In this issue
n PBG Advisors moves for growth
PBG Advisors more than doubled its office space with a move from Fruita to Grand Junction.
n City Council reconsiders 4th & 5th Street
4
CDOT sells usedcar dealer a lemon
At a special City Council meeting on May 29, council unanimously approved a compromise for 4th and 5th St.
5
n Fruita Copy Shop has a new location
Fruita Copy Shop moved to a much larger location, so it can be more things to more people.
6
n Alpine Bank has leadership changes
Chief Financial Officer Eric Gardey will retire at the end of 2025, and two others will be promoted.
n Concern growing: potential recession
First-quarter economic numbers for Mesa County were released recently by the CMU’s Davis School of Business, and the numbers led the professor who writes the report to mention the “R” word.
Eminent domain costs owners of GJ Auto Sales the property where they operated their business for 22 years. — See Page 2
The property at 320 S. First St. in Grand Junction sits empty after GJ Auto Sales closed the business on May 23, because the Colorado Department of Transportation, City of Grand Junction and Mesa County exercised eminent domain to buy the property from Mike and Amber Martinez. Photo by Brandon Leuallen.
This land isn’t your land!
GJ Auto Sales loses its downtown property to eminent domain for State of Colorado mobility hub
Brandon Leuallen The Business Times
For 22 years, GJ Auto Sales was a fixture in the Grand Junction community, a family-run business operated by Amber Colunga Martinez and Mike Martinez. But now, the lot at 320 S. First St. will be transformed into a state-led mobility hub, part of Colorado’s climate-focused transportation plan.
Selling the property to the state of Colorado, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County due to impending eminent domain has left the couple without enough to financially open up again in a viable location.
The Martinezes said they first learned of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans not through official communication, but by reading a story in The Daily Sentinel.
“We found out about it through the Sentinel posting an article about it becoming a mobility hub,” Amber Martinez said. “We had no idea. It was a shock.”
The couple likened the ordeal to a “David versus Goliath” fight.
“They’re the top of the chain under the governor. We pay for our attorney, and those guys use the attorney general and taxpayer money,” Mike Martinez said.
A perfect storm: Lost rent, legal fees, roadwork, and a nearby homeless resource center
Major financial strain began two years before the finalization of the sale. CDOT’s roadwork on Ute and Pitkin avenues disrupted access to their business. Then, the opening of the Homeward Bound Homeless Resource Center next door further impacted their income.
The looming eminent-domain case also prevented them from renting out an on-site unit. On top of that, legal fees to fight the state’s takeover and to get fair compensation was proving costly.
Amber said the resource center, located directly east of their property, created safety concerns for customers.
“People were sleeping at our back door,” she said. “It made it really hard. People didn’t feel safe coming to us anymore.”
To defuse tensions and bring calm to those sleeping and passing by, the couple played Christian music outside.
“Our faith is really what got us through all of this,” Amber said.
Local officials never spoke to the couple about taking their land or any issues regarding the resource center, the Martinezes said.
“Not one of them reached out to us. And it’s because they knew they were taking our property, we believe, is why they didn’t want to face us,” Mike Martinez said.
The couple also noticed from previous meetings with the city’s planning department that their car lot was not part of the city’s vision for downtown.
“We were grandfathered in, and they didn’t like that,” Mike said, referring to his property’s unavailability to the city.
The Martinezes said the state’s settlement was nowhere near enough to relocate their business, given the higher property prices of today, especially for a property with the great visibility GJ Auto Sales had at 320 S. First St.
“The ideas they had for relocation were ridiculous – like a gym in Fruita,” Mike said. “We couldn’t replace that property for what they offered.”
Between lost income, legal expenses and an insufficient settlement, they said restarting elsewhere was impossible.
See EMINENT
Cancer and summer activities
Proper protection can help prevent skin cancer resulting from your fun in the sun.
Basking in the heat this time of year is tempting, but without proper protection, you may become one of the estimated 6.1 million Americans diagnosed with skin cancer each year. With skin cancer totaling the highest U.S. cancer rates, knowing the different types and how to prevent them is the difference between fun and not-so-fun in the sun.
Alicia Swink, MD, Medical Director of Oncology at St. Mary’s Regional Hospital Cancer Centers of Colorado provides insight into the differences between melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and the ways to avoid them. Types of skin cancer
At a baseline, skin cancer is a condition where abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in the skin. It’s often caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or tanning beds.
“You can get all types of skin cancer anywhere on the body, so it is always best to look,” said Dr. Swink.
There are several types of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. These cancers all start at the top layer of your skin and help define the cancer types.
“These cancers come from the layer of skin called epidermis, which has different types of cells such as melanocytes, which give pigment to the skin, squamous cells, which are your top few layers of flat cells, and basal cells, which form the lowermost layer of cells that form the epidermis,” said Dr. Swink.
“Basal cell carcinomas are usually confused for a zit that lasts longer than three months, a scar, or a subtle pink spot,” said Dr. Swink.
Although basal cell carcinoma rarely spreads to other parts of the body, it can cause disfigurement if left untreated. Fortunately, BCC is highly treatable in a clinic, especially when detected early. Your doctor may recommend surgical removal.
SCC is the second most common type of skin cancer. It may look similar to BCC as a red, scaly patch or sore that may crust or bleed. It’s commonly seen on body areas frequently exposed to the sun, such as your face, neck, and hands.
Like BCC, SCC can spread to other parts of the body if left untreated but can be treated with topical medication. Your doctor could also recommend Mohs surgery or radiation therapy. “Once invasive, a squamous cell carcinoma will need to be treated with surgical excision or Mohs micrographic surgery,” said Dr. Swink.
“Basal and squamous cell cancers usually have a tendency to grow out of skin, and hence the invasiveness is not as much of a concern usually, as compared to melanoma,” said Dr. Swink.
MELANOMA
Melanoma is the least common, but most deadly, type of skin cancer. It often appears as a new, unusual-looking mole or a change in an existing mole. Review mole warning signs with the ABCDE of melanoma:
A - Is it asymmetrical?
B - Is the border of the mole uneven?
C - Is the mole more than one color?
D - Is the mole diameter larger than 6mm?
E - Is there a change/evolution in the mole? Melanoma can develop anywhere on the body, including areas not exposed to the sun. If left untreated, it can spread rapidly to other parts of the body, so early detection and treatment is critical.
“Melanoma has a tendency to grow deeper in the skin thereby invading the deeper layer of skin where the tumor can spread to the lymph nodes and distant tissues,” said Dr. Swink. When it comes to treatment, each case is different. “Melanomas are treated based upon their risk to the patient and will require a wide local excision,” said Dr. Swink. “If it’s a higher risk, it may require a sentinel lymph node biopsy at time of excision and a visit with oncology.”
While it may seem scary, Dr. Swink says that melanoma is no longer a death sentence. “A fair number of people now get diagnosed early,” she said. “Some may even just need an excision of skin with safe margin under local anesthesia, and nothing else but monitoring.”
Dr. Swink also added that if your melanoma has spread to your lymph nodes and distant tissues, the appropriate treatment can be promising. “Results from Immunotherapy have been quite impressive to be treated with a good disease-free and metastases-free survival benefit,” she said.
