Dispatch business reporter Mark Williams aims to help readers navigate business, money

It didn't take long after being out on my own to realize how little I knew about money and the power and security that comes with it.

That I chose a journalism career not known for making much money made it even more imperative that I start learning about money and fast.

Since then, I've been in a self-taught class to try to understand personal finance, the economy, stock markets, corporate earnings, energy markets and how global news events affect how much all of us pay for everyday things.

What motivates me

Part of my motivation is for me and making sure the financial health for my family; part of it because I think it serves our readers at The Dispatch , where I've worked for the past 14 years as a business reporter.

Ever hear of the Sahm Rule ? I hadn't until just recently. But it's something I'm trying to understand because the rule is considered an indicator of whether a recession is coming based on the rise in the U.S. unemployment rate over the past few months.

I'm the curious person who wonders how the Houthi attacks on cargo ships off the coast of Yemen will affect how much we pay for Christmas gifts this year and likes to talk about inverted yield curves.

When I told my teammates it would be cool if Satya Nadella came to Licking County to reveal Microsoft's plans for all of recent land purchases, they were puzzled as to who they guy is and why I would be so interested. (Hint: He's the Microsoft CEO.)

I've been paid to be a reporter since I was 18. I'm curious about things and being a journalist gives me the freedom to do the research I want and the access to executives and experts who can help me understand why something is the way it is.

I figure that if I find something interesting to write about, then others will be as well.

Stories I've covered

Lately, my focus has been on Intel's $28 billion project in Licking County and the vast expansion of data centers and solar farms in the region.

Before joining The Dispatch, I spent 14 years at The Associated Press, a news service for newspapers, radio stations and websites.

Even though my focus is on business, I've covered my share of nonbusiness news during my more than 40 years in journalism.

In 1996, not long after I started at the AP, I was part of the team who covered the story of a man who threw a lit cigarette into a fireworks store in Lawrence County. He started a fire that killed nine and injured 11 right before the July 4th weekend. Then there was the Sago coal mining disaster in West Virginia in 2006 that killed 12 miners and injured one.

Of course, nothing compares with working on Sept. 11, 2001. I have the same horrible memories as everyone else that day plus two others that always will stay with me.

The first is going to what is now called John Glenn Columbus International Airport and parking at the top level of the garage and watching airplanes that had been ordered to land at the nearest airport lined up as far as I could see. After landing, they would find a gate, unload passengers and then find a place to park so that other planes could land.

The second was the wild false rumor later that day that the Dayton Veterans Administration facilities had been attacked. I'll never forget a radio station reporter screaming in my ear: "WHEN WILL YOU HAVE THAT ABOUT THE DAYTON VA BEING ATTACKED?"

When I first joined The Dispatch, Ohio was mired in the global financial crisis that was the worst since the Great Depression.

Central Ohio homeowners were among those who had been hit hard by the crisis and faced massive losses on their homes. Foreclosures soared and homeowners were distressed.

During the early days of COVID in 2020, when the economy was largely shut down, the state's unemployed workers flooded Ohio's outdated unemployment compensation system. Workers, including Dispatch employees, waited on hold for hours and hours, desperate to speak with someone who could help them with their claim so that they could pay the rent or buy food.

Many reporters did what we could to help people navigate the mess.

Why journalism is important

Journalism is often called the first rough draft of history.

Somebody has to be there to document and photograph the events that will be studied decades from now.

What I do when I'm not working

If you don't find me working in the yard or at Bloom-Carroll football games where I volunteers as the treasurer of the Athletic Boosters, I like to wander around the Hocking Hills.

Pro tip: If you go to the Hocking Hills, take a dog. There's nothing better in life than taking a long walk with your favorite four-legged friend.

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dispatch business reporter Mark Williams aims to help readers navigate business, money