Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Swine flu crisis affecting business ...
Laredo area business leaders are watching potential economic losses hit as a result of the swine flu crisis.
Bob Zachariah, president of the Laredo Hotel and Lodging Association, believes this public escalation might have something to do with bureaucrats feeling itchy. His belief is their itchiness comes after how the federal government responded to Hurricane Katrina.
“Ever since Katrina, there’s this whole feeling that if bureaucrats don’t escalate potential disaster-like situations and do this at a certain level, then the bureaucrats get hounded,” he said. “Now everything is getting escalated in a very public manner.”
That's his opinion.
Zachariah, though, also added he understood a need to inform the public about situations like the swine flu crisis. His hope would be that it's done in a calm, orderly manner ... not driving citizens into a panicked frenzy.
Business owners were hopeful for a shot at some extra income this weekend with a long Labor Day holiday in Mexico. Mexican citizens might not be coming across into the Gateway City and shopping in droves this year. Yet again, they might come over in decent numbers, too.
Who knows?
There will be more swine flu business reaction throughout the coming days here at Coffee Talk Live.
Feel free to leave a comment, too.
-- Joe Rutland
Bob Zachariah, president of the Laredo Hotel and Lodging Association, believes this public escalation might have something to do with bureaucrats feeling itchy. His belief is their itchiness comes after how the federal government responded to Hurricane Katrina.
“Ever since Katrina, there’s this whole feeling that if bureaucrats don’t escalate potential disaster-like situations and do this at a certain level, then the bureaucrats get hounded,” he said. “Now everything is getting escalated in a very public manner.”
That's his opinion.
Zachariah, though, also added he understood a need to inform the public about situations like the swine flu crisis. His hope would be that it's done in a calm, orderly manner ... not driving citizens into a panicked frenzy.
Business owners were hopeful for a shot at some extra income this weekend with a long Labor Day holiday in Mexico. Mexican citizens might not be coming across into the Gateway City and shopping in droves this year. Yet again, they might come over in decent numbers, too.
Who knows?
There will be more swine flu business reaction throughout the coming days here at Coffee Talk Live.
Feel free to leave a comment, too.
-- Joe Rutland
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Laredo unemployment slightly up ...
Our friends at the Texas Workforce Commission in Austin released statewide unemployment numbers Friday morning.
Laredo's unemployment rate now sits at 7.5 percent as of March 2009, which is a one-tenth percentile bump from February's 7.4 rate. In March 2008, before the economic collapse, our unemployment rate was at 4.9 percent.
As some people within the Laredo business community have said since January, they would not be surprised at all to see our unemployment rate hit 8 percent before stabilizing there for a little bit or begin to climb back down.
LMT staff writer Zach Lindsey's story on a number of positive business and job points offers good news toward new business looking at Laredo and bringing in more jobs.
Let's hope that unemployment rate tops out soon, then begins its slow trickle down ... meaning more people taking home steady paychecks and having discretionary income to spend.
Of course, that also could bring more money to pay down debt, too.
Just another view.
-- Joe Rutland
Laredo's unemployment rate now sits at 7.5 percent as of March 2009, which is a one-tenth percentile bump from February's 7.4 rate. In March 2008, before the economic collapse, our unemployment rate was at 4.9 percent.
As some people within the Laredo business community have said since January, they would not be surprised at all to see our unemployment rate hit 8 percent before stabilizing there for a little bit or begin to climb back down.
LMT staff writer Zach Lindsey's story on a number of positive business and job points offers good news toward new business looking at Laredo and bringing in more jobs.
Let's hope that unemployment rate tops out soon, then begins its slow trickle down ... meaning more people taking home steady paychecks and having discretionary income to spend.
Of course, that also could bring more money to pay down debt, too.
Just another view.
-- Joe Rutland
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Keeping up with Labor ...
Thursday morning, Laredo small business owners had an opportunity to take part in a forum on understanding Department of Labor rules and regulations at Texas A&M International University.
It was an interesting forum, headed up by representatives from the Department of Labor and Texas Workforce Commission.
What I gained out of it was a way to help business owners become aware of their responsibilities toward employees.
Not that employees don't have responsibilities, too, at the workplace.
Check out this Monday's LMT Business Journal for more on the forum.
-- Joe Rutland
It was an interesting forum, headed up by representatives from the Department of Labor and Texas Workforce Commission.
What I gained out of it was a way to help business owners become aware of their responsibilities toward employees.
Not that employees don't have responsibilities, too, at the workplace.
Check out this Monday's LMT Business Journal for more on the forum.
-- Joe Rutland
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Norton speaks out ...
Laredo Downtown Merchants Association president Les Norton offered his opinion on the state of downtown Laredo's economy during a noon Kiwanis Club speech Tuesday.
Norton called himself "an optimistic merchant, yet also a frustrated downtown merchant."
His optimism springs from having seen numerous ups and downs economically as the Norton family, along with the Miltons and Hachars, has been part of downtown Laredo business for more than 60 years, according to him.
"A common thread among other cities in the United States has been their focus on revitalizing their downtown areas," Norton said. "Downtown Laredo has never had to revitalize itself. We've always been there."
Norton said downtown merchants offer a bigger market for quality conscious and price conscious shoppers.
"In downtown stores, there is a bigger market for a $10 shirt than a $50 shirt," he said.
His pessimism? Well, that starts with criticism of the Laredo City Council's members. Toss in watching a successful outlet mall go up in Mercedes, located in the ever-growing Rio Grande Valley area including McAllen, while El Portal Mall remains pretty much an empty space and there's a base for Norton's frustration.
"While other cities act, we talk," he told the Kiwanis Club gathering.
What good will Norton's words do?
Only time will tell
-- Joe Rutland
Norton called himself "an optimistic merchant, yet also a frustrated downtown merchant."
His optimism springs from having seen numerous ups and downs economically as the Norton family, along with the Miltons and Hachars, has been part of downtown Laredo business for more than 60 years, according to him.
"A common thread among other cities in the United States has been their focus on revitalizing their downtown areas," Norton said. "Downtown Laredo has never had to revitalize itself. We've always been there."
Norton said downtown merchants offer a bigger market for quality conscious and price conscious shoppers.
"In downtown stores, there is a bigger market for a $10 shirt than a $50 shirt," he said.
His pessimism? Well, that starts with criticism of the Laredo City Council's members. Toss in watching a successful outlet mall go up in Mercedes, located in the ever-growing Rio Grande Valley area including McAllen, while El Portal Mall remains pretty much an empty space and there's a base for Norton's frustration.
"While other cities act, we talk," he told the Kiwanis Club gathering.
What good will Norton's words do?
Only time will tell
-- Joe Rutland
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