• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Your Source for Local Business News and Information Friend us on Facebook Visit us online at montrosemirror.com Issue No. 67 Sept. 4, 2013 Please Support our Advertisers: The “ACCOMPLISHMENTS” Issue! MONTROSE TO HOST STATEWIDE HOSPITALITY SUMMIT By Caitlin Switzer MONTROSE—He has worked in the hospitality www.montrosecounty.net industry since he was 14 years old, and acquired his own skills—and high standards-- in Europe. Today, the hotel that Guy Mendez manages, Super 8 of Montrose (1705 East Main St.), is consistently rated number one on the Trip Advisor web site. And yet, finding workers willing to meet his exacting stand- www.voa.org ards is an ongoing challenge, Mendez said. “Too many people think that hospitality is an easy job,” he said. “They are not experienced, and just want a pay check. But this is a very complex busi- ness; I trained in France, and I have worked in Paris, New York, Montreal. In Europe most people who work in hotels and restaurants have gone to school to learn, and hold degrees. In this country, we now www.region10.net have good training for restaurant workers and chefs, but in the service industry there is no training at all.” The Western Business Alliance Hospitality Summit Here in Montrose, simply finding employees will- will share skills for success. Pictured is renowned ing to learn can be difficult, he noted. speaker and organizer Sue Hansen of WBA. Continued on page 6 COLLABORATIVE EFFORT www.montroseact.com KEEPS NUCLA MERCANTILE IN THE “REDDS” By Caitlin Switzer NUCLA—When Michael and Kathy Redd pur- chased the home town grocery store in Nucla four years ago, the business had been in foreclosure. www.smpa.com However, the Redd family—longtime locals--knew firsthand how important the grocery store had been to their community, and committed themselves to restoring its health. “The store had been closed for a year, and it was very hard on our community,” Kathy Redd said. “We had to go all the way to Naturita for grocer- ies—it was so far! “We started with nothing,” she said. “We did not even have any working capital. We were just trying www.allpointstransit.org to stay afloat. But we saw a need for it. Our daughter is the bookkeeper, and our family was determined to Journalist Dorothy Wyland Cressler-Melrose-Spindler, keep it going.” who was ten when she first stepped into the Nucla Mer- Today, Redd’s Mercantile (460 Main Street) is cantile, shares this photo of the old store on her web alive and well, and stocking everything from grocer- site, and recalls the experience of walking to the ies to pet supplies. “Merc” on the town’s wooden boardwalks as a child. Continued on page 6 http://www.realestate- in this EAGLE Net Main in Motion Liesl takes a look at Montrose Garlic Rita Clagett opens montrose.com/ issue arrives! photos! Montrose Fresh Fest! Festival Sept. 7! Creamery show! The Montrose Mirror | September 3, 2013 Page 2 TURNER, CROWELL DRAW PRAISE AT EAGLE-NET ROLLOUT the Region 10 League for Economic Assis- tance & Planning for spearheading the effort to bring EAGLE Net to the region. “In many ways this is still the frontier,” Swonger said. “In the past, when a large infrastructure project was completed, you would have a highway or something sig- nificant to show for it…the redundancy that this project brings is equally im- portant. The interstate of information has arrived in Montrose. Now, when someone runs a backhoe and puts a bucket through a cable, another cable can pick things up. “This type of capacity and security of connection is what this business communi- ty needs.” Now, “last mile” providers can tap into the network, eliminating monopolies, he said, noting that EAGLE Net is a sustaina- ble entity that is connecting 170 primary sites. “Now, anyone can access and use this infrastructure for transport,” he said. Lillian Cook of One Track, Sandy Head of MEDC, Patrick Swonger of EAGLE-Net and Dan- Also at the news conference were Danio io Farnese of Elite Broadband celebrate the arrival of EAGLE-Net infrastructure. Farnese of Elite Broadband, the local com- pany has that stepped up to serve rural By Caitlin Switzer Head said at the press conference. “There users after the demise of Stelera Broad- REGIONAL—It was a quiet victory, noted is nobody who will not benefit. This pro- band, and Lillian Cook of One Track Com- in a small press conference at the offices of vides an opportunity to bring a whole other munications, both of whom were important the Montrose Economic Development Cor- “leg” of infrastructure to our region, and to the tech planning team. poration (MEDC) on Aug. 27. And yet, the gives us a competitive edge.” “We want to see our community grow,” news that Montrose, Ridgway and Ouray The project was a public-private initia- Cook said. “Collaboration is what made it are now connected to the statewide EA- tive, and accomplishes “middle-mile” in- happen, and