Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to the article published on Saturday, May 15th, 2010 entitled, "New dawn for entrepreneurs Carbon official throws first pitch in Entrepreneurial League System" by Al Zagofski. In the second paragraph, the article says, "Ferrante, Executive Director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation, has argued that the county's attempt to attract outside businesses is unlikely to succeed."
While I appreciate the coverage on this program, it's incorrect that I feel business attraction or recruitment will not be successful, or is not important to our County. In fact, in all my presentations and outreach to the community since I began in this position in February 2009, I have indicated a three pronged approach (illustrated below) to Economic Development.
The approach includes the recruitment of business into existing and future industrial parks. I work on a daily basis developing the Packerton Business Park and it is my strong conviction that this development will attract businesses interested in rail access, as these types of sites are rare.
While industrial development and recruitment has been a traditional approach to economic development and can be expensive and time consuming, I in no way feel that its importance should be diminished or eliminated on our overall strategy. The types of jobs that these larger companies bring are higher wage and are increasingly highly technical. My comments have been that recruiting these companies is time consuming and highly competitive. Currently, my department has limited human resources and pursuing these companies does not make sense in the short-term. However, because companies are seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint, I believe they will seek us out because of the need for rail access.
Carbon County is extremely diverse, in both its geography and types of economies and industry clusters it supports. We have manufacturer's, service organizations, home based businesses, and a strong heritage tourism industry that is also poised to grow and become a powerhouse in the region.
Applying a one-size fits all approach to such a diverse region and economy will only limit our capabilities as a County and as a community. This is why I have proposed a multi-pronged approach and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.
Thank you,
Dawn Ferrante
Director, Economic Development Corp.
Jim Thorpe
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Comments
The Packerton Yards project, while well intentioned, is going to become a money pit. If we look at what types of businesses would actually want to use rail to transport their goods, we will find that we don't want those types of businesses in that location. Does anyone want to see a second Zinc Company? How do you think the tourism industry in Jim Thorpe would do if the mountains are all dead and rafting has to be shut down due to pollution in the Lehigh river.
The fact is that the Packerton Yards site is not an attractive industrial park due to its restrictions. Just getting into and out of the site will be a major headache. The fact that the site can only have a single access point means that it is not a site that should be used for any type of shopping center. So, what type of manufacturer would be willing to come into a property with bad access and no tolerance for pollution? The answer is not many. Either start looking for a final assembly operation or start looking for tech companies. Tech companies will surely get a chuckle from that phone call.
Use the money that McCall procured for the turning lane and then leave it alone until there is a buyer in place. Its not like the county has extra cash sitting around to just play with like it has been.