PREVENTION OF SKIN CANCER
It may be unsurprising that prevention is the best defense against skin cancer. Dr. Swink encouraged outdoor activities that bring you joy, but advised that smart sun protection is the safest, lowest risk treatment for skin cancer. “[People say] I’ve had a lot of sun exposure, a little more won’t make a difference,” she said. “But minimizing further sun damage is nearly always beneficial.”
Regular skin checks are essential for early detection of skin cancer. These can be
Dr. Alicia Swink, MD
performed at home, but also schedule routine skin cancer screenings with a dermatologist, especially if you have a family history.
“If there is a strong family history of melanoma, or if the patient is young on initial presentation, prevention by routine and early onset skin evaluation would be the key,” said Dr. Swink.
Besides regular checks and screenings, there’s important ways to protect yourself from UV rays. To do this, wear sun protection clothing and use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. And if you live in a snowy area, don’t think you’re off the hook. “Snow can reflect a lot of UV radiation, and so you should wear sunscreen even out in the snow on a sunny day,” said Dr. Shah.
Dr. Swink shared that, on a sunny day, peak sun radiation occurs between 10am and 4pm, and to try and schedule outdoor activities before or after that timeframe. And if it can’t be avoided, then slip, slop, slap, seek, slide. “Slip into photo-protective clothing, slop on mineral sunscreen to the areas not protected, slap on a hat, seek the shade, and slide into some sunglasses,” she said.
Practicing early detection and prevention can help reduce your skin cancer risk, even on spring and summer sunny days. To learn more about the different types of skin cancer, or to schedule an appointment, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/services/ cancer-care
Hey, we can do our training here!
PBG Advisors more than doubled its office space with a move from Fruita to GJ
Tim Harty The Business Times
Saying PBG Advisors outgrew its former location in Fruita isn’t enough. Not when there’s a good anecdote to make the point.
PBG Advisors had a staff of about a dozen people when it resided at 138 S. Park Square in Fruita, but the approximately 2,400 square feet there didn’t allow for a training area.
That meant to have full-staff training sessions or meetings, the partners and employees had to drive to Timberline Bank in Grand Junction to use the bank’s conference room.
Now, the entire staff drives to Grand Junction every day, because PBG Advisors resides at 2452 Patterson Road, Suite 200, which has 5,400 square feet that includes a large training room, so the firm can do its staff meetings in house. And that’s with several more people on staff in the new location.
of the rectangle formed by seven large tables in the training room at their Grand Junction location, 2452 Patterson Road, Suite 200. The training area allows them to do in-house training, something they could not do at the firm’s previous location. Photo by Tim Harty.
“We outgrew the space in Fruita, would’ve loved to stay in Fruita, but could not find anything that was suitable,” said Ken Palmer, one of the firm’s three partners along with Joshua Brady and Kitrick Galloway. “We looked into building, and the cost was very prohibitive under the current construction market. And so we then looked in Junction, and found this wonderful spot.”
Palmer said the partners live in Fruita, which is why they wanted to find another spot in Fruita, but the new location is near Mesa Mall, so it’s a relatively short commute.
More importantly, he said, “Clients have loved it. Most of our client base is in Grand Junction or in the western U.S. … This makes it very easily accessible for them.”
The staff increased to 16 people, which couldn’t happen at the Fruita office, “where we were really having to be creative in office use,” Palmer said. “In Fruita, we were having to have people work from home certain days, rotate, switch offices, just to be able to make that work. So we needed to move for a while.”
And it needed to grow for two reasons.
The first reason aligns with a national trend, as Palmer said, “From an industry
WHAT TOOK SO LONG?
PBG Advisors had a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce at its new location, 2452 Patterson Rd, Ste 200, on May 20, but the staff moved there in the fall, about seven months earlier.
The delay in doing the ribbon cutting was readily explained by Ken Palmer.
“It was just timing,” he said. “We were very busy last year wrapping up (the fall) tax season, trying to get settled in the new space, and then (the main) tax season hit, and so we just didn’t want to hassle with it honestly until after we got to a point where we had time to do it.”
HOW IT ALL STARTED
With the Grand Junction Chamber officiating the ribbon cutting, Palmer was the one to do the honors with the giant scissors. Then he was asked to say a few words, which took him back to the beginning of what would eventually become PBG Advisors.
Palmer, who is 58 years old, said he sold his practice in Arizona in 2005 and moved to Grand Junction where he started a business that was “just me at home for a while.”
He also was an adjunct instructor at Mesa State College, now Colorado Mesa University.
Palmer said he moved to Fruita in 2008, where the business “was still just me,” but he hired his first employee that year. From there, his business slowly
standpoint, there’s a shortage of accountants and especially accountants who do a very conscientious job. So, we have tried to focus on being very, very conscientious and professional with the work we do, doing it very technically correct.”
That also means “we’re not the cheapest firm in town, and we don’t want to be,” Palmer said. “We tell clients we’ll bill them the way we would want to be billed, which is well enough to do a very, very good, professional job.”
The second reason also ties into the need for good accountants, but from a proactive business philosophy of finding and retaining good employees.
“As we have found good people, we’ve hired them, because there is a shortage of young people going into the accounting profession,” Palmer said. “But fortunately we’ve tapped into some markets and found some really, really good people, so we were growing people-wise to meet the market demand, and we just needed more space for them.”
Finding good people also got a little easier as PBG Advisors’ larger location and being in Grand Junction have been selling points.
“We’ve had several of our new hires or potential hires tell us that for them the access here in Grand Junction was better,” Palmer said. “It’s also a more professional-looking space.”
Not only is there office space for everyone on staff, Palmer said PBG Advisors has a few extra offices and some community-work areas.
“We definitely have the capacity to add three to five people very comfortably in the new location,” he said.
If the staff does eventually grow to 20 people, PBG Advisors will remain without worry when it comes time for the full staff meeting or large training session. That’s because – and Palmer said this is “the most important and exciting thing” – its location has a very large training area.
He said it’s “very well set up,” can accommodate 20-plus people, and they use it regularly.
Take the first letter of each partner’s last name, and you get the PBG in the firm’s name.
WHAT THEY DO PRIMARILY
PBG Advisors is a full-service accounting and advisory firm that offers personalized solutions in tax planning and preparation, accounting and business-advisory services.
For what they do the most, Palmer said it’s tax consulting, tax strategy and tax advising.
He added, “We do some accounting, bookkeeping for those clients that utilize our tax and advisory services. We also do business valuations. We do estate planning, estate consulting, mediation, litigation support a little bit. We do mergers and acquisitions.”
For the next tier of services, he said it’s “probably bookkeeping, and then it’s the structuring and just general consulting. We have a lot of clients in healthcare, and so we work with them on compensation strategies and how to structure compensation models for the professionals.”
To find out more about PBG Advisors visit pbgadvisors.com online or call 970-242-3320.
Business hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Left to right, Kitrick Galloway, Joshua Brady and Ken Palmer, the three partners at PBG Advisors, stand in the middle
grew. He hired Joshua Brady in May 2014, and Brady became a partner in 2019. Palmer hired Kitrick Galloway in 2019, and Galloway became a partner in 2023.
