Boomtown.  Merriam-Webster's describes a boomtown as "a town enjoying a business and population boom."  It's a term that is often associated with the gold rush and mining towns of the 1800's--towns that grew quickly and often died just as quickly when the reasons for their existence disappeared.  It's a term enjoying something of a renaissance, at least among the economic development crowd.  In Site Selection magazine's March issue, in which Ohio is ranked tops among the states for new and expanded facilities, Marion is mentioned in the article titled, "The Road to Boomtown."  Marion is tied for 38th place in the magazine's list of "Top 100 Small Towns." 

Jack Schultz is the president of Agracel, an economic development firm based in Effingham, Illinois.  He's also the author of a new book titled Boomtown: The 7 and ½ Keys to Success in America's Small Towns.  On his way recently to deliver a seminar in Columbus, Mr. Schultz stopped by Marion to see for himself how this community is doing.  He was particularly interested in our town because he'd read about Marion in various development publications.  In Effingham, his company developed a dual-rail industrial park similar to Marion's.  So it was with some pride that we showed the Boomtown author around OUR town.

If you study Marion's history, there are times when most of us might agree that Marion was, indeed, a boomtown.  The heyday of the Shovel and the railroads, the Harding era, the pre-mall days when Downtown Marion bustled as the center of commerce would qualify.  We've been through the "bust" years too, when old-line industry left and retail moved away from downtown.

It is uncanny, reading Boomtown, how closely Schultz's recipe for small town success tracks with the path we're on today in Marion.  His seven and a half keys to success in smaller communities are:

1. Adopt a Can-Do Attitude:  Here in Marion, we not only adopted the attitude--we formed a development organization and named it CAN DO!

2. Shape Your Vision:  "Vision marks the roadmap to success," writes Schultz.  We went through an "envisioning" process a few years ago.  The community's vision continues to be refined through planning at various levels.

3. Leverage Your Resources:  We're utilizing our rail heritage, metal trades skills, our educational resources and the infrastructure developed over the years to attract new investment and jobs.  Marion is blessed with all the ingredients of success.  Our challenge is to blend them into a package that fits today's reality.

4. Raise Up Strong Leaders:  Marion area elected officials as well as leaders in the private sector step to the plate to make things happen.  Sure, we might fuss over one issue or another, but in the long run, Marion County leaders act for the betterment of the whole community.

5. Encourage an Entrepreneurial Spirit:  We have many true entrepreneurs here.  They buy buildings, start businesses, think outside the box.  Instead of asking why, they ask why not.  They can envision success and are willing to take calculated risks to achieve it.  In their achievement, the whole community profits.

6. Maintain Local Control:  For the most part, we hit the mark.  But the failure of local school levies, for example, risk loss of control of our educational system.  Control implies responsibility.  If we aren't willing to fund our share of public education, we risk having the state take over, losing control over how our kids are educated.

7. Build Your Brand:  Marion is doing exactly that.  We're letting people know we are, in fact, the Can-Do community.  We're putting unique products like the Dual Rail Park, Airport Park, and Marion Industrial Center into the mix of attractive sites for expanding companies. 

7 1/2.  Embrace the Teeter-Totter Factor:  That's the fact that small changes in a community our size have larger effects than they would in a bigger town.  When LTV went bankrupt, it could have meant a significant impact on the local economy as the plant was shuttered and workers laid-off.  But a letter to Canadian steelmaker Dofasco brought new investment, a plant reopened within weeks, all employees re-hired, and an enterprise that is now expanding-adding a big plus to the local economy.

Are we a boomtown?  That may be for others to determine.  I think we can say we're a healthy town--a place that is seeing more positive than negative occurring.  We saw 2.8% growth in population over the last decade.  New companies arrive on a fairly regular basis.  Major new retail ventures are on the way.  Sure, we have setbacks, but we know how to get up and find ways around the obstacles.  "Boom" may not best describe where we are.  Instead, I think, Marion emits a persistent, energetic hum--the sound of a town that knows where it's been and has a good idea of where it's going.