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A super hero ideal: Shop, buy locally
It's not hard to think that this super hero fan might like to think she lives in Gotham or somewhere near the International Justice home of Superman and other infamous crime fighters.
Suwanee's new City Hall has a rather Gotham-esque look to it, I think.
Then again, if I'm driving East on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, the clock tower takes me right "Back to the Future."
I can't help it - the nature of the building conjures up rather grand ideas in my head. It has been fun to watch it take shape. I can picture production companies filming movies with it as a backdrop some day.
It seems this one building site hasn't ceased progress as the economy has slowed. So many other office buildings, strip malls and subdivisions, however, seem to have slowed to a crawl or are empty shells void of occupants.
In an effort to beat traffic, our local community has encouraged businesses to locate here and they have. Suwanee has an abundance of small and medium size businesses like the leadership development company I work for.
My heart goes out to the small businesses most of all. If large retailers like Macy's are struggling and announcing store closings then how are the little guys' faring?
The little guy suffers. Without the buying power to scoop volume discounts on inventory, and with consumers cutting back on spending; they are squeezed like a lemon without any promise of lemonade in sight.
As I drive to and from work, I wonder what can I - little old me - do to help keep business thriving in Suwanee and our local counties?
Out of curiosity, I hopped on the internet to look for products that are made locally. I didn't find many and that makes sense because manufacturing is not a core industry in this area.
Our local businesses, however, are many and varied. Cosmetic giant Mary Kay, Sage Software, and Ciba Vision to name just a few large, locally situated companies. And, of course we have a ton of service-related businesses, retail stores and restaurants also.
So, as I consider spending less and staying within my budget, I plan to try and be sure that what I do spend goes to local folks as much as I can. Not that I don't think everyone deserves to earn a living but if choosing a birthday gift that is made in the USA from a local gift store rather than something made in China helps, then I can do that.
When I need to buy an item that is imported, I consider if any part of the fabrication, assembly or packaging might be employing Americans before the item reaches the consumer.
I have started paying attention to produce at the grocery store too. When I can, I choose American grown first.
What about the fruit pickers in Peru you ask? Well, they matter too of course but at this point in time, as friends and neighbors are losing jobs every day, my desire to help starts at home.
If we can strengthen our own economy against the downturn, then we will be in a better position to help others with weaker economies. Although, I am sure this was not the purpose of outsourcing workers from other countries or importing goods from countries that can manufacture them for pennies on the dollar in the first place. Clearly, greed and desire for higher profits were the motivating factors there.
But maybe that will change if we can focus on fixing what we can here at home first.
After all, a man that works is a man with pride. A country that is works is a country that thrives. A country that thrives is a country of influence.
I suppose my Gotham-esque view of City Hall makes me feel a little more super hero than human but I think it is worth considering what we can do to help families and businesses to weather the storm of these tough economic times.
Suwanee's new City Hall has a rather Gotham-esque look to it, I think.
Then again, if I'm driving East on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, the clock tower takes me right "Back to the Future."
I can't help it - the nature of the building conjures up rather grand ideas in my head. It has been fun to watch it take shape. I can picture production companies filming movies with it as a backdrop some day.
It seems this one building site hasn't ceased progress as the economy has slowed. So many other office buildings, strip malls and subdivisions, however, seem to have slowed to a crawl or are empty shells void of occupants.
In an effort to beat traffic, our local community has encouraged businesses to locate here and they have. Suwanee has an abundance of small and medium size businesses like the leadership development company I work for.
My heart goes out to the small businesses most of all. If large retailers like Macy's are struggling and announcing store closings then how are the little guys' faring?
The little guy suffers. Without the buying power to scoop volume discounts on inventory, and with consumers cutting back on spending; they are squeezed like a lemon without any promise of lemonade in sight.
As I drive to and from work, I wonder what can I - little old me - do to help keep business thriving in Suwanee and our local counties?
Out of curiosity, I hopped on the internet to look for products that are made locally. I didn't find many and that makes sense because manufacturing is not a core industry in this area.
Our local businesses, however, are many and varied. Cosmetic giant Mary Kay, Sage Software, and Ciba Vision to name just a few large, locally situated companies. And, of course we have a ton of service-related businesses, retail stores and restaurants also.
So, as I consider spending less and staying within my budget, I plan to try and be sure that what I do spend goes to local folks as much as I can. Not that I don't think everyone deserves to earn a living but if choosing a birthday gift that is made in the USA from a local gift store rather than something made in China helps, then I can do that.
When I need to buy an item that is imported, I consider if any part of the fabrication, assembly or packaging might be employing Americans before the item reaches the consumer.
I have started paying attention to produce at the grocery store too. When I can, I choose American grown first.
What about the fruit pickers in Peru you ask? Well, they matter too of course but at this point in time, as friends and neighbors are losing jobs every day, my desire to help starts at home.
If we can strengthen our own economy against the downturn, then we will be in a better position to help others with weaker economies. Although, I am sure this was not the purpose of outsourcing workers from other countries or importing goods from countries that can manufacture them for pennies on the dollar in the first place. Clearly, greed and desire for higher profits were the motivating factors there.
But maybe that will change if we can focus on fixing what we can here at home first.
After all, a man that works is a man with pride. A country that is works is a country that thrives. A country that thrives is a country of influence.
I suppose my Gotham-esque view of City Hall makes me feel a little more super hero than human but I think it is worth considering what we can do to help families and businesses to weather the storm of these tough economic times.