Grant Counties Premier Forum

“We’re more important to them that they are to us because we’re a net importer of labor,” he said.
Each of the counties directly surrounding Grant sends more people into Grant to work than vice versa, with the exception of Huntington County, Eckerle said.

It’s tough everywhere
By Brett Wallace
bwallace@chronicle-tribune.com
Published: Sunday, January 31, 2010 2:07 AM EST
The areas surrounding Grant County have continued to fight to create and retain jobs even as the worst recession in a generation has made that task increasingly complex.

Like Grant County, each of the nine counties that border it saw its unemployment rate jump in 2009.

Those increases include Tipton (1.3 percent), Huntington (1 percent), Madison (0.7 percent), Blackford (0.6 percent), Delaware (0.6 percent), Wells (0.5 percent), Miami (0.4 percent), Wabash (0.4 percent) and Howard (0.3 percent) counties.

Grant County’s unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percent in 2009.

Still, some of those communities were able to score big economic development wins in 2009.

In Delaware County, Terry Murphy said securing the U.S. headquarters and manufacturing operations of transmission-maker Brevini has helped to offset the painful loss of longtime local manufacturer Borg-Warner.

“We’ve had wins and losses, the same as most communities have,” said Murphy, the vice president of economic development for the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.

Murphy agreed that the well-being of communities like Delaware and Grant counties are ultimately tied to one another and that the counties’ economics have a lot of crossover.

“The whole east central Indiana region is tied together,” he said. “Communities like Delaware, Blackford, Jay, Madison and Grant counties have a lot of common commuters, common suppliers, common customers. Just because of the close proximity, these things can happen.”

Jeb Conrad agreed that the regional economy can often fuel that happens in the local community. In his area — Howard County — he said the retail sector is almost as dependant upon areas like Logansport and Marion as it is on its own economy.

The key to fostering redevelopment in these heavily affected areas is stabilization and the restoration of the credit market, said Conrad, the president and CEO of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance.

“Hopefully, that’s what’s on tap for 2010,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Howard County’s unemployment rate spiked to 18 percent but has now returned back to 12.4 percent, Conrad said.

He credited the major wins that his community was able to secure in 2009, which was the stabilization of its two large private-sector employers, Delphi and Chrysler.

“A year ago, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the entire automotive industry, which is our base,” he said. “We have some great things that are starting to indicate that manufacturing is moving in the right direction.”

In most cases, the surrounding counties rely more upon Grant County as a source of employment than vice versa, according to Tim Eckerle, executive director of the Grant County Economic Growth Council.

“We’re more important to them that they are to us because we’re a net importer of labor,” he said.

Each of the counties directly surrounding Grant sends more people into Grant to work than vice versa, with the exception of Huntington County, Eckerle said.

Still, he acknowledged that bad economic news in any of those places can have a spillover effect into Grant County’s economy.

“Bad news in China affects Grant County,” he said. “No one’s insulated.”

Still, he (Eckerle) acknowledged that bad economic news in any of those places can have a spillover effect into Grant County’s economy.

“Bad news in China affects Grant County,” he said. “No one’s insulated.”

Interesting spin to distract tax payers from the fact that the surrounding communities are the ones securing business other than in fast food-not Marion/Grant Co.

Waldo, you rarely post. The least you could do is tell us how you really feel.