"My town’s largest employer is shutting down. Those employees were my business customers. Now what am I going to do?"

This week, I would like to hear from you.  With the announcement of the International Paper closure, people in the Franklin, Isle of Wight, and Southampton area are certainly very concerned.  It’s hard to listen to any discussion about this area without becoming pessimistic about its future.  But does it have to be this way?  Is there any optimism out there with regards to the economic outlook of this area?  Well, I say there is.  As long as we can keep our spirits up and develop a sense of creativity.

 

It wasn’t that many years ago that a bunch of brothers came up with an idea to build a paper mill.  I can only imagine them sitting around a kitchen table discussing the possibility and where all the money would come from to get started.  I am sure there was pessimism but they kept going.  What started as a creative idea, became a goal, and then it became a reality.  A guy named Bill Gates started messing around with computers….a guy named Alexander Graham Bell played the first “phone tag”…..  Ever heard of George Edward Alcorn?  He had 8 patents of things I can’t even spell.  Read about him at:  http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbennett.htm#Alcorn  And the rest, as they say, is history! 

 

Each one of these people, and thousands of others, came up with an idea, formed a goal, and then created reality.  People in our area are very resilient.  From fires, to floods, to hurricanes, they have endured.  Yes, this challenge will be great, but if we keep a positive attitude and stay creative, we will, once again, prosper.  With our beautiful starlit skies, sounds of nature in the background, and the smell of freshly dug peanuts, is there really any better place to create than right here. 

 

So what are your thoughts?  What ideas do you have?  What are the conversations around your dinner table?  You know what I am thinking……but what are you thinking?

 

 Next BLOG:  Where do great ideas and oppotunities come from anyway?…