the chamber mission of serving local businesses. She’s developed “designed for the latest variant” that’s sure a well-deserved reputation as an overchiever not only willing, but also actively to mutate before it’s rolled out? Any word looking, for ways to go above and beyond in her duties. on car chips or baby formula inventories

Her knowledge of chamber programs and membership combined with her lately? How about Hunter? life-long familiarity with the Grand Junction community also will serve her well I know. All crickets chirping. Just in her new role. We wish her continued success. not here where it matters, rather over F there where it doesn’t. We already have the “consumer spending is up” report even though it’s due to inflation. We have “inflation is zero” even though it means the historical rate stays the same month to month. We have “get the new shot” even though you need to get all the old shots for the new shot to work. And you can rest assured more Democrat-supporting, spin-cycled versions of these and other questions will be out soon. After all, there’s an election coming. They’re gonna tell you a story. Are you gonna ask questions? Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.