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Show A10 Castle Valley Review, February 2009 ISSUES ‘Don’t Worry... ...Be Happy’ While the rest of the nation might be suffering through a recession, business leaders in Castle Valley are urging residents to not panic, life is good and there’s no need for a recession to strike here. Their optimistic outlook just might be the right one. James L. Davis I n the face of a recession gripping the nation, if the economic and business leaders of Carbon and Emery Counties were to pick a theme song for 2009, it might very well be Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Rather than face the prospect that a recession will devastate the economy of the Castle Valley as it is doing to economies elsewhere, business leaders are going on the offensive and trying to counter the doom and gloom headlines with what some might consider a downright novel approach --- spreading good news. Spearheaded by the Business Expansion and Retention Program, the good news being spread is that despite the economic downturn elsewhere, the Castle Valley economy remains strong and that there is plenty of good news out there…if people choose to listen. The happy tune in the face of such economic gray clouds may not actually be flying in the face of reality. As a state Utah is weathering the recession storm better than most, so far, and the Castle Valley is faring even better. Unemployment is still low in the two-county area, and although the number of unemployment claims has gone up, it traditionally does at this time of year as construction companies in the area undergo seasonal layoffs. The test for many of those seasonal layoffs will be if employees are brought back to work as the construction season returns. The prospects for that look decidedly better after Governor Jon Huntsman kick-started Utah Department of Transportation Projects that had been stalled due to budget shortfalls. Seeing where the national economy was headed, business leaders, and the economic develop- some of the blame for the sharp ment offices of both Carbon and downturn in the economy directly Emery counties and members of at the feet of the national media, the BEAR program sat down at which many feel revels in bad the end of 2008 to discuss ways news. to counter the doom and gloom “You wonder if the national stories that were the main topic of media isn’t pushing doom and conversation. gloom,” said Karl Kraync, owner “We will be effected, but we of Kraync Motors and one of the don’t feel it will be as bad as exguiding forces behind the good pected,” said Delynn Fielding, dinews program. “We don’t need rector of Carbon County Economic to buy into something that isn’t Development. “Coal mining is real and recession in Carbon and still strong, gas expansion is still You hear on the strong. Our businesses news that we’re going continue to through a tough time, do well.” To but I don’t think that’s spread the true here. word on the good eco- Jerri Timothy nomic news of the area and counter some of the bad, the BEAR Project is talking to Emery County is not real.” business leaders in both counties In fact, in the Good News and gathering good news on how spots being aired on the radio, local businesses are truly faring in Fielding says much the same the Castle Valley. Those stories are thing, telling listeners that the “the being broadcast on the local radio economy is good and we refuse stations of Castle Country Radio to participate in a recession in the and KUSA Radio and KASL AM. Castle Valley.” The Sun Advocate newspaper is The mantra of the message also printing stories on local busibeing spread to counter the bad nesses’ good news. news spinning throughout the So far, the response by the nation is that too often bad news public to the good news campaign feeds upon itself, creating worse has been overwhelmingly positive. situations then are necessary. The “Everyone just loves it,” said therapy being offered to consumJerri Timothy, owner of Fitness ers is that impressions can alter World and secretary of the Price your behaviors, even if you haven’t Chamber of Commerce and the been impacted, and create a bad Downtown Alive committee, as situation in and of itself. well as sales manager at KUSA. “It can become a self-fulfill“You hear on the news that we’re ing prophecy. Wiser and more going through a tough time, but I knowledgeable people than I am don’t think that’s true here.” will buy when prices are low,” Some business owners place Fielding said. None of the business leaders We don’t need to buy appear to be saying that into something that the Castle isn’t real and recession Valley will stay safely in Carbon and Emery cocooned County is not real. while the rest of the - Karl Kraync world goes through a “ “ recession, but they do worry that too much bad news will change people’s spending habits when there is no reason to other than the fact that news reports say things are bad. “The banking crisis was very serious. The government had to do what it did. But that reality doesn’t change where we are here. These are turbulent times but that doesn’t change good planning and good business. Good businesses ” ” will succeed even in the worst of times,” Fielding said. The call not to panic and assume things are bad when they aren’t necessarily so is at the heart of the message being spread through the Good News campaign. “We need to let everyone know as a community that we’re going to be OK. We need to be a team and support each other and work together,” Timothy said. Despite the economic downturn, there are many businesses planning to grow in the coming year. A new, 100-bed La Quinta Inn is scheduled to be built in Price in the coming year and plans are underway for a Wingers Restaurant and a new JBs Restaurant. The Lila Canyon Mine development is moving forward and Nielson Construction is expanding into the concrete business, to name but a few of the business expansions slated for 2009. Kraync said that even with his small business he is looking forward to a good year. “I have spent more money on this building in the past two years to bring it up to where I think it needs to be than I have in the past 15 and I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t Continued on Next Page. |