Richard Yuengling Jr.

Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling Jr. (born 1943) is an American businessman serving as president, chief executive officer, and sole owner of D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., the oldest continuously operating brewery in the United States, established in 1829 by his great-great-great-grandfather David G. Yuengling in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.^[1][2][3] The son of Richard L. Yuengling Sr., he began working at the family brewery as a teenager in 1958 and acquired the company from his father in the early 1980s, assuming leadership amid a period of financial strain following Prohibition-era challenges and postwar competition.^[1][4] Under his direction, the brewery modernized operations, expanded production capacity—including facilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Tennessee—and grew from a regional producer to one distributing over 2 million barrels annually across 22 states by focusing on traditional lager recipes and efficient scaling without public financing or conglomerate acquisition.^[1][5][2] This transformation elevated Yuengling to one of America's largest independent brewers, yielding a family fortune estimated at over $1 billion while preserving fifth- and sixth-generation involvement.^[2][6]

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Upbringing

Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling Jr. was born in 1943 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the son of Richard Yuengling Sr. and a member of the fifth generation of the Yuengling family descended from brewery founder David G. Yuengling, who immigrated from Württemberg, Germany, and established D.G. Yuengling & Son in 1829 as America's first brewery.^[7][1][8] The family business, rooted in the coal-mining region of eastern Pennsylvania, had endured economic challenges including Prohibition and multiple near-closures by the mid-20th century, with Yuengling Sr. primarily operating a separate beer distributorship that sold Yuengling products alongside competitors rather than directly managing the brewery.^[2][9] Yuengling was raised in Pottsville, a small industrial town where the brewery served as a local institution amid the anthracite coal industry's decline. His upbringing involved early exposure to the family enterprise; as a teenager, he took an entry-level job at the brewery, where his grandfather's secretary advised him on workplace conduct, reflecting the hands-on, hierarchical family dynamics. During his childhood, his father's distributorship role meant limited direct involvement in brewing operations, fostering an initial outsider's perspective on the core business despite its generational legacy.^[10][11][9] This environment instilled a practical understanding of the beer industry's distribution and retail challenges, shaping Yuengling's later approach to revitalizing the company after acquiring it from his father in 1985. Pottsville's working-class setting, including access to pioneering cable television for baseball broadcasts, provided a modest, community-oriented backdrop to his formative years.^[2][11]

Formal Education

Richard Yuengling Jr. graduated from Pottsville High School in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1961.^[12] Following high school, he enrolled at Lycoming College, a private liberal arts institution in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but departed after one year without completing a degree.^[13][2] No further formal higher education is documented in available records.^[14]

Entry into the Family Business

Initial Involvement and Distributorship

Richard Yuengling Jr. first engaged with the family-owned D. G. Yuengling & Son Brewery in 1958, while still attending high school in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, performing entry-level tasks amid the company's traditional operations.^[4][10] Following his departure from Lycoming College without completing his degree, he rejoined the brewery full-time but encountered resistance from his father, Richard Sr., regarding investments in modernization and growth initiatives.^[15] These tensions culminated in Yuengling Jr.'s exit from the brewery in 1973, prompting him to acquire a wholesale beer and wine distributorship in Pennsylvania as an independent endeavor.^[11] Through this venture, he distributed Yuengling beers alongside products from competing brewers to local bars, restaurants, and retailers, honing skills in sales, logistics, and market dynamics over the subsequent 12 years.^[16][3] The distributorship provided practical exposure to the post-Prohibition three-tier system of alcohol sales, emphasizing the challenges of regional competition and regulatory constraints in the mid-20th-century beer industry.^[16]

