Business owners highlight cost of inflation for businesses, families

By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

(The Center Square) — Business owners from West Virginia told the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on Monday that they are struggling with inflation, among other problems, as the economy continues to shift gears from the pandemic.

Tom Plaugher is the vice president of operations for Allegheny Wood Products, a familyowned company that operates sawmills and dry kiln facilities for hardwood throughout West Virginia. The company employs 800 people and sells its product worldwide.

“Our industry is directly tied to housing,” Mr. Plaugher said during

Direct Relief

Continued from Page A1 manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and mental health issues.

“With the death toll in Turkey and Syria climbing rapidly after a catastrophic earthquake struck the region less than 48 hours ago, Direct Relief is mobilizing significant quantities of medical aid in response to specific requests from on-the-ground responders,” according to a news release on Tuesday. “At least 4,000 people in Turkey and 1,500 people in Syria are reported dead, and the number of casualties is expected to rise significantly as rescue workers continue the search for survivors.”

AKUT, one of the organizations receiving Direct Relief’s help, is “an association of search and rescue volunteers and staff in Turkey,” Tony Morain, vice president of communications for Direct Relief, told the News-Press Tuesday.

AKUT has deployed its teams to the earthquake zone, and its early reports detail more than 1,700 collapsed buildings, no power and below-freezing

Shelterbox

Continued from Page A1 firsthand experience providing relief in these regions. ShelterBox

USA was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 and 2019 for its work in Syria.

“We have been actively responding to the displacement needs of the Syrian crisis for over 11 years, have long-term partners in the region, an initial stock of relief supplies pre-positioned, experience working with displaced Syrian families in the cold winter months, and a deep understanding of the types of shelter and household needs that address displacement needs in the region,” Ms. Murray said.

“While the logistics are immensely challenging in an area where thousands of buildings have been reduced to rubble, and it’s still an active search and rescue situation, we remain committed to helping meet the urgent shelter and household needs.”

Although specific needs still need to be assessed, ShelterBox USA plans on providing family emergency tents, shelter tents, blankets and solar slights. It has also already deployed its emergency response team and will be on the ground soon.

“While activating this earthquake response was not something we anticipated one week ago, we know that we are uniquely suited to lend our support to this massive disaster,” Ms. Murray continued. “At the same time we are responding to this crisis, we are in the midst of large-scale shelter distributions in Ukraine, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Cameroon and more.

“Now more than ever, the work of ShelterBox is essential,” she said. “As a non-profit organization, it is critical we raise charitable donations to scale up our emergency shelter projects to reach more families across the

Continued from Page A1 to play a critical part in the city’s water supply portfolio, Ms. Corey said, adding that with all the extra water on hand, the city was able to shut down the desalination plant for a few months for cleaning and maintenance. It should resume operations on April 1.

All this, plus increases in groundwater resources and recycled water usage, means there’s nothing but “good news” ahead water-wise for the city, she a field hearing in Petersburg, West Virginia, on the state of the economy in Appalachia. “We need single-family housing starts and remodeling expenditures to be high because those are the homes where people install hardwood floors, hardwood furniture and cabinets, hardwood moldings and millwork. Rising interest rates put a damper on housing in the latter half of 2022, and the outlook for 2023 is not good.”

Higher prices can’t just be passed on to consumers, he said.

“I have heard it said many times that higher costs don’t really affect businesses and that they simply pass that additional cost along to their customer. It does not work that way in our industry,” Mr. Plaugher said in written testimony. “Our product pricing is based on supply temperatures. Southern Turkey is home to 3.6 million Syrian refugees, many of whom live in camps and are vulnerable to the cold. The $100,000 is emergency operating funding, which can be used for transportation, logistics, staff, supplies or whatever is needed, according to Mr. Morain. and demand. We sell into a global market, and we have to compete with products from all over the world. If the price for our lumber becomes too high, customers will simply look for a cheaper alternative or a replacement product.”

