Whole community plays a role in recruiting jobs
With a number of Warren County’s once-thriving factories now sitting vacant, there has been a steady push to bring new jobs to the area.
Much of that falls on the shoulders of the Chamber of Commerce’s industrial recruiter. At the same time it should also be noted the industrial recruiter can’t do it alone. He or she needs a solid foundation with which to work.
When we think about attracting industry to Warren County, that job entails selling this area. The industry representatives are the buyers so to speak and it’s our responsibility locally to convince them this county is a smart place to invest their money.
With that in mind, it’s far easier to sell a well-kept house than to generate interest in a home which is crumbling to the ground. That’s not to say Warren County is well-kept or crumbling. The county probably falls somewhere in between.
That’s why it’s important we maintain the focus and momentum of improving downtown and making this community as attractive as possible. And hiring a qualified industrial recruiter would certainly help matters too.
When marketing this county, it would be nice to think we have the best salesperson possible. Knowing the names of the four candidates who have applied doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request either, but Chamber of Commerce officials feel the newspaper should not publish such information.
That said, we trust the Chamber will take ample time, examine all of the candidates thoroughly and select the candidate which will be the best fit for this county. If you are curious about who those candidates are, so are we.
As for who the final choice will be, that is certainly a major decision, but it should also be emphasized the industrial recruiter can only do so much. The situation involving the box company former industrial recruiter Jim Gray was trying to bring to town is the perfect example.
Box company officials have admitted Warren County has offered the best incentive package, but they don’t seem to be able to get over the stumbling block that we’re over an hour from Nashville. In cases like that, there’s only so much we can do.
Sure we want the company to locate here and bring its 100 plus jobs. We can offer incentives, but there’s no way to change the distance from McMinnville to Nashville.
That’s why this community needs every little edge it can get. A thriving Main Street complete with a state-of-the-art Chamber of Commerce facility will certainly be nice additions. Working to provide a better-educated work force is another perk.
Whoever is given the job as this county’s next industrial recruiter certainly has a steep hill to climb to reverse our recent economic fortunes. It will take a dedicated effort from that person, combined with government and community support, for Warren County to land a major company, or companies, and fill some of our vacant factory space.