Transition to Brewery Operations

After working at the family brewery during his teenage years starting in 1958, Richard Yuengling Jr. departed in 1973 amid disagreements with his father, Richard Sr., over business investments and management.^[10][7] He then acquired a beer and wine distributorship in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where he distributed Yuengling products alongside competitors such as Pabst Blue Ribbon and Rolling Rock for the next 11 years.^[2][11] This period provided him with practical insights into the wholesale side of the beer industry, including sales dynamics, distributor relations, and regional market challenges, which contrasted with the production-focused operations at the Pottsville brewery.^[17] In 1984, following his father's declining health and the brewery's ongoing struggles post-Prohibition era stagnation, Yuengling Jr. returned to the family business to assume operational leadership.^[3] By January 1985, he completed the purchase of the company from Richard Sr., becoming the fifth-generation owner and president at age 42, thereby shifting his focus from distribution to direct brewery management.^[1][2] This acquisition marked a pivotal transition, as Yuengling Jr. applied lessons from his distributorship—such as emphasizing cost control and targeted marketing—to revitalize production processes that had remained largely unchanged for decades.^[10] The move to brewery operations involved immediate hands-on involvement in brewing, bottling, and quality control at the original Pottsville facility, where annual output hovered around 2 million barrels amid competition from national giants.^[17] Yuengling Jr. prioritized retaining traditional recipes while addressing inefficiencies, such as outdated equipment inherited from prior generations, setting the stage for subsequent expansions without external investment or corporate takeover.^[3] His distributorship experience informed strategic distributor partnerships, enabling gradual volume increases from regional to broader East Coast distribution by the late 1980s.^[11]

Leadership of Yuengling Brewery

Acquisition and Ownership

Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling Jr. acquired ownership of D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. from his father, Richard Yuengling Sr., in 1985, marking the transition to the fifth generation of family stewardship.^[3][1] This purchase occurred at full market value, consistent with the family's tradition of treating ownership as a privilege rather than an inheritance, following the father's declining health due to Alzheimer's disease.^[9] At the time of acquisition, the brewery produced approximately 137,000 barrels annually, primarily from its historic facility in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.^[16][10] Yuengling Jr. became the sole owner of the privately held company, maintaining its status as independently family-operated without external investors or public shares.^[2][1] Prior to the acquisition, he had operated his own beer distributorship, which informed his commitment to preserving the brewery's legacy upon taking control.^[3] The company has remained under his exclusive ownership, eschewing mergers or sales that could dilute family control, even as production scaled significantly under his leadership.^[18] Ownership succession planning has emphasized continuity, with Yuengling Jr. involving his four daughters—Jennifer, Sharon, Mary, and Nancy—in executive roles to prepare for sixth-generation leadership, breaking from the prior male-only pattern while upholding family exclusivity.^[19][20] This structure ensures the brewery's independence, as articulated in its commitment to remaining "fiercely independent, family-owned."^[1]

Modernization and Operational Upgrades

Upon assuming leadership in 1985, Richard Yuengling Jr. initiated upgrades to packaging lines, brewing equipment, and distributor networks to enhance efficiency and market reach while preserving traditional recipes.^[16][2] These changes, implemented in the late 1980s, focused on modernizing operations without compromising the brewery's lagers, which relied on consistent fermentation processes rooted in 19th-century methods.^[21] Facility expansions under Yuengling Jr. prioritized capacity growth to meet rising demand. In 1999, the company acquired a former Stroh Brewery facility in Tampa, Florida, adding production capabilities for southern distribution and enabling output increases from under 1 million barrels annually in the 1980s to over 2.9 million by 2015.^[22] Groundbreaking for the Mill Creek brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, occurred in 1998, with the 250,000-square-foot plant opening in 2001 to supplement the original Eagle Brewery and support eastern U.S. expansion.^[23][18] Technological integrations improved automation and maintenance. In 2003, two KUKA industrial robots were installed at the Mill Creek facility for keg depalletization and handling, reducing manual labor and boosting throughput on packaging lines.^[24] Further upgrades in 2023 added advanced 6-axis robots to keg lines, enhancing precision in sorting and palletizing to handle increased volumes without quality dilution.^[25] Predictive maintenance tools were adopted to sustain vintage equipment alongside new systems, ensuring reliability in a lean operation producing up to 1 million barrels yearly at Pottsville sites.^[26] Sustainability upgrades addressed wastewater and energy use. In 2016, an $8 million pretreatment system was completed at the Pottsville brewery, converting spent grains, yeast, and sugars from wastewater into biogas for on-site energy generation, reducing operational costs and environmental discharge.^[27] A 2G Energy combined heat and power (CHP) system, powered by this biogas, was integrated to further lower energy expenses and support self-sufficiency in brewing processes.^[28] These measures aligned with causal efficiencies in resource recovery, enabling scaled production while minimizing external dependencies.

