By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH
Staff Writer
Steps taken by the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce's industrial development arm in recent years have made the city more attractive to potential companies looking to relocate or start up.
Two years ago, Poplar Bluff Industries spent more than $250,000 to create a 10-acre certified site to be used for recruitment purposes, according to Kevin McCormick, PBI chairman of the board.
Located on South 11th Street, the site is "shovel ready."
The site, McCormick said, has been promoted all over the world. PBI officials say they have worked with several potential manufacturing prospects in the last two years.
"We always have prospects," McCormick said. "Some make it farther along than others."
McCormick said there are more than 30,000 communities in the United States competing for a limited amount of manufacturing startups each year.
"The increased interest this year has been phenomenal and having a certified site has really helped," he said.
Helping to entice those companies into choosing Poplar Bluff first "takes a partnership between organizations like the city, county, the regional planning commission and PBI to ensure that our current manufacturing facilities are satisfied with the level of service they receive," McCormick explained.
Over the years, McCormick said, PBI officials have worked hard to keep these companies happy.
"Ultimately, if we aren't taking care of the ones we have, the word will get out and make it increasingly difficult to recruit new manufacturers," he said.
Infrastructure projects, like drainage improvements, the industrial park bypass, the railroad spur and the current railroad overpass project, McCormick said, "greatly benefit" all of those companies currently located in the Industrial Park.
"Secondly, we have worked hard over the years to maintain relationships with the leadership within each of these manufacturing facilities," McCormick said.
Many times, he said, the companies' supervisors have participated in the chamber leadership program and served on its board of directors.
McCormick said Dave Creg from Mid Continent Steel & Wire and Randy Clark from Nortek currently serve on the board of directors, and Briggs & Stratton and Gates Corporation both have employees in this year's leadership program.
PBI, he said, also hosts regular appreciation events for the manufacturing leadership teams and provides many opportunities for the plant managers to get together to talk about common issues and how their problems can be resolved.
McCormick further said PBI has a business retention and expansion program called "Grow Poplar Bluff," which helps identify roadblocks that "prevent our companies from growing and determines how those roadblocks can be eliminated."
According to McCormick, Three Rivers College also plays an "extremely important role in providing customized training for each of the facilities, and the Poplar Bluff Job Center and the Chamber of Commerce assist in their staffing needs."
Another "big part" of luring industry to town, he said, is making sure "we are promoting any available buildings or land for future manufacturing prospects."
As PBI president, McCormick said, Steve Halter actively is involved with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Partnership, which are statewide organizations that deal with industrial recruitment, expansion and retention.
McCormick said Halter attends regular events, such as Select USA, and also partners with the Missouri Partnership on recruiting trips.
"During these trips, Steve is mainly meeting with manufacturing-site consultants, who are many times (the ones) determining where a new manufacturing facility will locate," McCormick explained. "Steve also responds regularly to any prospects that are channeled through the state system."
McCormick said recruitment takes "true community development to draw any business (manufacturing, distribution, retail, healthcare, etc.) to our area.
"It takes a good local education system, good infrastructure, a solid workforce, citizens who display community pride, sufficient police and fire protection, a fiscally sound city and county government, a pro-business climate, good and affordable health care facilities and things like parks/recreational venues, shopping, restaurants, etc. to appeal to business prospects."
McCormick feels Poplar Bluff stacks up "very well compared to other communities in all of these areas."