olorado is in the midst of a sweeping transformation of its energy system. The state is shutting down coal plants, reducing its reliance on natural gas in homes and businesses, and increasing reliance on electricity.
The shift is guided in part by the state’s “Just Transition Action Plan,” which seeks to replace fossil-fuel generation with cleaner resources while supporting affected communities and workers. The 2019 “Just Transition Action Plan” requires coal-dependent communities and workers to receive assistance as plants close, according to House Bill 19-1314 (signed May 28, 2019).
Xcel Energy’s proposed investment plan, now before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), would set both a minimum and maximum spending level for new power generation and infrastructure. Xcel has submitted a plan requesting what it deems enough energy to meet the demands of grid reliability with increased electricity in homes, EVs and large projects such as data centers, according to Xcel’s Dec. 19, 2024, news release.
The debate over that request unfolded at a recent PUC meeting. See story on Page 5
Firefighting gear sits in front of a burned home and Clifton Fire Engine 21 after crews responded to a residential structure fire. Photo courtesy of Clifton Fire Protection District.
Clifton Fire considers new station to meet high call demand
Brandon Leuallen
The Business Times
As the unincorporated community of Clifton continues to grow, the Clifton Fire Protection District, one of the busiest single-station fire departments in Colorado, is weighing a 1 percent sales tax proposal for the ballot this fall. The fire district will use the money to fund construction of two stations, increase staffing, equipment and emergency coverage, and create a dedicated wildland fire team.
Clifton Fire Chief Brian Cherveny said the tax would allow the district to replace its aging 1980s-era headquarters and build a new satellite station in the southern part of its 15-square-mile service area, which has approximately 35,000 residents.
“We’re at least in the top five busiest single stations in the state,” Cherveny said. “That’s a lot out of a single station, and it doesn’t serve the community very well when some of our call volume is growing in the southern area and we’re not located there.”
Cherveny said the fire district has long enjoyed strong backing from the people it serves.
“We’ve always felt very supported by our constituents here, and that means a lot when we’re looking at something like this sales tax proposal,” he said.
Separate from Grand Junction’s Station 7
One challenge in informing the community about the ballot measure is overcoming skepticism from a prior bond issue in the City of Grand Junction. That story was previously covered by The Business Times in “New GJ fire station may open without staff.”
Approved by voters in 2019, the measure funded construction of three fire stations but did not end up providing staffing for Fire Station 7 as promised. Fire Station 7 is located in the Appleton area, across from Appleton Elementary School and about 5.1 miles east of Grand Junction Regional Airport, according to Google Maps.
Fire Station 7 is Grand Junction’s only fire station north of Interstate 70.
In Clifton’s case, the Clifton Fire Protection District operates independently from the Grand Junction Fire Protection District and has its own budget. The area it serves and the proposed sales tax have no connection to Fire Station 7.
Strong Operations, Limited Capital Funding
According to documents posted by the fire district, Clifton Fire has worked in recent years to rebuild its reserve fund for emergencies for vehicles and equipment and is in solid fiscal condition for operating at its current level. However, that stability does not extend to major capital needs such as new buildings to meet growing demand.
“We’re in good shape to keep operating as we are,” Cherveny said. “But we don’t have the funding to replace or build new stations as demand increases.”
That demand comes not only from Clifton’s growth, but also from serving neighboring areas through automatic and mutual-aid agreements.
“We’re one of the busiest stations in the state, Clifton is growing, and we also provide services into neighboring areas,” Cherveny said.
Cherveny noted Clifton Fire is the major EMS provider for the area, including for neighboring fire stations without EMS services.
“Eighty-eight to 90 percent of what we do is EMS,” he said.
Reasons a New Station is Needed
The current station, built in the late 1980s, was designed for a volunteer department and has been remodeled several times, but it still lacks modern facilities for decontaminating gear, training personnel and housing a full-time crew, according to the fire district’s facility assessment.
A second station in the southern district, likely near 32 Road and D Road, would improve response times for emergencies, water rescues and mutual-aid calls into East Orchard Mesa, Grand Junction and the Mesa County Fire Authority area.
“We’re the closest boat to the Corn Lake ramp,” Cherveny said. “Having a boat
closer to that ramp would improve our water-rescue capabilities.”
Mutual Aid and Cooperation
Cherveny said Clifton maintains a strong working relationship with the Grand Junction Fire Department, responding together frequently through automatic and mutualaid agreements.
“We work really well with Grand Junction Fire,” he said. “Even though we’re separate districts, we’re helping each other constantly. That’s important for the community. People don’t care whose name is on the side of the truck when they call 911.”
Funding Limits and the Push for a Sales Tax
Clifton’s funding currently comes from an 11.552-mill property tax levy, according to Mesa County Assessor records. Cherveny said recent statewide property-tax-relief measures have slowed the growth of that revenue, which affects the district’s ability to replace and add facilities.
