However, I have to wonder if the Chamber President Brad Gillis is going about this properly.
You see, the Eastern Shore is a very specialty marketplace and must be treated as such.
The Chamber is concentrating on local college graduates to stick around and open businesses, something we've heard for many years now, yet it is rarely accomplished.
After student loans, the majority of graduates face the reality of having to start paying back those loans. Sorry Folks but that's NOT going to happen sticking around Salisbury, (for the majority, that is).
I'm learning more each day to be patient with our younger generation leaders. Like everyone else, I want to believe in their enthusiasm but in the end I'm a realist with many years of background and experience in business.
I have my own finances to support opening a business locally but would I, no. Not on a small scale anyway. Why, because I'm not interested in opening a business just to create jobs for others while taking a massive financial risk in the hopes I'll see a proper return on my investment. I'd rather be smarter and invest on the other side of the Bay Bridge where there is no recession or depression. I'd rather pay a much higher rent where I know there's a future and security in jobs and a good financial return on my investment.
That's why I said earlier that the Eastern Shore is a specialty marketplace. More specifically Salisbury and Wicomico County, I should add. The trick is, just what kind of business can you open up here and do well. I've been thinking about that for the past 12 years and I truly and honestly can't think of one. Not one that will assure me, (or almost assure me) of a decent financial return.
That brings me to the following. Just what is the Chamber suggesting are such viable business ideas in which they feel we should retain 200 to 300 entrepreneurs? I hear the talk but I do not hear the answers. I want to show my support and I'd love to play a part of such enthusiasm but as a realist, I just can't see it at the moment.
There are lines 50 people deep outside the Opportunity Shop before they open their doors. They're only open two days a week and sell clothes for 50 cents. God Bless them for what they do and offer to this community but honestly Folks, can you think of another private entity in Salisbury that can draw crowds in which you can actually make such a decent living you can retire on it one day?
I'm all ears.
28 comments:
200-300 new business opportunities means more rental space for Sperry Van Ness to be involved in. There always something behind these crazy ideas. The new business goes under, but SVN still got their commission on the real estate deal.
When it becomes legal in Maryland grow pot.
What a joke..... Not a snow balls chance..... People who leave here for school see the real world and realize the shore isn't the place to be, they want progress not narrow minded thinking that runs this place. Tooo late Delmarva big companies are going south. They see the advantages...
Well lets see, Dresser Wayne has left, Sealy matrress left, Bouroughs left, K & L left. And the list goes on.
200-300 is ambitious. Lets hope the voters hear more than a number. Lets hope they understand anybody can give a number, specifics are what counts.
Industry names please?
When the general public has more disposable income this may come to pass..
8:36 K&L is still here.
How about keeping some of the jobs from leaving.
Brad is trying to paint a better face (like putting lipstick on a pig). But we need some big things to happen in order to try and reverse almost 2 decades of corporate abandonment. I just looked at the County Council briefing book and I noticed where the Atlantic Wood Industries plant - (located across from How Sweet It Is) - was sold to an outfit in NY - (now Eden Wood Preserving). According to the briefing book, Atlantic - (now former owner) - was assessed $5,861.12 for their Personal Property tax on the mfg. equipment.
Guess what the new owners bill is - $23,746.80.
And people wonder why businesses are fleeing our area. Now just glance to the south about 100 yards - American Paving Corporation. Why do you think they shutdown. You guessed it - to much regulation. It simply is not worth the headache.
To 8:58 Post - I saw that, WOW!
Man-owe-man I'll bet you the new owners are really upset about this. I also noticed that the facility lost about $75,000 for last years operation. What a mistake for them to have purchased this facility. Here is the link to the Wicomico County briefing book:
http://www.wicomicocounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/2112
The really good businesses(not retail)have always come from the outside and always will.Starting a business with local resources and local mentality is akin to a back up generator with little or no gas.If the right corporation settled in Wicomico County they would process 1000+ applications in the first week,but they MUST come from the outside.Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise.
I feel pretty sure if Brad Gillis or Palmer Gillis are pushing for something IT IS TO THEIR BENEFIT!!They are pretty sneaky!
9:38, Come on now. Brad and Palmer are business men. Of course they're going to use these positions to further their security in this conmunity.
However, you need to look at how well respected they are here on the Eastern Shore.
In recent months they have remodeled the new States Attorneys Office. They're building a new Fire Department in Ocean City. You see their signs just about everywhere.
Now, think about this for a minute.
I personally know a LOT of Developers who did NOT survive the recession/depression here on the Shore. Gillis Gilkerson DID! That, (to me) says a LOT.
There are a LOT of people envious of successful people. Palmer and Brad have reinvested into local properties and are doing things NO ONE else is willing to take the risk at. They are also SERVING/SERVED our community, are you?
