Business succession key to community’s future

Being on the front lines of what was going on in Imperial for more than 40 years, my father-in-law and former co-publisher of the Imperial Republican, Loral Johnson, made a number of keen observations about the Imperial community and Chase County.
    He came to Imperial right out of high school to begin his career as a newspaper man and commercial printer. Over the course of years, he witnessed many changes that have had a long-lasting effect on the success of Imperial and Chase County.
    He saw the boom of irrigation and how it transformed farming and led to the growth of Imperial and its “Miracle Mile.”
        He joined with fair board members in bolstering the Chase County Fair into what it is today.
    He joined with other school board members more than two decades ago to ensure education at Chase County Schools took a giant step forward by building a new school.
    These are but a few of the key events he observed that have ingrained a unique inter-generational attitude of progress and prosperity.
    Looking at the progress and future of a community, he said something that has stuck with me over the years. He said one of the bad things that can happen to a community is when Main Street is paid for.
    When that happens, businesses tend to be less aggressive than when their owners knew they have to hustle to make sure they could make that monthly note payment to the bank.
    But perhaps even worse, he noted, was when there is no succession of a business from one owner to the next. Over the years, Imperial has been exceptionally fortunate in that respect. One of the reasons is that people here are very loyal to their community.
    While that loyalty doesn’t guarantee a business’s success, it provides the confidence for new owners to invest in local businesses.
    We should do everything possible to foster that line of succession. It’s vital in keeping our community vibrant and strong for years to come.