“As a property owner, I’m glad for that relief,” he said. “But as the chief of a department that relies on property-tax income, that one’s pretty rough.”
Clifton also has no city-level property tax, meaning residents pay lower property taxes than those in incorporated parts of Grand Junction or other municipalities, because the community falls within the county.
Until recently, Colorado law gave fire districts only one option, property taxes, to generate revenue. A change in state law now allows special districts to seek voter approval for sales taxes, according to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
“We don’t feel like we want to ask the property owners for more of the mill,” Cherveny said. “A sales tax doesn’t just ask property owners to fund this. It’s shared by anybody spending money in the district, including visitors.”
Cherveny said the board is committed to keeping Clifton’s sales-tax rate lower than neighboring communities to ensure the area remains an economical place to shop.
Another Funding Challenge at the Boundary
When asked about the city of Grand Junction annexing property, Cherveny said that when Grand Junction annexes property, the city collects the property tax, but Clifton Fire still provides service in the area without the tax revenue unless the area is moved into Grand Junction’s fire district.
A Clifton Fire brush truck, Brush 21, responds during a rural incident. Equipped to handle wildland fire threats. Photo courtesy of Clifton Fire Protection District.
Marketing without overwhelming
Salt N Light Design aims to help businesses ‘shine their
light and find their purpose’
Tim Harty The Business Times
Lauren Jobe had the experience to open her own marketing and branding business, but it was her Christian faith that directed her to do it.
That’s why Jobe now owns and operates Salt N Light Design, which also is a nod to her faith as salt and light come from the words of Jesus in the New Testament in Matthew 5:13-16.
“I believe salt was meant to enhance and light was meant to shine (Matthew 5:13-16) – and that’s exactly what great design should do,” Jobe wrote in a July 28 Instagram post, announcing the launch of her home-based business.
She also used that post to clarify her targeted customers, writing, “After some praying and creating, I’m officially launching Salt N Light Design – a marketing and branding studio designed to serve entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits and ministries with clarity, creativity and purpose.”
Jobe stands next to a sign at her home, where she now operates Salt N Light Design. She wants her clients to know marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, nor overwhelming. “I can help, even if it’s just something small,” she said.
Jobe said during an interview she has 15 to 20 years of experience, the most recent as marketing director at Bray & Co., and she’s “kind of done it all and seen it all. And for probably the past few years I’ve been told to start my business, and I thought that was the craziest thing ever.”
The idea was less crazy, though, after a car crashed into Bray’s property-management building in the 600 block of North Avenue on Oct. 5, 2023. Three people were injured and taken to the hospital, where one died. Jobe said she witnessed the crash from her office and found the woman who eventually died.
Jobe continued to work at the Bray building for a while, but eventually she had to walk away.
“I didn’t think I was experiencing PTSD until a few months later, and then I realized going back to the scene of the accident every day, I didn’t realize how much that was affecting me,” Jobe said. “It was very hard for me to leave Bray, because I love that company so much. I loved my job. I loved what I did, but I just wasn’t the same after the accident ... I just feel like I maybe wasn’t the right person for the job anymore.”
pot. And maybe for a specific company or their purpose, that’s not where the marketing efforts need to lie. So, for me, it’s: Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. It just needs to be rooted and purposeful.”
Jobe said she meets with clients to determine the business’s strengths, its foundation, and start with that.
And that may mean starting small and not letting marketing overwhelm people, “because at the end of the day, they’re just trying to run their business the best that they can and serve their clients in the best way that they can. … I want to help people marketing their business, especially those that don’t know where to start or feel overwhelmed by things. I just wanna be that source of help for them.”
Plans
As she pondered what to do next, friends told her she should start her own business, and eventually through prayer and contemplation, she determined they were right.
Lauren Jobe sits at her desk at home, where her new marketing and branding business, Salt N Light Design, is based. She’s flying solo to start, but Jobe said eventually she would love to be able to grow and expand the business to where there is a location other than home, and she can hire employees “as long as our missions align in terms of keeping marketing simple and not complicated and not trying to sell companies on things that maybe you don’t need.”
“My faith is very important to me, and it’s what led me here,” she said.
She said she also thought, ‘Well, I’ve done crazier stuff before, so this kind of feels in line with everything,’” and, “Starting my own business, while I think it’s not for the feint of heart and not easy to do, I think it was the best decision for me and my family.”
It’s also work she’s familiar with, and she thinks her approach will make sense to the people who give Salt N Light Design a try.
“I feel like my sort of bread and butter is small businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofit, where maybe they don’t necessarily have the manpower to hire a marketing team, but they know they need to market, and they’re not sure where to start,” Jobe said.
Some marketing firms
MORE ABOUT SALT N LIGHT DESIGN
Salt N Light Design is a home-based, marketing and branding firm owned and operated by Lauren Jobe.
