So, The Last 400 GM Employees Move On

The Indianapolis Star and other newspapers noted the last GM workers are soon to leave the area, GM's Anderson workers ready to move on. Truly, the end of an era.

A friend of mine wrote me about this, he mentioned something about high school graduates looking for work. I am not so sure that the kids have any idea of what a union job means. I am sure that the anti-union types, those that always claimed the UAW ruined Anderson, had some joy in their heart. Let them try to replace the income.

"For an economic development professional, I hate to lose 400 families in our community," said Linda Dawson, Anderson's economic development director. "It puts us at a disadvantage for our economy."

As hard as Linda Dawson works and has worked over the past six years, I think we are still a bit unprepared for this. Muncie suffered a shock when Ball Corporation finally moved all their operations out West - even though Ball Corp's economic influence ended years and years before.

I believe talent remains here for rebuilding Anderson's economy. I write believe because I have no data showing what talents are here for tapping and I think no one has any ideas. The Star had the following quote from Ms. Dawson:

"'For the employees, I'm thrilled that they'll get good jobs and benefits,' she said. 'When we start landing bigger companies, like Nestle, maybe they'll come back.'"

I wonder what talents former auto workers would have that will benefit Nestle. Therein lies the rub, doesn't it? The only apparent talent pool is for automotive factory workers. I say Ockomon's scholarship program begins an attempt to broaden that pool. Let us hope it succeeds. Meanwhile, if we could provide the means for home grown businesses then we could find out what talents do exist here.

Lat night, the wife complained about the cold and talked about moving south but that I would never leave Anderson. Thinking about that overnight, awaking to the cold and snow and gloom, and she is wrong. In the past six months I have seen my largest client implode - too great a reliance on manufacturing - and the economy stumbles towards recession or worse. I am here because of Anderson's location. I estimate I am within an hour of eighty percent of Indiana's population. However, that same population has its income shrinking and looking for a way out of here. It will be a very good question who will remain here and what the land will look like in a year.