Recently, Marietta Community Foundation published several stories from local families in their Annual Report. Each of these stories forms a different chapter in what makes our community a beautiful, cohesive narrative that will continue for generations to come.

The history of our local commerce has shaped the landscape of Washington County since the first Pioneers settled in the Mid-Ohio Valley. For over half a decade, Morrison Inc. has operated as a family-owned business.

Ken Morrison, the son of the company’s founder, Harley Morrison, would work his way up from dispatcher to becoming the President of the operation in 1986. Ken has been able to witness the growth of Washington County and how the Foundation has contributed to that growth.

“The Foundation gives everybody a better perception of how nice Washington County is,” said Ken.

According to Ken, this perception helps attract and retain people to our area, which in turn increases profits for our small businesses.

“What the Foundation does for our nonprofits and the community, these things all come together to make Marietta what it is. Our business benefits because people stay here… this isn’t a ghost town along the Ohio River. Although the Foundation’s work might seem to have an indirect impact on our business, it really directly impacts us considerably.”

In Ken’s opinion, individuals, organizations, and businesses need to be proactive for the community to continue to thrive… luckily, the Foundation can help with that!

“We can’t wait for things to happen,” said Ken, “we have to make things happen… Marietta Community Foundation can actually do that. The Foundation gets out there and pushes and says ‘here is something we can improve.’ It’s all part of the whole puzzle and this community needs Marietta Community Foundation.”

Ken is correct, our community’s story isn’t about just one organization or business… it’s not just about for-profit or nonprofit… instead, it’s how everything fits together as one.