For more information, go online to www.saltnlightdesign.com or find the business on Instagram at saltnlightdesign.
To contact Jobe, call 970-812-3548 or email saltnlightdesign970@ gmail.com.
In addition to serving as marketing director for Bray & Co. in recent years, Jobe said her previous work includes being editor-in-chief for The RE/MAX Collection Magazine for several years, and she worked for a marketing firm in San Diego and did custom marketing and branding projects.
WHAT SHE CAN DO FOR YOU
Jobe’s sales pitch goes like this: “With over 15 years of experience in the industry, I’ve seen how complicated marketing can be – especially when you’re wearing all the hats. That’s why I created Salt N Light Design: to offer clear, purpose-driven solutions that amplify your message and let your light shine.
“Inspired by Matthew 5:13–16, I believe that salt enhances and light illuminates – and so should your brand. Whether you need a new logo, printed materials or a full branding refresh, I’m here to walk alongside you and bring clarity to your vision.”
And for what Salt N Light Design offers, Jobe lists custom branding and logo design, be it: print materials (flyers, brochures, business cards, etc.); and project-based support with “no confusing retainers, just simple solutions.”
She adds, “Whether you’re launching something new, need help with a project, or simply need a fresh look, I’d love to hear your story and help you shine.”
Lauren
Photo courtesy of Lauren Jobe, Salt N Light Design.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Jobe, Salt N Light Design.
An Xcel on natural electrification,
PUC weighs Xcel investment plan
Plans call for Colorado to shut down coal plants, reduce reliance on natural gas
Continued from Page 1
Commissioners weighed the state’s clean-energy goals against concerns about affordability and the risk of overbuilding.
Transition: Coal out, natural gas reduced
The state’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap 2.0 outlines how Colorado will attempt to reach a 65 percent emissions cut by 2035, 75 percent by 2040, 90 percent by 2045, and full net-zero by 2050, according to the Colorado Energy Office (updated February 2023).
That roadmap includes the retirement of all coal-fired generation by 2031 and an aggressive buildout of renewable energy and transmission lines.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (July 2023) and the Colorado Just Transition Office annual report, the Hayden and Craig coal plants will close in 2028. Pueblo’s Comanche 3 unit will shut down no later than 2031. Other coal retirements will eliminate roughly 2,500 megawatts of capacity statewide by the end of the decade.
The PUC hearing
In the Department of Regulatory Agencies’ Public Hearing Room A, commissioners discussed Xcel’s proposal.
Xcel points to what it calls a “once-ina-century” surge in electricity demand from electric vehicles, building electrification and industrial users.
Commissioner Megan Gilman focused on increasing the use of load management. She emphasized the role of managed loads, programs that coordinate when electricity is used, especially for high-demand applications like EV charging, as a way to reduce the need for much of the costly new infrastructure.
“The whole game is being far more ambitious about how controllable those
MORE ABOUT PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
Why the PUC Has Authority
According to CRS 40-3102, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has “full power of supervision, regulation and control” over investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy.
Under CRS 40-5-101, utilities must obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity before building or expanding facilities. This gives the PUC authority to approve, reject or modify those plans, including setting spending limits.
How Commissioners Are Chosen
Under CRS 40-2-101, the three commissioners are appointed by the governor with state senate’s consent, with no more than two from the same political party. All current commissioners were appointed by Gov. Jared Polis.
loads are and how proactively we go after that,” Gilman said.
After building is done Xcel will come back to the PUC and discuss the final costs and rates.
PUC Chairman Eric Blank voiced concerns about overbuilding, saying, “If the company goes forward and builds billions of dollars in new generation, and the projected electricity demand from things like data centers doesn’t appear … customers … are likely to be paying high rates” compared with neighboring states.
See XCEL on Page 6
An Xcel Energy electric meter. As Colorado phases out coal and reduces reliance on natural gas, electricity demand is also expected to grow sharply from home electrification, EV charging and large-scale projects such as data centers.
Continued from Page 2
High Call Volume and Staffing Challenges
Clifton Fire responded to roughly 4,400 calls in 2023, with nearly nine out of 10 being medical emergencies, according to district call logs. The district runs two fully staffed ambulances daily and is working toward adding a third during peak hours, along with an engine crew that also covers aerial apparatus and brush-truck duties.
Currently, the station is unable to help much with wildfires in the area.
“We have 21 full-time line employees split across three shifts, which is seven per shift,” Cherveny said. “I have to be really careful about how I manage those people. A new station would mean more staffing, better distribution of resources and the ability to form a dedicated wildland fire team.”
He said career staff frequently cover calls when volunteers are unavailable, further underscoring the need for consistent, fully staffed crews.
“Our people step in and handle those calls when volunteers can’t respond,” he said.
