How does Jeff Little feel about the future of Yarmouth? For the answer, the dealer principal of Murray GM says you only need to go up the road a bit to where Murray Dodge -- a new auto dealership – is taking shape.
If he didn’t feel good about the Yarmouth-area economy, he said, “We certainly wouldn’t be investing millions of dollars into this new venture.”
Little is the president of Murray Dodge, which is operating in temporary quarters while a new building is under construction.
As he was looking ahead to 2015, Little said he saw “great opportunity” in the Yarmouth area, not just in the car business but in virtually all sectors.
His view of the coming months is shared by other Yarmouth-area business people who were asked about their outlook for the new year. Most cited the return of ferry service as a big boost.
“The impact that the return of the ferry has made has been huge,” said Brian Bowers of Pleasant Supplies Timber Mart.
That new businesses are opening and people are investing in the local area is good to see, he said.
“We have an incredibly strong entrepreneurial spirit here in Yarmouth, “ he said, “and I believe we are on the verge of great things happening in the coming years.”
You can add Laura Muise’s name to the list of those sounding upbeat about the year ahead. The proprietor of The Hatfield House Culinary Experiences in Tusket, one of the area’s newer businesses, finds a sense of excitement that hasn’t been here for awhile.
Like others who shared their thoughts, Muise said 2014 was a good year for her business and she feels good about what’s coming. The plan, she said, is to close the restaurant for six to eight weeks in February and March, then reopen in April.
“I’m thrilled,” Muise said. “There’s a lot of promising things in the works right now for us here at the Hatfield House.”
Very pleased to see the ferry connection with Maine re-established in 2014, Muise says she’s enthusiastic about the vessel’s second season.
“The boat brings visitors,” she said. “At this time we need visitors for this end of the province to survive economically, and the boat is a stepping stone to making that happen. I have friends who are in business who had a terrific 2014 season and I am excited for them.”
Aside from hoping for a good follow-up season for the ferry, Jonathan Joseph, who runs Ye Olde Argyler Lodge, says he’s looking forward to seeing what downtown Yarmouth will look like after a façade program for the area and the direction the rebranding of the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association will take.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved in tourism in the area,” he said. “I’m feeling very optimistic about 2015.”
Gary Kent, the man behind Vincent Dressings, also sounds positive about the months ahead, saying he plans to expand his emerging Yarmouth-area dressings business in the coming year.
“As a start-up there has been lots to learn and many challenges,” he said. “Now the real work begins in making national distribution connections and exploring export opportunities.”
That’s the sort of talk Jeff Little likes to hear. Business success, he says, often depends on trying new things – new ways of marketing, new training for staff etc. As a rule, he says, the status quo is not good for business.
It’s something many people around here seem to understand, he says.
“I think it’s the Nova Scotian or the Maritimer in everybody that realizes they have to push forward and have to try to do something different to make things succeed,” he said.
How does Jeff Little feel about the future of Yarmouth? For the answer, the dealer principal of Murray GM says you only need to go up the road a bit to where Murray Dodge -- a new auto dealership – is taking shape.
If he didn’t feel good about the Yarmouth-area economy, he said, “We certainly wouldn’t be investing millions of dollars into this new venture.”
Little is the president of Murray Dodge, which is operating in temporary quarters while a new building is under construction.
As he was looking ahead to 2015, Little said he saw “great opportunity” in the Yarmouth area, not just in the car business but in virtually all sectors.
His view of the coming months is shared by other Yarmouth-area business people who were asked about their outlook for the new year. Most cited the return of ferry service as a big boost.
“The impact that the return of the ferry has made has been huge,” said Brian Bowers of Pleasant Supplies Timber Mart.
That new businesses are opening and people are investing in the local area is good to see, he said.
“We have an incredibly strong entrepreneurial spirit here in Yarmouth, “ he said, “and I believe we are on the verge of great things happening in the coming years.”
You can add Laura Muise’s name to the list of those sounding upbeat about the year ahead. The proprietor of The Hatfield House Culinary Experiences in Tusket, one of the area’s newer businesses, finds a sense of excitement that hasn’t been here for awhile.
Like others who shared their thoughts, Muise said 2014 was a good year for her business and she feels good about what’s coming. The plan, she said, is to close the restaurant for six to eight weeks in February and March, then reopen in April.
“I’m thrilled,” Muise said. “There’s a lot of promising things in the works right now for us here at the Hatfield House.”
Very pleased to see the ferry connection with Maine re-established in 2014, Muise says she’s enthusiastic about the vessel’s second season.
“The boat brings visitors,” she said. “At this time we need visitors for this end of the province to survive economically, and the boat is a stepping stone to making that happen. I have friends who are in business who had a terrific 2014 season and I am excited for them.”
Aside from hoping for a good follow-up season for the ferry, Jonathan Joseph, who runs Ye Olde Argyler Lodge, says he’s looking forward to seeing what downtown Yarmouth will look like after a façade program for the area and the direction the rebranding of the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association will take.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved in tourism in the area,” he said. “I’m feeling very optimistic about 2015.”
Gary Kent, the man behind Vincent Dressings, also sounds positive about the months ahead, saying he plans to expand his emerging Yarmouth-area dressings business in the coming year.
“As a start-up there has been lots to learn and many challenges,” he said. “Now the real work begins in making national distribution connections and exploring export opportunities.”
That’s the sort of talk Jeff Little likes to hear. Business success, he says, often depends on trying new things – new ways of marketing, new training for staff etc. As a rule, he says, the status quo is not good for business.
It’s something many people around here seem to understand, he says.
“I think it’s the Nova Scotian or the Maritimer in everybody that realizes they have to push forward and have to try to do something different to make things succeed,” he said.
Jeff Little, here at Murray GM in Yarmouth, is among those enthusiastic about 2015.
ERIC BOURQUE PHOTO
