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Westmoreland Poised to be Regional Leader
06-09-1998
As we head into the last eighteen months of the 1990's I thought it would be important to
update you on some of the economic activities going on in Westmoreland County. Many signs
point to the continued growth of our county, but one that demonstrates it the most is that
the Census Bureau estimates that 4,352 people have relocated into our county during the
1990's. You might think that amount is not significant, but only two local counties,
Westmoreland and Butler, have seen a growth in their populations during this decade.
Another sign of growth is the development
of so many new retail outlets. National chains like Wal-Mart, Lowes, Barnes & Noble
wouldn't be locating here if market conditions were not right. Retail growth demonstrates
an improving economy, and while the jobs are not always the highest paying, they do
provide more employment choices and certainly more choices for consumers. With the retail
growth comes traffic congestion and the busy major arteries in our county are a visible
sign of economic activity.
Several other indicators of importance to
our economy are an unemployment rate of 5.5% in 1997, the lowest since 1990. From March
1997 to March 1998, we saw a net job growth of 700 jobs in our county. That is important
because even as we unfortunately lose some jobs, we are gaining more than we are losing. A
positive statistic that demonstrates the type of jobs we are creating is that the
percentage of manufacturing jobs is higher in Westmoreland County (19%), than SW
Pennsylvania (12%), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (17.5%), and the United States
(15.3%). Manufacturing jobs are important because they are "value-added" jobs.
Additional jobs are created to support the manufacturing process; suppliers,
subcontractors, shippers, and other ancillary services. Value-added manufacturing jobs are
an investment in the community that create the promise of future growth and have one of
the highest average wages of all employment sectors.
I'm sure by now you know that SONY is
adding 400 new jobs by the end of the year. This action continues the positive experience
for not only this county, but this region, since SONY chose to invest here. While SONY
adds new television lines, American Video Glass continues its growth next to SONY, and
SONY Chemicals continues to do its work within the huge SONY complex. Also, Kennametal's
development of its Unity Township site is a tremendous boost, not only in jobs, but that a
major employer chose Westmoreland County over the Sun Belt. Also in the works for
Kennametal is the development of a technology park for other businesses on its campus.
All of the previously mentioned activities
fit nicely with the efforts of county government. We have supported the expansion of the
Westmoreland County Airport terminal so that it can handle daily flights. As the corporate
community grows, the airport will be a great resource to provide travel and cargo support.
Our network of industrial parks continues to grow and we are attracting a diverse group of
companies to provide employment opportunities. We are also working to develop "brown
field" sites in Jeannette, Monessen, and South Greensburg. I think we have a great
advantage over neighboring counties because we offer a clear path of support from county
government.
Larry Larese is our Planning Director and
the Executive Director of our Industrial Development Corporation. Larry and his capable
staff do a great job in not only marketing available sites, but in ensuring that we
continue to develop more sites. This action is critical because as one park fills up we
must have others under development. While they work to market county industrial sites,
they also maintain and market available private sites.
Unlike our neighbors in Allegheny County,
where there are so many organizations competing for credit, we have a good working
relationship with local development corporations and local governments. There is a
recognition of the strengths of each organization, and when success happens, there is
enough credit to go around. Public sector economic development agencies will not be the
driving force of our economy but can serve as an effective facilitator to assist the
private sector in making investments in Westmoreland County. As we approach the next
millennium, Westmoreland County certainly should be a regional leader. With continued
commitment from private employers, the support of the education community through projects
such as the Business and Industry Center at Westmoreland County Community College, and our
efforts to develop and market sites, there will certainly be more in WestMOREland County. |
