Communities must weather changes to remain viable
In the life of any community, change is inevitable. This is especially true when it comes to the generational transition of leadership in important local businesses and industries. Locally-based businesses are the foundations upon which communities are built with the leaders of those businesses doing double duty as community leaders.
It is easy to fall into a sense of complacency when it comes to these established leaders and their businesses. However, as anyone with a calendar and a calculator will be able to point out, there will eventually be change — that is unless someone has discovered the fountain of youth and has not shared that information with the rest of us.
This week, The Star News introduced the new owner of Hemer Funeral Service, Stacey Pickerign. Longtime owner, Jeff Hemer who was the fourth generation of his family to run the funeral home, is moving into semi-retirement and working with her to make the transition as seamless as possible.
As the community welcomes Pickerign, it is with the knowledge that she will be a dynamic force in Taylor County for decades to come with the goal of continuing family-based ownership of the funeral service.
In an era of consolidations and corporatization, a successful transition to continued family-based ownership should be celebrated. Family-owned businesses, whether large or small, are often better positioned to ride out the ebbs and flows of the business cycle focusing on long-term sustainability and growth, rather than solely on this quarter’s profits/loss statement.
Such an outlook can be seen in the work familyowned businesses do to build their communities. From donor walls for community improvements to the t-shirts shirts worn by youth sports teams and at fun runs, family- owned businesses are well-represented and without them much of what makes each community special would be lost.
This is not to downplay the importance of well-run corporate leadership in the community. The area has been blessed with corporate leaders who have made this their home, caring more about advancing the community than about using it as just another rung as they climb the corporate ladder. These business leaders likewise serve an outsized role in the social health and economic prosperity of the community.
The change in ownership at Hemer Funeral Service is far from the first generational transition that has occurred here and won’t be the last. With already announced retirements and pending transitions, the coming months will see changes. With changes will come inevitable stumbles here and there as new leaders find their footing.
The community needs to embrace these new leaders and show them support as they work to continue the task of moving our cities, villages and Taylor County into the future.
