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…
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…
Leadership is an interesting thing. We all want to have great leaders that inspire us and propel us forward. Some people think they are great leaders and many of us would like to be better leaders. I personally have been very fortunate to have made friends with, work for and work with some tremendous leaders….
Have you ever visited the soup kitchen? Spent time at the Persigo Water Plant? Taken an escorted hike with the BLM to learn how they manage our public lands? Had dinner in Denver with the House Minority Leader? If you can say “yes” to all these questions than you are most likely a graduate of…
The Chamber made strides in accomplishing many of the strategies outlined in the 2016 Business Plan. Shown below are a few highlights: Business Retention and Expansion efforts during the quarter included the hosting of a tech industry round-table, visits with three local companies poised for expansion and the hiring of a full-time Business Retention/Expansion Specialist….
The North Star Economic Development Marketing Study designated the Chamber as the lead organization for working with existing businesses in order to retain our current businesses and help them grow. With financial assistance from Mesa County and the City of Grand Junction, the Chamber began a series of outreach efforts in the community earlier this…