MORE ABOUT PBG ADVISORS
City Council reconsiders, keeps part of 4th and 5th Street pilot program
Brandon Leuallen The Business Times
The Grand Junction City Council convened for a special meeting May 29, following a grassroots campaign urging the council to reconsider its decision to end the Fourth and Fifth Street pilot program.
After hearing public comments, the council unanimously approved a compromise. The adopted motion calls for a two-lane configuration with a bike lane on Fourth and Fifth Streets south of Grand Avenue and maintains the pilot’s 2.0 version north of Grand Avenue.
“The motion aims to synthesize various viewpoints and provide a path forward,” Council member Robert Ballard said.
The organizing effort that preceded the special meeting was partially led by former City of Grand Junction Sustainability Coordinator Jenny Nitzky, who helped develop Grand Junction’s Sustainability and Adaptation Plan that was adopted July 3, 2024. The plan advocates repurposing the city’s transportation network to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by shifting investment away from automobile traffic and toward walking, biking and public transit.
Nitzky’s and other downtown residents’ organizing included distributing flyers downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods. The flyer outlined seven suggested talking points encouraging residents to support continuing the pilot program in its revised “2.0” version.
In an op-ed in the Daily Sentinel, Nitzky responded to criticism from Mayor Cody Kennedy, who had previously compared the flyer campaign to “astroturfing” – a term for a coordinated campaign with repeated talking points designed to appear as grassroots activism but actually driven by a specific group with vested interests. Kennedy’s blog suggested such efforts could create a misleading sense of public consensus, especially when amplified in forums such as city council meetings.
During Thursday’s meeting, Kennedy apologized for any offense caused by his blog post.
City Manager Mike Bennet opened the session by clarifying its purpose: “The purpose of the special meeting tonight is to clarify direction for the next steps, both immediate actions and longer-term items for which staff will bring back information for council to consider.”
Grand Junction Transportation Director Trent Prall presented traffic data before public comment and council discussion.
“While vehicle-vehicle accidents decreased, bike-vehicle incidents have increased in the corridor,” he said.
Prall highlighted the pilot program’s successes, including reduced vehicle speeds and fewer car-on-car accidents. During previous meetings, Prall elaborated on the rise in bike-vehicle collisions, saying one of
the three incidents was directly caused by the pilot’s design. The other two, he said, were indirectly related to the project, assuming the addition of bike lanes encouraged more cyclists to use Fourth and Fifth Streets, resulting in a higher number of interactions and therefore resulted in more potential for crashes between bikes and vehicles.
Public comment revealed a range of perspectives from approximately 30 speakers, most of whom were downtown residents. While many voiced support for adopting the 2.0 plan in full, others advocated for a bifurcated compromise. A smaller group of four speakers supported ending the pilot program entirely and returning to the original street layout as council members had promised during their campaign.
Erin Allard, a downtown resident, expressed appreciation for the city’s responsiveness, saying, “Completely reversing the changes to 4th and 5th isn’t the answer this community needs. I believe listening to all perspectives and finding the best modifications builds trust.”
Linda Arness, who supported the election campaigns of Council members Kennedy, Ballard and Ben Van Dyke, said, “Trust will be lost if the council does not return streets to the original configuration as promised. Trust is built by engaging the public before a plan is even proposed.”
Lisa Fry criticized the decision-making process that led to the pilot program, referencing an op-ed by Council member Anna Stout calling for public input and transparency. Fry called the op-ed hypocritical, arguing the pilot program’s implementation contradicted those values in the first place by moving forward without meaningful public outreach or notice.
Keith Ehlers urged the city to learn from the divisive rollout of the pilot. Rather than debating street designs in isolation, he suggested revisiting Grand Junction’s Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan to better reflect the public’s actual appetite for trade-offs between vehicular traffic and multimodal improvements.
“Let’s clarify whether we’re displacing car traffic to create safer bike access or aiming to add options without subtracting capacity,” he said.
Mark Jensen, a supporter of the pilot program’s continuation, argued the city must move forward, not backward.
“The pilot program is a step toward a more sustainable and pedestrian-friendly downtown. We need to give it a chance to succeed,” he said.
Mayor Pro Tem Laurel Cole was adamant that the parking in front of the post office be restored as it was one of the most frequent complaints that she received.
After the vote Kennedy responded affirmatively to Ehlers’ suggestion, saying he’d like to revisit those standards as well.
“I think we need to have that conversation,” Kennedy said. “I’d like to see us take a hard look at how those design standards align with the public’s expectations.”
‘Fruita’s personal assistant’
Fruita Copy Shop moved to a much larger location, so it can be more things to more people
Lewis was amazed as he watched the front door of
“That door never shut,” he said. “Open, close, open, After Dawn exited the store and got in the camper, Lewis told her what he had witnessed, and they discussed
Lewis said he told her, “You know, we should open one of these in Fruita, because that door never shuts.”
While camping, they came up with a business plan. When they got home, they set a deadline of 90 days to open a copy shop – their own shop, not a UPS one, because they wanted to be all of the things Fruita wants, not
“I found a building. Sixty days later, we moved into it, and we started this,” Lewis said of Fruita Copy Shop. The business struggled early, in part because that first
“We were new, starting out, so people didn’t know who we were or anything,” Dawn said. “It was when I had to cash in my last savings bond, it was like, ‘We need to do something. This is going to be tough until we get going.’
Lewis said Fruita Copy Shop’s space at 156 N. Mesa St. was only 500 square feet, but that met their needs, had plenty of parking and put them in a location that people in Fruita could find easily: next to the Lower Valley Fire
“Everybody knew where that was and how to get to us, so we grew probably 70 percent just moving from that (original) location to the new location by the fire depart-
There were still some bumps in the road, but the Martins weathered them and gradually grew to the point where they were ready for a larger location again
And that ended up being in the Town & Country Cen-
Of course, they do what most copy shops do nowadays, which is a lot more diverse than 20, 30 years ago, when all such a shop did was, well, make copies, print documents and such. Perhaps send faxes.
They still do that, but now they ship packages: FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. Send them and receive them. Pretty common service at a copy shop.
But what follows, some similar places may offer the same. Some may not. The totality of what the Martins do
And rather than try to apply rhyme and reason to the presentation, this list is best revealed in the way Dawn and Lewis Martin did it: As they thought of it, they said it.
Some items will warrant a little explanation, and some won’t. Some will be quotations, just because the way they said it was fun or more interesting.
Here’s most of what they currently do or have:
Tim Harty The Business Times
By the time Dawn Martin and her husband, Lewis Martin, finished listing all of the things the Fruita Copy Shop does – well, maybe not finished; instead, let’s say they listed all of the things they could remember – they wondered if maybe it would’ve been quicker to list the things their shop doesn’t do.
Or doesn’t do yet.
They’ve got five times more space, about 2,800 square feet, after moving into 421 E. U.S. Highway 6&50 in Fruita’s Town & Country Center on May 12. They have more room to carry more merchandise and provide more services, and they intend to do just that.
They’ve been busy doing some renovation, so on May 29 the place was a bit of a mess, but the work was nearing completion. Lewis said two more doors needed to be installed, and Dawn mentioned some carpeting will be installed. Then, a little straightening up should make everything shipshape.
Meanwhile, people are finding them – both the people who used to go to their store when it was at 156 N. Mesa St., and those who walk in and say, “I didn’t even know you existed.”
