Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

All Things Local: Our commitment to Harrisburg runs deep.

Screenshot 2015-02-22 11.24.03As a business owner in Harrisburg, I believe that supporting our local community is vitally important, which also aligns with my company’s core values. I feel that some of the best ways to do this are supporting other local small businesses and supporting local charities.

I like to say that I vote every day when I choose where to spend my money. I purposefully seek out local business when shopping for everything from business vendors to a place to eat. And Harrisburg certainly has a lot of variety. It is not always the easiest thing to do, but I feel it is critical that I personally contribute to the local economy whenever possible though both my business and my own dollars.

According to the U.S. Small Business Association, small business owners are the largest employers nationally. They employ more than half of the private workforce and have created almost two-thirds of our country’s net new jobs over the past 15 years. When you support small business in your community, you are supporting local employment.

Patronizing local businesses also helps grow the area tax base and local revenue. If a business is based in Harrisburg, that business is supporting the local Harrisburg tax rolls. Locally owned companies tend to spend money in their own market, which puts the revenue back into the local economy.

Another advantage of shopping local is that the environmental impact is reduced. Local businesses usually make more local purchases, which reduces transportation pollution and contributes less to sprawl, congestion and habitat loss.

When shopping in Harrisburg, or any other city center for that matter, product diversity is evident. When each local business selects products based on its own interests and the needs of a local market, a more diverse range of products is available to the customer. In an increasingly homogenized world, locally owned small businesses create a uniqueness to each city that gives that area a distinct advantage over the strip malls and big box chains prevalent in the suburbs.

Do we really need another big box store, unused office complex, or half-empty strip mall contributing to the suburban sprawl? There are plenty of opportunities in our wonderful city and, if you are a regular reader of TheBurg, you know that Harrisburg is headed in the right direction.

Local businesses are also much more likely to give back to the community. My company donates more to the United Way of the Capital Region than all other auto groups in the area combined. We were proud to be a part of the last campaign that ended up raising a record $12,020,175. Thanks to 13 local companies that cover 100 percent of administrative costs, every dollar raised during this campaign went to the United Way of the Capital Region and every dollar stayed in the capital region. Fewer than 10 United Way organizations have this type of program.

If you’re familiar with local history, you may know that most area car dealerships used to be located in Harrisburg. Cameron Street and Paxton Street were known for having a large selection of car dealerships. There are only a few remaining. Our company has chosen to stay because we feel that our particular location in the city gives us a lot more visibility than a suburban location. We also receive quite a few unsolicited appreciations from people for the large American flag that we fly at our location at 13th and Paxton streets. Due to its visibility, it has become a landmark over the years for many locals, as well as for people who drive through I-83 on a regular basis. I have actually seen the flag in a few pictures of Harrisburg’s skyline.

Harrisburg has had its ups and downs in the last few years, but I firmly believe that our city’s future will be brighter than its past. My hope is that our local companies and even the big box chains consider the city for their next retail storefront or office. Even in tough times, Harrisburg has been a great place to conduct our business, and I don’t see why that would change as our city continues to move in the right direction.

I am proud that my company is a community publisher of TheBurg. Harrisburg is a city with a rich history, a culturally diverse population, and generous community focused companies. Sounds like a great place to do business to me!

Jonathan Casey is the general manager for Sutliff Chevrolet Volkswagen, a community publisher for TheBurg.

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