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Tag: The Grand Junction Economic Partnership

MotoMinded Relocates to Mesa County

MotoMinded LLC, a small but efficient company with a passion for imaging, designing, and producing quality products for motorcycles, has announced its relocation from Colorado Springs to Mesa County.

MotoMinded specializes in manufacturing LED lighting and mounts for motorcycles. The company utilizes several advanced manufacturing techniques to produce products in-house along with outsourced billet CNC vendors. Their current capabilities include additive manufacturing, laser cutting and etching, and CNC routing. They are committed to sourcing as many materials as possible from U.S.-based suppliers and manufacturers and emphasize trail advocacy with donations to the Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance.

Chis Vestal, owner of MotoMinded, stated, “We chose Mesa County for several reasons. The most important reason is a better quality of life for us and our employees. Outside the shop we love to ride our bicycles and motorcycles, hike and look forward to getting into water recreation on the Colorado River. The local outdoor recreation economy has grown to a point we feel can support us and we look forward to getting involved and help to grow it further.”

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MotoMinded has been working closely with the Grand Junction Economic Partnership throughout the process of relocating to Mesa County. Curtis Englehart, GJEP Executive Director stated, “We are very excited to announce the relocation of MotoMinded to the Grand Junction area! MotoMinded is a very impressive outdoor recreation manufacturing company that has a lot of potential to thrive in their new home. This relocation is a great example of GJEP’s vision to help create a strong and diverse economy in Mesa County.”

MotoMinded is working through the process of renovating its facility and will be utilizing the Enterprise Zone tax credit incentive gaining them incentives for job creation, employee training, and expenditures on capital investment.

As MotoMinded moves its operations to Mesa County, they plan to hire several positions. Currently, MotoMinded is seeking a full-time Production Operator. This position is responsible for assembling motorcycle accessories, performing quality control, and working closely with leadership on daily operations. For more information on this job posting, please contact [email protected].

 

About the Grand Junction Economic Partnership: The Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) works to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the Grand Junction area by supporting high-impact capital investment and job creation. GJEP is a single stop for businesses looking to relocate or expand in the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita, the Town of Palisade, and surrounding communities of Colorado’s Grand Valley (Mesa County). Operating as a 501(c)3, GJEP offers free services that connect businesses with realtors, developers, the workforce, local leadership, and more. Visit www.gjep.org for more information.

 

Annual Western Colorado Economic Summit Returns in 2022

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) works to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in Colorado’s Grand Valley by supporting high-impact capital investment and job creation.

Expanding business across Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, and surrounding communities, GJEP is the official economic development agency for Mesa County, and continues to inspire business leaders and innovative working solutions.

ColoradoBiz honored GJEP as a Top Company in Nonprofit in 2021, recognizing the company’s drive, determination, visions, and plans that make Colorado a better place to live and work. Entering spring of 2022, GJEP announces the return of the Western Colorado Economic Summit (WCES), held at the Grand Junction Convention Center on Tuesday, April 26. Event Registration is now: Open.

The agenda for 2022, which will be finalized in the coming weeks, is anticipated to bring back many pertinent topics from the last event — including education, workforce development, and attainable housing. It will also touch upon key focus areas derived from the Grand Vision survey, which debuted at the 2021 WCES.

“We feel that it is really important to circle back on many topics that came up in 2021. Not only are we still maneuvering many of these issues six months later, but they also came up as key areas affecting quality of life on the Grand Vision survey,” said Britain Garza, GJEP Community Relations Manager and lead organizer of the WCES.

Garza continued, “The exciting part is that there’s been lots of movement on these issues in our community in this short time frame. We are now seeing opportunity and progress, where in the past we might have had more questions and concerns. We are looking forward to presenting these efforts at WCES.”

The 2021 WCES had nearly 500 attendees, despite being postponed to late September and maneuvering the fall surge in the COVID-19 pandemic. The event moved to the Convention Center for the first time to be able to bring in more guests and support larger breakout sessions.

