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Colorado - Fri. 10/23/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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EVACUATIONS ORDERED FOR 'EXTREME' FLOOD THREAT IN SOUTHERN COLORADO
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Residents living along several southern Colorado rivers were ordered to evacuate on Thursday afternoon amid a severe flood threat, Archuleta County officials said. “LEAVE IMMEDIATELY,” the alert stated. “Danger is imminent and life-threatening. If you choose to ignore this order, emergency services may not be able to assist you.” The Archuleta County evacuations include residents living in low-lying or flood-prone areas near the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers. County officials said the flooding threat was “extreme” and that residents should take immediate action. Impacted residents should check in at the evacuation center at the Archuleta County Dept. of Human Services building, 550 Hot Springs Blvd. in Pagosa Springs.
As of Thursday evening, active severe weather alerts from the weather service included:
- U.S. Route 550 between Silverton and Ouray will be closed at least through Friday morning because of damage caused by heavy rainfall and flooding, according to the Colorado Dept. of Transportation. The agency didn’t provide a timeline for when the stretch of road might reopen, saying that drivers should take an alternative route along Colorado State Hwy. 145 via Telluride.
- Flood watches for the Rio Grande Valley, San Juan Mountains, Four Corners area, Animas River Basin, Uncompahgre Plateau and San Juan River Basin through Friday morning.
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DIA OPENS NEW NORTH SECURITY CHECKPOINT, OTHER SPACES IN GREAT HALL PROJECT
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Denver International Airport has opened several spaces in the Jeppesen Terminal that had been under construction as part of the airport’s billion-dollar Great Hall project. The new areas include a “meet and greet” space for international arrivals and a new North Security Checkpoint. The Great Hall reconstruction, which is expected to be finished late next year, is part of a broader $2.1 billion overhaul the airport has undertaken. The new North Security Checkpoint has eight lanes and is open daily from 12:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. to give international travelers a path to the TSA security checkpoint. The airport has also opened an area that allows passengers leaving the concourses via the A bridge on Level 6 to use an elevator, escalator or stairs to reach baggage claim, transportation or exit the airport on Level 5.
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CRUCIAL SAN LUIS VALLEY AQUIFER DROPS TO RECORD LOW AS WATER COURT PONDERS COMPETING SOLUTIONS
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Drought-challenged potato farms in the San Luis Valley drained another 72,000 acre-feet of water from the crucial unconfined aquifer this year, the latest tests show, losing more ground on a mandated restoration goal and putting more pressure on a state water court to mediate a solution. The local water conservation district has cut 100,000 acre-feet of groundwater pumping in recent years, but any progress has been overwhelmed by the ongoing drought and demands from the valley’s vital potato economy. The conservation plan currently in force calls for water-use cuts to replenish the unconfined aquifer to within 200,000 to 400,000 acre-feet below a 1976 benchmark by 2031, but the September well tests show the pool at 1.425 million acre-feet below that mark. And dropping.
An Alamosa-based water court judge presided over a July trial with different farming factions arguing over the best update for the conservation plan. The Rio Grande Water Conservation District Subdistrict 1 proposal, approved by the state water engineer, would seek faster restoration by charging farmers who pump groundwater without a surface water replacement as much as $500 an acre-foot, up from the current $150. Competing factions of potato farmers in the northern part of the valley, which ships massive amounts of potatoes to Front Range and regional grocery stores, say $500 for pumped water would likely put many of them out of business.
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AMAZON'S FIRST CROSS-DOCK FACILITY IN COLORADO
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Inventory at Amazon’s cross-dock facility in Aurora doesn’t spend much time standing still. The retail giant’s new facility is designed to keep items moving through the building and into fulfillment sites across the region. The approximately 650,000-square-foot cross-dock facility, at 6300 N. Powhaton Road, opened in June and employs approximately 2,500 people. It operates around the clock as packages move through a complex set of conveyor belts that usher the products from the inbound docks through the facility and onto trucks. The cross-dock facility is the first of its kind to debut in Colorado and one of just a handful of similar sites across the country. Instead of operating like a traditional warehouse space that can store inventory for days, weeks or months, the Aurora facility serves as a high-speed transfer point.
- Amazon purchased the site where its cross-dock facility operates near Denver International Airport for over $91 million in 2024.
- The company employs over 20,000 full- and part-time employees in Colorado, and it supports over 20,000 indirect jobs in industries like construction, logistics and professional services.
- Since 2010, Amazon has contributed over $20 billion to the state’s GDP.
