Larry Wary, who describes himself as a "creative and ambitious entrepreneur," wants to put those entrepreneurial skills to work as a Northumberland County commissioner by marketing the county's assets to businesses who are looking to establish or relocate their operations.
Wary, president of Snydertown Borough Council and one of seven commissioner candidates in the Republican primary, said county government does an inadequate job in promoting economic development. He believes his business acumen and his background as a website designer are what Northumberland County needs to improve its presence on the World Wide Web and put it on businesses' radar.
Wary, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force, operates two small businesses, Colour Shoppe at Headlines in Danville (run by his corporation, Great Color Inc.), and WaryWeb.com, a website design company. In business, marketing is everything, Wary said, and he is critical of the commissioners' efforts, or what he says is a lack thereof, in marketing what Northumberland County has to offer.
"The county website needs to be revamped to make it more user-friendly," Wary remarked. He said that although the site does have potential, it is not very helpful to businesses that might be looking for a location.
All about marketing
Wary, who said he is concerned about the many vacant industrial buildings throughout the county, said a poll on his campaign website, www.votewary.com, is showing that bringing in new industry and creating more local jobs rank among the top concerns of county voters. Although a revamped county website could be helpful to economic development, he acknowledged there will be much more required in a serious effort to attract industries. The commissioners should consider placing ads in national publications and making phone calls to individual businesses, he said, to let them know what Northumberland County has to offer. Instead of just sitting back and hoping for the best, Northumberland County needs to "aggressively go out and seek industry," Wary said.
"Cutting spending is not the answer because you can only cut so much," Wary said. "You need to be aggressive in bringing more money in. Economic development is all about bringing in more outside dollars."
And, in seeking industry, Wary believes the county should set its sights high. Those vacant factories would be ideal locations for solar manufacturing, alternative energy and high-tech industries, he said.
Wary's Snydertown home is located just a short distance from where he grew up. Immediately after high school, he enlisted in the Air Force and was away from the area until he returned to Snydertown about two years after his military retirement.
His first military assignment was loading nuclear weapons on B-54s at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He advanced in rank and served in assignments of increasing responsibility, including a stint in Okinawa, then retired in 1995 with the rank of master sergeant (E-7). While in the service, he continued his education, earning an associate degree in business management and a degree in applied science in 1987.
Business success
Wary was still in the Air Force when he began to replant his roots in Northumberland County. In 1994, he made the decision to purchase the Danville hair salon where his sister worked. Although Wary is not a hair stylist and knows absolutely nothing about that profession, he is proud that, under his leadership over the past 16 years, the salon has prospered. It is, in fact, only one of five salons that have been listed by Salon Today magazine as being among the top 200 fastest growing salons in the country for eight consecutive years.
The salon currently employs six people, but has had as many as 11 workers at a time. Although it is located in Danville, most of the staff live in Northumberland County, including Shamokin, Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Sunbury and Watsontown. As a result, Wary said he has a strong connection with and an affinity for the entire county, he said, and his involvement with Shikellamy youth football and church activities have earned him friendships with many people throughout the region. Another major interest is BMX; Wary is a 2009 American Bicycling Association (ABA) state champion in the 46-to-50 age bracket.
Wary was first elected to Snydertown Borough Council on a write-in vote for a two-year term. He said he decided to seek the post after reading in the newspaper that because of a shortage of candidates on the ballot, the council position could only be filled through a write-in campaign. He made it known that he would seek the post, and received a sufficient number of write-ins to be elected. He then ran for and was elected to a full-four year term. He became council president in 2010.
As president, he instituted the practice of establishing active, working council committees, and, as a result, he said, council members are working well together and getting things done.
Wary was one of 25 Republicans who applied for the commissioner vacancy that resulted when Kurt Masser resigned to take office as a state representative. Prior to that, he had never considered running for county office.
Line-item budgeting
Wary pointed out that the county commissioner's job is more about business management than legislating, and he believes that his business background would be a major asset. "As a commissioner, I would want to do a line-item budget," he remarked. "Although this is time-intensive, it's the best course of action. The board should confer with the head of each agency because it's essential that we know exactly what is coming in and what is going out."
Wary said he doesn't like it when people tell him Northumberland County has a "bad image." He is not sure whether this perception is real or if it is deserved, but he believes the county commissioners need to act professionally in their dealings with each other.
Wary promised that one of his priorities as commissioner would be two appoint two citizens' advisory groups, one with representatives from the Shamokin-Mount Carmel area and the other with representatives from the northern tier, to advise the board on their regions' respective needs. Larry Wary
Age: 50
Residence: Snydertown Borough
Occupation: Owner of a salon in Danville and a website design company.
Military: Retired from U.S. Air Force
Government experience or candidacies: Member of Snydertown Borough Council for four years (president since 2010).
Education: 1978 graduate of Shikellamy High School; associate degree in business management from Lincoln Technical University and applied science degree from Community College of the Air Force, both in 1987.