Sparta Industries a boon to area, community

Published 8:00 am Saturday, May 14, 2016

Milledgeville and Baldwin County received a surge of good news this week with the announcement of Sparta Industries opening a local plant.

Like many development projects, negotiations had been ongoing for quite some time before the Tuesday’s official announcement.

The HVAC manufacturer is anticipated to bring more than 1,000 jobs to the local community over the next five years. That commitment alone is tremendous news. Then there is also the potential ancillary impact. As more local jobs come in, other businesses in the surrounding area may also benefit as employees have more income to spend. There’s also the bigger picture, which, according to the governor’s office, represents a $22 million investment in the state and local economy.

When we take a moment and consider that the former Rheem facility where Sparta Industries will soon be located has not been in use since 2009, the fact that it will be back up and running is certainly cause for celebration. Hundreds of local workers were left without jobs when Rheem moved its production to Mexico at the start of the economic recession, adding to job losses in the local community from prison closures and the shuttering of Central State Hospital at the time.

That’s all great news for any community. Dialogue on economic development is, and should be, a continual process for any community looking to gain ground and attract new jobs and industry. This week’s announcement is another opportunity for local leaders to learn from this process and find out what was most effective in attracting Sparta Industries in hopes that learning and growing for luring other new business in the future.

Many weeks and months of work went into making this announcement come to fruition and the local economic development leadership should be applauded for it. Taking lessons learned through this recent negotiations process could be the tipping point for more positive announcements in the future.