Newark Economic Development Committee Formed
Rachel Kipp at the News Journal is reporting today on efforts to attract and retain jobs in Newark, in her article - Mapping out Newark’s future a team effort.
With closings of the Chrysler plant and the Avon distribution center in Newark, the local economy could be feeling the impact. So, what can be done?
Positive About Aberdeen
She starts off by noting that there are thousands of new jobs being created in nearby Aberdeen, Maryland, but doesn’t go into a lot of detail on why. Aberdeen is about 40 minutes away down Route 95, and is expected to surge in population because of the closing of a New Jersey military base, and the reassignment of many people to the Aberdeen proving grounds. According to the Baltimore Business Journal:
“We are going to go from a very balanced population to one that is predominately civilian-oriented,” Wright said Wednesday morning.
That shift will intensify with the federal military’s Base Realignment and Closure plan, which will move APG’s Ordnance Center and School and its 5,000 military soldiers to Fort Lee in Virginia. Another 8,000 jobs will be coming to APG from Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, but nearly all of those will be filled by civilian workers.
There are now about 5,000 military workers and 7,500 civilian workers at the proving ground, as well as an additional 3,000 private contractors.
The base will also pick up another 7,000 workers as part of two separate private developments being launched through ground lease programs at the base. Many of those workers could come from private contracting companies now doing business with Fort Monmouth and other military bases where jobs are being transferred to the proving ground.
With nearly 5,000 soldiers leaving, and almost 15,000 new civilian workers (and likely their families) arriving, there is going to be a great demand for service orientated industries to appear in northern Maryland.
What kind of impact might that have upon Newark? Will it have any impact at all? Aberdeen isn’t right across the border in Maryland. Yet a surge of new folks to the region could make a difference to the economy, and could have a positive effect here.
A new Home Depot being built in Newark, just off Elkton Road might have been driven by a desire to sell to many in Maryland. A friend of mine suggested that to me a few weeks back. What else could be done in light of this population growth?
The Greater Newark Network
This is a partnership being formed with members from the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce and local government on the city level and county level. The University of Delaware and Delaware Technical & Community College are also said to be onboard.
Kipp notes that starting in 2009, “thousands of high-paying, high-tech jobs will come within 25 miles of Newark thanks to the Base Realignment and Closure plan.”
She also notes:
In addition to supporting state and local development efforts, the group also hopes to promote the Newark area as a corridor for high-tech businesses in the vein of companies such as W.L. Gore and Dade-Behring.
I’d like to see that happen, too. A concerted effort to foster an atmosphere that makes Newark an ideal location for high tech jobs would be tremendous.
October 16th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
[…] The group is a partnership between the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce and local business and government leaders, and was founded earlier this year. […]
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Perhaphs the state officals and federal government should put restrictions on the Chrysler CEO’s that are continuing to recieve six figure pay outs while they close the newark plant and 2100 people loose their jobs.