They’re happy to encounter both.
The move brings them full circle on the adventure of a business they began in 2022 after Lewis sat in the car while Dawn went into the UPS Store before they headed out on a camping trip.
• They have temporary mailboxes, 30 small mailboxes, 12 medium and two large.
• They do vinyl. “We can make vinyl signs, we can do vinyl decals for cars,” Dawn said. “We don’t do wraps, we don’t do anything big like that.”
• They make signs.
• They do T-shirts in small quantities, and they have an arrangement with a fellow Fruita business, Locker Room, 404 Jurassic Ave. “A lot of T-shirt shops, they won’t touch anything 25 (T-shirts) or below,” Dawn said, “and so we’ve talked pretty extensively with the Locker Room, and if he has small orders, he sends them to us. If we have big orders, we send it to them. But we can do 25 or less T-shirts, bags, sweatshirts.”
• They do notarizations.
See COPY SHOP on Page 12
Owners Lewis and Dawn Martin stand in the Fruita Copy Shop’s new location at 421 E. U.S. Highway 6&50. Their daughter, Savannah Ortiz, also works at the store, which needed more space. “We grew out of our other spot,” Dawn said. To that, Lewis quipped, “The community grew us out of our other spot.” Photo by Tim Harty.
Wine industry’s economic impact surges in Colorado, nation
WineAmerica, the National Organization of American Wineries, released its 2025 Economic Impact Study of the American Wine Industry, which estimates the economic contributions made by the wine industry in each state and to the United States as a whole.
The 2025 study concluded the production, distribution, sales and consumption of wine in Colorado generates nearly $5.72 billion in total economic activity. These figures have increased from WineAmerica’s 2022 Economic Impact Study, where the total impact in Colorado was $3.91 billion.
The wine industry’s impact on the U.S. economy is an estimated $323.55 billion, an increase from $276 billion in 2022.
The study examined state and national reach (the number of wine producers and acres of vineyards), job creation, wage generation, tourist activity and tax revenues generated by the wine industry. The research for the study was conducted by John Dunham & Associates (JDA).
Many sectors of the United States economy benefit from the wine industry as it preserves agricultural land, provides American jobs, attracts tourists, generates taxes and enhances the quality of life. Wine is produced in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“We are thrilled by the results of WineAmerica’s 2025 Economic Impact Study for Colorado,” said Cassidee Shull, executive director of the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology. “The growth from the 2022 study to 2025 truly highlights the value of our state’s wine industry and agritourism and showcases the incredible work being done by Colorado’s wineries and grape growers.”
The 34th Annual Colorado Mountain Winefest presented by Fisher’s Liquor Barn will take place Sept. 20 in Palisade. Mountain Winefest is the state’s largest wine festival and exclusively features Colorado wines.
Festival attendees enjoy unlimited sips from dozens of wineries, artisan vendors, live music, grape stomping, chef demonstrations, educational seminars, a silent disco, ice carving and ice luge, and more.
This year’s event marks the final year of the festival in its current format before it is reimagined in 2026. General Admission and VIP Tickets are available online and can be purchased at www. coloradowinefest.com.
Festival attendees and wine enthusiasts are also invited to participate in Colorado Wine Week, which features numerous wine-themed events taking place across the state. This year’s Colorado Wine Week takes place Sept. 15-21. To learn more about it and view the full schedule of events, visit www.ColoradoWinefest.com.
Alpine Bank announces leadership changes
Alpine Bank announced Chief Financial Officer Eric Gardey will retire at the end of 2025, and San Juan and Mesa County Regional President Mike Burns has been named as Gardey’s replacement. Meanwhile, Tyler Dahl, current Mesa County market president, has been promoted to Burns’ regional president position. Gardey started at Alpine Bank in 1989 and served in several key financial leadership roles before becoming chief financial officer in 2014, according to a news release from the bank. He joined the executive leadership team in 2021. His career has been marked by steady leadership through many economic cycles.
“Eric has been a bedrock of our success here at the bank,” said Glen Jammaron, president of Alpine Bank. “We’re so grateful for all he’s done, and we wish him well in retirement.”
Among his accomplishments, Gardey built a strong finance and accounting department at the bank, and he helped lead the organization’s growth to $6.7 billion in total assets. But perhaps the biggest career highlight was bringing Alpine Banks of Colorado Class B shares to the OTCQX market in 2019.
Gardey will retain his seat on Alpine Bank's board of directors. After a sixmonth transition period in the second half of 2025, he will remain available to provide expertise and guidance.
“It has been the honor of my career to serve Alpine Bank, an organization that lives its values every day,” Gardey said. “I leave with full confidence in Mike’s leadership and the exceptional strength of our team.”
Burns has been with Alpine Bank for 28 years and played a pivotal role in Alpine’s growth in western Colorado, according to the news release.
As regional president, he led the opening of Alpine Bank’s Durango and Montrose locations, the first branches in southwest Colorado. During the past 20 years, the branches have grown to more than $500 million in assets. His role later grew to include responsibility for another 10 branches in western Colorado, increasing total regional assets to $1.9 billion.
Burns also provides executive leadership for Alpine Bank Wealth Management, which has been in existence for nearly 25 years and has more than $1.4 billion in assets under management.
“I am humbled and excited to step into the CFO role,” said Burns, who will work alongside Gardey, starting in July. “I look forward to helping guide Alpine’s financial future while continuing to uphold the trust we’ve earned from our customers over the years.”
Dahl will assume his new role as regional president in June and will oversee bank operations in the San Juan and Mesa markets, which include 12 Alpine Bank locations from Grand Junction to Durango.
He has been with Alpine Bank for nearly 20 years and currently manages operations at five branches in Grand Junction, Clifton and Fruita. Previously he served as branch president at Alpine Bank Montrose. He also has managed bank operations in Delta and Ouray counties.
At Alpine, he’s earned a reputation as a compassionate leader with deep ties to western Colorado, the news release said.
“The Mesa and San Juan communities mean so much to me personally,” Dahl said. “It’s a privilege to be able to step into this new role and serve our customers with the same dedication and care that has always guided our work.”
Jammaron said Alpine Bank believes in “growing strong leaders from within, people who understand our values, our customers and have deep roots in the communities we serve.”
He said the promotions of Burns and Dahl “ensure continuity and stability for the operations of the bank, and it reinforces our continued commitment to Colorado families and businesses.”
Alpine Bank is a $6.7 billion independent, employee-owned organization founded in 1973 with headquarters in Glenwood Springs. Alpine Bank employs 890 people and serves 170,000 customers.
Mike Burns
Tyler Dahl
Eric Gardey
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Mesa County District Court, State of Colorado
125 North Spruce Grand Junction, CO 81501
Case No. 2024CV030329
First Financial, LLC Plaintiff, vs.
Jeremy K. McDaniels; Michelle McDaniels; MidFirst Bank; Adrianne Todman in her Official Capacity as the Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Casa De Pera Homeowners Association; and Sheila Reiner in her Official Capacity as the Public Trustee of Mesa County, Colorado Defendants,
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S):
YOU ARE HEREBY summoned and required to appear and defend against claims of the complaint filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this Court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within 35 days after service of this summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the complaint may be obtained from the clerk of the court.