Market Expansion and Growth

Under Richard Yuengling Jr.'s leadership since acquiring the brewery in 1985, D.G. Yuengling & Son's annual production expanded dramatically from roughly 130,000 barrels to nearly 3 million barrels by the mid-2010s, driven by operational modernization and increased demand for its traditional lagers.^[29][30] This growth reflected a strategic emphasis on sales and marketing to broaden appeal beyond Pennsylvania roots, achieving a 15% year-over-year increase to over 2.5 million barrels by 2011.^[31] Key to sustaining this scale, the company invested in production capacity, including the 1999 acquisition of a former Stroh Brewery facility in Tampa, Florida, which hired local staff and enabled output surpassing 2 million barrels by 2009.^[1] Additional upgrades, such as the modern Mill Creek plant in Pennsylvania operational around 2010, further boosted efficiency, with potential annual capacity exceeding 4.5 million barrels through enhancements at existing sites.^[32][33] Market expansion accelerated via distribution growth, evolving from a regional Eastern footprint to 22 states by 2020, followed by a joint venture with Molson Coors to target additional territories including the Midwest and West.^[34] This included entries into Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma in early 2023, bringing availability to 26 states, with further rollouts to Illinois in January 2025 and Michigan in August 2025.^[35][36][37] By prioritizing controlled, quality-focused growth over rapid national saturation, Yuengling positioned itself as the largest U.S.-owned brewery, emphasizing authentic American brewing heritage amid industry consolidation.^[3][38]

Product Focus and Brewing Philosophy

Under Richard Yuengling Jr.'s leadership since acquiring the brewery in 1985, D.G. Yuengling & Son emphasized a product lineup centered on traditional American lagers, prioritizing consistency, affordability, and broad appeal over experimental craft styles. The flagship Traditional Lager, revived from pre-1940s recipes and introduced on November 1, 1987, exemplifies this approach: an amber lager with 4.5% ABV, featuring a rich amber color, medium body, roasted caramel malt flavors, and subtle bitterness from cluster and cascade hops.^[39][40] This beer, brewed using crisp fermentation methods akin to 19th-century German immigrant techniques adapted for American tastes, drove production growth from 137,000 barrels in 1985 to nearly 250,000 annually by the late 1980s, underscoring the empirical success of resurrecting proven, heritage-driven formulas amid a market shift toward lighter pilsners.^[39] The brewery's core portfolio— including Original Lager, Premium Beer, Light Lager, and layered variants like Black & Tan—reflects a philosophy of simplicity and efficiency, with lagers comprising the vast majority of output exceeding 2 million barrels per year by the late 2010s.^[41] Yuengling Jr. directed modernization of equipment for quality control while adhering to time-tested recipes, such as extended fermentation for Light Lager to minimize sugars and calories without artificial adjuncts, preserving drinkability for everyday consumption.^[42] This contrasts with industry trends toward high-ABV IPAs or flavored hybrids; innovations remained cautious, as seen in the 2019 launch of Golden Pilsner, the first new year-round offering in 17 years after 18 months of testing, aimed at refreshing core lager drinkers rather than diversifying into niche segments.^[41] Guiding principles under Yuengling Jr. include respect for tradition, integrity, hard work, simplicity, and pride, fostering operational efficiency across facilities like the original Pottsville, Pennsylvania plant and expansions in Tampa, Florida (1999) and elsewhere.^[3] These values informed a brewing ethos rooted in causal reliability: maintaining recipe integrity to ensure predictable flavor profiles that build consumer loyalty, evidenced by the brewery's survival and expansion as America's oldest operating facility (founded 1829) without compromising on mass-producible, heritage lagers.^[39][3]

