Some bright economics major or MBA candidate might someday do a study to prove this statement:

“More of Jefferson County’s economy is locally owned and managed than any other county on earth.”

I might be off by a couple of counties in Alaska or northern Maine, but not by much. Almost all of our street-level retailers are locally owned. A couple of our medium-sized grocers are locally owned, and one is a customer-owned co-op, even if the three big stores are part of chains. All of our hardware and lumber stores are locally owned. Many small manufacturers are locally owned and doing really interesting work at Glen Cove, even if the big one — PT Paper — has a distant owner. (In spite of that they are very community-focused, as are the big grocery stores.)

The Boat Haven is packed with highly skilled, hard-working companies, all of them locally owned, and another one specializing in welded vessels is moving in.

The single biggest economic engine in the county is probably Jefferson Healthcare, a government entity but very much locally owned, amidst an environment of consolidation of privately owned healthcare systems and hospitals across the Northwest. Almost all of the local accommodations, eateries, taverns are locally owned or managed, joined two years ago by the Fort Worden Public Development Authority, a government entity with an entrepreneurial mission that now employs about 100 local people.

Most of our banks are now regionally owned, with local board members (in the case of First Federal) and geographic familiarity with what we’re all about.

The Public Utility District, also a government entity, moved a couple dozen decent jobs and a whole lot of contracting work to local people when it took over as the county’s power utility. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that the rest of the public sector – county, city, schools, fire districts, Port of Port Townsend – is a substantial economic force here. Local taxes and rates being spent locally – all of it contributes to a locally owned economy.

There’s even an organized way for local people to invest any excess savings into local businesses, rather than shipping them off to some unknown hedge fund managers with Wall Street addresses. It’s called the Local Investment Opportunity Network, or LION, and a lot of businesses have successfully launched or grown with its help.

One entity that LION has helped is a new co-op of caregivers for the elderly or infirm, called the Peninsula Homecare Cooperative, owned and operated by many of the best caregivers in Jefferson County, who now have a chance to be paid a decent wage without being dinged by the corporate middleman.

I could go on and on, and would except that I’m on deadline and the local people who put out the local Leader are waiting for me to finish up.

That local ownership is not just a matter of particular pride. It’s also the reason the economy, in its broadest sense, still works as a positive cultural force in Jefferson County. The hundreds of business owners who live here and employ people here really care about what happens with their employees, their customers, the other businesses, the schools, the fundraising needs of the homeless shelter, the people who offer free wheelchairs (ECHHO), the high school cheerleaders and countless other good things.

This all brings me to the Printery and to SOS Printing, our two prominent local graphics and print shops.

Mike and Pat Kenna literally started the Printery in a garage 40 years ago, in 1976. It has steadily grown through the years, today employs over a dozen people, many of them with 20 years or more of quality service. The Printery has a national reputation for innovative, high-quality and environmentally responsible work, and invests in cutting-edge technology and talent.

The Kennas also ensured that the Printery would be a reliable community partner. Mike, through his own charitable work and printing or graphics donations, has made a clear mark on the civic life of the community. Kenna adult children Aaron and Rory are now also part of the business, which points to another great advantage of a locally owned business – that it might remain locally owned.

The Printery is probably this county’s oldest business that was started and is still operated by its current owner. Now that’s a success story by any measure.

The family heritage of SOS Printing owner Dan Huntingford goes back further. Dan’s ancestors arrived here over 140 years ago and carved a farm out of the forest of the Chimacum Valley, where Huntingfords still farm today. Dan bought SOS Printing in the early 1990s and moved it to its Washington Street location in 2000. SOS is also known for its exceptional work, its technological innovations, its environmental quality and its community spirit. Huntingford donates generously to many local causes, and takes a particular interest in support of youth athletics.

It’s just one mark of his spirit that, despite being the great grandson of a pioneer, he says: “I’ve always thought it was more important how long you intend to stay than how long you’ve already been here.”

All the way through, these are good stories. But you can make them better by making a point to do your own printing work with these local printers, or likewise to work a little harder to do business with any locally owned business. Every time you do, it proves how a locally-owned economy still works for all of us.

Oops, I’m late; got to go.

— Scott Wilson