From BrooklineHub.com (MA): Unexpected life events and circumstances often have a way of distancing us from our youthful ideals. So it’s always an inspiration to meet someone like Laury Hammel—someone who is active and successful in the business world while also staying true to his lifelong ideals and principles. Longfellow opened in 1972 with four indoor tennis courts and was an immediate success.
“…growing a successful business is about meeting the needs of customers—and, by extension, the needs of an entire community. By turning your business into a good citizen and weaving it into the fabric of your community, you can help ensure your company’s profitability and long-term success. A mutually beneficial relationship of this sort will give your business a competitive edge while simultaneously helping grow local value. By local value, we mean the relative quality of life in the community, including good health care, safe and abundant drinking water, and excellent schools.”
~ Laury Hammel and Gun Denhart, Growing Local Value
As AMIBA approaches its twenty-fifth year, we have added a new section to our newsletter celebrating the entrepreneurs who created legacy businesses. These long-standing enterprises strengthened their own communities while feeding the entire local economy movement.