So you hear there are no jobs in Batavia, and companies don't want to do business here, etcetera. The carping sometimes seems ceaseless.
Me, I'm a glass-is-half-full kind of guy.
And I think most of the entrepreneurs who have invested in Batavia and Genesee County are the same sort of people, which is why this job ad posted today caught my eye:
Career Opportunities - Growing Company in Batavia is searching for hard working, reliable employees for all aspects of manufacturing.
We are conducting open interviews Friday 10/2/09 from 9:00am-12:00pm.
Imagine, a local company doing so well in Batavia that they have to conduct their own job fair. The ad makes it sound like there are at least six openings, and from the job titles, I'm betting a few if not all of them pay "a living wage" (to use the oft-cited term for what makes a good job).
The company is Prime Materials Corporation, 6 Treadeasy Ave., in the City of Batavia.
The last time somebody left a comment asserting that nobody wants to do business here and all the businesses are leaving, I pointed out some counter examples, which I'll note again: Kravings Kafe and Great Kutz both just opened in Valu Plaza; Ken Mistler is readying two new businesses and planning a third; There's one newish business on Ellicott Street and another store coming; A Canadian company is opening a new location downtown; Mancuso Corp. is investing a substantial amount of its own money (not just the RestoreNY funds) into the Masse Gateway Project; Clor's Meat Market greatly expanded its operations by moving to a new location; people complain about the open store fronts on Main Street, but all of them have ongoing interest from potential businesses for those locations. And I'm sure I'm leaving out other new businesses and expansions.
Not to mention that there are several hundred businesses thriving in the city and several hundred more throughout the county.
For me and Billie, we consider Batavia a great place to base our own business. If we didn't, we wouldn't be here. That's a lot of things I could do or places I could be if I didn't see Batavia and Genesee County as a great opportunity.
The bottom line: the pessimism about Batavia and Genesee County as a place to do business is unwarranted and it's contradicted by the actual business activity in town.
Very well said Howard! I
Very well said Howard! I believe that Batavia and Genesee county are one of the best places to be in the state right now.
Oliver's Candies is coming up on 78 years of business here in Batavia, thanks to the great support of the folks in Genesee County!
I could have lived anywhere
I could have lived anywhere in the world but I chose to comeback to my hometown for those very reasons! The schools are great (and worth my tax money). Batavia is nicely situated between two larger cities, near Canada, and I can easily get on the Thruway to visit family in Mass. and NJ. If people want to be down about this area they should just move, there is nothing that keeps them here if they dislike it so much. If people want change, they need to be the change they want. (per Ghandi)
I agree Howard! Batavia is
I agree Howard! Batavia is not the bad place that so many make it to be! I have nothing but love for this little city and I honestly believe if we do what's right in government, we can not only continue to grow, but attract new minds and business into our borders! Batavia has the potential of becoming one of those places that other towns and cities strive to become!
Just to add to what you said, Howard (and to include you in this as well). For all of the business owners you mentioned and the hundreds of others that get up everyday to serve our neighbors, YOU are the engine to drive change! As long as we have you dreaming more for this city and working hard to go and get it, we have hope for a brilliant future!
Thanks for all you do!
Come on Howard, take a look
Come on Howard, take a look around. Compared to other parts of the country the economy in western new york is severly depressed. You speak of a couple of "living wage" jobs and then attempt to project an economic turn around and booming economy in the entire genesee county area, but the phrase "living wage" (or barely getting by) you chose suggests the true reality. There are not enough well paying private sector jobs in the area to support your assertions of a good business climate and real job growth. The pessimism is warranted and smacks you in the face everywhere you turn. Just looking at the new city hall attached to the mall probably has created enough pessimism for some to contemplate suicide.
Richard, first I didn't try
Richard, first I didn't try to project a turn around. I said the pessimism is unwarranted. And I used the term "living wage" because these are clearly good paying jobs, but I'm not going to speak for the employer and try to project what these jobs pay, but I'd venture to guess that they pay better than Wal-Mart.
There's nothing around here that smacks me in the face to warrant pessimism.
The fact that you felt the only way to answer my post was to twist what I wrote speaks volumes for just how unwarranted the pessimism is.
Take a ride down Thorpe
Take a ride down Thorpe street.
I live right by Thorpe
I live right by Thorpe Street. I feel a lot safer walking down Thorpe than I felt in parts of San Antonio when I was stationed there, or Southeast San Diego, or East LA or Echo Park in the 1980s, or parts of Oxnard when I lived in Ventura. So I don't really get your point. Unless your point is that I should be a lot more pessimistic about San Diego because of Southeast San Diego or Ventura County because of Oxnard or Bakersfield because of Union Avenue than I am about Batavia, because the worst Batavia has to offer is nothing compared to the worst that I've seen elsewhere.
Boy is that ever true,
Boy is that ever true, Howard. I lived in Maryland for 14 years and worked both as a delivery driver and salesman in DC, Baltimore, Wilmington,DE and Philly. Talk about places where you are nervous about stopping for a red light let alone getting out of the car. This is a good area to live and raise a family. I think there are some economic challenges to be sure, but nearly all are because of the State not necessarily Genesee County.