“Last year’s Summit was postponed due to COVID, yet we had the most successful event to date,” said Steve Jozefczyk, GJEP Interim Director. “We are glad to be able to return to our normal time frame, but also to be back at the Grand Junction Convention Center, where we are able to accommodate for many more attendees.”

In addition to multiple plenary and breakout sessions throughout the day, the event includes GJEP’s annual update and an award ceremony during the luncheon. Two awards will be handed out to an individual and a local company that has had a significant impact on economic development in Western Colorado.

Nominations for the Spirit of Economic Development, sponsored by Charter Communications (business) and the Joseph C. Prinster Leadership Award (individual), are currently being accepted via: email to Britain Garza. The deadline to submit a nomination is end of day March 31.

 

WCES is made possible in large part by its sponsors, including six-time title sponsor Coldwell Banker Commercial Prime Properties/Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit: WCES sponsorship page, for details.

About the Grand Junction Economic Partnership
The Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) works to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the Grand Junction area by supporting high-impact capital investment and job creation. GJEP is a single stop for businesses looking to relocate or expand in the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita, the Town of Palisade and surrounding communities of Colorado’s Grand Valley (Mesa County). Operating as a 501(c)3, GJEP offers free services that connect businesses with realtors, developers, workforce, local leadership and more. Visit: Grand Junction Economic Partnership, for more information.

About WCES
GJEP launched the Western Colorado Economic Summit, WCES, in 2016 as a forum for regional business leaders, policy makers and community leaders to come together to learn about and discuss the key topics impacting the western slope now and in the future. The event also serves as GJEP’s annual meeting and main fundraising event. Visit: Western Colorado Economic Summit, for more information and registration.

French BMX Business Opens U.S. HQ in Western Colorado

Prostart 2 Rider 100% Electric Safety Gate Colorado Mesa Universty Grand Junction
Prostart 2 Rider 100% Electric Safety Gate, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction.
The Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) is pleased to welcome Prostart to Colorado’s Grand Valley.
The French manufacturer of gates and related accessories primarily for Bicycle Motocross (BMX) has selected Grand Junction for its first U.S. office. This will be the second such business in the U.S., and one of only three worldwide – the others are based in Illinois and in the Netherlands.

Prostart will open its office and warehousing space on 25 Road this week, just in advance of the Fall Classic Nationals happening at the Grand Valley BMX this weekend.

Prostart Owner Quentin Grun said he learned about Grand Junction when he sold a timing system for the Cycling Team at Colorado Mesa University four years ago and formed a relationship with Team Director Brian Flaherty.

Quentin initially considered Canada for the North American operations. However, as estimated 80% of Prostart’s sales in North America are in the U.S., he realized it would be easier to operate directly within the states. Preferring mountain locations, Quentin looked at Salt Lake City, Montrose and Denver before settling on Grand Junction.

Owner Quentin Grun At New Prostart Office In Grand Junction Co
Owner Quentin Grun at new Prostart office in Grand Junction, CO.

Quentin was introduced to GJEP Deputy Director Steve Jozefczyk in April of last year.

“I know I can ask anything. It is very transparent and you are just here to help,” Quentin said about the process of working with GJEP. The decision to move to Grand Junction was also aided by the fact that Quentin had the prior connection to CMU and knows several BMX riders who live in the area. There is already a small French contingent here, primarily thanks to the Leitner-Poma U.S. headquarters.

Quentin will officially relocate in the New Year, pending E2 visa approval.  The relocation process was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which hindered the ability to travel from France and make the necessary arrangements. As of today, the company has made at least $100,000 investment in the Grand Valley, required in order for Quentin to apply for the E2 visa, which he anticipates will be approved in December. He will make the move with his wife post-holidays.

Prostart will continue operations in France, serving Europe and international clients, whereas the Grand Junction office will serve the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Quentin estimates he currently has clients in 20 states across the U.S.  and anticipates hiring one local employee in early 2021.