By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Talk nationally might be whether the country is or isn’t slipping into recession.
In St. Joseph, there are plenty of good jobs available.
That, according to St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Natalie Redmond who says Buchanan County’s manufacturing base offers a wide variety of jobs and maybe not the jobs you automatically think of when you think of factory work.
“You have a lot of manufacturing jobs here in St. Joseph, but they’re becoming more skilled manufacturing,” Redmon tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “So, a lot of times you’ll need that person who has an IT background, because a lot of times you’re running robotics or welders, or mechanics. Those are skilled jobs that tend to pay well.”
Redmond says technology has changed the jobs on the factory floor, with many more skilled workers needed.
Redmond says the Chamber is always on the lookout for those companies that fit St. Joseph. She gives as an example Cereal Ingredients of Lawrence, now known as CII, which located in St. Joseph about a year ago. Redmond says CII fits in well with the St. Joseph manufacturing base that relies heavily on agriculture.
“That’s a great spot for us. Plus, they niche well with the local businesses, so they already kind of have a synergy with other local businesses that they do business with,” Redmond says. “So, that’s a great spot of us.”
St. Joseph is the third largest exporter in Missouri, only behind St. Louis and Kansas City.
Remond says the Chamber concentrates on small to medium companies that can grow, restricted somewhat from going after large economic development projects.
“So, we continue to strategize in the area of workforce and talent recruitment and also looking at land development, because those are our two problem areas that would make it difficult for us to be completive with a mega project,” according to Redmond.
Redmond says that when the Chamber recruits, it plays off its strengths.
“We’re realistic when we’re going after companies, because we know our sweet spot,” Redmond says. “We know what we have the land available for. We know what we have the talent market for.”
Redmond says St. Joseph needs to acquire more land and must have a larger workforce to be able to attract large manufacturing projects.