If you fail to file an answer or other response to the complaint in writing within 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be entered against you by the court for relief demanded in the complaint without further notice.
This is a judicial foreclosure regarding the following real property:
Lot 11 in Block 1 of Replat of Lot 11, Block One and Lots 1 thru 15, Block Two, Casa De Pera Filing No. One, County of Mesa, State of Colorado.
(the “Property”) commonly known and numbered as 451 Pera St., Clifton, CO 81501.
Dated April 29, 2025
Published in The Business Times
First Publication: May 14, 2025
Last Publication: June 11, 2025
Jalyn VanConett Broker/Owner
NFIB urges Congress to make Small Business Tax Deduction permanent
The National Federation of Independent Business released two new digital tools to help small-business owners, policymakers and the public in Colorado understand the significant economic impact of the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction and what’s at stake if Congress fails to make it permanent.
The new tools include an interactive map that allows users to explore how extending the Small Business Deduction would power job creation and GDP growth in every congressional district across Colorado.
Marcello G. Rojas, # 46396
Barrett Frappier & Weisserman 1391 Speer Blvd., Ste. 700 Denver, CO 80204
Phone: (303) 350-3711
Fax (303) 813-1107
Attorney for Plaintiff
NFIB also launched a tax calculator to provide small business owners in Colorado with personalized estimates of how much more they could owe in federal income taxes in 2026 if the deduction expires.
“These new tools give small-business owners and elected leaders in Colorado real data about the economic stakes,” NFIB Colorado State Director Michael Smith said. “If Congress fails to act, millions of small businesses across the country, including right here in Colorado, will face a massive tax hike. That means fewer jobs, less investment and slower growth for our communities. We urge Congress to make the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction permanent.”
According to NFIB’s interactive map, if the deduction is extended, Colorado could see an increase of 50,261 jobs and $3.341 billion in GDP over the next decade.
The district-level data allows lawmakers and local leaders to understand exactly how small businesses in their communities stand to gain when the tax deduction is made permanent or lose if it is not.
The tax calculator helps individual small-business owners project their potential tax increase if the deduction is not extended. For example, a Colorado small business owner with a personal income of $75,000 and qualified business income of $150,000 could see a tax increase of more than $13,000, depending on their full financial profile.
NFIB also applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the One Big Beautiful Act and said Congress has a historic opportunity to provide over 33 million small-business owners with permanent tax relief.
To explore the tools and learn more about how NFIB is working to protect Colorado’s small businesses, visit www. smallbusinessdeduction.com.
Federation of two new small-business owners, Colorado economic impact
Deduction fails to interactive explore how Deduction
GDP growth district across
calculator to Colorado how much federal income expires.
small-business Colorado stakes,” NFIB Michael Smith millions country, will face fewer jobs, growth for our to make Deduction
interactive map, Colorado jobs and next decade.
lawmakers understand exactly communities deduction is not. individual project their deduction is not Colorado small income business income increase of their full
Economic update: Concern growing for potential recession
Tim Harty The Business Times
Some first-quarter economic numbers for Mesa County were released recently by the Colorado Mesa University Davis School of Business, and the numbers led the professor who writes the report to mention the “R” word.
CMU economics professor Nathan Perry compiles and analyzes the data for the Mesa County Economic Update each quarter, and two things stood out in the update published in May, which is online at: www.coloradomesa.edu/business/documents/mesa-countyeconomic-newsletter-may-2025.pdf.
First, he mentioned Mesa County’s unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in the first quarter, then dipped to 4.8 percent in April, which stands slightly higher than the state of Colorado’s non-seasonally adjusted 4.6 percent unemployment rate for April.
“Unemployment has crept up both in Mesa County and Colorado, higher than what the national unemployment has increased,” Perry said. “There is still job growth, and a lot of those gains have been in healthcare.”
Another item Perry highlighted in the economic update was the United States’ Gross Domestic Product growth for the first quarter of 2025 was minus-0.3 percent, “showing contraction and creating a growing concern for a potential recession.” During the fourth quarter of 2024, GDP grew 2.4 percent.
In an email interview, Perry wrote, “Growth is slowing, we saw a negative growth rate in Q1. Part of that was because of tariffs and how companies purchased more imports BEFORE the tariffs hit. We will likely see a higher Q2 number because of the opposite reason, we will see less imports in Q2 because businesses loaded up on pre-tariff inventory.
“Note that imports are a subtraction to GDP. Taking out the changes in imports, baseline growth is low, and we are on recession watch. I have been arguing that we will see positive but lower growth this year, and I’m sticking with that call until the data changes.”
“Interest rates have not been friendly, the bond market is pushing yields higher and hurting mortgage rates. But the most recent inflation report was low, which bodes well for a potential change of direction for the Federal Reserve.”
predicting the Fed to lower rates too much this year, but the more good CPI (Consumer Price Index) reports we get, the higher the probability of that happening.
“I think the Fed is waiting to see the impact of tariffs on inflation, which would happen 3-6 months out.”
And for Mesa County, he wrote, “Overall, Mesa is following the national trend. Growth is slowing and the labor market is slightly weaker, but no terrible data points. It looks to just be a slower year, with consumers pulling back after a few years of inflation, less wages increase, which make workers more cautious about leaving jobs.”
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For his thoughts about what the first-quarter numbers portend for the coming months, Perry offered, “Interest rates have not been friendly, the bond market is pushing yields higher and hurting mortgage rates. But the most recent inflation report was low, which bodes well for a potential change of direction for the Federal Reserve. No one is
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Copy Shop
Continued from Page 6
• “We do childcare,” Dawn said. Ha! Just kidding, seeing if the reporter was paying attention. So, to be clear: NO CHILDCARE.
• Soon, they’re going to carry office supplies. Dawn said, “We’re working on getting that put together and brought in for those moments that ‘Oh, man, I need this, but I don’t want to go to Junction’ kind of thing.”
• They give directions. “It seems like people come in here a lot, ask a lot of questions about where things are in Fruita,” Lewis said. So, the Martins tell them where to find bike shops, bike trails, restaurants, coffee shops (not to be confused with copy shops), barbershops, etc.
• They are going to print some restaurant menus in braille for blind customers and print others in large letters for people who forgot their reading glasses when they went to the restaurant.
• They do paper shredding. Well, they used to do the shredding themselves, but they got so much brought to them that now Fruita Copy Shop serves as a drop-off site, and a third party does the shredding.
• Their walls are free for local artists to display their art. “We don’t charge them,” Dawn said. “We just give them their money (when an item is sold). The reason being
is: I need to decorate the walls of my shop, and that’s the easiest way to do it.” Also, she added, “It brings customers in.”
• They sell Fruita Freeze Dried Goodies. “We have been with them since Day 1,” Dawn said.
So, that’s what they recalled off the tops of their heads. It’s a good bet they forgot a few things.
And the Martins expect they will provide more goods and services as they meet more customers. All it takes is a local resident to suggest something that sounds doable, and the Martins probably will do it. And they’ll try to be fair with their pricing.
“So we do try to do a lot for our community to help them,” Dawn said. “And we understand, I mean, we’re a small mom-andpop shop. We can’t do everything for as cheap as the big box stores, but we try really hard.”
