From Brandon Vonk
Creston
I wanted to express my disappointment with Greater Regional Health’s recent decision to stop purchasing their toner locally from Office Machines in Uptown Creston. I don’t have all the facts, but I’ve heard that a wholesale company outside of our community will now be supplying the toner at a significantly lower price.
As an owner of two small businesses and married to an owner of another small business, I know all too well the enormous value of shopping local.
For every $100 dollars spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in that community and is recirculated, compared with $14 if you buy from a franchise. When you buy out of town, that money is gone. When we say we support local businesses, what we’re really saying is “We support our community.” As a taxing entity in Union County that collects more than $1 million a year, GRH should make every effort to buy their products locally and keep the tax dollars they collect from us, and our health care dollars we spend with them, in our community.
When you buy from Billy O., you’re not just getting the product you want, you’re also supporting a business with a storefront in the community for the past 60 years. And you are supporting the State President Elect of the Iowa Elks, representing Creston from Elks Lodge No. 605, and all the time and effort he’s put into that service organization to help them serve Creston. Anyone that knows Billy, knows he’d go out of his way to help his community.
I hope that everyone in our community will think twice before making a purchase online to save a buck or two, and I hope Greater Regional will reconsider their decision and keep the money we give them in the community by supporting local business as well.