The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel editorial: What don’t we have?
Stephanie Copeland wasn’t in Grand Junction Thursday to discuss the merits of an event center.
But in laying out the state’s economic development initiatives, the new director of the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade stressed the importance of “placemaking vision” as a nexus to growth. An event center, in our view, certainly qualifies as a visionary project.
Lifestyle, access to workforce and vibrancy are the key considerations for companies looking to establish operations in Colorado, she said.
“Grand Junction has infrastructure and an airport and interstate access and the things that are core to a city growing and becoming a hub,” she said. “When you have those things, you look to the other elements around and ask, ‘How do I seed music and the creative arts? How do I seed things that really become the backdrop of where people want to live?'”