I do appreciate everyone who GLE-Net cooperative network—with frastructure, allowing Internet Service Pro- has been in a fever to get it done!” speeds up to one gigabit or 1,000 megabits viders to tap into the network and encour- In Ouray, the infrastructure will help keep of data capability-- will reverberate aging economic development, she said. For local schools among the state’s finest, said through the region as more and more resi- EAGLE Net, which will now move for- Ouray School District Superintendent dents realize the advantages of expanded ward to Delta, the establishment of the Scott Pankow in the news release. broadband capabilities and critical path middle-mile infrastructure is one more step “As a rural school, we’re very excited to redundancy. in its charge to build a statewide middle- join the EAGLE Net Alliance,” Pankow A Colorado intergovernmental entity, mile network by August of 2013 in accord- said. “We now have broadband services to EAGLE-Net continues its mission to build ance with the $100.6 million Broadband match our goal of remaining at the top ten a sustainable “middle mile” network to Technology Opportunities Program percent of Colorado districts as a center of better connect education, libraries, govern- (BTOP) grant that it received in Sept. of excellence for innovative education.” ment and health care facilities statewide, 2010 from the National Telecommunica- “Technology is where it’s at,” Sandy MEDC noted in a news release. MEDC tions and Information Administration Head said. “There are businesses here that Chair Sandy Head highlighted the positive (NTIA). are connected globally. People want impacts of the EAGLE-Net activation in Both Head and Patrick Swonger of EA- Skype, and they want face time. They want Montrose, Ridgway and Ouray. GLE-Net gave credit to Virgil Turner of to do business. This helps open our doors, “We rode on the wings of EAGLE-Net,” the City of Montrose and Peter Crowell of and expand our capabilities.” No reprints without permission. Post Office Box 3244 Montrose, CO 81402 Editor and Publisher: Caitlin Switzer 970-275-5791 The Montrose Mirror is your source for Creative/Ad Sales: Jon Nelson www.montrosemirror.com local business news and information. [email protected] Advertisement The Montrose Mirror | September 3, 2013 Page 3 REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFS Children’s Badge Program at Montrose Regional Library Wins Library Project of the Year Award Special to the Mirror activity, such as learning the metric system "The Colorado Associations of Libraries MONTROSE—An innovative summer and using it to record heights and weights Awards Committee is pleased to honor children’s program at the Montrose Re- of family members. Montrose Library District’s innovative and gional Library is the winner of the Colora- The program also sought to increase use creative Summer Reading Badge Program do Association of Libraries (CAL) Library of the Library’s juvenile nonfiction sec- with the Library Project of the Year Project of the Year Award. The award tion. The number of books checked out in award," said Currie Meyer, CAL Awards recognizes a creative and visionary project each of the badge categories rose, with Committee Chair. "The committee re- that furthers library service within the state science and technology books increasing ceives dozens of nominations for this and of Colorado. The award will be presented by 66 percent and arts and recreation books nine other awards each year. Every nomi- at the statewide association’s annual con- up by 93 percent. nation reflects the highest quality of work ference in October. Several community members wrote let- in libraries of all kinds across the state. The Library’s children’s department ters in support of the project. Janaun Mel- Choosing one winner from so many quali- launched the “Explore your World Sum- vin wrote, “[A]ny program that inspires fied individuals, projects and libraries is mertime Badge Quest” program in 2012 to children to try new avenues that broaden never an easy task, but always an inspiring involve families in summer activities and their perspectives and brighten their ambi- one." The CAL Awards Committee selects slow the loss of academic skills and tions is a program that deserves a round of winners each year based on nominations knowledge that can occur over summer applause.” Leanne Hogan wrote, “[The submitted by librarians and others in the vacation. Children earn badges in ten cate- program] does an excellent job of fueling a library community. The winners will ac- gories, including “Food & Farming” and child’s desire to learn; the more you read cept their awards at a ceremony at the CAL “Science & Technology,” by reading three about a topic, the more interested you are annual conference on Friday, October 18, books on the subject and completing an in doing further research.” 2013 in Loveland.

Load more

  38

Copy Link