Lewis added what customers will find in their store is they’re not a number to the Martins.
“You’re a customer to us,” he said.
And Fruita Copy Shop has become something else to the community it serves, as Dawn related, “One of our customers said, ‘You’re Fruita’s personal assistant.’ So that’s kind of been our slogan, my slogan lately, is we’re Fruita’s personal assistant.”
my shop, it.” Also, in.” Dried Goodsince Day recalled off the they forwill prothey meet local resisounds dowill do it. their pricing. our com“And we mom-andfor as cheap really hard.” will find number to the said. become it serves, customers assistant.’ So my slogan assistant.”
Eminent Domain
Continued from Page 2
What Is a mobility hub?
Grand Junction currently has a transfer station on South Ave between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. According to the City of Grand Junction the mobility hub will replace the current transfer station.
Mobility hubs are larger and aim to integrate walking, biking, scooters, EV-charging stations and public transit into one location.
Mobility hubs are listed as one of the strategies to achieve Colorado’s transportation and climate goals laid out in its 2035 Transportation Vision. The plan aims to induce a “mode shift” away from personal vehicles.
According to the plan, “In order to achieve the Vision 2035 mode shift goal of doubling the current 9.6 percent of trips from transit, biking and walking, these modes of transportation must be made more attractive and convenient options for Coloradans through improvements in frequency, speed and reliability.”
There were other options
“They had five other lots they could choose from,” Mike said. “The resource center, the old pawn shop across the street, the two county lots where the old Burger King was, all of those were available.”
The City of Grand Junction confirmed that part of the land currently occupied by the resource center will also be used for the hub.
According to the city of Grand Junction, “The cityowned property at 261 Ute Ave – only a long, linear strip adjacent to the alley – will be used for a portion of the mobility hub, specifically for regional and interstate buses.”
“It’s
with heavy hearts that we say goodbye. We just want to thank the community for the last 22 years of business. Thank you to our loyal repeat customers for referring friends and family. And to our own friends and family for all your support. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
—The Martinez Family, GJ
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The reality of eminent domain
Now stripped of their land and business, the Martinezes say they hope their story can help others navigate the murky waters of eminent domain.
Only late in the process did they discover CDOT’s online handbook, which included provisions, such as protective rent that they say were never offered to them.
Mike said the state gave little information, adding, “CDOT gives you one little pamphlet that briefly tells you this and this can happen, and that’s it.”
Knowing what he knows now, he advised, “Pull up their handbooks online and hold them accountable. You have to know your rights from the start.”
CDOT’s appraisal of the property’s value was the lowest appraisal.
“They use their own appraiser, and they’re going to use the lowest appraisal, which is usually theirs,” Mike Martinez said.
The Martinezes said they struggled to find local legal representation, citing local attorneys having conflicts of interest. Their eventual attorney, based in Denver, pushed for a quick settlement and attempted to get them to take the first offer rather than help them push multiple counteroffers.
Amber said that made them feel abandoned during what the couple called the most important negotiation of their lives.
“This was our retirement, what we hoped to hand down to our children,” Mike said.
He warned that many people, particularly those with limited resources, accept lowball first offers because they don’t know they can push back.
If the couple doesn’t reinvest the money received into another property, they said they will be forced to pay capital-gains tax as well for selling a property that they can’t viably replace and didn’t desire to sell.
The Martinezes remain in shock and are working to recover from the whole ordeal while not sure what they are going to do next.
“It’s our first day not going to work,” she said. “What do we do now?”
The Martinez’s posted a farewell for their business with a picture of them and their two children on Facebook. They said in the post, “It’s with heavy hearts that we say goodbye. We just want to thank the community for the last 22 years of business. Thank you to our loyal repeat customers for referring friends and family. And to our own friends and family for all your support. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
The Martinezes warn that other businesses along Ute Avenue and Pitkin Avenue could be next as the state expands the mobility hub, and they urge property owners to stay alert.
Does your leadership stand out in a good way?
Leadership is more than a title. It’s a responsibility demonstrated through actions.
Marcus Straub
If you’ve ever encountered a leader who was irrational, dismissive or even demeaning, you’ve experienced firsthand how poor leadership erodes trust, damages morale and disrupts progress. When leaders contribute to dysfunction instead of offering solutions, loyalty fades, respect vanishes, and their influence weakens.
But here’s the reality: You are a leader, whether you acknowledge it or not.
Leadership extends beyond formal roles in the workplace. You lead in your home, your friendships, your community and in every space you occupy. Your actions shape the perceptions and decisions of those around you, whether it’s your colleagues, children, significant other, friends, extended family or even strangers who observe your behavior.
Because leadership is everywhere, the question isn’t whether you are leading, it’s whether you are leading effectively. Are your actions fostering trust, respect and inspiration? Or are they unintentionally creating barriers and fear? Understanding the impact of your leadership and refining your approach can transform not only your personal and professional relationships, but also the broader environment around you.
What Makes a Strong Leader?
Effective leadership isn’t about issuing commands or controlling others. True leaders empower those around them. They recognize that leadership is about mentorship and growth rather than authority and control. The best leaders guide people toward discovering their strengths, overcoming their limitations and reaching their full potential.
Ask yourself: Is your leadership setting the example you aspire to?
To be an effective leader, you must consistently embody qualities that uplift others. Leadership built on integrity, composure, fairness and inspiration fosters trust and encourages people to flourish. The most respected and admired leaders throughout history shared common traits:
True leadership is about looking in the mirror first. The best leaders assess what they need to change before pointing fingers at others. They acknowledge their weaknesses, work diligently to strengthen them and set an example of continuous improvement for those around them.
vision; wisdom; emotional intelligence; and the ability to guide others toward a shared purpose.
A strong leader creates a culture of encouragement, motivation and collaboration. Instead of fostering dependency or fear, they inspire others to take ownership of their growth. Rather than seeking credit or power, they cultivate an environment where teamwork, innovation and success thrive.
The Power of Accountability
One of the most critical traits of an effective leader is self-accountability, the ability to uphold the standards of integrity, communication and teamwork. Great leaders don’t rely on external forces to hold them accountable. Instead, they actively reflect on their actions, seek improvement and take responsibility for their mistakes.
True leadership is about looking in the mirror first. The best leaders assess what they need to change before pointing fingers at others. They acknowledge their weaknesses, work diligently to strengthen them and set an example of continuous improvement for those around them. Instead of blaming circumstances or people, they embrace ownership, strive for growth and encourage constructive solutions.
Leadership in Action
Effective leadership requires a solution-oriented mindset. Strong leaders don’t dwell on problems or let challenges define them; they identify opportunities for improvement and take proactive steps toward success.
Great leaders maintain composure, remain forwardfocused and see obstacles as stepping stones rather
than roadblocks. They exhibit gratitude, value time and relationships and approach each interaction with a “getto” attitude rather than a “have-to” mindset.
Within organizations, leadership influences culture, productivity and morale. When leaders lead with integrity and inspiration, positivity grows. Team members feel heard, valued and motivated to excel. As leadership strengthens, so does collaboration, innovation and overall success.
The Leadership We Need Today
Now, more than ever, strong leadership is essential. In a world filled with political divides, economic uncertainty and global tensions, effective leaders are the ones who foster unity, stability and progress.