Cherveny said the sales tax would allow Clifton Fire to create a separate wildland team that could respond locally and statewide without reducing local coverage. Deployment costs and backfill would be reimbursed by the hosting agency or state.
The Sales Tax Proposal
If approved, Clifton’s 1 percent sales tax would apply only within the district and is expected to raise about $2.5 million annually, according to district budget projections.
Clifton’s current combined sales tax rate is 5.27 percent. With the increase, Clifton’s total sales tax rate would remain below that of Grand Junction (8.66 percent) and Palisade (7.27 percent), based on Colorado Department of Revenue tax rate tables.
Next Steps
The proposal is still in the planning phase, and the district board is expected to finalize ballot language in the coming months. Voters inside the Clifton Fire Protection District would then decide whether to approve the tax.
“It will be a challenge for us if we don’t get this initiative,” Cherveny said. “We wouldn’t be able to provide the second station, and we’d still have those longer emergency response times in that area. Clifton is growing, and we want to make sure our services grow with it.”
According to cliftonfire.com, Clifton Fire is a Colorado Title 32 Special District and is managed by a board of directors elected from the property owners within the Clifton Fire District. Board meetings take place once a month, at 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month, at the Clifton Fire District Station. The voters of the District voted to implement an 11.552 mill levy in 2017.
Xcel
Continued from Page 5
In its Dec. 19, 2024, news release, Xcel said deferring projects until demand is fully realized could lead to “construction delays, cost escalation and missed opportunities” to meet economic development needs. Economic concerns
According to a CBS News Colorado report (Jan. 28, 2025), municipal officials and business leaders told the PUC that failing to approve Xcel’s proposed expansion could slow economic growth, make it harder to attract new businesses and jeopardize existing employers who depend on reliable power. They argued the state’s push for electrification covering homes, vehicles and industries requires significant infrastructure investment to avoid service delays or capacity shortages that could deter large projects from locating in Colorado.
In the report, Heigh Williams, the executive director of the Metro Mayors Caucus, said, “I did have a couple of mayors who said, ‘Look, we have projects ready to go, but Xcel can’t power these projects right now, because we don’t have the electrical capacity to do that.’”
Large loads and reliability risks
A sticking point in the hearing was whether to include unconfirmed large loads, such as proposed data centers, in Xcel’s official demand forecast. Commissioners warned if those projects do not materialize, customers could be left paying for unused infrastructure. Blank added high electricity costs could undermine the state’s climate policies.
“If electricity costs are higher than appear to other state priorities… the state’s emissions goals become harder to achieve.”
No decision was made at the hearing. The next weekly meeting will be Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 9 a.m.
The commission accepts in-person and virtual public comment during the second weekly meeting of the month (i.e., the second Wednesday). The PUC holds formal meetings at 9 a.m. every Wednesday of the month, except for holidays.
Clifton Fire Protection District’s Engine 21 is on scene at a nighttime fire, with flames visible in the background. Photo courtesy of Clifton Fire Protection District.
Moving the needles
Acupuncture Solutions relocated to a smaller office in Foresight Circle to save on expenses
Tim Harty The Business Times
Ryan Powell’s workday schedule is full, morning to night, each day as the sole practitioner at Acupuncture Solutions. That’s why he hasn’t been taking referrals since moving his business to 2505 Foresight Circle, Unit D, last month.
So, life’s good, right?
Well, that’s where he’d like to clear up a little misconception that he says a lot of people have about acupuncturists. Powell maintains most acupuncturists in Grand Junction – and there aren’t that many, maybe seven, he guessed – aren’t as busy as he is. Some probably are part-time and work another job to make ends meet.
Or, to put it another way, he said, “I think a lot of people think that I am just getting wealthy and probably have a helicopter and I’m jetsetting to the Virgin Islands on the weekends, and that is not the case at all. It is very marginal.”
Hence, the move from his prior location, which was 800 square feet and had five rooms, to his current location, which is one room, maybe 80 square feet.
Powell said his rent was about to go up, so he got out and now resides in his room inside the office space of chiropractor Dr. John Adams.
“I moved to save on my costs, so I can pass that along to my customers, quite
Acupuncturist Ryan Powell, shown with the machine he uses for guided Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy, offers guided PEMF in addition to acupuncture, often doing both for a client during an hour-long treatment. Photo by Tim Harty.
honestly,” he said, adding he charges $115 for a first visit and $90 for a follow-up visit, and that’s for an hour of treatment.
Powell acknowledges he probably should charge more, but in Colorado most people’s insurance won’t cover true acupuncturists who went $145,000 in debt to go to school to be able to practice Chinese medicine. Instead, he said, what gets covered by insurance is a dryneedling session with a chiropractor or physical therapist or some such, who took a two-day class and got a certificate that allows them to do what the state says passes for acupuncture.
