TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – According to the regional director for the Small Business Center, Courtney Richey, smaller businesses make up a large majority of the Wabash Valley.
“Small business really is any business that has less than 500 employees. So, honestly that’s over 97 percent here in West-Central Indiana,” Richey said.
Richey says when money is spent at corporate or chain locations at least 68 percent of that money will leave the local community, but small businesses work to do the opposite.
“When we spend money at a local business, that money stays here. It’s going to go to pay employees here and then the owners here, that are then going to spend money also local in our community,” Richey said.
One of those small businesses that is focused on driving the local economy is Wise Pies pizza in downtown Terre Haute. Owner Zack Wise says he makes it a focus to keep money in the Valley.
“Everything, you know, kind of stays in house, if you will, and we like it that way. We’re not shipping our money out,” Wise said.
While keeping money local is important, Wise says he’s able to do this by creating relationships with the community. He says those who walk through his doors are more than customers.
“I consider when we do business here that the customers, the employees, I’m an employee, we’re all just one big happy family,” Wise said.
Richey says West-Central Indiana was the top performing region for small businesses in the state of Indiana during the past year. She says this is partially due to a large number of start-ups in the area.
Richey also says Indiana has jumped from number 8 to number 6, as the most entrepreneur-friendly state in the country.
