We were glad to hear, and no doubt Washington's leaders are relieved to hear, that Gary Uftring plans on rebuilding his vehicle dealership there following the Friday fire that pretty much totaled the place.
The some 80 employees at the Chevy dealership also will keep getting paychecks, which is certainly a credit to Uftring as he looks for a place to reopen for business in the interim, which could be a year to 18 months.
"They are a great business and I'm praying that they are able to secure a place within the city," said Washington Mayor Gary Manier. State law prevents municipalities from disclosing business-specific sales tax data, but we trust Uftring's contribution to Washington's coffers is no small number.
Of course, it's "more than tax dollars," said Manier. "Their employees are the same folks we sit with at church, sporting events, band concerts ... They give so much back to our city."
Across the country, franchise dealerships have left many small communities where they were once among the largest employers and community benefactors. We still see a few in the towns surrounding Peoria — Roanoke, Chillicothe, Morton, outside Eureka — but often it's down to one as dealerships consolidate, manufacturers enforce certain facility requirements, and private financing for investments in less-populated areas is harder to come by.
Uftring has a history of more than three decades in Washington, it's reassuring that that counts for something, and bucking any trend is worthy of celebration, now and again.