Regional Growth Through Talent Attraction, Cultivation, and Retention

By Selena Sanchez, Director of Strategic Engagement for the Grand Junction Economic Partnership

(Originally published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, August 15, 2026)

At its heart, economic development should focus on empowering people and elevating the place we call home. Over the past year, we have been leaning into the theme of “Built on Solid Ground” as we embrace our community’s next chapter.  The foundation of this valley has always required resilience, determination, and deeply rooted collaboration, driven by a legacy of passionate individuals courageous enough to rewrite our story.  

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership’s (GJEP) primary mission is to enhance the economic vitality of Mesa County through strategic business attraction and expansion efforts that diversify our industry base, create new primary jobs, and expand capital investment. As our organization works to proactively grow emerging industry sectors, specialized labor availability is a strong consideration for companies exploring sites for relocation and expansion.  

Many companies won’t move beyond initial research if there is uncertainty about a location’s available workforce pipeline. Workforce development and economic development are deeply intertwined, and as our community grows these target industry sectors, talent attraction, retention, and cultivation will become an even more important component of Mesa County’s overall economic strategy.  

Talent Is The Tipping Point: Driving Growth in Grand Junction, CO

Colorado is seeing demographic shifts, including declining birth rates, an aging population, and slower net migration than in past decades. These factors are putting pressure on workforce availability statewide, making employee attraction and retention increasingly difficult, particularly in specialized or high-level roles.

For our region to recruit and retain the talent needed to support growth in emerging industries, we must ensure that Mesa County is attractive to key workforce demographics. Compared to the rest of the state, Mesa County is home to a large 65+ population, skewing the county’s median age to 41.3 versus 38.0 statewide (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024). While our community features a large retiree population, this data doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story regarding Mesa County’s local talent pool. Through the presence of Colorado Mesa University and CMU Tech, alongside partnerships with School District 51, the Grand Junction MSA is already implementing core infrastructure that bolsters job seeker readiness and the development of the next generation.

Beyond workforce availability, site selectors and companies considering communities want to know if a region’s talent pipeline is adaptable. This is why partnerships between educational institutions, businesses, workforce partners, and economic development are crucial. Particularly as we look at emerging industries and the integration of new technology, finding ways to support upskilling, technical certifications, and on-the-job training opportunities supports near-term growth while investing in employment readiness initiatives at the K-12 level aligned with growing sectors ensures our area can remain competitive.

Addressing The Reality For Today’s Top Talent

The presence of a young, skilled labor pool offers a forecast of the region’s long-term potential. When we consider our community’s narrative, Mesa County offers several compelling value propositions for both emerging and specialized talent. The region offers a strong healthcare system led by partners including Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital and Community Hospital as well as plentiful access to recreation through public lands, entertainment venues, arts and culture, and a growing restaurant and retail scene.  

For today’s professionals, affordable housing, reliable healthcare, competitive salaries, strong peer networks, and access to recreation and wellness are non-negotiable. Housing remains the biggest gap for key workforce demographics in our region, particularly for professionals in their twenties and thirties, overlapping with the core population needed to support growing industries.  

Addressing cost-of-living challenges requires coordinated action across the public and private sectors. Our mission to help address this challenge is to support more competitive salaries across the valley through proactive business recruitment and expansion efforts aimed at creating new primary jobs. Regional workforce strategies must also look closely at how housing affordability and availability directly influence and align with employer recruitment.  Additional strategies to address this gap deployed by existing institutions may also include employer-assisted housing programs and childcare subsidies.  

Fostering community connections for talent once they arrive and begin putting down roots is also essential. Later this month, on August 19th at Colorado Mesa University, our partners at the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce will host the annual YP Summit, facilitating leadership programming and networking opportunities aimed at young professionals. Initiatives like these help bridge the gap between employers and employees while strengthening local peer networks, supporting long-term retention for a key demographic. 

Shining A Light On Our Story

Every community has its challenges, but how we talk about our place matters. Word-of-mouth and digital presence remain the most powerful forces in shaping community perception, making it more important than ever to lead with authenticity and share our true experiences of what it’s like to live, work, and recreate in the Grand Valley.

To support this effort, the Grand Junction Economic Partnership recently launched the website, www.grandjunction.co, a dedicated talent attraction and relocation resource tool designed to showcase our area’s vibrant lifestyle, career opportunities, and neighborhood assets. Whether you are a local employer recruiting from outside the region or a resident encouraging family and friends to move back home, grandjunction.co gives us a unified starting place for telling our stories and sharing regional amenities. The goal of this asset isn’t to duplicate existing services or act as a job posting platform, but rather to strengthen local partnerships and highlight available resources.

Collectively, we are positioning Mesa County as a premier destination for skilled professionals, relocating businesses, and remote workers. Each of us has a role to play in the future of our community and by pairing quality of life with practical resources, promoting success stories, cultivating local skills, and supporting our current workforce, we are continuing to invest in long-term economic resilience.

Talent is the engine of economic growth, and Mesa County already has what it takes to sustain a strong economy: a resilient workforce, a lifestyle that attracts, and a community that shows up. And to keep attracting and retaining both businesses and talent, we must continue investing in our greatest asset: people.

For more information on GJEP’s Talent Attraction & Relocation Resources initiative and ways to get involved, please visit grandjunction.co or email selena@gjep.org.