I believe that Corvallis is poised at a crucial juncture in determining the quality of life for our children. It may or may not manifest itself in time to significantly affect your retirement, but it will certainly determine the basic parameters and range of choices that your children will inherit.

We must not lose control of our business environment to those who do not have a vested interest in the health, diversity and long-term prosperity of the local community. If the basic decisions of a business are determined by an impartial “outside” business plan, then local good will becomes just another commodity to be assigned a price and relative value. Tax breaks and corporate write-offs justify closing a store even though it still makes a modest profit and there is no longer any local competition because they drove them out of business earlier. Once a business is gone, it is very difficult to replace it.

Corvallis will be seeing the effects of its first “category killer” superstore this fall when Home Depot opens. We already have a few large national retailers, but they tend to focus on a specific area. The home improvement warehouse store will directly target about 30 different types of businesses!

The Corvallis Independent Business Alliance has chosen to pursue a positive, education-based approach to this encroachment. We value our community and recognize that without the community’s support, we would have no lasting foundation and little prospect for attracting and sustaining our customers.

I have written about the detrimental effects of how these national retailers send their money out of our local economy as fast as possible, so I am not going to discuss it right now. CIBA will be meeting with the different categories of businesses in the coming months as we help them find what is unique about their store and how best to position themselves for long-term survival.

I want to encourage you to work with us as we help them identify a practical business plan, any unfilled needs and how they may better serve their clientele. Talk with your favorite business and let them know that they are not alone and be practical about what level of continued business they can expect from you. Tell them what you value about them, what you think their strong points are and what you would like to see them improve upon. A business needs to know realistically if the effort will be worthwhile in the long run.

One of the best traits of independent businesses is that we tend to be passionate about what we carry and why we choose to be in business. We view our other local “competitors” as friends sharing common interests and are willing to work with each other to build a better retail environment for our community. We know we can compete successfully if we have our community’s support.

Locally owned, independently operated businesses are run by your friends and neighbors. You meet them while you do your shopping, and you see them at sporting, cultural and school events. You share common interests and mutually beneficial goals. Your kids play together. CIBA believes locally owned businesses are a community resource worth investing in and preserving.