A new organization is its alarm clock.

    The recently formed Greater Valley Independent Business Alliance (GVIBA) is making some noise, greatly impacting the way citizens look at supporting local merchants.
    If the group’s successful kick-off event was any indication, there is a positive buzz among many local merchants as well as business organizations allied with the group. And, according to GVIBA members, the overwhelming feeling is that the best is yet to come.
    The January event at the Castle Inn drew a standing-room-only crowd with keynote speaker Thomas Hylton, the Pulitzer prize-winning author of Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns, delivering a powerful presentation that drew spirited support and applause.
    You can count newly elected Chairman of the Board Don Roskos, who introduced Hylton, as part of the best that has already come.
    As an accredited executive associate of the Institute for Independent Business (IIB), Roskos brings years of experience and a strong personal commitment to helping local independent businesses.
    “It is indeed a pleasure to be able to serve as Chairman of GVIBA. Its goals and purpose fit well with my experience and current focus,” said Roskos. “Networking with the other executive associates around the world has been invaluable to my clients and now we can help the GVIBA members as well.”
    The Institute for Independent Business, a not-for-profit based in the UK, is the largest organization of its type in the world, with more than 3,900 accredited senior executives. Some have been managing directors, executive directors, and chairmen of some of the best-known national and multi-national companies worldwide. Many, such as Roskos, who resides in the Back Mountain, have experienced the challenges of being a managing director/owner (MDO) or the proprietor of what is known as an SME (small- to medium-size enterprise).
    Questions on finance, including cash flow, credit control and raising extra working capital are often raised, as are questions on sales and marketing and all other aspects of business and profitability.
    In many ways, GVIBA, a local chapter of a national organization – The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) – plans to help provide many of the same resources that Roskos's IIB affiliation does, through networking with other local independent business owners.
    The great strength of GVIBA, as well as the IIB Business Support Program, is in addressing the problem of not having anywhere to turn for some independent, unbiased advice and just chat with someone who has “been there – seen it – done it” and survived to tell the tale.Roskos has been there and done that.
    Holding an MBA from Lehigh University with his undergrad work at Bucknell, Roskos’s most recent success story was turning a failing computer software company from a serious loss position to high profitability through cost control and business discipline.
    Previously he served as general manager of the PenTeleData Partnerships. There, Roskos conceived, established, and promoted the ProLog brand name. As a result, it became the premier product in the region.    He also held various vice president positions with C-Tec Corporation, which evolved from Commonwealth Telephone. Born and raised in the Back Mountain, Roskos has also worked extensively outside the area in executive positions at SmithKline Corporation, Ipco Corporation, Air Products and Chemicals, and GTE.
    GVIBA is recruiting membership as it moves toward local participation in a national “Independents' Day” event in July. The event will highlight the importance of the independent businesses in our culture and will also give merchants the opportunity to showcase why it would be a satisfying experience to shop there.
The Alliance will also be scheduling hands-on workshops for small businesses.