The coronavirus has introduced the world to many once-foreign concepts. Who knew cloth face masks would become a new outlet for starving artists? However, there’s one large trend that has particularly altered the way we live and work for what looks like years and years to come. We’re talking the “work-from-home” phenomenon.

It’s no secret Colorado is a desirable place to live. The omnipresent access to national parks and vivacious western culture earns the state prime spots on many national news outlets’ top places to call home.

However, the treasure of living in towns along the Western Slope is quickly gaining traction — whether locals like it or not. According to Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP), Grand Junction in particular has received an influx of remote workers since the pandemic started. Who wouldn’t want to live in a town where the cost of living is nowhere near what it is on the Front Range, outdoor recreation is at your fingertips and business is booming? (Did you know Grand Junction is projected to be the next tech hub of Colorado?)

According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), the percent of remote workers is expected to have doubled in 2021 with more than two thirds of employers planning for remote work to be a permanent part of their staffing plans.

As work-from-anywhere continues to take hold, once “small” towns like Grand Junction are becoming hubs of economic, cultural and social activity as they move away from oil and gas reliance and into a digital economy. Many are worried this will exacerbate the already dire housing crisis consuming the Mountain West and if local businesses will be able to keep up with a dwindling service workforce.

Cilia Kohn, GJEP marketing and communications director, says the key to supporting these towns, Grand Junction included, is to be employed by companies based in that area who are already invested in the local community’s success. In an effort to support remote workers and employers without sacrificing the vitality of Mesa County, GJEP launched a website dedicated to matching people interested in moving here with local businesses offering flex-work opportunities.

“We launched a website called workremoteco.com to provide links to jobs based in the Grand Valley that are hiring remote or hybrid positions,” Kohn says. “The state has a website, as well, that lists remote opportunities throughout Colorado, but we will also offer other resources if you want to be in the Grand Valley whether you’re a remote worker or an employer.”

Launched in November 2021, workremoteco.com serves as an information hub with resources such as available financing programs, relocating assistance and community support resources.

Among the employers on this initiative is Pax8, a Colorado-based cloud distribution startup working with GJEP as part of its latest hiring push for remote workers. The company’s Rural Empowerment Program works to target more diverse talent that previously wouldn’t have had access to careers in the tech industry.

“Our relationship with GJEP is essential to our success in Western Colorado. We rely on GJEP for connections in the community and our relationships with community partners and the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” explains Ashlie Arnold, Rural Empowerment Program manager. “Pax8 is investing in job creation in two ways. Firstly, by bringing technical and knowledge-based jobs to smaller communities for geographically dispersed talent. Secondly, by increasing the representation of smaller communities in the tech industry by investing in people to develop their skills, build their careers and help their communities grow.”

Arnold says Pax8 will be using GJEP’s new website to help further their mission to diversify jobs in mountain communities. She says remote working brings opportunities to various fields, such as technology and the outdoor industry, in addition to other sectors.

“Remote working has brought the Pax8 team closer together,” Arnold shares. “Our supportive and collaborative culture has been the connective tissue holding us together as we continue our growth trajectory.”

The CDLE even worked with other government organizations to develop a remote work certificate program designed to help workers and employers alike prepare to succeed in a virtual workplace environment. The two online courses launched last March and each costs $75 to enroll. It appears remote work is here to stay.

The work-from-anywhere trend is ever-present in Colorado; to keep up with the flood of people moving in, many are turning to essential programs like those developed by GJEP to ensure community members’ best interests are prioritized.

“Grand Junction is set to be the Western Colorado Hub,” Kohn says. “There’s more of a push to view us as a leader in terms of how to support workers, how to get more business in, how to build the economy. We want to continue to support that and be on the forefront of wherever the industry leads us … we’re seeing the digital economy really grow, and we see a lot of potential in rural communities to support that economy.”

Learn more at gjep.org.

Originally published in the Winter 2021-22 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Grand Junction Is A Remote Worker’s Paradise — But At What Cost?