See NEEDLES on Page 10
Q2 for Mesa County sees higher unemployment
Mesa County unemployment was higher year over year for the second quarter.
That was one of three items headlining the August 2025 Mesa County Economic Update, which Colorado Mesa University’s Davis School of Business released Aug. 12.
The economic update’s data is compiled and analyzed quarterly by CMU economics professor Nathan Perry, and the August 2025 update includes data from the recently completed second quarter.
Perry listed the primary highlights as: the county’s rise in unemployment; continued gains in healthcare jobs; and the absence to date of tariff-induced inflation.
Expounding on the unemployment, Perry said, “Mesa County unemployment continues to rise, estimated at 3,757, which is 237 more people unemployed than the same time last year. This can be seen in the quarterly unemployment rate, with Mesa County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate coming in at 4.9 percent compared to Colorado (4.8 percent) and the U.S. (4.2 percent).”
A few other items singled out in the report’s Local Economic Indicators section are:
• Mesa County sales taxes are up slightly through May at 0.51 percent, while Grand Junction sales taxes have fallen by 0.5 percent.
• New business-entity filings are at 1,940 through July, on pace to surpass the 2,410 number in 2024.
• Grand Junction Regional Airport enplanements rose by 4.05 percent, with Q1 2025 enplanements at 66,144.
In the report’s Mesa County Industry Trends section, Perry said recent Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data “shows a strong trend in healthcare job gains. Healthcare has added the most jobs of any industry in Mesa County over the last few years.”
The QCEW data is from the fourth quarter of 2024 and shows job and wage gains compared to 2023’s fourth quarter. Healthcare gained 794 jobs, and Perry said the sector has seen a steady trend of employment growth after falling during COVID-19. Public administration (305 jobs) and transportation and warehousing (201) also saw large gains.
The biggest job losses were in manufacturing with 180 fewer, and finance and insurance with minus-128.
The largest wage contributor to Mesa County for 2024’s fourth quarter was healthcare at $240,904,338.
Perry’s tariffs analysis, as of Aug. 7, is: “Reciprocal tariffs have been imposed that are intended to reshape global trade imbalances and generate tariff income. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the current average effective tariff rate is now 18.3 percent, which is the highest since 1934. Thus far, the gloomy inflation predictions from many economists have not played out. However, it will take several months for the full inflationary impact of tariffs to be known.”
To view the complete report, go online to: www.coloradomesa.edu/business/ documents/mesa-county-economic-newsletter-august-2025.pdf.
Nathan Perry
Needles
Continued from page 7
To be clear, Powell does not deem those certificate-holders acupuncturists, and the hypocrisy gnaws at him and costs him what would be more lucrative business.
Meanwhile, for Powell to get clients, he needs to charge rates that people are willing to pay out of pocket.
His small room won’t impress anyone, but it is all Powell needs to provide his clients with the benefits of acupuncture. Most of them seek pain relief, and Powell said 90 to 95 percent of them get exactly that from the needles he expertly places on their bodies.
Or from the guided PEMF. That’s Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field therapy administered by Powell via a machine that he said cost $28,000. He claims there are only 300 of them in the world, and one of them belongs to an acupuncturist in Aspen who charges $385 per hour to administer guided PEMF.
“I literally purchased that and did not raise my rates at all,” Powell said. “I’m providing probably 20 or 25 minutes of the PEMF treatment, and then I’m doing an acupuncture on top of that. And then no, I did not charge anymore for that, which I think is a great thing. I probably should (charge more), to be honest with you, but nobody on the planet right now says, ‘I need some PEMF,’ and so introducing this to people and getting a little buzz around it has been a huge thing.”
Many of his clients get the needles and the PEMF, “so I’m helping people at a much
deeper level.”
Powell said he probably has more customers with lower-back pain and hip pain than anything else, but acupuncture can help people in many other ways.
“In addition to musculoskeletal – back, neck, shoulder pain – acupuncture, what I do in particular is extremely good for insomnia, stress and depression, too. I don’t think people think about it for that kind of thing,” he said. “I’d say for stress management and insomnia, acupuncture and PEMF can be very, very supportive.
“And in all fairness, most of us are stressed, and I’m not going to change the rest of your life, but what I can do is help you deal with it better when you get out there. So I may not change the nature of the ocean, but I can make you a stronger ship.”
Powell added one more example of acupuncture’s benefits: fertility.
And he had a perfect anecdote, thanks to his former mother-in-law. Powell said she had endometriosis and was told by doctors, “You’ll never be able to carry a pregnancy.” Yet, Powell said, “She found an acupuncturist in 1972, got treatment for three to six months, and carried my ex-wife.”
His former mother-in-law also was the first to suggest acupuncture as a profession to Powell, who got an environmental science degree from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, then learned there wasn’t any demand for people holding such a degree.
