Everyone enjoys a groundbreaking with gold shovels or a ribbon-cutting with oversized scissors and smiling faces. New businesses are exciting, and new investment deserves to be celebrated.
But we should also recognize the companies that have called Grundy County home for more than 50 years, along with the family businesses that have served our community for generations.
This October, in honor of Manufacturing Month, the Grundy Economic Development Council is celebrating the manufacturers that help drive our local economy.
Local manufacturers have a major impact on Grundy County’s economy. According to a recent report from the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, they generate about $2 billion in annual economic output.
Manufacturing jobs in the county pay an average wage of $185,381, and for every 10 jobs supported directly by the industry, another 10 are created elsewhere in the local economy. Altogether, manufacturing supports roughly 3,600 jobs in Grundy County.
During Corn Festival, the GEDC highlighted just a small sample of the products made right here in Grundy County. How often do we stop to think that the propane tank for a backyard grill may have been filled with gas from Pembina, or that plastic bags used for important medicines may have started as pellets made at Lyondell?
Gardeners with a bumper crop of tomatoes may have relied on Masterblend fertilizer, also made in Grundy. These are just a few examples—the list goes on.
Throughout October, the GEDC will continue spotlighting local manufacturers. Watch for weekly articles in the Morris Herald and tune in to the Monday morning radio segments to learn more. It will be informative, local, and well worth celebrating. #MadeInGrundy
Nancy E. Norton is president and CEO of the Grundy Economic Development Council