I was recently asked about the status of manufacturing in Grant County. Manufacturing has been a critical component of our economy for generations. Surviving through recessions and swings in the various industrial sectors has been a struggle and yet we still have many manufacturing businesses. Our manufacturing industry is holding its own. The agriculture equipment sector has been soft for several years, as this is tied directly to grain and dairy prices. Other sectors have remained stable, if not strong. I have noted the efforts of our businesses to diversify their manufacturing so they can fill contracts from a variety of industrial sectors. Not putting all your eggs in one basket has been a valuable lesson to learn. We don’t have to think too far back to remember when the automotive industry was hard hit. We lost a couple of regional manufacturers when Janesville’s GM Plant closed and the Detroit auto industry downsized.
Manufacturing is doing well now. We have several companies looking at expansions. Having an available workforce appears to be the single greatest restrictor on our manufacturing economy. As a result, I have noticed that growth among our manufacturers (and about all other businesses) is very slow and steady.
I think most people think of manufacturing as being making something with steel. In our case, it not only includes steel, but also plastic, wood, other metals, and even milk. Cheese and food processing is a major part of our manufacturing in Grant County. Thousands of our jobs found here in Grant County are directly tied to manufacturing. My office’s effort and focus is to work to keep all those industries here and keep manufacturing growing in Grant County.
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