The Chamber Health Care Survey conducted in October asked main contacts for our members questions about health care coverage and found some interesting information based upon the 100 responses that were received (14% of those polled). Key takeaways included: • 32% of respondents do not offer any sort of health care benefit to their employees…
Manufacturing, the often invisible pillar of our community. A great number of citizens have no general knowledge of the types of industries within their respective communities. They know how many hospitals are in the city limits and can rattle off a few names of the middle schools close to them, but how many core, stable,…
Did you know that the Mesa County Board of Commissioners instituted a program almost four years ago to help encourage new and existing businesses to expand and invest in Mesa County? While it has only recently begun to be utilized, it has the potential to assist in growing businesses and jobs throughout the county. What…
How often have we heard the phase “It takes a village…”? Obviously, the term has been way overused way too often but as I look at the recent economic development efforts in the community, I am reminded that it truly does take a village…a village of aligned individuals and organizations. The recent announcement of the…
As I was thinking about what to write for this Chairman Column it hit me between the eyes…the year is HALF OVER! Heck, soon it will be time to pick the theme for the 2020 Annual Banquet! It might also be time to take a look back at where we’ve come in the past six…
As an organization, we worked hard during the legislative session with lawmakers to try and create a destination sourcing sales tax system that small retailers could actually comply with. The compromise reached is not perfect but does offer some relief. To avoid confusion and the possibility of misinformation about this complex rule that is further…
Economic Development Week will be celebrated the week of May 6th-11th throughout the country including here in Grand Junction and Mesa County. Created by the International Economic Development Council, an organization of 5,000 professional practitioners, in 2016 the aim of this week is to draw attention to economic development and those who work diligently to…
At our board meeting this month, as we were reviewing the progress made on our business plan in the first quarter of 2019, I was struck as to how diverse our value proposition is to our members. Yes, we talked about our workforce development programming, spent considerable time on our local and state advocacy efforts…
The Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce facilitated a round table discussion among it’s members and non-members in the arena of Transportation Impact Fees (TIF) on new development. The discussion was brought to our attention by the Grand Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization and City of Grand Junction. A lively conversation ensued and many varying opinions were…
The Workforce Innovation Program is a collaborative effort amongst a few of our Economic Development Partners. We at the Grand Junction Chamber along with partners from the Mesa County Workforce Center, Grand Junction Business Incubator and GJ Makerspace have developed a short-term training and upskilling program for manufacturers across the valley. The aim of the…