December, 2004

Now that the election is over and we know who will be leading us at the national, state and local levels, perhaps we can get back to the day-in, day-out business of living our lives and growing our economy.   Just before Election Day, I was asked by a reporter for comments on which candidate I thought might be better for the economy.  What occurred to me then was how the race pointed up sharp differences between the parties and their candidates on how the United States should be engaged in global affairs, whether military or economic.  And just as 9/11 focused the U.S. approach to the Middle East, radical Islam and terrorism, so has, I think, the rise of China and the recent recession forced us, even here in Marion, Ohio, to acknowledge and engage in the global economy.

As I answered that reporter’s question, it occurred to me that, in our Dual Rail Industrial Park, there isn’t one job that is not directly tied to the global economy.  Not one.  Three of the four plants in the park are owned by non-U.S. entities.  U.S. Yachiyo and Sakamura are Japanese-owned companies.  Dofasco Marion is a subsidiary of Canada’s Dofasco, Inc.  And even Marion Industries, owned by Dayton-based Ernie Greene Industries, would not be here if not for Honda’s 25-year presence in Central Ohio. 

And there are others.  Todco (Japanese parent company), Sika (Swiss), Honda, of course, which employs 730 Marion County residents.  Then there are those companies who sell their products in other countries—Semco, Whirlpool, Wyandot to name just a few.  We have lawyers in town doing business with overseas customers.  We have a foreign trade zone where parts are stored before shipment around the globe.  We even have a company whose tax accountant prepares forms and stays in touch with her clients via e-mail as she and her husband move from Australia to England to, who knows where?  Internet connections and cell phones make the world a much smaller place.

Without trying very hard, it is possible to point to at least $153 million, or about ten percent of Marion County’s total personal income ($1.57 billion/year) that is derived from the global marketplace—that is, salaries of employees who work for foreign-owned companies or agricultural sales to overseas markets.  And by looking at sales of foreign nameplate cars, for example, or by digging deeper into smaller companies’ export sales, that percentage might rise to as much as a fifth of the Marion County economy.  The point is, we are heavily engaged in the global economy and dare not ignore it.

That was the reason I recently accompanied Governor Taft and about 70 other Ohio representatives on a trade mission to Japan and Taiwan.  We are actively working the stack of cards and contacts made during that trip.  Some are more promising than others, but it’s all part of a process of building personal relationships. 

It’s the reason Mayor Kellogg, Lois Fisher and I took a quick trip to Vienna, Austria recently.  We met with a company considering a project here in Marion.  We are in competition with at least one other site in Ohio, which also had representatives visit the company.  Both Mayor Kellogg and Ms. Fisher demonstrated the warmth and hospitality that is the calling card of this community.  For a foreign firm, developing a personal relationship of trust is even more important than it would be with a U.S. company.  Our Austrian friends now know they have advocates here who will help them with the myriad details involved in starting a major manufacturing operation—from dealing with local government to finding housing, suppliers, or even a good restaurant. 

Having gone to Austria, we came away with an understanding of how much pride this company takes in their operation—and why that pride is justified.  But we also came away with an understanding of the sense of dependency they must feel in entering this culture.  We would have been lost in Vienna without their help in finding hotels, tracking down lost luggage, navigating local roads, etc.  And we weren’t about to make a $50 million commitment, as they are.  Imagine the degree of comfort you would require before putting that much money into a venture in a foreign country. 

If we are to reap the benefits of investment from across the globe, it is important for us to occasionally meet our future neighbors on their turf.  It is vital to extend the kind of personal welcome that reaches beyond e-mail and can only be shared in face-to-face conversations and a personal handshake.