It could be the start of a politicians’ gold rush, if not the start of an economic recovery.
Elkhart County, Indiana, which President Obama has cast as a symbol of the economic devastation left behind by George W. Bush, is showing what might be the first stirrings of recovery–with a decidedly green hue. And both Obama and Indiana’s Republican governor, Mitch Daniels, are sprinting there this week.
On Wednesday, Obama will appear in Elkhart County for the second time as president–he chose Elkhart’s Central High school as the setting for his Feb. 9 speeech touting the economic stimulus–but the White House has been vague about his purposes: “There will be an announcement on some Recovery Act money and a little bit longer discussion on the economy,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Friday.
More telling, perhaps, is the sudden decision by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to get there first. Daniels was head of the Office of Management and Budget under Bush. His office announced Monday that he would appear in the city of Elkhart Tuesday to hail the opening of a new manufacturing plant.
Devastated by the collapse of recreational-vehicle sales, Elkhart County is not exactly booming, but its 16,000 unemployed workers are starting to see some new job opportunities.
On Tuesday, Gov. Daniels will announce that a Swedish manufacturer of RV equipment is relocating to Elkhart after considering sites in Mexico and China. The new Dometic plant will create 241 jobs for workers who will assemble heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators, awnings, and toilets for RVs. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Dometic a bundle of tax credits and agreed to pay part of the cost of retraining local workers.
Obama will appear Wednesday at the Monaco Coach manufacturing facility in the Elkhart County town of Wakarusa. Monaco, which manufactured RVs, declared bankruptcy in March and was purchased by Navistar, a manufacturer of heavy trucks and diesel engines. What could they be cooking up?
The town of Wakarusa is also the site of a joint venture announced in May between the Electric Motors Corporation and Gulf Stream Coach to manufacture electric cars and the first electric pickup truck. The $80 million plant is expected to employ 1,600 people, equal to the current population of Wakarusa.
Elkhart Truth reporter Marilyn Odendahl summarized additional developments in a story on Sunday:
After extensive research and development, the homegrown Lucid Energy Technologies in Goshen has preparations underway for the commercial release of two energy-making devices. Its Northwest PowerPipe fits into large water pipes and turns the water pressure into electricity while the wind turbine has been designed with vertical blades to capture wind from shifting directions.
Confident the products will sell, Gina Leichty, Lucid spokeswoman, said the company is looking for manufacturing space in Elkhart….
A year ago, the county and state started talking to a turbine maker and about two months ago offered that company an incentive package to locate a facility in Elkhart County, according to Walsh. That factory alone is expected to create 500 jobs over the next five years, he said, and could also spur jobs in the nearby businesses which would supply the steel, fiberglass and electronic components.
via Elkhart County leaders dip their toes in new energy sources – The Elkhart Truth.
In addition to his presidential visits, Obama visited Elkhart County twice as a candidate and promoted the region as a symbol of the nation’s economic difficulty and possibility. In December Elkhart’s unemployment rate was 15.3 percent, the highest in the nation, and according to the press secretary, it has since worsened to 17 percent. Pressed by reporters Friday to explain the reason for Obama’s visit, Gibbs again described Elkhart as a symbol:
I think there are cities like Elkhart all over this country, many of them in the Midwest, that have been hit enormously hard by the perfect storm of this economic downturn. I mean, a place like Elkhart, which is in many ways dependent — was many ways dependent job-wise on production, manufacturing, and the ultimate sale of RVs. Obviously in an economic downturn, fewer of those are going to be sold. Fewer of those by definition then will ultimately be manufactured.
I think what the President wants to do is discuss the continued battle that we have to get this economy back on track; and in places like Elkhart and, again, throughout the country, how can we lay a foundation for that long-term economic growth.
And I think that’s one of the things that the President will discuss on Wednesday there again. Again, it’s a community that has been hit, even as communities throughout this country have been hit hard, it’s hard to imagine places that have — many, many more places that have been hit harder than a place like Elkhart, Indiana.
While Obama is in Elkhart, Vice President Joe Biden will appear in Detroit at the headquarters of NextEnergy, a “research catalyst and business accelerator for alternative and renewable energy.” Both will announce grants for advanced battery and electric vehicle development.
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