A healthy Grand Junction economy relies on Colorado Mesa University thriving.
That was the consensus from a Wednesday discussion about CMUâs 2021 Regional Impact Study, a biennial report that measures the universityâs growth and economic impact on the community from the previous academic year.
Diane Schwenke, president and CEO of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, and Robin Brown, executive director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, joined CMU President Tim Foster for a livestream presentation.
According to the 27-page study, CMU contributed about $539 million in direct and indirect spending to the local economy.
âYouâre talking about over half a billion dollars of impact in Mesa County,â Schwenke said.
Press release content from Globe Newswire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
One-of-a-Kind Bike Rack Takes Off in Colorado’s Grand Valley
Grand Junction Economic PartnershipJanuary 22, 2021 GMT
Grand Junction, CO, Jan. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Last week, QuikRStuff welcomed new, automated CNC machines to its production facility in Grand Junction, Colorado, kick-starting a much-awaited second run for the fast-growing manufacturing startup. The expansion was made possible thanks to a successful fundraising round that included a $150,000 Advanced Industries Accelerator (AI) Grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. QuikRStuff was the only company outside Colorado’s urban I-25 corridor among 37 AI grant recipients in November 2020.
Grand Junctionâs riverfront saw a lot of activity and development this year with construction projects at both Las Colonias Park and Dos Rios.
In May, a new river park amenity opened in Las Colonias that saw extensive use throughout the summer. The river park focused on providing an accessible experience for users.
âThere are a lot of whitewater parks in Colorado,â Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Director Ken Sherbenou said at the time. âThose parks really cater to a higher-end kayaker. Most people are kind of sidelined into being a spectator and watch those higher-end kayakers do their rolls and stand-up paddle boards do surfing on waves. Ours is really designed to be really accessible.â
Internet access in the Grand Junction area used to be slow and unreliable at peak usage times.
But in recent years, that has changed for the better. That has made jobs easier for companies such as Kaart, a GPS mapping company.
âWeâve never really had an issue with internet access or speed,â said Aaron Young, CEO of Kaart, at 750 Main St.. âOnce you get to the outskirts of the valley, it gets spotty. But itâs fine within the city.â
Kaart was founded in 2013, and Young couldnât think of any issues since then.
To Colter Lovette, founder and president of 32Waves, a computer support company at 750 Main St., thatâs no coincidence.
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