Local reaction to proposed TikTok Ban
EUGENE, Ore. — Some business owners in Eugene, particularly, some younger ones, are watching the federal proceedings concerning the potential banning of TikTok and hoping it doesn’t come to pass.
Carter Helikson is the co-owner of Helikson brothers, a local construction company in Eugene. It’s clear he has a passion for building. He said he had no doubt people should be free to use the app.
“I think the app should be able to be around,” Helikson said.
Carter Helikson and his brother Larson also do jobs in the rest of Lane County. They style themselves as house flipping gurus. On TikTok and in real life they are known for building houses and restoring old ones. In Helikson’s experience, TikTok has been something positive that gave him and his brother a road into the construction business.
“Being able to promote your business and promote yourself is a really important thing, and I think TikTok really helps you do that,” Helikson said.
Helikson and his brother have been active for nearly two years now. In that time, they’ve managed to gather more than 32,000 followers on TikTok. The videos, Helikson said, are easy to make because all you really need is a phone.
“It really helps us promote our business and show what we can do and show what the Helikson brothers are about,” he said.
As younger builders, the app gives them several advantages. According to Helikson, the construction business is dominated by mostly older builders, so TikTok helps them stand out. Helikson explained the content they are producing can reach new audiences quickly, something other companies who aren’t on the app can’t. While the Helikson Brothers use many social media apps, TikTok is their main app.
It’s not just about growing their business. For Carter Helikson it’s also about getting younger people interested in the trade, and younger people use TikTok.
He said, “We want to tell people it’s okay to do trades. It’s a good thing to do trades, it’s a very much needed thing and there’s a lot of people that aren’t doing it. And so we want to bring young people back into the trades, because it’s very important for all of society to be able to grow with what we’re doing.
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