HARTMAN: Mr. Dow, What Does 10,000 Mean?

by Shawn Hartman

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) finally crept back up to 10,000 last Wednesday. Big, right? Maybe. Sure, the DJIA has gained incredible momentum this year after bottoming out a few trillion dollars lower at 6,469.95 on March 6^th, but is this merely a bubble? Are we over-capitalizing the market? Pumping it full just to make ourselves feel or think things are getting better? Or, is this thing really getting better? After a battery of good news from statistics on everything from retail to financials, the DJIA has had a dramatic rebound. In my opinion, we’ve bottomed out. Leading economic analysts seem to think so as well. But, are we seeing this “rebound” locally? Well, I’ve asked that to every small business owner I can think of. It’s about 50/50 from what I’ve gathered. Some businesses in Armstrong and surrounding counties are doing rough, and there are businesses that are doing well. “Hit and miss” — so to speak. From what I’ve  seen, businesses that are scraping along, look like they are with dilapidated store fronts, confusing “sales,” questionable business ethics, and just plain disregard for customer service. Businesses that are thriving and profiting through the downturn are exactly the opposite. Their storefronts are well maintained, they’ve streamlined the inner workings of their business, they provide excellent customer service, and they have a great feel for marketing. I’m so tired of hearing some people tell me that the economy not getting any better and they’re going to fail. Maybe, they’re just not trying quite hard enough. Will a bigger DJIA make us flourish? Not without everyone’s cooperation. It’s time for change, Armstrong County. Make it.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have” -Thomas Jefferson