Pires: Georgetown primed for economic success

Citing proximity to the beach, the Route 113 byway, temperate weather and - most importantly - cheap undeveloped land, Sussex County businessman Alex Pires said he thinks Georgetown is poised for a renaissance.

“You’re all going to be really wealthy. Just don’t die before it happens,” he said, with his usual blunt delivery style.

Pires, a countywide entrepreneur and owner of 80 acres off Route 113 in Georgetown, was addressing the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council’s monthly meeting April 3, held at Georgetown Wesleyan Church.

For the better part of 30 minutes, Pires piecemealed together a talk about the advantages of Sussex County, the dumb luck of being business people at a time of population growth, and some of his own personal best business practices.   

For example, Pires said there are nearly 90 million people living within fairly easy driving distance of eastern Sussex County.

“Pennsylvania has 12 million people,” he said. “Where do you think they’re going? New Jersey? New Jersey is a dump. They’re all coming here.”

Pires said land in Sussex is cheap. He said it may not live up to the fantasy tales of farmers swapping lands from generations ago, but, he said, compared to other locations in the country within driving distance to the beach, it is cheap.

Pires said the Georgetown area is going to be a lot like Cape Cod, the popular vacation destination for much of New England. Speaking from experience – Pires grew up near Cape Cod – he said everyone says they’re at the beach, but in reality they’re 15 to 20 miles away.

There’s going to be an influx of people between the ages of 50 and 90, said Pires. Because no one wants to die anymore, literally hundreds of thousands of people in their 90s will live in Sussex because they’ve all gravitated here, he said.

Pires said the key to taking advantage of the opportunities will be partnerships. He said every successful company was started by two or three people – the person with the idea and the people who have the ability to borrow money.

Don’t be afraid to take chances, he said, adding, “I lose as much as I win.”

Stop worrying about what other people think, Pires said. “Nobody cares what you’re worrying about,” he said.

Most importantly, be honest and pay bills. Being honest is tough, said Pires, because it means saying things not everyone wants to hear.

Following his discussion, Pires took a few questions.

One man asked how important the Delaware Coastal Airport, located on the other side of town from the church, was. Pires said it was a huge asset, but it could be an even greater asset if the runway were longer to accommodate bigger airplanes.

Another man asked what Pires plans on doing with his land in town.

Pires, honest as always, said he’s been approached about breaking up the piece into small lots, but he would prefer to sell the land as a whole. He said he is currently in a promising round of discussions with a company that would do just that. “I imagine that a year from now it will be gone,” he said.

The chamber’s Commerce Economic Development Council meets monthly. For more information email info@georgetowncoc.com.