Business group can serve community.
At last week’s third Economic and Business Development Commission social, several hundred local business owners and professionals supported reviving a local business and professional association.
Hillsborough’s nascent group could mark the return of a once dynamic association that floundered around 2000, when longtime president Jim Silady left the post.
Previous efforts to get the ball rolling have also floundered, but perhaps now’s the right time for Hillsborough businesses to relaunch such a group.
We wholeheartedly support the plans and as a local business, we would benefit along with other local businesses.
But that’s also good for Hillsborough nonprofits, social clubs, churches, schools … everyone.
Hillsborough has a peculiarly schizophrenic attitude towards local businesses everyone seems to want more commercial ratables and businesses but many seem to know little about those already here and to support them.
One of our jobs at the Beacon is to provide a place for local businesses to advertise their goods and services, which in turn allows us to provide our readers news about their community.
The better local businesses can do by advertising locally, the better job we can do in keeping up with all of the activities and events in town.
Which is analogous in many ways to the wider economic strength of a community the more local residents support local business, the stronger our local economy will be.
A local business and professional association can provide a number of important services to the community it can be a clearinghouse of information for potential customers; it can organize community events showcasing local businesses; it can be a contact point for new businesses.
Whether it’s just the right time for such a group to rise again, or whether the impetus provided by the township’s Economic and Business Development Commission is the push required, it’s clear there’s a need and a desire for this group.
We urge all residents to support local businesses whenever possible (you can check the commission’s Web site at www.hillsboroughbusiness.org for lists of local services), and we hope residents will support the local business group in whatever form it takes.

