We have remarkable pools of talent in Allen County in areas of commerce with enormous growth potential. The engineering, aerospace and software development fields are just a few examples.
These seeds of job growth largely fend for themselves while Allen County focuses on other areas of economic development. I believe we should become proactive “economic predators,” scouring the nation to recruit to this community the jobs we want, not just the jobs that are willing to come here.
We have a compelling story to tell. Our community has incredible ready-to-grow resources, particularly in the aerospace and technology fields, that cost less, grow more and work harder than those found anywhere else in the United States. Yet we continue to expend resources chasing jobs in dying industries and letting the industries of the future come and go with little notice.
County government invests too much money in economic development to play a passive role in deciding what our economy will look like. Our economic development leaders should be visiting companies face-to-face to tell them our story and sell them on the value of an investment in Allen County. This work is too important to leave to consultants, surrogates or luck.
Jobs are essential to providing for the needs of our community today. The jobs we want are essential building blocks of our community’s tomorrow.