We're all in this together

Not long ago, after Shellie in our office had gone to the grocery store for some of our various needs, she brought me back a dark chocolate glazed doughnut. It had little orange and white ghost sprinkles on it.

As I sat there enjoying this unexpected mid-morning recess treat, it occurred to me that right there in my hand was a perfect example of our interwoven economy. Let me explain.

Around here, with many of our employers, we have a noticeable connection to the auto industry. A slowdown in manufacturing of cars in Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee or even our own state of Indiana can be felt rather quickly by some of their suppliers who are located here.

We are also well-blessed with a diverse economy. Major printers, pharmaceuticals, retail distribution, farm products, strong niche retail and even an industrial sector where the employment rate of our citizens is still about 90 percent.

But there is a linked association with all facets of our economy, and that little doughnut made me think about that. Right there in my hand was a great example of the complexity and interconnectedness of our economy.

A local grocery store sold it. It got there on some company’s delivery truck. Now that truck used petroleum refined somewhere. The doughnut was made from some farmer’s grain harvest. Most likely, a sugar beet farmer grew what would become the sprinkles on top of it. A dairy farmer had some product in it. It came in a paper sack that some lumber mill was the first step in its production. Several utility companies were involved with the water in the dough, the electricity to mix it all up and maybe the gas to bake it. Through all of those steps there were probably banks that had loaned the money for lots of production and delivery equipment. The employees of the banks took their wages and went to the grocery store to buy … other dooughnuts.

Now that is certainly not a complete, or maybe even very accurate, description of the chain of value-added products and processes that makes up part of the free market. But, you get the idea of how connected so many aspects of the economy were tied up in that little glazed doughnut on my desk.

The same could be analyzed about clothing, hardware, CDs, hair gels, copy paper, pain reliever, oil filters … anything you can think of.

So, it makes sense to me that if all that is true, the more we can do to start that first step in the economic process by buying local … the more chances that first nickel or dollar sale has to change hands four or five or six times in our own county, the better off our economy is. And the ripple effect will reach that timber company in Georgia, or that electric utility’s employees in our town, or that Hoosier farmer, or that oil well off the coast of Louisiana … and especially that sugar beet farmer.

We’re all making some progress digging out of this tough economy together, but the more business we can do with local folks, then the better our little corner of it will be.

I am pretty sure my primary care physician may read this, so please know that I supported some Hoosier dairy farmer, and all those other connected businesses, by having the doughnut with a glass of skim milk.
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Bill Bailey is president of Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce. Bailey writes a monthly column for The Tribune.