Time is money. An old cliche, to be sure, but one that is very true. Some of us have gotten so used to being stuck in traffic that maybe we have forgotten this, but for one SR 167 completion supporter, the dollars and cents of congestion remains top of mind.
Gary Kemmer is the president of STAC Inc., a veteran-owned small business located in Sumner. His firm is a wholesale distributor of fasteners and adhesives for industrial purposes. "If you need to assemble two parts, I've got a solution for you," he said.
Traffic congestion directly impacts his company's bottom line. In 2007, his three sales people could make 13 to 17 sales calls a day. Now, because of traffic, they can only make eight.
With his sales force stuck in traffic an average of 2.5 hours a day, he calculates his lost income opportunity to average $325,000 per year—12 percent of his gross revenue.
This is why he is calling on lawmakers to pass a statewide transportation package that completes SR 167.
"We are not getting as much done today," he said. "We're working just as hard, but we're just sitting in our cars."
