Duplicating an Existing Business Helps No 1

Chris Peterson — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:28:48 +0000

In order to foster growth, a small community must encourage entrepreneurs to invest in opening businesses that will provide for its unmet needs. Conversely, a small community needs to discourage entrepreneurs who seek to exploit the success of others by duplicating existing businesses – particularly those that are narrowly defined.

A case in point is the opening of yet another Chinese restaurant.

For those who don’t remember, when Eric Zheng took a risk in 2004 and opened China Inn, it wasn’t long before another restaurateur tried to capitalize on his investment. King Buffet soon opened in Lake Plaza and virtually duplicated his business model. History tells us that Zheng defended his territory, and soon the “King” was dethroned.

Now a new challenger steps forward. I, for one, am not impressed.

An entrepreneur who sought to help build Big Lake would have opened another type of restaurant – or better yet found a community with no Chinese restaurant. To move a duplicate business into a tested market is to exploit another’s investment for personal gain. Some may call it capitalism – and it is certainly legal – but it is no way to help grow a community.

Let us encourage new types of businesses to invest in our community by honoring those who made the original investments in their particular niches. When a new competitor dilutes the market share (particularly in the current economy) we risk ending up with no businesses of that type. Big Lake’s original purveyor of Chinese food deserves the community’s support.

Heitz Robbed by Seven Blindmen

Chris Peterson — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:06:56 +0000

It was disappointing to see longtime councilman Chuck Heitz fell by a scant seven votes in Tuesday’s battle for City Council. Arguably the council’s best-versed repository of institutional knowledge, Heitz served the community with distinction for nearly a quarter-century. His genteel manner made him both a respected local politician and a community ambassador whose services will be difficult to replace.

While it is hard to discount the effect of the anti-incumbent sentiment sweeping the nation, I suspect that Heitz’ narrow defeat can be ascribed to something even more disheartening – voters blind to local politics. It is easy to imagine scores of such voters, keen to pull the lever in higher-profile races, fleshing out their ballots by randomly filling-in ovals from a list of unknown local candidates.

Though it may be small comfort to our outgoing councilman and former high school teacher, a teachable moment does present itself. Minnesotans are not obliged to vote in every race appearing on their ballots, and may skip over individual races without invalidating the rest of their choices. I would encourage voters indifferent to local politics to adopt this strategy in future elections.

I would like to thank Mr. Heitz – as so many of us grew up calling him – for his many years of service to the community. I am saddened to see a man who has worked so tirelessly for Big Lake defeated by a few uninformed voters.