We’ve recently been engaged in a process of economic development planning.  At the behest of Marion Technical College president, Dick Bryson, I and several others in the community have been engaged in discussions and writing assignments designed to yield an economic development plan for the Marion area.

It’s not as if there hasn’t been plenty of planning already.  Our Regional Planning office can pull plans off the shelf that were drawn up in the 1970s.  And, to a large extent, the actions envisioned then have been taken.  Sewers have been put in place, zoning has been drawn up, incentives have been enacted.  More recently, within the last decade, I can recall two rounds of “envisioning” in which efforts have been made to determine what the community sees in its future.

These exercises are valuable, if for no other reason than to check and see if the projects taking place line up with the community’s vision.  But economic development planning has its limits.  As is always the case, real life has a way of disrupting even the best-laid of plans.  The rising dominance of China, for example, has had a significant impact on U.S. manufacturing, both negative and positive.  Cheap Chinese labor has eliminated many manufacturing jobs in this country.  On the other hand, imported Chinese components have allowed a number of large manufacturers, like Whirlpool, to stay competitive and rely on their innovation to keep manufacturing in this country.

At one time, we believed, targeting plastics was a good strategy.  All of our rail infrastructure (for inbound transport of plastic resin) and our proximity to the automotive markets made Marion ideal for plastics production, we believed.  And we’ve captured a few plastics plants—US Yachiyo making plastic fuel tanks for Honda and Silver Line Windows, using tons of vinyl resin to make windows.  But, how viable is that plan now, as the Middle East boils up again and oil (a major plastics component) hits $80 a barrel? 

Those events are now making alternative fuels the hot item.  At least three ethanol projects have been looking at Marion lately, as have bio-diesel projects.  The former uses corn or other organic products to make alcohol for use as a gasoline additive or replacement.  The latter converts soy oil into diesel fuel.  Energy independence is a national goal that is fueling this interest.  Ethanol plants require large investments and produce relatively few jobs.  They also require a significant source of energy (such as natural gas or coal) to cook the corn and turn its starch into alcohol.  And what happens to the economics as gas prices rise or government subsidies end? 

Our best plan, I believe, is to continue what we’ve been doing—that is, preparing the community for a variety of ventures.  We do that by developing industrial areas, such as the Dual Rail Park, The Airport Industrial Park, and the Marion Industrial Center (Depot).  We do it by making sure our infrastructure is up to par.  The Northwest Industrial Road project, SR 529 extension, sewer upgrades, and other projects are part of that process. 

Rather than a tightly drawn tome with great specificity as to industries we’ll welcome and those we won’t, I believe our plan must focus on a willingness to be flexible and open to opportunities as they arise.  As the day’s headlines will attest, the world is changing rapidly.  For our community to remain viable in today’s environment, we must be ready to pounce on opportunities as they arise.  It was that readiness coupled with opportunity that allowed intermodal service to come to Marion as quickly as it did.  Having the Depot ready and pushing the concept of it as an intermodal hub put Ted Graham in position to welcome Schneider National when they came looking for a place to begin dedicated intermodal service in Ohio.  Ted couldn’t know precisely what companies would go where at his facility.  But he could make it ready for a lot of possibilities, which he’s done and Marion is now reaping the rewards.

We can have a general notion of what we want our community to look like, but we shouldn’t get too hung up worrying whether this industry or that business fits precisely into our structure.  The free market has a way of setting its own course, regardless of our careful planning. 

Our best plan, I think, is to embrace that market; to prepare ourselves and our community to welcome what it brings.  It’s impossible to say what the next five or ten years will look like.  But we can still be prepared for whatever the future holds by making sure our physical infrastructure is up to snuff and our citizens are well-educated and flexible.