I doubt Sun Community News and Printing will never be confused with a Fortune 500 company.
We are a small family-owned firm operating in rural America with a small staff and tight budget.
But we are proud to join the growing number of companies large and small who see reason for optimism on the horizon, not just for our publishing enterprise, but our employees, customers and communities.
To date, hundreds of firms employing millions of employees will be receiving bonuses, raises, expansions and retirement increases rising from the recently passed federal tax reform, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
We are pleased to add our modest announcement to others you’ve recently heard for national firms.
All of our hourly and most of the salaried employees will realize a long-overdue pay increase averaging out to approximately $1,000 for each employee.
To start the year, we also announced we would be able to return contributing to their Individual Retirement Accounts after a four-year absence.
The combined cash value to our employees will be approximately $85,000. That number will be combined with their tax reduction to put valuable funds back into the local economy.
We’ve also made several software and equipment commitments for the coming year to enhance our production capabilities and simplify some tasks for our dedicated team.
Weathering the last few years has not been easy given the state of the economy. We’ve been able to maintain our competitive edge without massive layoffs, bone-cutting cutbacks, or prolonged employee furloughs as we’ve seen other media companies employ.
We’ve had to watch every penny and haven’t had the luxury of any frills, keeping our heads down and focused on maintaining a valuable service to our readers and advertising customers.
Economic downturns are never a welcome occurrence. There are valuable lessons to be learned when you go through them that hopefully make your organization stronger, the staff more committed to the mission at hand and recognizing the value of good customers, many of whom deal with the same issues we face.
Together we are all better equipped for the future and hope to reap the benefits of a stronger economy.
Small business has long been recognized as the heart of the American economy. The Sun has been proud to be a part of America’s grassroots, and we are equally pleased to be in the position of sharing our good fortune with the many quality people who’ve made careers with our hometown firm.
