Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing delivery truck driver John McGlocklin loads a trailer with palettes Friday in a company warehouse, 5206 Pierson Highway. Current and fourth-generation owner Randy Shanker was awarded Friday at the Capitol to celebrate the local company’s longevity and prosperity.
Some independent businesses in Mid-Michigan are finding ways to thrive, despite poor economic conditions and competition from chain companies that put heavy pressure on them.
Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing, 5206 Pierson Highway, received honors at the Capitol on Friday for 75 years of business in the Lansing area.
State representatives and members of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s office and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero’s office were on hand to pay tribute to the independent, family-owned distributing company, which is in its fourth generation of ownership.
“It’s a very exciting and neat opportunity to step back for a little while and enjoy the fact we’ve been here for four generations,” said Randy Shanker, the company’s owner.
“In the economic environment we’re in now, it’s good to show there can be a success story.”
Canada Dry distributes items such as beverages, snack foods and water, and employs 40 to 45 people.
About 25 percent of those employees have been with the company for 10 or more years, Shanker said.
“Some of the fun is that beverages are a lot like fashion — they constantly change and innovate,” Shanker said. “We’re continuing to create jobs.”
Adversity in the form of industry giants places enormous pressure on the distributing company to stay sharp, Shanker said.
“Two powerful competitors are (PepsiCo) and Coke, and it’s tough to compete against them because they’d love to put us out of business,” Shanker said.
Michigan houses about 850,000 small businesses, which employ about one-half the state’s nonfarm private labor force, according to data from the Small Business Association of Michigan.
“Research by federal agencies shows that almost all growth in the job market comes from small firms,” association spokesman Michael Rogers said.
“But the credit crisis is very difficult, and another obstacle in Michigan is barriers the state puts on small business, like the tax burden.”
Other independent businesses, such as Campus Barbers Inc., 621 E. Grand River Ave., rely on individuality to keep a steady customer base.
“We’re big fans of students and MSU and we let customers know it,” shop co-owner Bob Amidon said.
“We try to keep prices low even though it’s tough with the economy because a lot of students don’t have extra money to spend.”
Students said the fact that a business is independent doesn’t dissuade them from shopping around.
“I’d go into an independent store if they could draw my attention and they had the type of items I was looking for,” construction management senior Jonathan Conte said.
“I just look at the quality of what I’m getting regardless of where I get it.”
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