The Long Haul

2-minute read

This anniversary year got me thinking about what it takes to make things last. When I was 17 I had the opportunity to live abroad as an exchange student in Germany. As an American, I had a hard time wrapping my head around what "old" in the European sense really meant. I lived near Cologne where I would often visit and stand in awe of its grand cathedral. Construction started on the Kölner Dom almost 800 years ago. Even more impressive and hard to comprehend... construction took 600 years to complete. Now that is some project longevity and follow through. 

Our American time scale is much shorter, but it is still impressive to look at some of our members like St. Paul's that has been thriving since 1867, or even Jamestown Coating Technologies which has been growing since 1885!

Success doesn't happen overnight. In business, it is about the long haul and it's not easy considering how we are in a constant state of change. I think about the three and a half years that Fresh Grounds spent preparing to open, working from concept to completion. Or the years that volunteer committee members spent to finally make the Baughman Center a reality for our community.

So, stick to it and persevere!

Here are some chamber members who are also
celebrating anniversaries:

• B&R Accounting - 10 years

• Stephanne Burns State Farm - 10 years

• Sans MOCO Gallery - 10 years

• Reeves Information Technology - 20 years

• Downtown Ministries - 30 Years

• Custom Corner Printing - 40 years

• Momentum Therapeutics - 40 years

• Primary Health Network - 40 years

• Shoe Sensation - 40 years

• United Way of Mercer County - 100 years

Anniversaries are an opportunity to celebrate all of the hard work that it takes to sustain a business in our fast-paced ever-changing world. Next month we will dive deeper into some of the attributes that help with business durability and sustained growth.