He eventually went back to school to become an acupuncturist and has been a practitioner for 19 years. Powell said he moved to Grand Junction in 2016 because the math suggested it was the right thing to do.
“There were 45 or so acupuncturists in Longmont, Colorado,” he said. “That’s about the same size population as the (Grand) Valley, if you count Fruita all the way to Palisade. There were four (in Grand Junction) when I moved here.”
Powell also believes more people are warming to the idea of using Chinese medicine and acupuncture.
“Overall,” he said, “I think that the knowledge of Chinese medicine, I think people are getting to the point to where they realize that surgery and drugs are not the answer to every single thing on the planet. So, I think there’s a big market for it.”
The problem again is insurance. People want to be able to use their insurance for acupuncture, he said, but that doesn’t get them a trained acupuncturist in Colorado. He knows when he complains it is to no avail, so he will continue to do what he’s been doing for nearly 10 years in the Grand Valley. And that’s OK. At age 51 he’s forsaken the idea of ever being rich. That was never his goal anyway.
“My joy comes from underpromising and overdelivering. It really is true,” Powell said. “I mean, the vast majority of the people that get to come in here are pretty blown away, and that’s because they feel different.”
F
The Business Times
609 North Ave., Suite 5 Grand Junction, CO 81501 (970) 424-5133
Small changes in exercise can make a big difference
Change by definition means to “make something different.”
Paula Reece
Change is not easily accepted by many people. We all like the idea of being comfortable and staying within the confines of the familiar. So, how do we make changes when they are to better our lives?
Breaking it down into small steps to achieve, change or address something is much easier and more successful than trying to make major changes. This theory applies to so many things in life. The same holds true for health and fitness. Instead of making huge changes, think of it as enhancing your daily routine with small changes that you can live with.
Let us discuss how to go about making those small changes through exercise and activity:
• Get in your cardio.
It is recommended to get in 150 minutes per week. You can break that down, so it becomes do-able with 30 minutes of cardio, five times a week.
• If you are short on time, try Tabata training.
Tabata training is a form of high-intensity interval training and is a great calorie burner. A traditional Tabata session is only four minutes long.
For example, you could perform a Tabata session on an elliptical trainer. You go for 20 seconds at your maximum and recover for 10 seconds. You repeat this session eight times. This is a small change but can yield big results. Try it for one of your cardio workouts this week.
• Include strength training in your fitness routine.
The stronger your muscles, the easier it is to do many of your daily activities. A big plus for weight training is that it increases your metabolic rate and causes the body to burn more calories throughout the day.
Try adding an extra day of strength training. Shoot for two or three days a week. When selecting a weight, it should be heavy enough that you feel the muscle working, but light enough that you can do 12-15 repetitions. Continue to challenge yourself by adding
a little more weight or repetitions as you get stronger.
• Do not forget the flexibility piece.
By keeping your muscles long and lean, you are improving your range of motion, as well as your posture. Try daily stretching. A little change could mean you stand up from your work chair and reach up high to the sky.
• Make a conscious effort to get in just a little more activity.
For example, park a little farther away from work or the store. Try to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Put on your tennis shoes and go for a walk at lunch time rather than going out for a high-calorie lunch.
• Measure your workout.
Not only measure your workout in minutes, but also in exertion. Wear a heart-rate monitor. Figure out your target heart rate, and this will help you to reach your goals. Sometimes you may feel you are working hard, when actually you may not be. Utilize your workout time for maximum benefit.
Take the big picture of exercise and break it down into smaller parts. Ask yourself which of these tips could work for you. These tips are a few ways you can easily apply to make small changes in your exercise routine.
By making small changes, you will be amazed at how big the results can be.
Keep Life Fun!
FPaula and Dale Reece own Crossroads Fitness Centers in Grand Junction with a downtown location at 225 N. Fifth St. and north location at 2768 Compass Drive. For more information, call (970) 242-8746 or visit the website crossroadsfitness.com.
It’s time the University of Michigan athletics left the NCAA
And here you thought I would be writing something about our out-of-control government agencies once again. If you hang around to the end, you’ll see that is exactly what I am doing.
Well, about quasi-government agencies as an analogy, that is. Of which technically, there really are none. See folks, with government, it’s like the Mafia; once you’re in, you’re never out. And without a doubt, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) fits a quasigovernment agency (along with the power, money and abuses which come with them) to a T.
Not sure how well I can do this, but it’s my column and if you know me even a little bit, you know I write about what’s on my mind when I wake up on deadline day.
More background on me. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows this: I am an unapologetic fan, rooter and sycophant of all things University of Michigan (UM) sports. Yes, I will literally watch any UM sport, at any time, no matter which team it is. YES, that includes field hockey, gymnastics, swimming and (OMG!) even soccer!
