An Unlikely Haven For Rock ’n’ Roll Entrepreneurs

This small town in Pennsylvania Dutch country, in the midst of cornfields and dairy farms, would seem an unlikely home for a warehouse filled with the detritus of rock concerts past and future – a large section of the stage for the next Black Eyed Peas tour, the sets for an Elton John concert and gigantic lips from the Rolling Stones, reports The New York Times.

Lititz (pronounced LIT-itz), population 9,000 and about a dozen miles north of Lancaster, is a haven of sorts to other small businesses. Clair, which says it is the biggest rock sound-system company in the country, is there, as is Atomic Design, which does a lot of the backdrops for music and theatrical staging.

And beyond music-related businesses, there is an unusual combination of other companies whose products or expertise are known beyond the Lititz town limits: Woodstream, which produces the Victor mousetrap; Wilbur Chocolate, maker of a Hershey Kiss competitor, Wilbur Buds; Sturgis Pretzels, which says it is America’s first commercial pretzel maker; and Lititz Watch Technicum, a school where Rolex watchmakers study.

To Barry Miller, the director of retail banking for Susquehanna Bankshares, Lititz is a natural business haven. Susquehanna itself is now a $14 billion enterprise, but its headquarters remains in Lititz, where it was founded at the turn of the last century.

“There is just a formidable work ethic in Lancaster County, the hearty farmers who saw the Amish and the Mennonites around here working so hard,” Mr. Miller said. “Then there is an innovative, entrepreneurial streak here, too. Finally, there is the loyalty. The owners want to give jobs to local people and keep them here forever.”

Continue Reading: “An Unlikely Haven For Rock ’n’ Roll Entrepreneurs”

Photo by The New York Times.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *