In the midst of a recession, 2011 has already seen Allen County's leading economic development organization help attract far more investment and nearly as many jobs than at any time in its 11-year history.
So why isn't Andi Udris jumping for joy?
Because the head of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance knows this year's successes may not be duplicated or surpassed any time soon unless the area shores up some long-term deficiencies that have at least temporarily been obscured by a series of positive headlines.
When General Motors last month confirmed the long-expected news that it would invest more than $200 million in its local truck plant, it brought the amount of investment represented by the Alliance's projects so far this year to about $406 million, shattering the previous record of $230 million set in 2006.
And if 2011 does not establish new high-water marks for projects and jobs created or retained, it will have been a banner year nevertheless: The organization has closed on 29 projects (35 was the record), creating 1,400 jobs (compared to 1,900 in 2005) and preserving 6,789, including 3,500 at GM (previous high: 2,600 in 2006).
“Were we and the union really concerned (about the future of the plant)? Well, our plant is 25 years old,” Udris said.
Perhaps even more significant than the number of jobs is the salaries those jobs represent – an average of more than $54,000. That's crucial, because the average 2010 Allen County wage of $38,574 was just 82 percent of the national average.
The year's only major job loss to date has been Navistar's decision to transfer its 1,400-employee engineering center to Illinois.
To some degree, this year's totals may prove to be an aberration – and not just because Bluffton-based Franklin Electric isn't likely to move its headquarters again in the foreseeable future. Udris credits this year's success to Allen County's central location, low cost of operations and efforts to improve customer service by city and county governments, but nothing in the pipeline indicates 2012 will be equally impressive, even though there is reason to expect this year's projects to yield spin-off benefits for years to come.
For example, John Stafford, director of IPFW's Community Research Institute, said Franklin's new headquarters could spur additional growth along the Airport Expressway, just as General Mills' new distribution center could attract similar facilities to the area near Bluffton Road and I-469.
Even so, Udris said Allen County must do more to improve its economic climate if it hopes to continue to attract investment and high-quality jobs.
For one thing, Fort Wayne continues to lack universities capable of offering doctorate degrees, especially in fields of research and development – the kind of programs that might attract jobs and the highly educated people needed to fill them. That's true in part, he said, because Purdue University has been reluctant to offer such programs at IPFW and other satellite campuses.
For another, the county still lacks a “shovel-ready” industrial site big enough to accommodate another GM at a moment's notice. True, the county did spend $1.4 million on 150 acres near GM last year, “but I don't have 1,000 acres,” Udris said.
In addition, one of the county's greatest reasons for optimism could also turn a lost opportunity if not approached properly, Udris warned.
That would be the $75 million the city expects to receive from Indiana Michigan Power for its old City Light utility and the $3 million per year the Capital Improvement Board expects to receive from the food and beverage tax. Although the capital board and Mayor Tom Henry's “Legacy” committee have both been looking for the best way to invest the money, Udris insists economic development should be a priority for both.
“And it would be a travesty if they don't coordinate their efforts,” he said.
To be sure, Udris is motivated by a certain amount of self-interest when he talks about the Alliance's 2011 victories and the danger of taking such achievements for granted in the future. Some of them surely would have happened even without the Alliance's help, since the city and county also have economic development staffs that were involved in many of them. And Udris is working to increase the Alliance's $1.3 million budget by securing another $100,000 per year each from the city and county, which now contribute a total of $400,000.
Still, Udris is right: Allen County's various economic development agencies and funding sources must work together to do whatever is possible to ensure that this year's success becomes the rule, not the exception.