No one thought a few short months ago that life would still be disrupted by the twin threats of an ongoing pandemic and economic chaos but there is no denying that 2020 will not end as solidly as it began. It is time though to focus forward on our opportunities for growth and recovery. For too long now we have been managing in the moment and waiting for the other shoe to drop (i.e. a devastating early frost and area wildfires that disrupted everything from tourism travel to farm stand sales).
Now is the time to take advantage of the opportunities before us as a business community and plan for the success of our individual enterprises and our economy as a whole. When I take a look at the numbers for the state and Mesa County, I’m optimistic.
According to a new report by the Colorado Based Business and Economic Research (CBER) produced by Gary Horvoth;
Colorado’s July employment was 92.6% of December 2019
Some industry sectors in Colorado like construction and manufacturing are actually projected to add jobs overall in 2020
Mesa County’s unemployment rate in July was 6.9% compared to over 10% in June and while some of that movement is due to people leaving the labor force our unemployment was lower than the State overall.
And, it is not just about the numbers. Antidotally and through reading the tea leaves, nationally it appears that with the permanent increase in remote workers and the desire to leave urban areas for wide open spaces, the Grand Valley is well positioned to become a new home for companies and their workers.
With that in mind, our Chamber as we enter our fall planning season will be looking at ways to take advantage of the opportunities before us, to grow as an organization, to grow as a business community, and to grow as a community. There has never been a better time to do that!