Business Achievements and Challenges

Financial Turnaround and Profitability

Under Richard Yuengling Jr.'s leadership starting in 1985, D.G. Yuengling & Son Brewery transitioned from a struggling regional operation producing approximately 137,000 barrels annually with revenues around $6 million to a highly profitable enterprise.^[43][17] The company faced outdated equipment, limited distribution confined mostly to Pennsylvania, and intense competition from national brewers, prompting Yuengling to invest in packaging upgrades, new machinery, and an expanded distributor network to improve efficiency and market reach.^[2] These changes, combined with a focus on the flagship Yuengling Lager—which accounts for about 85% of sales—drove rapid volume growth, with production rising to over 155,000 barrels by 1986 and continuing to expand through targeted regional dominance, particularly in draft sales in Philadelphia by the late 1980s.^[2][44][39] By prioritizing operational discipline and avoiding high-cost trends like light beers or aggressive advertising, Yuengling achieved debt reduction and maintained low leverage, enabling self-funded expansions such as the 1999 Tampa brewery to support surging demand without external financing burdens.^[45] Revenues grew substantially, reaching an estimated $550 million by 2016, reflecting compounded annual growth fueled by organic market penetration rather than mergers or stock offerings.^[16] This trajectory underscores a profitability model rooted in cost control, product consistency, and regional loyalty, contrasting with industry peers burdened by debt from acquisitions; the family's sole ownership allowed reinvestment of profits into capacity, culminating in Yuengling Jr.'s billionaire status by the mid-2010s.^[16][45] As a private entity, exact profit margins remain undisclosed, but sustained expansions and minimal reported financial distress affirm long-term viability.^[46]

Resistance to Industry Trends

Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling Jr. has steadfastly maintained the brewery's independence in an industry dominated by mergers and acquisitions, refusing to sell to multinational conglomerates despite overtures during periods of financial strain. Upon assuming ownership in 1985, he prioritized family control over short-term gains, explicitly stating his unwillingness to divest the 1829-founded enterprise, which distinguishes Yuengling as the largest fully American-owned brewery producing over 2.5 million barrels annually by the early 2010s.^[1][47] This stance contrasts with contemporaries like Stroh's and regional players absorbed by entities such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, allowing Yuengling to avoid dilution of brand heritage while achieving sales growth exceeding 15% year-over-year in 2011 amid a stagnant domestic market.^[46][48] In parallel, Yuengling has eschewed the craft beer's proliferation of adjunct-free, experimental styles—such as intensely hopped IPAs and fruit-infused sours—opting instead for a disciplined focus on traditional American lagers incorporating corn adjuncts for cost efficiency and regional palatability. Reviving dormant recipes like the Traditional Lager in 1987 and expanding a limited portfolio of core products (e.g., Original Lager, Black & Tan, and Porter) underscores this philosophy of consistency and scalability over novelty-driven innovation, even as craft volumes surged post-2010.^[49][9][50] This approach yielded outsized market share retention, with Yuengling capturing about 1.5% of U.S. beer sales by 2019 without chasing fads like hard seltzers or non-alcoholic variants that buoyed competitors.^[51] Operational resistance extended to labor practices, where Yuengling Jr. rebuffed unionization drives, including a 2006 Teamsters campaign alleging threats to close facilities unless workers voted non-union, preserving a lean, non-unionized workforce aligned with the brewery's cost-conscious model.^[46] While forming select distribution alliances, such as a 2024 joint venture with Molson Coors for Western expansion, Yuengling retained full brand ownership and trademarks, circumventing full-scale consolidation without compromising autonomy.^[52] These decisions have empirically sustained profitability and family stewardship into the sixth generation, defying predictions of obsolescence in a consolidating sector.^[53]