Now before all you CU Buff fans start in with your whole, “Hey Craig, remember that one play that one time CU got lucky on a tipped ball and went on to win the national championship?” as some kind of special moment in CU sports history, remember this. Your greatest moment, like the greatest moments of all so many ne’er do well, second-level college programs, you needed UM to even have the moment. Also note, we beat your team the year we won a national championship back in 1997.
And we would have beaten Nebraska as well in the “greatest game never played” just to get that out of the way before Husker U starts chiming in.
But I digress.
So, naturally, as I was wondering which direction to take this week’s column and really wasn’t feeling “it” about any topic one way or another, something came up. And thanks to the NCAA and its overzealous persecution/prosecution of UM football, I was handed one on a silver platter. Along with a few (I think) great analogies.
So here we go.
There are two main reasons the NCAA went after Michigan football. First, its coach, Jim Harbaugh was a huge advocate of paying NCAA athletes across the spectrum, no matter what sport the athlete was involved in at their chosen university. And let’s be honest, the NCAA can have none of that as it takes away from confiscating revenues from the big-time college sports players (think UM, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame in football or Duke, Kentucky or UM – again, oddly – in basketball) the
way politicians seek to make “the rich pay their fair share.” Yes, I went there.
Truth is, the rich never pay their fair share – they overpay an unfair share – every time. And college athletics are no different. Also, as long as I’m down the rabbit hole, this makes the NCAA view UM as Trump, because Harbaugh’s idea was about freedom, the athletes and fairness (I’ll view some of your views on Trump the same way I view your views on CU Football) for ALL athletes in the same way.
So what does the NCAA do? Makes up some “violations” involving a cheeseburger and a few texts outside of “covid communication guidelines” like the Southern District of New York made up a new value for Mar-a-Lago and how a loan satisfied and paid in full was somehow fraud.
Which leads us to reason Number 2. Conner Stalions and how he never broke a rule in obtaining and deciphering signals better than anyone in NCAA history, helping UM win after the NCAA determined it was going to get Michigan at all costs. And apparently today, the all-costs margin call is in. The cost? I hear $20 million in fines and suspensions for Harbaugh and Stalions even though they are out of college football.
The real cost? The NCAA has shown it will abuse its authority (some might say weaponize) to go after who and what it wants (or opponents want) at any time. This whole UM fiasco took three years, and the NCAA provided no more proof than it had on Day 1 when the “story” broke.
For that, Michigan should do two things: withdraw its membership in the NCAA and stop paying its tribute. But that would require the backing of the two major parties (see what I’m doing here?) that make up the power of the NCAA (federal government), known as the Big Ten (B1G) and Southeastern Conferences (SEC), hereby identified as our Republican and democrat parties for obvious reasons.
And yes, I realize the SEC are the Republicans and the B1G are the democrats.
But neither analogy makes them good. Because they both need (either individually, as a group or collectively) the NCAA to enforce their ways against whoever the next chosen victim is. And folks, it will always be the one out of line with (your organization here) think – like President Trump. After all, he’s been attacked by both sides since he came down the escalator in 2015.
But no quasi-government agency will bite the hand that feeds it. It will never walk away from the trough. It’s why I will always speak truth to power. It happens everywhere.
In Truth and freedom.
FCraig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at (970) 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.
Craig Hall
n Grand Valley Power elects 3 new directors
Kyle Coltrinari, Gary De Young and Andrew Golike were elected to the board of directors of Grand Valley Power, an electric cooperative serving more than 16,500 members in Mesa County and surrounding areas.
Coltrinari and De Young ran as incumbents and will take their seats along with Golike at the Aug. 20 monthly board meeting. Each will serve a three-year term and join the six other sitting directors on the cooperative’s board.
Local CPA firm Chadwick, Steinkirchner, Davis & Co., P.C., tabulated the ballots under the supervision of the Grand Valley Power Election Supervisory Committee. The final vote count was: Coltrinari 1,658 votes; Golike, 1,521 votes; De Young, 1,251 votes; and Michael Shideler, 1,119 votes.
Visit the Grand Valley Power website for more information about the election procedure and results at gvp.org/director-election.
n Stuff the Bus provides supplies to D51 students
Each year, School District 51, the District 51 Foundation, Mesa Mall, Townsquare Media and additional sponsors partner to put on Stuff the Bus. This year’s Stuff the Bus school-supply drive gathered enough school supplies from the community to pack 60 boxes (and counting) to send to District 51 elementary and middle schools.
The supplies will be given to students in need, while supplies last.
The annual fundraiser also gathers monetary donations for District 51 high schools, who use the funding to purchase supplies specifically for high school students, who have a unique set of needs for a wide variety of classes. This year, $6,800 was raised, marking the largest total monetary donation in the history of the program.