Inflation has hit Cheetah B’s, a restaurant in Petersburg, West Virginia. Owner and operator Ashley Bachman said inflation means higher prices.

“The cost of goods has been steadily rising throughout the past couple of years. It has been tough to stay ahead of. We have had to change our menu prices countless times just to make sure that we don’t go out of business,” she said. “We still are not charging enough for our menu items because we are afraid that we will price ourselves pallets; enough to fill one semitruck. We are trying to ship today or tomorrow and they will arrive within days,” said Mr. Morain.

Fyi

SAMS, the other organization being helped by Direct Relief, operates health facilities in the northwest of the country. Those facilities have already received more than 1,000 patients impacted by the earthquake.

Direct Relief said it will continue to respond to requests in the region hit by Monday’s 7.8 earthquake as they become known and will continue posting updates as more information becomes available. For more details or to donate, go to www.directrelief.org/ emergency/turkey-syria-earthquake.

Direct Relief is initially providing SAMS with 108 emergency medical backpacks stocked with medical supplies for first responders,1,000 hygiene kits, antibiotics, analgesics, oral rehydration salts, prenatal vitamins and supplies to assist with wound care and acute injuries.

The region of Syria hit by the earthquake contains a large population of internally displaced people and refugees at particular risk of impacts from interrupted power, health services, food and water access, and limited shelter.

“We shared inventory with groups in the area, and the SAMS got back to us with specific requests which we are preparing to ship to them. It is a little over 25

Direct Relief is communicating with other longterm Syrian partners about their immediate needs and has shared its medical inventory list with the Turkish Red Crescent.

In discussions with freight forwarders on Monday, Direct Relief’s transportation team determined that the best option for delivering material aid is to fly it into Istanbul, clear customs there and truck it to the final destination.

The Adana, Turkey airport is operational but is much out of business.”

Inflation also means people are eating out less.

“I see lots of my old customers out at the grocery store, and they will tell me they are sorry they haven’t eaten at my restaurant lately because they are just struggling to live,” Ms. Bachman, a mother of three, said in written testimony.

Wiley McDade, a U.S. Navy veteran and co-owner of Devil’s Due Distillery in Kearneysville, West Virginia, told lawmakers that inflation is holding back job growth.

“Despite input cost increases, we are reluctant to raise prices and have not done so,” he said.

“However, it comes at a great cost: Growth. Our workforce should consist of seven to 10 ... yet we do so with five. Everyone works long hours, wearing many hats.” smaller and is currently getting inundated with relief aid workers and aid moving in from Turkish authorities. The airport could quickly become overwhelmed.

“We are also looking at trucking from our warehouse outside of Amsterdam. Our warehouse in the Netherlands provides supplies to Ukraine,” said Mr. Morain.

In its news release Tuesday, Direct Relief noted, “Initial reports indicate as many as 2,818 buildings have collapsed in Turkey, with the most affected districts including Malatya, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Kilis and Adana.”

“The Turkish Ministry of Health is reporting at least 15 hospitals were significantly damaged by the earthquake — about half of all hospitals located in the severe impact zones,” according to Direct Relief.

Noted Mr. Morain, “Individuals who want to help can donate, which will help with shipping costs. If you can’t donate money, sharing the word and making sure others are aware of what’s happening is helpful and both are highly appreciated.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com

MERCADO, Giancarlo

1964-2023

It is with great sadness, that we announce that our dear Giancarlo Mercado passed away suddenly on 21 of January, 2023 at his home in Los Angeles, CA.

Born on 18 of August, 1964 in Los Angeles CA. Giancarlo received his BS in Political Science from UCLA; M.A. in TESOL and his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from CSUN. His career as an Educator with LAUSD (his other family) spanned over 30 years. Beloved family and friends spanned across six continents. Giancarlo enjoyed traveling, entertaining, mentoring, charitable causes, good food and drink, reading, learning and most importantly, spending time with his family and friends.

Constantly challenging himself both physically and mentally was a trait we all admired.

