Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce Reacts to Local Economy

The Lumberyard restaurant in Standard is closing its doors after this weekend and Sonora lost its Mervyns store late last year after the chain went out of business.

Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO George Segarini was Friday morning’s KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

“We have had a slowdown in sales tax and revenue in some areas,” says Segarini. “however there have also been a number of local success stories, such as the Diamondback Grill Restaurant and the Cost-U-Less grocery store, both of which saw business go up considerably over the past year.”

With all of the negative reports surrounding the national economy, Segarini feels there are things to be optimistic about in Tuolumne County. He says that many small businesses report that they are doing better in early 2009 than they did in 2008.

Segarini says that many businesses are looking at Tuolumne County as a place to expand. He points out that a new grocery store should open in the Junction Shopping Center within the next 60 days, Walmart is expanding its current facility and Lowe’s continues to work towards building a Sonora store.

The Newsmaker of the Day can be heard each weekday morning at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47 on AM-1450 KVML.

Written by mark@mlode.com