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Kent County Economic Summit predicts boon for manufacturing and development

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Photo by Rana Fayez James Waddington, director of Economic Development in Kent County addresses the crowd at the 6th Annual Kent County Economic Summit.

Photo by Rana Fayez
James Waddington, director of Economic Development in Kent County addresses the crowd at the 6th Annual Kent County Economic Summit.

By Christi Milligan
Senior Staff Writer

Dover, Del. ““ “Kent County is doing what it needs to do to put people to work,” according to Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) Secretary Alan Levin.

Levin was a featured speaker at the 6th Annual Kent County Economic Summit: Building a Better Community, on September 23.  More than 250 people attended the event, presented in collaboration with Central Delaware Business and Entrepreneurship Consortium with the common goal of improving the economic life in Kent County.

Topics included “Kent County Landscape: Economic Outlook and Year in Review,” “Kent County Opportunities Panel,” and “Kent County Strengths Panel.”

Speakers outlined a number of successful new projects and expansions in the manufacturing sector that promise hundreds of new jobs, including:

  • Construction of the Garrison Energy Center in Leipsic, a $400 million project with annual revenue projection of $2.3 million. The center is owned by Calpine, a Houston-based company.
  • Construction of Uzin Utz Manufacturing at the Garrison Oak Technical Park in Dover. The plant will manufacture floor compounds.
  • More than 400 jobs to be created at
       the Playtex Energizer Personal Care facility as St.Louis-based Energizer Holdings closes its Montreal plant.

Panelists also highlighted Kent County tourism as a key source of revenue, including the move of Punkin Chunkin from Bridgeville to its new permanent home at Dover International Speedway. The event is expected to draw in excess of 50,000 people.

This summer’s Firefly Music Festival drew 80,000 and tickets for next year’s event are sold out. NASCAR is in its 21st year and continues to be one of Dover’s biggest attractions.

With a population just under 170,000, and 57,000 households, Kent County is growing, said Kent County Administrator Michael Petit de Mange.

The median household income is $55,786, and 12.4 percent of the population lives in poverty, he added.

According to James Waddington, Director of Kent County Economic Development, Kent County boasts key infrastructure that makes it attractive to large businesses looking to locate to the area.

“To grow business, three things are key,” said Waddington. “Business retention, business expansion, and business attraction.”

The area is ripe for a food innovation district and adding to existing clusters will be crucial to potential businesses looking to make Kent County their home. The county has more than 167,000 acres of farmland, 35 percent of which is permanently preserved. But positioning itself as contender for site selectors working on behalf of larger companies takes strategy.

Kent County offers virtually everything site selectors look for,

including close proximity to suppliers and customers, critical infrastructure, a promising labor market, clustering potential and a “can do” business environment, according to Jeff Stone, Director of Infrastructure and Intergovernmental Relations at DEDO.

But he warned that officials must be proactive when it comes to getting Kent County’s “story” in front of them. “Make the case for them to be here,” Stone said.

While key infrastructure is in place, Hans Medlarz, director of the Department of Public Works, clarified that utilities are driven by economic development and not by housing. It’s because present utility demands are designed to meet the needs of the local industry that it can also meet the needs of the housing market, he said.

Dr. Mark Brainard, president of Delaware Technical Community College, has worked extensively with the business community and state economic development leaders since 2011.

Responding to emerging workforce needs has been a key strategy during his tenure, and Delaware Tech plans to compliment current and upcoming economic trends with graduates who can contribute to real economic needs.

In response to a 2013 Labor Market Study by the school’s Center for Industry Research and Workforce Alignment that revealed the need for a specialized, high tech-level workforce, Del Tech offers a number of specialized engineering technology degree programs as well as non-credit and customized training, corporate and community programs.

“We want to provide a pipeline for manufacturers in Delaware to have access to a highly skilled and high quality workforce,” said Brainard.

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