The best leaders understand their strengths and weaknesses. They actively seek professional guidance, refine their strategies and maximize their leadership potential. Great leadership isn’t stagnant; it evolves as leaders embrace learning, growth and transformation.
If you aspire to elevate your leadership, take action. Explore tools, seek mentorship, embrace opportunities for development and commit to becoming the leader others trust, respect and follow.
Your leadership matters. Whether in business, relationships or daily interactions, your ability to lead with integrity, vision and accountability shapes the world around you. Strengthen your leadership, inspire those around you and contribute to a future where effective, respected and trusted leaders drive positive change.
F
Marcus Straub owns Life is Great Coaching in Grand Junction. His personalized coaching and consulting services help individuals, business owners, executives and companies build teams, organizations and lives filled with happiness and success. Straub is winner of the International Coach of the Year Award and author of “Is It Fun Being You?” He’s available for free consultations regarding coaching, speaking and trainings. Reach Straub at (970) 208-3150, marcus@ligcoaching.com or through the website located at www.ligcoaching.com.
Love After 65: 7 financial topics to discuss with a professional (Part 2)
In your excitement of newfound love, be sure to consult with a financial professional to help navigate this new chapter with confidence and financial security. They’ll help guide you through the intricacies of late-life romance from Social Security and income-tax implications to estate planning and healthcare considerations.
Many older people who remarry choose to move into an existing home, and it will be important to plan for sharing of housing costs such as maintenance, taxes and insurance, which could be handled from a joint bank account.
Another option, The Living Apart Together model, is increasingly popular among seniors, allowing couples to keep their independence while enjoying companionship.
Discuss your real estate plans openly, considering lifestyle choices and financial implications. Whether you choose to blend properties or maintain separate homes, ensure your decisions support your long-term goals and wellbeing.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Open and honest communication is the foundation of any successful relationship, especially when it comes to finances. The “5 Cs” communication framework may be helpful: Clarify, Communicate, expect Choices, Check In regularly with trusted friends and advisers, and review longand short-term Consequences of decisions made.
Finally, be cautious of “sweetheart scams,” where predators engage victims romantically, usually online or in a dating app, and then ask for money. Your caution and clear communication upfront can help protect both your heart and your wallet.
SEEK EXPERT GUIDANCE
You deserve this happiness!
In your excitement of newfound love, be sure to consult with a financial professional to help navigate this new chapter with confidence and financial security. They’ll help guide you through the intricacies of late-life romance from Social Security and incometax implications to estate planning and healthcare considerations.
and avoid surprises.
7. REAL ESTATE
When entering a new relationship in retirement, deciding how to handle real estate can significantly impact your financial future. Combining properties can streamline finances and reduce costs, but maintaining separate residences may help preserve financial independence, especially if one partner owns their home outright while the other has a mortgage.
Disclaimer: The views, statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the adviser and not necessarily of Foundations or their affiliates. The content provided is for educational purposes only and includes information and statistical data obtained from third-party sources that Foundations deems reliable but in no way guarantees its accuracy or completeness. All third-party information and statistical data contained herein is subject to change without notice. No investment, legal or tax advice is provided. Always consult with a professional.
F
Barbara Traylor Smith, CFP, ChFC, CLU, can be seen on KREX Saturdays at 6 p.m. and KJCT Sundays at 8 a.m. or heard on KNZZ Saturdays at 8 a.m. She has been featured in Bloomberg Business Week, Entrepreneur and Fortune magazines. Contact her at 970-256-1748 or retirementoutfittersllc.com. Investment advisory services offered through Foundations Investment Advisors LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser.
The new majority on City Council proves to be the same as the old majority
P.J. O’Rourke said it best:
“The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then get elected and prove it.”
Let that sink in. Because it best describes the Grand Junction City Council meeting held on the night of May 29th and the 7-0 vote to further the experiment on Fourth and Fifth Streets; all because a few folks tugged on heartstrings about taking Fido for a walk, imaginary bicycle commuters who still don’t commute on those streets, and kids playing in the streets is somehow now safer than when these same adults played stickball back in the day.
In other words, it was all about feelings. Note to City Council: If you’re going to take two weeks or more after a vote to implement something as the result of your vote, could you at least spend that time on some fact-finding instead of calling a hastily scheduled meeting largely based on feelings?
Apparently, the citizens now have their answer. No wonder we wrote the removal needed to begin immediately. By that we meant faster than the shovels broke ground on making the Avalon a double-wide.
But now we have far more frightening answers regarding the backbones of those newly elected along with the much-evidenced fact that electing conservatives and leaving them alone to do what they say they were going to do and keep promises is some of the worst logic on the planet. Because they never do.
The bigger problem: Progressives always do.
O’Rourke’s wisdom and witnessing the folding of our newly elected council members are the only explanations for the 7-0 vote to implement an “enhanced” version of the Fourth and Fifth Street experiment after a “listening session” this past week. The final nail in the coffin is all the blogs and podcasts excitedly declaring, “We won.”
It would be better stated, “The voters lost.”
Let us repeat why the four of the 4-3 vote to cancel the Fourth and Fifth Street pilot project were elected. You were elected to end the Fourth and Fifth Street pilot project and revert the streets back to their form before the experiment began. If you wanted to look at other solutions for a problem that doesn’t exist, that would still be your elected right.
And yet you only held on for two weeks. That, sadly, might be a record either way the people look at it. And just in case our four council members aren’t listening (which we are surer than ever they aren’t), this record, either way, is not a good thing.
Otherwise, how can our recently elected city council explain a 180-degree change in their votes over such a short time period?
The only other explanation is their election and sudden gain of power (together with the phenomenon of becoming all-knowing above the people because one won an election) means they had to support the decisions made by the previous council members as a sense of civic duty. But it can’t be that, because you ran for office based on the fact that the previous council made bad decisions, and you were going to be the ones changing that after listening to the people.
Yet here is Grand Junction today, realizing votes for hope and change resulted in more of the same. Then again, that’s the very definition of progressive hope and change. It’s just hitting more locally.
The vote city council took the other night could have been 4-3 in telling the people, “We stand on our word and promises. And while we’re happy to listen, we are going to make decisions on facts and data and not feelings.”
Instead, the new council members gave us Barabbas.
The residents of Grand Junction and Mesa County could have accomplished the same result by voting in the other progressives running. All one needs to do is read the comments from community organizers galore online or on podcasts to know which side won this battle. Which, sadly, appears to be indicative of who’s about to lose the war.
This was going to be an op-ed about recalling Jason Ngyuen. But after the other night, we just might give it some time and see how we “feel” about expanding it to other members.
Maybe then the people’s votes will matter.
It appears this weekly thing is growing and going pretty-darned good
And just how do I know this, you may ask?
Well, I could reference the emails I get from longtime readers telling me they are enjoying the more frequent, and more community-news-based, coverage. I could mention the phone calls from friends and associates who express to me how they see our move to weekly is not only good for newsreaders in the community, but a smart business decision as well.
Or, and this is a very important sign to me as the owner/ publisher/editor of The Business Times, I could reference how all of our advertisers have stayed with us as we moved to weekly, many of them upping their contracts (and commitments) to every week in the paper. After all, without folks buying ads, we cease to exist.