Each high school will be receiving $1,360, which will be used to purchase supplies specific to high school students. Major donors included Community Hospital’s Grand Valley Pediatrics, the D51 Foundation, the Credit Union of Colorado and Veritas Law.
“Stuff the Bus is about more than school supplies. It is about showing our students that their community believes in them. Townsquare Media extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered or helped spread the word. Together, we have made a meaningful difference for our local students and educators,” said Natalie Redding, digital solutions director of Townsquare Media.
n Community Hospital adds new post-mastectomy breastreconstruction option
Dr. Stacy Henderson, a plastic and microvascular surgeon with Community Hospital’s Grand Valley Plastic Surgery, is one of the first plastic surgeons in the country to offer the new FDA-approved MENTOR MemoryGel Enhance breast implants, Community Hospital said in a news release.
It is the first and only implant line specifically designed for women with larger breasts following mastectomy, the news release said. The availability of this implant line expands access to inclusive and more personalized reconstruction options for patients post-mastectomy.
“For patients who have had a mastectomy and have a larger body frame or naturally larger breasts, the reconstruction options have been limited until now,” Henderson said. “We are honored to be among the first in the country to offer this innovation, helping more women feel like themselves again after breast cancer.”
More than 246,000 women undergo a mastectomy each year as part of breast cancer
treatment or prevention, with many looking to pursue implant-based reconstruction to rebuild their breasts, the news release said. Until now, an estimated 15 percent of them have lacked access to implant sizes that match their anatomy. Previously, 800 cubic centimeters was the largest implant size available, making it difficult for patients with larger body frames or extensive tissue removal to achieve proportional results and leading to lower reconstruction rates.
The MENTOR MemoryGel Enhance product family addresses this gap by offering volumes ranging from 930 cc to 1,445 cc, providing more women the ability to achieve reconstruction outcomes aligned with their bodies and aesthetic goals.
MENTOR MemoryGel Enhance breast implants received FDA approval for primary and revision reconstruction in November 2024.
For more information about cosmetic or reconstructive procedures, contact Grand Valley Plastic Surgery at 970-644-4430 or visit YourCommunityHospital.com to schedule a consultation.
n REC programming comes to Taylor Elementary
Riverside Education Centers announced its programming will be used this school year in Taylor Elementary School.
Riverside Education Centers said in a news release the expansion comes in response to the recent consolidation of Nisley and Clifton Elementary Schools, which has led to a significant number of students transitioning to new schools this fall.
“REC is thrilled to bring our programming to Taylor,” said Jack Curry, executive director of Riverside Education Centers. “With the opening of Taylor Elementary, we have the opportunity to help support a smooth transition for students and their families.
“Thanks to the incredible support of the Women’s Giving Club, we’re able to open earlier than anticipated. REC is also grateful for continued funding from the Colorado Academic Accelerator Program and the Nonprofit Out-of-School Time Grant Program, which enable us and partners to expand services at all five Clifton area receiving schools.”
Taylor Elementary’s REC program will be Tuesday-Friday, starting in late September. Programs are conducted in English and Spanish, designed to support academic achievement, social-emotional learning and personal development, the news release said.
In addition to tutoring, students participate in enrichment activities that include outdoor education, creative arts and skill-building workshops, and they receive a nutritious, meal-sized snack.
Transportation home is available from most REC sites, including Taylor Elementary.
n July real estate sales drop 10 percent year over year
July 2025’s 262 residential real estate sales in Mesa County were down 10 percent compared to July 2024, while active listings were 44 percent higher year over year for July with 781, according to data gathered by Bray & Co. Real Estate.
The active listings increased by 47 from June.
July’s median price of $435,750 was up 9 percent year over year, while the average of 59 days on the market was 7 days more than July 2024.
Sellers also received an average of 98.4 percent of the list price, compared to 98.2 percent the previous July.
Year-to-date figures through July reflect growth over 2024 numbers. So far in 2025, units sold have increased by 6.3 percent, rising from 1,605 to 1,706, while total sales volume has increased 12.7 percent, with a total of $808.5 million compared to $717.2 million in 2024.
The most popular price range for residential sales is $300,000 to $399,000 with 495 sales year to date (as of July 31), followed by 374 sales in the $500,000–$749,000 range, 327 sales in the $400,000–$499,000 range and 222 sales in the $200,000-$299,000 range.
Through July 31, the most popular area to buy is North Grand Junction with 243 sales, followed by Grand Junction City at 235, Northeast Grand Junction at 224, Southeast Grand Junction at 178 and Fruita at 167. Orchard Mesa has 165 sales so far in 2025, while Redlands has 162, Clifton has 123, and Loma/Mack/Northwest/West has 97.
Single-family building permits are up 4 percent year-to-date at 410, compared with 395 a year ago.
Months of inventory currently sit at 3.0 months.
The Redlands currently has the most active listings with 103, followed by North Grand Junction with 101.
