In this morning’s edition of the Voice of the Valley, which is your Chamber’s monthly newsletter published by The Daily Item, I had a little fun in my regular column with the homonym: “March forth on March Fourth. Honestly, each and every year on today’s date, March 4th, I take it as a personal rallying cry for me to pick up my work and march forth. Okay, so I admit it, in some regards—I’m a little weird.
But I simply can’t help it; I really like the notion of committing to the big ideas that my Board of Directors comes up with for us to work together toward the prosperity of communities, commerce, culture, citizens throughout the Greater Susquehanna Valley.
Also in today’s edition of the Voice of the Valley, we introduce this month’s theme for your Chamber of Agriculture and Manufacturing. Our valley is blessed with both robust and diverse agriculture and manufacturing bases. Taken together, these two economic sectors are the largest employers in Pennsylvania. They also just happen to be the foundation for all of the other economic sectors.
Think about it for a moment: If you don’t make things, that would be manufacturing, you won’t have anything to sell (retail). What’s more, if you don’t grow anything, that would be agriculture, you won’t have anything to eat (hospitality).
During last year’s 2nd Annual Anthracite Summit, Denny Molesevich of Mount Carmel pointed out that the basic and fundamental difference between first-world nations, such as the United States, and third-world nations, is that in the first-world we grow things and we make things. I couldn’t have said it better myself and I’ve often quoted Denny when speaking about the importance of your Chamber advocating on behalf of farmers, agri-business and our many manufacturing facilities.
Let’s March Forth on March Fourth
