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Filling Banner building is necessary
Published Tuesday, November 25, 2008
With the closing of Banner Engineering, and the loss of 74 employees, it is good to hear that our local economic development leaders are working to replace those jobs.
But while effort and salesmanship will certainly play a role in finding a new employer to fill Banner’s facility and replacing the lost jobs, some creativity will almost certainly be necessary.
The natural course would be to chase after another manufacturer to replace Banner. However, especially in today’s economy, manufacturers will be hard-pressed to locate a plant here when they can build one elsewhere in the world and hire workers at a fraction of the cost.
Even if Fergus Falls leaders could bring a manufacturer in, if the product being made can be produced anywhere, it’s questionable how long the jobs would stay here. And it also would be questionable whether it would be worth the tax incentives to lure a manufacturer here. After all, Banner, which did receive some incentives, only stayed here a little more than a decade.
Fergus Falls leaders should target companies that rely on local employee skills and natural resources unique to our area. Only then would the chances be good that the jobs will stay here for the long term, and using our tax dollars to entice them worthwhile.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by 1125thmp (anonymous) on November 25, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nanny state to the rescue! Certainly we wouldn't want corporations to create business without public tax dollars, who would think up such a communist thing, oops I mean capitalist thing. Its so hard owning a corporation, having to pay those darn workers, or workers wanting some type of remuneration for working, oh darn little tautology there, my error since as previous articles here have pointed out how quickly our workforce should be willing to adjust to forced wage deflation and the accompanying benefits loss. Tough love, as Dean Baker puts it, gets you right in the heart, those poor corporations, they need all the help they can get.
Posted by Mel (anonymous) on November 25, 2008 at 4:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've said it before, and I say it again, lower the taxes on every business in town permanently, and they will come and stay.
Posted by metasonics (anonymous) on November 26, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
perhaps inequality and ignoring the needs of many of the cities residents doesn't make this city all that appealing to investors either?
Imagine for a moment you spent years building a company by overcoming unfair treatments and ridicule and then look at Fergus as a possible place to relocate.
hell I'm ready to move out, why would any of my friends want to move here?
I spent my money on a business locally and was pretty much ran out of business for trying to help get rid of a drug problem in this city.
I ran for city council and because I did, I've had my life threatened and have been called a pornographer and been compared to a child molester by some of you for doing so.
good luck but what this city really needs is an attitude adjustment.
Posted by globalcooling (anonymous) on December 2, 2008 at 11:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sound advice: Stop blaming others for your problems. You make your own good luck by hard work!
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