- Last year, independent sellers in Colorado sold more than 62 million items through Amazon’s store, with average sales of $275,000 per seller.
- Amazon’s growing investments in Colorado include 11 fulfillment and sortation centers, 13 delivery stations, and one Prime Now Fulfillment Center.
- It also has 23 Whole Foods Markets store locations, an Amazon Pharmacy, three Amazon solar farms and three sites with on-site solar. Amazon has also contracted with Centennial-based United Launch Alliance to have hundreds of Amazon's Kuiper satellites launched into orbit.
- The company is planning further expansions in Aurora, having purchased over 70 acres in August for $23.6 million. A development application submitted to Aurora calls for a nearly 1.2 million-square-foot Amazon Distribution Center at 825 N. Lisbon St.
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THE FAMILY FIRM THAT HAS NEVER HAD A LAYOFF IN 75 YEARS
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Hundreds of executives have made the pilgrimage to St. Louis to try to replicate Steve Gund’s elusive feat: He’s the third-generation CEO of a family manufacturer that has averaged 18 percent annual growth for a decade—all without ever laying off an employee. He said he does it with a leadership model that puts The Gund Co.’s 1,300 employees’ well-being over short-term profits. He has made it his mission to evangelize the approach, especially to leaders of other family-owned companies. “It sounds touchy-feely, but it’s profitable,” said the 55-year-old Gund, whose grandfather, Ed Gund, a former candy salesman, started the composite materials company in 1951. Now approaching $400 million in sales, its customers include General Electric and Rockwell Automation. Its parts can be found in nearly every aspect of the grid, from wind generators to the green boxes dotting subdivision lawns.
- The model requires trade-offs, and a lot of discipline: Gund staffs sparingly so it can weather the leaner stretches. Employees are pushed to voice and document concerns on red cards displayed on the factory floor, putting leaders on notice to take care of problems quickly. Everyone from line workers to managers crafts a career-development plan. Yet those who don’t adapt to Gund’s high-performance culture are managed out.
- And there are financial gambles: This year the company spent tens of millions of dollars to buy back its existing employee-stock ownership plan with the aim of relaunching a similar program to employees in every country where it operates—including China. Many of the executives coming through Gund’s St. Louis headquarters and other Midwestern sites want to see if the Gund way could future-proof their own businesses. Some are running the companies their parents or grandparents founded and approaching a crossroads many family enterprises eventually hit: either sell out, possibly to private equity, or find a sustainable way to keep it growing in family hands.
Gund employees, as of last year, own 30 percent of the company through an employee-stock ownership plan. Steve Gund, a third-generation CEO of a family business, confided that he felt more fulfilled helping people in need than running a business that made industrial components. “You’re trying to alleviate homelessness by going and working in a soup kitchen or handing out blankets,” said Steve. “Why don’t you employ people?”
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12TH ANNUAL WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS, RIFLE
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The Wild and Scenic Film Festival has become a fall tradition in Glenwood Springs and Rifle, and it’s returning for its 12th year with 10 films highlighting nature, water and conservation efforts from all around the world. The annual event serves as the Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s largest fundraiser, helping support the organization’s staff, projects and operations. For the past 12 years, the festival has served as the watershed council’s primary fundraising event, drawing hundreds of attendees to its two locations. There will be a live and silent auction, with Colorado Avalanche tickets, an Aspen Ski Day, and a new watershed map by artist Sarah Uhl included in the items. There will also be door prizes, including restaurant and retail gift certificates and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park passes.
The Wild and Scenic Film Fest will take place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Ute Theater and Events Center in Rifle. A second showing will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue in Glenwood Springs. Tickets are $22 and are available at midcowatershed.org/events.
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ASPEN FIRE PIONEERING WILDFIRE FIGHTING WITH AI SOFTWARE
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The Aspen Fire Dept. is entering a five-year contract that will bring five AI-driven aircrafts to help fight wildfires, marking the first time a U.S. fire department has acquired an AI-driven autonomous aerial suppression system. The Roaring Fork Valley was added to Seneca’s list of partners primarily because of the heightened fire risk seen across the state of Colorado this year, according to Stuart Landesberg, founder and CEO of the startup. “This was an unprecedented year in terms of wildfires for all of Colorado, including the Roaring Fork Valley,” Landesberg said. “We like to deploy technology in the places where it’s going to have the biggest impact, and we look at Colorado as a state that has incredible wilderness that’s worth protecting.”
