Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

My hometown of Towanda, Pennsylvania, is part of the hydraulic fracking boom. Or was.  

As natural gas prices have dropped, many of the drillers have left.

When the boom started, many complained about the traffic. The damage to the roads. And the effects on the environment. That was the bad news. But for local business owners, the change was all good news - as the drillers and the exploration brought a much-needed shot in the arm to the local economy.

Now that traffic isn't as bad, many see it as good news. But not for those folks who made business investments thinking the increased demand for restaurants, housing and more would continue.

My town is not alone.

I read an article about in the Post recently about lower food costs.  Good news? Sure, if you're shopping for groceries.  But bad news for farmers. And John Deere, as farmers will put off new purchases until better times return. And bad news for credit unions that serve agricultural areas hit by low commodity prices.

Low oil prices.  Good news?  Sure, at the pump. But bad news for the oil industry. And the myriad of industries that support them. And bad for credit unions in oil country.

The older I get, the more I see the world as an incredibly interconnected place where ripples cross back and forth. What is good news for Polly is sometimes bad news for Paul.  

I think the only lesson I can take from this is that with any change, there are winners and losers. There are those that will support it. And those that will dig in their heels.

If you want to change something, understand that what you see as wonderful - may be seen differently by others.

It doesn't mean you shouldn't press forward. But it means that not everyone will want to throw you a parade.