Example: on a whim, Giancarlo trained for and completed the 545 Mile AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles because he always believed: “We’ve yet to have our finest hour.” He crossed that finish line with his signature smile, the one we all hold so close to our hearts.

He was someone who always saw the best in all of us, which made everyone who knew him, respect, admire and love him.

Giancarlo is preceded by death by his late father, Albert Mercado of Santa Barbara, CA, and is survived by his mother, Nelly Mercado, also from Santa Barbara, CA, older brother Albert W. Mercado and wife Ana of Phoenix, AZ, younger brother, Franco Mercado of Santa Barbara, CA, nephew Ryan Mercado and great-niece Adelina of Salt Lake City, UT, niece Gina Mercado of Scottsdale, AZ, including many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday February 8, 2023 at 11:00 AM at the Old Mission Santa Barbara. Interment to follow at Santa Barbara Cemetery. Reception to be held at his mother’s residence, Mrs. Nelly Mercado, in Santa Barbara. Arrangements entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.

Obituary notices are published daily in the Santa Barbara News-Press and also appear on our website www.newspress.com world.

To place an obituary, please email the text and photo(s) to obits@newspress.com or fax text only (no photos) to (805) 966-1421. Please include your name, address, contact phone number and the date(s) you would like the obituary to be published. Photos should be in jpeg format with at least 200 dpi. If a digital photo is not available, a picture may be brought into our office for scanning. We will lay out the obituary using our standard format. A formatted proof of the obituary and the cost will be emailed back for review and approval.

The minimum obituary cost to print one time is $150.00 for up to 1.5” in length – includes 1 photo and up to 12 lines of text, approximately 630 characters; up to approximately 930 characters without a photo. Add $60.00 for each additional inch or partial inch after the first 1.5”; up to approximately 700 characters per additional inch. All Obituaries must be reviewed, approved, and prepaid by deadline. We accept all major credit cards by phone; check or cash payments may be brought into our office located at 715 Anacapa Street.

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“While activating this earthquake response was not something we anticipated one week ago, we know that we are uniquely suited to lend our support to this massive disaster,” said Kerri Murray, president of Santa Barbara-based ShelterBox USA, about Monday’s 7.8 earthquake near Gaziantep, Turkey. In this photo, Ms. Murray is speaking last year at a downtown Santa Barbara event for the nonprofit.

“We are launching an emergency fundraising appeal and hope the community will support our global humanitarian relief efforts,” Ms. Murray continued.

ShelterBox USA does not accept said.

“Put it all together and in short, the city has plenty of water to meet supplies for at least the next three years,” she said. “We could have more dry years to come, but even under those assumptions, we have plenty of water.”

Nevertheless, Ms. Corey still urged residents to continue their water conservation efforts.

Councilmember Mike Jordan suggested it might be a good time to consider expanding desalination efforts. “We should use this opportunity to set up for the next drought time.” government funding, so charitable donations are essential to its work. Ms. Murray said she knows Santa Barbara is philanthropic and knows what it is like to be displaced, so she is hopeful that the community will help them help the world in crisis.

Mr. Haggmark agreed another drought could creep up on the city fast. “We want to finish doing our planning and be ready for that by continuing to bolster our local supplies,” he said.

Councilmember Eric Friedman questioned the wisdom of building new housing units for future residents while still asking residents who are here now to continue conserving water.

“There’s a disconnect here,” he said. “It’s the No. 1 question on water I get from the public.”

Ms. Corey noted that most new email: cbeeghly@newspress.com

FYI

For more information or to donate to efforts to help victims of Monday’s earthquake, visit shelterboxUSA.org housing involves large multi-family buildings that provide residents with the latest, very efficient fixtures that use less water, and use relatively small amounts of water for landscaping.

All in all, council members were very impressed, not just with Tuesday’s presentation but with how much better Santa Barbara’s water supply situation is today.

“It’s quite amazing what a few months make,” Councilmember Friedman said. email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail. com