Employee Loyalty and Company Culture

Yuengling Brewery under Richard Yuengling Jr.'s leadership emphasizes a family-oriented company culture, where employees are regarded as extensions of the owning family, fostering a sense of shared ownership and long-term commitment. This approach includes dedicated employee engagement initiatives, such as orientation programs, recognition events, and corporate social responsibility activities, overseen by family members like Debbie Yuengling, who serves as Employee Engagement & Culture Manager.^[3][54] The "Yuengling way" instills core values of grit, resiliency, and perseverance, which management attributes to sustained operations over nearly two centuries, with employees contributing to quality control and consumer satisfaction.^[54] Employee loyalty manifests in exceptionally low turnover and multi-generational employment, with approximately 10% of the roughly 150 workers at Pennsylvania breweries representing at least two generations of family involvement.^[55] Across the company's three breweries, which employ about 350 full-time and seasonal staff, tenures often span decades; for instance, veteran employee Charlie Sibbett worked 37 years, and others report 40-year careers.^[55][56] Workers cite job security, competitive benefits, pride in the historic product, and a supportive environment as key retention factors, with one long-term employee stating, "People don’t leave here."^[55] The brewery operates as a non-union facility, a status solidified in 2007 when employees voted to decertify Teamsters Local 830 following management's withdrawal of recognition in 2006 and urging workers to prioritize job continuity over union affiliation.^[57][58] This direct, family-managed structure is credited with enabling flexible, personalized relations that underpin loyalty, as evidenced by retention rates exceeding industry norms in a sector often characterized by unionized labor.^[46]

Political Views and Public Positions

Conservative Stance and Public Endorsements

Richard Yuengling Jr., a lifelong Republican, has advocated for policies aligned with conservative economic principles, including opposition to compulsory union membership. In August 2013, during an appearance at the Pennsylvania Press Club, he praised then-Governor Tom Corbett and argued that the state should enact right-to-work legislation to make it more attractive for businesses, stating that such laws would encourage job creation by reducing mandatory union dues.^[59] The D.G. Yuengling & Son brewery has operated as a non-union facility throughout his tenure, a position that has drawn longstanding opposition from labor organizations, including calls for boycotts by the Teamsters as early as 2014 over his support for anti-union measures.^[60] This stance reflects a broader conservative emphasis on free-market labor policies, as evidenced by his prior donation to George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.^[61] Yuengling's public endorsements have prominently featured support for Republican candidates. On October 24, 2016, during a tour of the Pottsville brewery by Eric Trump, he explicitly endorsed Donald Trump for president, declaring, "We'll be voting for your father. Our guys are behind your father," in reference to the brewery's employees.^{[62] [63]} Federal campaign finance records show consistent donations to Republican figures, such as $500 contributions to U.S. Representative Dan Meuser (R-PA) in September 2022 and September 2024.^[64] These actions underscore his alignment with conservative political priorities, though he has not issued frequent public statements beyond these instances.

2016 Trump Support and Subsequent Events

On October 24, 2016, during a tour of the D.G. Yuengling & Son brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, hosted for Eric Trump, company owner Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling Jr. publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president.^[62][65] At a subsequent news conference, Yuengling stated to Eric Trump, "Our guys are behind your father. We need him in there," referring to support from brewery employees and leadership amid concerns over regulatory burdens on family-owned businesses.^[62][65] This marked a rare political statement from the fifth-generation brewer, whose prior involvement included serving as a delegate for George W. Bush at the 2000 Republican National Convention.^[65] The endorsement occurred in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, with Pennsylvania as a pivotal swing state where Yuengling's regional popularity held sway.^[62] Yuengling's support aligned with his longstanding conservative positions on issues like taxation and government overreach, though he emphasized it reflected the views of "our guys" at the company rather than a formal corporate stance.^[65] Following the event, coverage in local outlets like the Reading Eagle amplified the statement, drawing national attention to the brewery's political alignment.^[62] In the months after Trump's election victory on November 8, 2016—which included carrying Pennsylvania—Yuengling addressed the ensuing public reaction during a March 30, 2017, panel at the Brewers of Pennsylvania's "Meeting of the Malts" in Bethlehem.^[66] He described receiving unprecedented "vitriolic feedback," including vulgar communications directed at staff, particularly from Philadelphia, but asserted that any boycott efforts had "nothing noticeable" impact on sales, attributing minor declines to broader industry trends rather than political backlash.^[66] Yuengling reiterated a preference for focusing on operational matters like packaging innovations over political engagements.^[66]

