Let’s think right about Belle Fourche!

There is a danger in being too familiar with things and getting into a rut, especially in our thinking. Because we are a town with a smaller population, we tend to put ourselves in the ‘just a small town’ box; that we can’t ‘compete’ with towns with bigger populations. We may not realize the amount of commerce that goes on in ‘this little town’.

I’d like to give us a push out of this possible rut.

At the Chamber we are members of the SD Retailer’s Association and receive their information. In a recent Legislative Bulletin I read two articles that caught my attention. If you want to look for them it’s Issue Number 1 January 24, 2017. The one where Scott and Susan Peterson are named 2017 Retailer of the Year! Congratulation again. After reading that article go to pages 20-22.

There is a great report on tourism numbers for South Dakota. I‘d like to send out a “well done” to the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center. Kristi Thielen and her staff posted an increase of 800 visitors to the Museum despite the numbers for the Sturgis Rally being down significantly. Due to their hard work they went above and beyond their previous year’s numbers. The reason, Kristi reported at the February 6 city council meeting, was in the monthly events attendance numbers. They are getting more local people into the complex. From someone that deals with events every day, it is a challenge to get people out. But Kristi and her staff have done it with interesting, informative First Saturday Brunches, children’s events, and quality exhibits.

Let’s get back to page 21, 22 of the SD Retailers legislative report and the second report. Check out the sales taxes returned to Belle Fourche for 2017. Can you guess the dollar amount? $2,837,560.65. This figure is up slightly from the year before. This, despite the drastic fall in livestock prices. Check other agriculturally related towns listed in that report and you will see that most were down – and some significantly so – in their sales tax revenues. Thi

s Chamber of Commerce sends a big shout out to our Belle Fourche business community for generating the amount of sales it did in a very difficult year for an ag based economy. Remember, the cities share is .02 or two cents on every dollar spent in Belle Fourche. That is nearly $142 million dollars in sales in 2016. Did you know Belle Fourche business was generating that kind of revenue?

But there is more of a thinking rut we may be in and need more information to get us out of it. On that same page, compare Belle Fourche’s sales tax with the sales tax generated in Deadwood. Remember we were 2.8 million. Deadwood 3.4 million. The difference is $597,419.07. Hmm, what does Deadwood have to generate sales tax? Hotels, restaurants, gaming etc. and still we’re not that far behind.

Next time you think about our city and the commerce that goes on here, make sure you are not in a rut with your thinking.

I’m very encouraged as the Chamber director with our business community and thank them for their great efforts in making Belle Fourche a regional place of commerce. When business prospers the city tax coffers fill and that means in turn that Belle Fourche residents benefit from lower taxes.

Let’s not take our business community for granted!

-Gary Wood

Executive Director

Is It Revenue Producing; Is It Service Affecting

The other day a former corporate executive was telling me the guidelines they used in evaluating business proposals and plans.  It’s the title of this article:  Is it revenue producing; is it service affecting?  When you examine that a bit you come down to two basic principals businesses need to consider.  Revenue and service.  I personally would turn those around and have service first and revenue second but that is just me and remember I don’t own a business!
Two other key elements in this statement that may need some defining are “producing”  and “affecting”.  Let’s look at producing first.
All businesses are in the business to produce revenue.  Business need to evaluate if how they are operating is producing revenue.  If revenue isn’t being produced it won’t be long and the doors will close.  To our non-business readers, our Belle Fourche businesses are here to make a profit.  If they don’t they can’t stay.  It’s the business’s job to see that their product is competitively priced so that you the consumer will shop local and purchase it.  Outside money is gravy.  So if the business can bring in outside money to our community that is all the better but they still need local support.  The well-worn statement, “Shop Local” may need some freshening up but it is still in everyone’s best interests to be a local business supporter.  I talked to one business owner who has NEVER been in the Spearfish Wal-Mart.  That is amazing commitment to our local business community, and I applaud them for it.
The second key element needing some defining is “Service affecting”.  I looked up ‘affecting’ in the dictionary, and it’s synonyms are:  have an effect on, influence, act on, work on, have an impact on, change, alter, modify, transform, form, shape, sway.  The proposal or plan must have a positive impact on the service the business provides and keep customers first.  Business proposals or plans that negatively affect service should be rejected.
The bottom line is this:  Business proposals and plans must produce revenue and/or have a positive impact on customer service. Another way to look at it would be: “Do the pros of this proposal or plan outweigh the cons?”  Is it revenue producing; is it service affecting?
One business owner I asked told me, “What more, more, more can I do for my customer. What else can I do that makes them come back? Service creates revenue.”
Business is a partnership between owners and customers. Let’s strengthen our partnerships here in Belle Fourche.

Chamber Executive Director Gary Wood