What’s up with local business?

Wow, what a difference a year makes!
In this week’s edition of your community newspaper, The Clarkston News, is the culmination of two months? work. Our 41st annual Progress Edition, Trends 2012, showcases the vitality of our local business community. And, vitality is a fitting word.
Last year, businesses were a wee bit hesitant to invest in marketing themselves . . . 43 businesses signed up for the 2011 edition, for two sections (48 pages). This year we are happy to report a 60 percent increase! Over 70 area businesses are inviting you to read their story in today’s Trends 2012 (four sections, 92 pages).
We are appreciative of local businesses? continued support, without which we could not keep the community informed and entertained.
This Clarkston News in your hands today is 120 pages! A massive undertaking from our entire staff, all of whom we need to thank! We also thank local photographer Mark Kelly for helping us take pictures of our business partners (his ad is on Page B16 in the Progress section).
Inside you’ll read how local businesses are excited about their futures. You’ll find over 50 coupons inside with great savings and percentages off . . . over $1,100 in accumulative savings.
You’ll notice a returned presence of downtown Clarkston businesses (there’s a $49 ‘tune-up? special coupon from Kinetic System’s Bicycles), food discounts, dentist discounts, furniture discounts, oil change discounts . . . there are a lot of discounts inside.
The neat thing about Progress are the stories — business histories, what has changed, what changes you should expect in the future. If you want to know why to do business locally, read Progress!
We believe everybody has a story and it is our job to tell it. We believe the same thing about business: each has a story that needs to be told. What’s our story, you ask?
The Clarkston News has been this community’s newspaper of record since 1929. Week in and week out, reporters, editors, publishers connect readers to readers and readers to business owners.
The Clarkston News is a paid circulation newspaper ? over 3,000 families pay to stay informed and connected to the community. Business owners and individuals who advertise in The Clarkston News not only get this actively participating group of buyers, they also reach into nearly every address delivered by the Clarkston and Davisburg post offices via the Penny Stretcher.
The Clarkston News is always looking for ways to make connections; nine years ago we launched our first webpage, www.ClarkstonNews.com.
In 2010, we flipped the switch for www.ClarkstonTV.com, our second website. We have also completed our first year of bringing local business owners together with our weekly Coffee Club networking meetings.
Please read more about what’s new with your community newspaper and the other fine businesses that make up and support our community!
? Don Rush, asst. publisher