These are exciting times for our community.
The biggest news is the LCS contract has finally become reality for Marinette Marine, a Fincantieri company, and Lockheed Martin. This could mean as many as 1000 jobs at the shipyard, many of which will be new jobs.
The second piece of good news is the proposal for Anna's Vineyard on Green Island, a stunning vision of resort, recreation and vineyard that may result in 250 construction jobs across 25 trades and once operational, approximately 150 jobs for business operators, vendors, resort employees, vineyard workers and service personnel.
Don't forget the new research facility at Tyco and the new Walmart Supercentre. Other projects are likely to occur over the next year or so.
It's all a very heady prospect. The only thing I can compare it to is the lumber boom that crested in the 1880s when the railroad came to town, brining with it many families seeking a better life.
It's not pushing the envelope to imagine unprecented prosperity for our community. With that will come some challenges, too, but our organizations and municipalities are equal to the task.
What can you do to help enhnace economic vitality? The answere is simple: Shop local. Support local businesses.
When you buy from a locally-owned business, $68 of every $100 you spend stays here. And when you shop at a chain store or franchise, more than $40 stays here.
That's not true when you drive somewhere else to shop.
We're not suggesting you forgo shopping trips to Green Bay or Escanaba. Those cities are part of our region. Who doesn't appreciate a road trip, especially on the first nice Saturday of February? What we are suggesting is that you shop locally first.
By shopping locally, you help create a market for more goods and services. And you support business owners who support our community and its organizations. You support your friends and neighbors. And you help create a sense of community in our lovely little area.
Resolve to shop locally in 2011 and beyond. When you do, everybody wins!
1 comment:
I would like to encourage everyone to reserve judgement on Anna's Vineyard at Green Island until all the facts are heard. As a young boy I visited the island several times and remember climbing up the steps of the lighthouse tower. My grandfather, Alfred Cornell, was the lighthouse keeper there, so I too like many of you, would like to see the integrity of this island preserved. Bruce Tully, one the consultants for the investors, has an environmental background and has stated their intentions to follow the policies and regulations for the federal government as well as the state of Wisconsin. The potential benefits for employment opportunities as well as tourism dollars are huge. Let's not let our hasty judgements discourage these investors. I have no economic interest in the island and I am not one of the investors, just a concerned citizen for my hometown community.
Tom Cornell
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