Seneca creates drones and AI-driven software to assist firefighters and help eliminate wildfire threats across the U.S., with drones that take an approximate fire location via camera, satellite, manual input or dispatch and can fly autonomously to that location. Once in that location, they use sensors to identify temperature variants and can then drop water or fire retardant on that hotspot to put out the fire. The advances in AI have allowed fire departments to be able to achieve a mission with a higher level of reliability and a lower level of training than something like helicopter programs, Landesberg added. The drones are also aimed at improving efficiency and reducing response times at a cheaper cost than other options.
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GARCO GREENLIGHTS 98-HOME PLAN WEST OF GLENWOOD
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Garfield County commissioners gave the initial green light to a 98-home subdivision just west of Glenwood Springs on Monday. The Mitchell Creek Community aims to build “attainable, single-family home ownership” opportunities in the form of compact, three-to-four-bedroom homes with garages. The neighborhood would replace Ami’s Acres Campground, an RV park that’s existed since 1973. Commissioners on Monday rezoned the land from its current “rural” tag — which allows for one home every 2 acres and a maximum building height of 25 feet — to a classification that would allow homes to be built on a minimum of 2,000 square feet and as high as 35 feet. The development’s next step is to bring a preliminary design of the neighborhood before commissioners. The design will be ready within a few months, said Doug Pratte, a landscape architect who co-owns The Land Studio, a Glenwood Springs-based firm representing the project.
The homes would range from 1,000 to 2,600 square feet, with an average of about 1,500, said Neils Cotter, a lead on the project. The neighborhood would take up 25 total acres off of Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 24, with about 16 acres being open space. Ten of the homes would be designated deed-restricted housing for families making 80 percent to 180 percent of the area’s median income, according to the development application.
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GJ KIWANIS CLUB DISTRIBUTES $48K
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The Grand Junction Kiwanis Club allocated $48,100 from funds raised from its annual Pancake Day to nonprofits focused on benefiting children and families. The nonprofits receiving funds were announced at a ceremony Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Warehouse 25Sixty-Five. The funds were raised during the Kiwanis 58th annual Pancake Day on June 6 at the Mesa County Fairgrounds. The recipients are: Camp Hope, CASA, Colorado Discover Ability, Community Food Bank, Girls on the Run, Grand Junction Symphony, Harmony Acres, Haven House, Hilltop, Homeward Bound, Hope West, Imagination Library, Kids Aid, Mesa County Safety Council, Mesa County Partners, Reverent Rhythms, Riverside Education Center, School of Prep Knox, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Sozo Youth Sanctuary Foundation, Steppin' it Up, The Theatre Project of GJ and Trail Lamp BAM.
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LA PLATA COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MONITORS RISING WATERWAYS AMID HEAVY RAIN
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With a flood warning in effect, the La Plata County Office of Emergency Management was closely monitoring Vallecito Creek and preparing for possible evacuations Thursday afternoon. The National Weather Service office in Grand Junction issued a flood warning due to thunderstorms and excessive rainfall for southern La Plata and Hinsdale counties, and Archuleta County. Rob Farino, director of the La Plata County Office of Emergency Management, said the county was monitoring conditions and preparing to activate an emergency operations center should circumstances require it. Upper Pine River Fire Protection District requested an evacuation of the north Vallecito area should the flow rate of Vallecito Creek reach 4,000 cubic feet per second, and a pre-evacuation preparation threshold of 3,200 cubic feet per second. At 4:52 p.m. Thursday, La Plata County announced several county roads had been temporarily closed due to flooding, mud and debris.
The closures included:
- County Road 309A for a quarter mile north of County Road 310
- County Road 334 near the 5600 block
- County Road 509 on the west end near Dry Creek, which lost a culvert and collapsed due to flooding, mud and debris
- Crews advised extreme caution around County Road 513 near the intersection of County Road 510. The road was damaged and was passable in only one lane.
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FRISCO OKS MARINA PARKING LOT USE FOR UNSHELTERED IN SUMMIT
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On Oct. 13, the Frisco Town Council reapproved a revocable license agreement that will allow Unsheltered in Summit to use the Frisco Bay Marina parking lot for the 2026-2027 winter season. Unsheltered in Summit, a nonprofit that provides safe parking for those living in their vehicles, has used the marina’s parking lot since 2022. Before moving to the marina, the program used eight parking spots at 602 Galena St., which has since been turned into a middle-income housing development. Now, through Frisco’s agreement with Unsheltered in Summit, the marina will continue to offer 25 safe parking spots through the winter and into next spring. Additionally, Unsheltered offers 20 more spots at two other locations. “That makes for a total of 45 people for the winter, and that’s when we have our most demand,” said Diane Luellen, the organization’s president.