Let me tell you what that consists of. It consists of a LOT of time away from your Family and in many cases causes divorces or in the very least, hardship.
I find Palmer Gillis a very wise man. I see a LOT of good in Brad. They could take their fortunes, sell off their properties and relocate to another community very willing to embrace them.
In my honest opinion, we need to open our arms and keep the Gillis/Gilkerson Families here on the Shore ad show some respect for what they have given and continue to give.
They've worked very hard for that respect and all too often we have been known to drive businesses and investors away from the Shore.
Please THINK hard about the things you say and try to be a little more open minded about what others have done to better the Eastern Shore.
Open a company like "Trade-It!"
It's doing very well here!!
While I give immense credit to anyone for trying they just have to stop trying to "reinvent the wheel." It rarely works. We were an agricultural community and we need to focus on taking that back. We need more options for farmers. As it stands just about all farmers locally are factory farming which gives them little options on anything related to their farming operations. Heck the chicken growers even have to purchase feed from the companies they contracted out with. They have no say on what prices they get on their chickens because the big companies saw to it that all the small independent larger scale processing companies were regulated right out of business.
We need some farmers co-ops. This is where the farmers themselves own the canning facilities, etc. There are USDA grants and loans available but the problem lies with Big Agribusiness and their meddling. They do not want these co-ops to exist because they cut into their profits, so being the snakes that they are secretly lobby for more regulation and higher fees. Then you have the democrat platform which wants all business-commerce and services-to be controlled by and handful of large companies. This is why the democrats are all for more regulation because their hands are in the pocket of big business.
10:20, First of all, thank you.
While I agree with part of what your saying, I have to disagree with part of it as well.
The Eastern Shore Leadership HAS to be creative. I call it, think out of the box.
I have proposed for YEARS now, we need a Theme Park to tie in with the Ocean City crown. I truly believe our leaders are STUPID not to take advantage of such an incredible opportunity.
Heck, we travel very often each summer to Virginia Beach. They have INDOOR and OUTDOOR water parks. They have Theme Parks. They have so many attractions there it isn't funny.
Ft. Wayleville is doing extremely well. The small water park in West Ocean City is always packed.
We need KOA Campgrounds on the water. DUH, people with MONEY want to come here in their Motor Coaches and enjoy the Beach as well.
So, why aren't we seeing it happen? Because IT'S TOO MUCH WORK and our elected officials are too busy trying to fix what they screwed up to have any spare time to work on projects for our future.
We should be meeting with other leaders from other counties and create a true Master Plan.
THINK, like Walt Disney did! This would create very decent paying jobs.
Go Cart tracks, 4 wheeler trails, horse trails, OPEN YOUR DAMN MINDS FOR ONCE. We have so much to offer here. Instead, let's build more affordable housing. Let's sell off City property for next to nothing and when a company disappears, let the County buy up that property, take it OFF the tax roll and spend MILLIONS fixing it up to fit their wants and needs.
It's a shame so many of you just don't see into the future. We're failing and we're sinking very fast. Our elected officials aren't doing ANYTHING. Why, because they don't want to show they are failing at revitalizing the future of the Eastern Shore.
Nope, one bar and restaurant at a time with minimum wage paying jobs. Ribbon cuttings plastered all over the local newspaper, as if they've done something good.
You elect the most popular names, not successful and proven people.
It's time to get MOTIVATED. It's time to come up with creative ideas. Yes, support our Farmers, no doubt about that. But we must think OUT OF THE BOX and show the rest of Maryland we can and we will out think and out smart Annapolis and survive on our own.
I have my own business that I started over 25 years ago and believe it or not, I support myself and able to save for retirement . Helped get my son through college and be able to buy a house and new car. So its's not always gloom and doom if owners of their business can cut their expenses down to the bone and learn to live a modest, but yet be comfortable lifestyle. The only thing I do have to admit that Salisbury/Wicomico County really not the most business friendly atmosphere, with the taxes that one must pay to live and work here.
You are welcome Joe and I think you are right and it goes toward trying to "reinvent the wheel."
Wicomico county has Ocean City and 100,000's of thousands of yearly tourists right in their backyard. Try to capitalize and feed off of OC with something the tourists "need to go to or need to see" A Downtown Main street with quaint shops and art and eateries are everywhere. Try something different like quite possibly a new and innovating waterpark.
11:31, For what it's worth, who do you think created the idea Wicomico County feed off of BIKE WEEK? That was me. I went to Pollitt and at the time Finneran and said, if they won't work with you in Ocean City, STEAL IT and simply open a venue here, PERIOD.
Again, all you have to do is think out of the box. That was a no brainer with Bike Week, yet NO ONE was even thinking of it.
