by Aaron W. Hughey

Mark Manning believes that the Murray-Calloway County area is a very ‘sellable’ community.

And he ought to know. Manning is president of the Murray-Calloway County Economic Development Corporation, a position he has held since August 2001.

“There are a number of factors that make this area attractive to companies,” Manning says. “These include a good labor market, relatively low tax rates, and a high quality of life.”

“We also have a very low crime rate,” Manning adds. “This is particularly significant, especially in light of recent national events.”
“The Murray-Calloway County area is a great place to raise a family,” Manning observes. “Which generally means that it is a great place to run a business.”

Manning is no stranger to the world of commerce. Before assuming his present duties, he worked with a regional economic development group in Mississippi.

“Basically, the Murray-Calloway County Economic Development Corporation is concerned with three areas,” Manning explains. “Those areas are job creation, retention, and expansion.”

The primary mission of the Economic Development Corporation is to attract and retain companies in the Murray-Calloway County region.

“With respect to attracting business, up until recently we really didn’t have much to sell other than land,” Manning says. “In fact, two of our major efforts at the moment involve finding companies that will locate into the old Mattel facility and the new Spec Building.”

Manning indicates that he is currently working closely with Mattel to identify and contact businesses that might be interested in such a large building.

“The other facility, the Spec Building, is 100 percent Economic Development Corporation driven,” Manning adds. “It was just completed recently and would be an excellent location for the right company.”

“With respect to attracting businesses, we are currently working on a marketing plan and various marketing materials,” Manning continues. “Our focus is primarily on privately-held companies that are in expansion mode. We are particularly interested in companies involved in plastics, metal fabrication, and/or assembly work.”

But as noted previously, Manning sees attracting businesses as only the first step in an overall economic development plan.
“Retention is incredibly important,” Manning observes. “In general, the United States has been losing its share of the manufacturing sector.”

“In order to hedge against the detrimental effects when a company like Mattel decides to leave the area, we have to look at diversification,” Manning explains. “Although every community likes large employers, it is probably better to attract five companies that employ 100 employees each than it is to attract one company that employs 500 workers.”

Expansion is also a key component in the economic development process, according to Manning.

“Many people don’t realize that a great deal of expansion takes place within individual corporations,” Manning says. “For example, when a company with seven locations decides to develop a new product line, there is often internal competition within the company regarding who will get the new line.”

“As far as our day-to-day activities, we really need to know our existing industries very well,” Manning indicates. “We need to conduct an ongoing risk analysis - especially with the larger, publicly-owned companies.”

“We’ve met with about half of the companies in this area,” Manning continues. “But it really never stops. We must be able to identify and deal with any concerns that might make this area less desirable to current and potential companies.”
As far as future plans are concerned, Manning indicates that he is very interested in finding better ways for area companies to build their sense of community.

“We really want to promote the idea that the Murray/Calloway County area is a wonderful place to locate and run a business,” Manning concludes. “There’s a lot to do, but I think the community is definitely up to the challenge.”