After 30-plus years of providing leadership to manufacturing facilities across the South, I fully appreciate the value that industrial operations bring to a community. While service sector organizations and retail operations are also critical and needed in a community, there also needs to be a healthy balance of manufacturing related jobs. It’s in these manufacturing organizations that new value is created, and incremental income is generated within the community. A community that is overly dependent on the service and retail sectors can be caught just “swapping” money around with nothing new being created. This lack of new value generation within a community can lead to an overdependence on outside influences (other communities or government) which can be a dangerous path to go down over time.
Not only do these manufacturing related operations generate new value for the community, but they also typically provide solid wages, reliable benefits, tax opportunities in various forms, increases in support services around the area, and historically have been very supportive of community needs. When a community finds a manufacturing organization that is a good fit, the partnership can create opportunities that will improve the quality of life for many in the community. Everyone can benefit.
Here are five keys to consider for economic growth in Lincoln Parish:
- Play to your strengths: Two universities in the parish, an expanding community college system, access to land/property, proximity to an interstate system, and strong financial institutions are strengths that can be built on. When looking at economic development in the manufacturing sector, it’s key not to chase every opportunity but to seek those that are a good it and complement existing economic operations and strengths in the community.
- First impressions matter: Whether it’s right or not, I always coach young, aspiring leaders that appearance matters on that first impression. People form opinions before we ever speak a word. Sometimes we don’t get a chance to share our message because of a negative first impression based on appearance. It’s the same way for a community. Unkept lawns on personal and government property, run-down rental properties, trash and litter on the streets, overflowing dumpsters, and abandoned buildings can leave a bad first impression.
- Strengthen the core: Just like the new teaching in personal fitness, the core matters. The core in the community is education, housing, and medical care. A community needs to be strong in each of these three areas to attract mid-sized to large organizations to the community. We need to continue to invest in education to have the best schools possible (teachers are the key). We need to have a strong housing market with available homes for new families. Finally, we need access to reliable health care in the parish and not be dependent on services from surrounding areas.
- People Matter: No matter how everything looks on paper, access to enough people, with the right skills, wanting to work will be a key factor. The opportunity to get access to higher paying jobs with benefits needs to be widely communicated. Access to gaining those skills needs to be incorporated into the educational process. The potential to stay in the parish and raise the standard of living needs to be a focal point.
- Think long-term – big picture: At some point, there will be a negotiation with a prospective new industry and a challenge from other communities. There will be a need to give and take during the process of negotiating. The community needs to think long-term benefit, not short-term gain. The purpose is long-term benefit to the community through increased opportunities.
Economic development is hard work, but it can change the lives of everyone in the community.