To be completely honest with you, I had someone who was interested in partnering up with me to actually buy the Old Mall, specifically for Bike Week. We needed enough land to support it and we thought we'd create a Campground there as well. We simply didn't move quick enough to make it happen though. The blacktop there would have been a HUGE help. Such a shame.
Well it only make (dollars &) sense. Here you have a 100,000 or more people, 30 miles away for atleast 3 months out of the year. Take advantage of the opportunity. These people are looking for something to do. On the agricultural note, the number of tourists who frequent the "pick your own" produce farms and orchards is amazing. Whereas years ago, the "pick you own" concept was a way for people to save money, it has now become an adventure for people and children.
A bit off topic, but we went on a trek to Dover, DE last week. We're in Sussex county. We like to go to the Spence's Bazaar Flea Market and Amish market as well as to Byler's grocery store which is something along the lines of a bent and dent type of place. Both places were crowded. Just around the Air Force Base we started noticing all the MD cars on the highway, so we decided to take our own informal survey and found that just as many MD tagged cars were at both Byler's and Spence's as DE tagged cars. So then we stopped at the Ollies just outside of Dover and I saw a lady I knew from Worcester county in Ollies! She too had been to Byler's and told us she goes there a few times a year to stock up on the deals they have to offer.
12:51, perhaps you noticed on the drive up there how much active construction on both residential and commercial is going on in Delaware as well.
Yet your LEADERS here in Wicomico County are only building affordable housing units and student housing.
Joe,
You and I and others have been batting around the idea of a theme park for years, and the only thing that's missing to build it is money. Money that local banks won't risk, local builders don't have, local moneyed people wish they had. So, that leaves who to do the deed?
Outside money, with local money supporting everything that can pop up around it once it becomes a reality, once it looks like a lot less of a risk. Salisbury investors are not known for being far-reaching risk takers. Without the interest of outside investors a plan that approaches this one can never be in this area.
And what do we need to entice that money to land here? Someone to go out and schmooze. Someone like we don't have now.
We can't pay much more in taxes before the whole shebang falls apart with unsustainable numbers of people on the public dole, deservedly or not. We NEED jobs to live, and for our infrastructure to be maintained and grown. Government hasn't done the job-creation deed, only the tax-creation one. It's up to the private sector to get motivated and go trolling for investors who can promise a better future than we have.
To 3:37 Posting
That is exactly why I was in support of Joe Albero for Mayor. I do not know if you were aware - he was ready to assimilate an economic development strike force to go after the 'Disney Theme Park' concept. The strike force was poised to not only offensively strike, but also defensively as well. We are talking about something on a grand scale - that would have created thousands of jobs. It would have been a long term process - that WAS MEASURABLE - something that has been lacking in Wicomico/Salisbury. The election was truly a loss for all of the citizens in this County.
The Gillis empire will only grow based on their plan of action, and them getting the gold. Watch what he does not what he says (that is if you are in the inner circle)
We have to focus on the fact that we are a resort destination. Period. The farming aspect is what it is. It has been for hundreds of years.We will always need farms and farmers but aside from migrant work, what mass job creation is there? Joe's idea of campgrounds and water parks is excellent. But there's so much more. The bay is a valuable asset.Take advantage of it! A marina with a boardwalk type setting on the bay (Crisfield) with restaurants, shops, a water park nearby (with a shuttle to and from the marina), amusements, etc. Jobs will be created directly related to the businesses opening and additional jobs will be created to service the businesses - such as maintenance, etc. We can't forget the jobs that will be created by expanding existing local businesses, such as Holt Paper, Sysco, Taxi services.....you get the picture. Joe is right...build it and they will come. Get government out of the way and let the private sector do what it does best...create jobs and make money.
The tricked down effect 9:05. One business prospers and it trickles down to their suppliers, etc. I disagree about the agricultural aspect. If farmers and growers weren't tied to contracts and had other options we would see the trickle down effect in that area also. As it stands farmers under contract aren't even free to purchase feed, seed, etc from no where else but who holds their contract. Contract chicken growers are paid next to nothing. If they had options they would be able to keep more of their profits which would be funneled into the community.
Look up VA Poultry Growers Coop. When Pilgrims Pride left the area the growers themselves purchased the processing plant. These farmers didn't cry the blues like everyone does here w/Perdue. They basically had the mindset of "don't let the door hit you in the ass" because they were sick and tired of making no money, polluting, creating blight because PP paid employees low wages, etc.
Why do you suppose my husband and I left MD/Wicomico Co for southern locales after we both retired? Less taxes and less hassle. When will the state and county wake up and realize how they are chasing people out of the area?
"Southern Ms"
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