The reapproval of the licensing agreement is important, Luellen said, because Unsheltered is the only program of its kind in the county. Additionally, demand for the program has increased this year compared to years past, with slots already almost entirely claimed by mid-October. Once Unsheltered’s spots fill up, the organization will have to move prospective parkers onto a waitlist. Luellen chalks the heightened demand for spots this winter up to two factors: increased awareness of the program and increased costs of living in Summit County. Luellen said that the county’s housing crisis has sent some community members searching for nontraditional solutions, like living out of vehicles.
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A-BASIN SKI PATROL SECURES FIRST OFFICIAL UNION CONTRACT AFTER YEARLONG NEGOTIATION
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After 15 months of bargaining, the Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol Union has officially entered into a two-year-long contract with the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, codifying insurance benefits, increasing wages and outlining pathways for career progression. The contract was ratified on Oct. 3. In January 2025, the patrollers officially unionized and became part of United Mountain Workers Local 7781, which represents ski industry workers across the western United States, including patrollers at Breckenridge Ski Resort, Keystone Resort and Loveland Ski Area. The process of creating that contract began in July 2025 and ended this month when both parties entered into their first official agreement as employer and union. Changes will go into effect for the upcoming 2026-2027 season.
The new union contract outlines some wage increases, commensurate with experience and skill level, and guarantees an annual 3 percent cost of living adjustment. The contract also allows for further pay increases based on extra skills or responsibilities, like being bilingual or helping build and maintain signage. And standard wages have increased too, based on a new system that divides patrollers into three tiers of experience and skill levels, rather than five, which is how employees were previously organized. Under the new union contract, patrollers that work with dogs will receive extra benefits.
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ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK AMONG DEADLIEST NATIONAL PARKS
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Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most dangerous national parks for accidental deaths, but that doesn't deter more than 4 million people from visiting the Colorado park annually. And for good reason: The odds of winning Colorado Lottery's Mega Millions jackpot are greater than dying in the popular park. The park ranked 10th in accidental deaths from 2014 to 2022, according to outdoors publication Outforia, which tracked mortality for all 63 national parks. Deaths in parks attributed to such events as a heart attack were not counted in the mortalities. Rocky Mountain National Park had 21 deaths during that time. Thirteen of those were due to falls, six from extreme weather and avalanches, and one each from transportation and wildlife. The national park is widely recognized as having the highest average elevation of any national park and includes 14,259-foot Longs Peak, one of the most popular fourteeners to hike/climb in Colorado.
The odds of accidentally dying in the park during those years was 1 in 1.8 million. The odds of winning Colorado's Mega Million jackpot is 1 in 1.3 million. And when factoring in visitation, the park ranked 23rd in deaths per 1 million visitors at 0.6. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve each had one death during that time due to environmental conditions. Mesa Verde National Park had none.
These two national parks rank as deadliest:
- Yosemite National Park in California saw the most accidental deaths between 2014 and 2022, at 61, most of those from falls, but ranked ninth in deaths per 1 million visitors at 1.7.
- Alaska's sprawling and remote Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve saw the most deaths per 1 million visitors at 15.3, nearly 20 times the national park average, with most of those coming from drownings.
Top 10 national parks with most accidental deaths, according to Outforia 2014-22, with leading cause of death:
- Yosemite: 61, falls
- Great Smoky Mountains: 58, vehicle crashes
- Grand Canyon: 53, vehicle crashes, falls
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks: 42, falls
- Grand Teton: 31, falls
- Death Valley: 27, vehicle crashes
- Mount Rainier: 27, falls
- Zion: 26, falls
- Yellowstone: 22, vehicle crashes
- Rocky Mountain: 21, falls
Top 10 national parks with most accidental deaths per 1 million visitors, according to Outforia 2014-22, with leading cause of death:
- Wrangell-St. Elias: 15.3, drownings
- Dry Tortugas: 8.2, drownings
- Virgin Islands: 5.6, drownings
- Denali: 4, falls
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon: 2.7, falls
- Death Valley: 2.4, vehicle crashes
- Redwood: 2.2, vehicle crashes
- Mount Rainier: 2.1, falls
- Yosemite: 1.7, falls
- Glacier Bay: 1.7, aircraft crashes
- Canyonlands: 1.7, falls
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MARKET UPDATE - 10/22/2026 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 10/22/2026)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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