Defense businesses here to stay
I am writing in response to the editorial, “Hand up, not out,” that appeared in the July 27 edition of the Herald- Standard. I appreciate the Herald-Standard’s concern about attracting and keeping jobs in Fayette County. That’s something I’ve been involved with for most of my career with Fay-Penn Economic Development Council and presently with Advanced Acoustic Concepts.
AAC is certainly appreciative of the efforts of Congressman John Murtha to attract defense-related businesses to our area, but the concerns about keeping these companies here after Mr. Murtha leaves office fail to reflect the realities.
Companies do not lightly make decisions about where to locate, and they don’t simply pack up and leave an area without a sound business reason. When a company moves to a specific location, it makes a major investment in recruiting and training its workforce through internship programs and other means, in building or renovating a facility, and in purchasing and installing the high-tech equipment needed to do the work, whether that work is manufacturing, assembly or, in the case of AAC, engineering and design.
When a company moves, it loses most of these investments, including many of its workers who would decline to leave the area. In fact, the work ethic and quality of life here in Fayette County have been significant factors in the decisions of most of these companies to locate here, so they would expect many of their workers would not go with them if they left.
In addition, while Mr. Murtha can open doors for these businesses, the companies must continue to produce quality products in a timely manner at competitive prices – and if they fail to accomplish this, their business dries up quickly. As an example, AAC has received numerous prestigious national awards and has been able to realize continued growth from winning competitive bids against other companies for defense contracts by delivering a quality, on-time product. When a company succeeds in building a workforce and equipment base that can meet rigid delivery schedules for technical products in a timely and cost-effective manner, this is not something that can be lightly abandoned.
Lori A. Omatick
Business Development Manager
Advanced Acoustic Concepts, Inc.
Lemont Furnace