Wanted: New industries to locate in this county
There is no way to spice up yesterday’s announcement concerning A.O. Smith and make it sound appealing. Any way you flavor it, eliminating at least 300 jobs lands a devastating blow to the local economy.
A.O. Smith spokesman Ed O’Conner put it plainly when he said, “There’s no way to make this sound good. It’s not good news for McMinnville.”
When combined with the local industrial news which has been accumulating over the past few years, it gets even worse. Local factories have been finding their way out of Warren County, but new ones haven’t wandered in to take their place.
If there’s any consolation — at least according to the A.O. Smith company line — it’s that the local plant is not shutting down completely. It still plans to operate, according to the company, with around 250 or 300 workers manufacturing some motors and doing metal stamping.
Considering the current job market, we can only hope those words are true. Of course it was only a couple months ago that A.O. Smith said talk of substantial job cuts were ridiculous and that the company was only shifting around a few lines to maximize productivity.
Now the county is once again slapped with the bitter taste of having one of its longtime industries move south of the border. With so many factories leaving the United States in favor of cheaper Mexican labor, it’s difficult to see the benefits President Clinton touted when he ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement.
All we have seen in Warren County is local industries have left town. In their place are empty buildings we can’t find anyone to occupy. That’s certainly no help to local families.
Times are tough. There’s no doubt about that. But local officials need to find some way to convince a major industry Warren County is the place to be.
The Standard understands city and county leaders are trying. And this war-time economy certainly hasn’t helped the economic outlook.
At the same time, there is little excuse for not being able to entice one major industry to locate in this county in what’s approaching 15 years. During that same timeframe, Murfreesboro has been abuzz with industrial activity. Even nearby Manchester has managed to recruit a few major plants.
As for Warren County, we can hang our hats on the fact WastAway is about to begin its operation and Morrison Tool & Fab is looking to hire 30 to 40 new employees. That’s promising news, but it can’t compensate for the loss of at least 300 jobs which are on their way to Mexico.