With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror and our country’s 250th birthday just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about their significance for us here and beyond.
The saying “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves” is credited to Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-born American industrialist of the late 1800s who predicted that within three generations a family-run business could go from rags to riches to rags.
Carnegie’s premise has three legs.
First is that the pioneers of a certain enterprise are so enthralled with their concept that they pour their hearts and souls into seeing its development is successful.
Having grown up in mom or dad’s shadow, the second generation sees it as their responsibility to ensure the product’s success by growing the company and making it more profitable.
The third generation is where things can go off track.
Lacking a personal relationship with the company’s founder, third-generation owners often don’t feel the “spark” of what got the wheels turning in the first place nor the responsibility and inherent sacrifices necessary to keep the business competitive.
They also may have divergent ideas for how the company should be run or in what direction; or, as individuals, simply have different interests or visions for their careers.
So, a board of directors, now consisting of a multitude of interests and goals, decides to sell the company, leaving its fate in the hands of others.
The ripple effects can affect a town. Or even a country.
In Iola, we’ve seen the direction of LeHigh Portland Cement, Gates Manufacturing, Haldex Brakes, Berg Manufacturing, Herff-Jones and others impacted by the decisions of “outsiders.”
Sometimes, their downsizing or closures are due to new technologies that allow significant streamlining or, as in the case of Haldex, outsourcing to a cheaper labor market.
With Gates, the recent decision to stop making hydraulic hoses at the Iola plant, and thus the elimination of 80 jobs, was never explained by higher-ups. That lack of transparency also creates widespread unease.
As the business world has proven, success doesn’t necessarily beget success.
The same applies to government.
From administration to administration the goalposts change, making it more difficult to tackle long-term challenges as well as goals.
For the last 20-plus years, the country’s aging infrastructure and housing stock has been addressed in fits and starts. Same with the willingness to address the cost of healthcare. Unless something big is done in the next month, many Americans can expect to see their monthly health insurance rates skyrocket since Congress has refused to extend their benefits.
Turning our backs on renewable energy by continuing to burn fossil fuels at record rates is creating a warmer and more erratic climate that affects our supply of food and water supply chains and our overall health.
