The economy in Guernsey County continues to fare well despite a slight bump in unemployment reported in June, a local development official reported Wednesday.
Although no new industries have started up recently, a number of local companies have been or will be expanding their facilities, said Norm Blanchard, executive director of the Cambridge-Guernsey County Community Improvement Corporation.
Among the companies that have grown or have plans to grow are:
AMG Vanadium, which will be constructing a $6 million storage facility.
Cambridge Packaging, which is adding 10,000 square feet to its plant and building another 30,000-square-foot facility in the I-70, I-77 Business Park.
Quanex and LMI Custom Mixing, which have invested $18 million in expansions and plan to hire close to 70 people as a result.
“Ridge Tool also is exploring options here,” Blanchard said.
“The companies here are really healthy. They’re investing in the community and putting roots down deeper. AMG is doing really well and that has been highlighted by their need for a new facility.”
As for attracting new industries to the area, that has proved problematic for several reasons, he said.
According to the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth, companies looking for homes request sites that, on average, are 79 acres in area.
“The biggest site we can provide is 15 acres,” Blanchard said.
Abandoned mines and flood-prone areas also limit the number of available sites.
“When companies are looking, they want sites that are flat, near to roads and are water, sewer and fiber optics ready,” he said.
A prospect for the community that appears to be especially promising is the proposed Guernsey Power Station.
The Guernsey County unemployment rate in June (the most recent month for which statistics were available) was 5.8 percent, up from 5.1 percent in May.
From The Daily Jeffersonian | August 31, 2017
