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“What is the ‘soft blue special’?”
As an economic development specialist, I was horrified that all of this could go wrong. Walmart executives, who didn’t have a local Walmart store to avoid in Steubenville in 2001, went to the local Kmart to get a sense of the workforce and community. . An employee was asked for this strategy to provoke impulse purchases among Kmart buyers.
It’s as if the fate of a bunch of jobs in Eastern Ohio is in the hands of one person. That’s because he did it.
I witnessed the gentleman respectful and more than satisfied to explain. He did a wonderful job. He didn’t know what role he played, and if he had had a bad day or behaved differently, how he could have made the story worse.
Three months later, the network would receive the economic news that a new $75 million Walmart food distribution center would be built. Today, it is the largest economically based employer, with 800 employees, in Jefferson County, Ohio.
This has been my non-public example of how everyone on the net has a role to play in economic development. All people.
I have new stories as a result of this announcement from Intel. Intel is with us.
A guest at a local museum asked his host about the herb sites and history of Licking County. After Intel’s announcement last month, the host made the connection: the guest is known to work with Intel and have connections to Licking County.
The chance meeting and possibility may have been a turning point.
Just days after the new year, a large bus stopped at the Midland Theatre and elsewhere in Newark. Mine is the only local and familiar face. No names were shared. No corporate clothing was seen. No business cards were distributed. I’m sure many were wondering what was going on. The bus was Intel’s events team and state officials looking for locations for an upcoming announcement.
Although the deal is closed, the position of the announcement has not been decided. All the local stops showed the kind of capability that has long been our county’s mantra: big enough to have the resources, but small enough to take care of one business at a time. hour.
The rest, as they say, is history. Midland and Newark will be linked to Intel and the day Ohio’s largest economic growth project is announced.
What happened between June and January that could have been our “special blue light” contest venue?A client at Granville Milling in Johnstown. Owner of a puppy at the Kennel Club in Jersey Township. Hikers at Blackhand Gorge. Cherry Valley Hotel. There have been many beyond meetings that may also have been the turning point.
There will be in the future.
The role we all play in economic progression will continue. The network has the opportunity to capitalize on Intel’s $20 billion news, take credit for Intel’s plans to increase its investment to $100 billion, and attract vendors’ facilities. It will take us all.
Rick Platt is the president and CEO of the Port Authority of Heath-Newark-Licking County, a normal progression columnist and father of 4 who lives in Newark. He is a member of the JobsOhio Board of Directors.
This article was originally published in Newark Advocate: Platt: We All Play a Role in Welcoming Intel’s $20 Billion Investment