Backlash, Boycotts, and Empirical Outcomes

In September 2016, Richard Yuengling Jr. hosted Eric Trump at the company's Pottsville, Pennsylvania brewery and publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president, stating his support during the visit on October 24.^[67] This announcement prompted immediate calls for boycotts, particularly from left-leaning media outlets and public figures; for instance, Pennsylvania State Representative Brian Sims urged Philadelphia's LGBTQ+ bars to stop serving Yuengling, leading several establishments to remove it from menus.^[68] Coverage in sources such as Forbes and The New York Daily News highlighted consumer backlash on social media, with some declaring personal boycotts and criticizing the brewery's alignment with Trump's campaign.^{[67] [69]} The backlash was concentrated in urban, Democratic-leaning areas like Philadelphia, where Yuengling Jr. later described the region as having "really eviscerated" the company through public criticism.^[66] However, empirical data indicated minimal commercial impact; in March 2017, Yuengling Jr. explicitly stated that the boycott efforts "did not hurt my sales," attributing the company's resilience to sustained demand despite the vitriol.^[66] Production volumes for 2016 totaled approximately 2.75 million barrels, following a modest decline from 2.81 million in 2015 that predated the endorsement and aligned with broader craft beer market fluctuations rather than political fallout.^[70] While YouGov BrandIndex reported a temporary drop in consumer perception scores post-endorsement, reflecting polarized sentiment among tracked demographics, overall sales and market position remained strong, with Yuengling retaining its status as the top U.S. craft brewery by volume in 2017.^{[71] [72]} No verifiable evidence from company financials or industry reports substantiates a sustained revenue hit, suggesting the boycotts failed to translate into meaningful economic pressure amid countervailing support from conservative consumers.^[66]

Personal Life and Legacy

Family Involvement in the Business

Richard L. "Dick" Yuengling Jr. represents the fifth generation of his family to lead D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., America's oldest operating brewery, which was founded in 1829 by his great-great-great-grandfather David G. Yuengling in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.^[3][1] He assumed the role of president in 1985 upon purchasing the company from his father, continuing a tradition of intra-family ownership transfers through purchase among siblings or descendants.^[1] Under his leadership, the brewery has remained privately held and family-controlled, resisting external investment or public listing to preserve generational stewardship.^[2] Yuengling Jr. has four daughters—Jennifer, Wendy, Debbie, and Sheryl—who comprise the sixth generation and have progressively assumed operational roles since the late 1990s, with some joining directly after college and others after external experience.^[73][74] All four actively work in the business, contributing to areas such as administration, sales, pricing, orders, distribution, operations, and marketing.^[20][75] Jennifer Yuengling serves as vice president of operations, collaborating with her father on brewery expansions and overseeing teams across the company's facilities in Pennsylvania and Florida.^[3] Wendy Yuengling handles marketing responsibilities, while the sisters collectively manage day-to-day functions to support the brewery's growth from a regional operation to producing over 3 million barrels annually by the 2010s.^[76][9] By 2019, Yuengling Jr. had initiated succession planning, positioning his daughters to gradually assume greater leadership while he remained involved in strategic decisions, adapting the family model to include all four siblings rather than selecting a single heir as in prior generations.^[20] This approach emphasizes collaborative management among the sisters, who credit their upbringing in the business and their father's guidance for fostering their commitment to quality brewing and operational continuity.^[77][74] The family's hands-on involvement has sustained the brewery's independence amid industry consolidation, with the daughters upholding traditions like lagers and ales rooted in the original German recipes.^[78]

Net Worth and Recognition

Richard Yuengling Jr.'s net worth is estimated at $1 billion as of April 1, 2025, according to Forbes, stemming primarily from his controlling family stake in D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., America's oldest operating brewery founded in 1829.^[2] This valuation reflects the company's position as the largest wholly American-owned brewery, producing approximately 2.8 million barrels annually and generating revenue estimated at $162.8 million.^[79][80] Earlier assessments placed his wealth higher, such as $1.9 billion in 2016 when he ranked 361st on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans.^[81] Yuengling has received recognition for his leadership in revitalizing the family business from near-bankruptcy in the 1980s to a national brand, earning inclusion on Forbes' annual billionaires lists, including No. 2,933 globally in 2025.^[82] As a fifth-generation owner and CEO since 1985, his tenure has been credited with expanding production capacity and maintaining traditional brewing practices amid industry consolidation. In 2016, he received a lifetime achievement award from Bloomsburg University, his alma mater, acknowledging his contributions to business and the regional economy.^[83]