Finally, our mail-out subscriptions are up as well, not an easy accomplishment for a paper that has been free for its entire, 30-plus year existence.
But those groups all fall under the same category, and a privileged category that we are so grateful for, of longtime supporters of The Business Times. Truth is, without them over the years, we never get the chance to do the things we’re doing today. Because they all make up the single most important aspect a newspaper needs in order to survive and thrive in a community marketplace: They read the paper. Let’s face it, without readers we have no reason to write and nothing of value to sell. So, how do I know it’s going well? You guessed it, it appears to me we’re attracting more readers. So, the real question has to be, “Just how do you know that, Craig?”
It’s from the comments we get from op-eds and my columns. And no, this isn’t some ego trip, because the comments aren’t particularly complimentary about either the paper or me personally. And, of course, I am happy to provide some examples. Please forgive some expletive words edited out and spelling in this first example:
Craig Hall’s l**** d*** energy coming through strong on this piece. Why would you be against ppl using thier free association and thier free will to not shop at reactionaries businesses? Or does Craig not actually belive in freedom? Do ppl not have the right to shop where they like? This is why smart business owners stay neutral on divissive issues. If a business owner chooses to drag thier business into a public political battle they cant then complain about when they take some blow back. I mean you all won, be happy, and stop painting yourselves as victims its unbecoming and reeks of cowardice. Toughen up or stay outta the fray.”
This guy I know personally and know for a fact he didn’t used to read the paper. He does now, especially since he knows I write against his desire to force communism on the people of Grand Junction, Mesa County, Colorado and our nation. And he’s always made snide comments on Facebook about my columns. But now, he also reads the stories we write about what’s happening in our community, because they expose what’s going on in our community, so the people know what the government is up to. And let’s be honest, communists don’t like that one bit, because they need government to force their way of life on to the people, and writing accurate stories prevents that.
You might think I don’t want him as a reader. But you couldn’t be more wrong. The Business Times being an unbiased, accurate source of information means as much to me as it does to him. He just won’t admit it.
How about this latest one?
“I don’t know how I allowed myself to get sucked into this diatribe. At a time when our Federal government is threatening to dismantle our most basic rights, restricting the rights of free speech, the right to peacefully assemble and basically setting out to criminalize all opposition – at a time of constitutional crisis not seen in our lifetime – we have this bizarre screed expressing alarm over our state government regulating guns in an attempt to cut down on the gun violence that is unlike anything anywhere else in the world and putting some restrictions on the power of property owners in relation to tenants. Yes, by all means, protect property rights at all cost! No problem that our government is more and more taking on the characteristics of a fascist dictatorship.”
It’s easy to see he doesn’t read the paper because if he did, he’d never allow himself to be “sucked into” one of my columns, as there’s no way he could be so oblivious to my opinions and writing style. Then again, maybe living in oblivion is what he does. At least I can give him credit for having better grammar, even if it got lost in all the talking points. And while the first commenter got no response from me (I don’t respond to those who insult, whether once or seemingly always), the second guy got my basic reply: Thanks for reading! Because it’s important to me, The Business Times, our advertisers and our mission and commitment to the community that they do read. I just wish they would reply with something for others worthy of reading.
I’d be happy to print it. And I now have more readers than ever to read it.
In Christ and Freedom (especially of the press).
Craig Hall is owner and publisher of The Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com
Craig Hall
n ASPELIN, SPEES, OLSEN JOIN REALTY ONE GROUP
Realty ONE Group Western Slope, 441 Colorado Ave. in Grand Junction, announced it hired Paul Aspelin, Alanna Spees and Summer Olsen.
According to a news release from Realty ONE Group, Aspelin brings more than 23 years of real estate experience and a client-focused approach and innovative strategies. His professionalism and market insight have made him a trusted advisor to both buyers and sellers.
Spees has a deep knowledge of the Western Slope region and focuses on first-time investors, Realty One Group said.
Olsen adds a fresh, energetic perspective, a talent for building strong relationships and is driven to match clients with their ideal homes, according to the news release.
For more information or to connect with one of these agents, call 970-628-1001.
n CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION TAKING LETTERS OF REQUEST FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCENTIVE PROGRAM
The City of Grand Junction is accepting Letters of Request (LOR) for its Affordable Housing Incentive Program, which aims to provide a fiscal incentive for the development of affordable housing units within the community.
Developers interested in being considered for the incentive must submit a formal LOR between June 1 and July 1 to be considered for the program in the 2026 budget year. The incentive provides that the city will pay, on behalf of affordable housing projects, development impact fees (such as transportation, police, fire and parks) and plant investment fees for city water and sewer services.
These incentives are designed to reduce financial barriers, making it more feasible for developers to create affordable housing units that remain accessible to lower-income residents over the long term.
LOR submission requirements include submitting project details, funding timeline, unit mix, affordability levels and other relevant details. To ensure a comprehensive application, developers are encouraged to schedule a pre-submittal meeting with the City’s Housing Division for feedback and technical assistance.
To receive the incentive, projects must ensure long-term affordability, such as a minimum 30-year affordability term enforced through mechanisms like deed restrictions or land-use covenants. In 2025, the city approved $200,578 in general fund dollars to support the incentive program for housing units to be constructed by Habitat for Humanity Housing Resources of Western Colorado for up to 18 affordable units.
For more information about the Affordable Housing Incentive Program, to schedule a pre-submittal meeting or to learn about other housing initiatives, visit the city’s website at gjcity.org or contact housing@gjcity.org.
n CORRECTION: WEB ADDRESS FOR MOSQUITO DISTRICT
An item in Business Briefs on Page 18 of the May 28 Business Times listed an incorrect website for the Grand River Mosquito Control District. It should have directed readers to www.fightthebitegj.com for more information about the mosquito control district.
The Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce announced the Fruita Farmers & Makers Market will return to downtown Fruita at Civic Center Park, 325 E Aspen Ave., on June 14 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
According to a news release from the Fruita Chamber, this year marks a milestone for the market with the largest opening day in its history. More than 90 local vendors will be on site, offering fresh produce, locally raised meats, baked goods, handcrafted items and more.
“We’ve seen an incredible response from both local businesses and the community,” said Allie Daniel, senior vice president of the Fruita Chamber. “Bringing the market back downtown has created a real sense of excitement. There’s a renewed energy, and it’s going to make this season something truly special.”
The Fruita Farmers & Makers Market will take place every Saturday through October 25, providing residents and visitors with a weekly opportunity to shop fresh, support small businesses and enjoy a vibrant community atmosphere.
In addition to the vendors, opening day activities will include:
• The Farmer Fred Scavenger Hunt at the Fruita Chamber tent (also happening every Saturday).
• Yard games and the City of Fruita’s Party Trailer.
• Sidewalk sales, pet adoptions and community promotions throughout Downtown Fruita.
The market will continue its monthly Family Fun Day tradition on the second Saturday of each month, offering additional family-friendly activities like bounce houses and themed entertainment.
The event is made possible through the support of community partners: Atlasta Solar Center; Chesnick Realty; US Bank; and the City of Fruita.
For more information, visit fruitafarmersmarket.org or contact Allie Daniel at allie@ fruitachamber.org.
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