By now many of you may have already heard that the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, a handful of individual members, and Mesa County have joined forces to file a legal challenge to the Grand Valley Drainage District imposition of fees on area businesses, nonprofits and residents. The first step in that process is…
This “Chairman’s Column” is a little different than the others I have written. Normally, I like to write about some of the great programs our Chamber has to offer or the benefits of being a member. This one is more about a specific issue that we are working on and the process and people working…
On May 3rd, you may be eligible to vote in an election that you may not even be aware of. If you are a landowner, resident and registered voter in Grand Valley District 1, which is an area from 20 Road west to Kiefer Extension (approximately 12 Road), and from the Colorado River north to…
The Chamber’s Annual Legislative Wrap-Up, sponsored by Wells Fargo is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18th, 7:30 AM at the Clarion Inn. Local lawmakers have been invited to attend and there will be a special presentation on proposed ballot measures to make it harder to amend the State of Colorado Constitution, a document that is already…
The third class of the Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy will graduate on May 10th, 6:00 PM at Chez Lena, at WCCC and members are invited to attend and cheer on these newly minted small business owners aged 11 to 18. None of this would have been possible without the tremendous outpouring of support from the…
Last month the City of Grand Junction passed a resolution declaring May 1st through May 7th as Small Business Week. A recent review of the data shows that 99.4% of the businesses in Mesa County have less than 100 employees so we are definitely a community of small businesses and it is appropriate to celebrate…
Anyone interested in participating in the next Mesa County Leadership Class, which begins in early September is urged to submit their applications soon. The deadline is June 1st and the class is limited to 20 individuals. Those chosen for the class will spend about one day a month in various community settings learning about what…
The economic outlook nationally and regionally will be served up with lunch at the Chamber’s Quarterly Luncheon sponsored by ANB Bank and co-hosted by Colorado Mesa University on Monday, June 20th. Matt Rosenberg, CMU Business Department and principal with RoseCap Investments will provide a midyear overview of national and international trends. Diane Schwenke, Chamber CEO will…
Over 30 businesses or social enterprises have been launched with your help in the past three years through your support of YEA! The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, (YEA!) takes students in grades six through twelve through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Students work in close…
Chambers of Commerce have been institutions in many cities for not just decades, but centuries. And, their financial models in most instances are the same today as they were then. Memberships and sponsorships of events are the bread and butter of many budgets. But the world has changed and attitudes toward membership organizations are also…