Great news for the home team. Alcoa announced yesterday that Lafayette, IN has been chosen for the site of a new $90 million aluminum lithium casting plant. Construction is slated to start in April. The plant should employ 75 people when it is fully operational by the end of 2014. While this news is tremendous in and of itself, what makes it especially astounding is that it comes on the heels of a deal our city landed with the Nanshan Group to build a $100 million aluminum extrusion plant on the south side of town.
That means within a span of a few months, our city officials were able to encourage both a new Chinese company and a 75 year old American company to build 2 new plants in the same community, bringing good jobs and solid economic activity to our town. That would be a huge win in any time period, but in our current economy, this feat is truly amazing. What a great victory for Lafayette.
A Great Mayor, a Remarkable Response, and a Tremendous Team
I had the privilege of running into Mayor Tony Roswarski at our community center shortly after the announcement was made yesterday. I congratulated him and thanked him for his leadership. His response was remarkable. His focus was on the blessing these new plants would bring to the citizens of our community. It wasn’t about scoring political points or making a name for himself. He was genuinely happy because this would improve the lives of many men and women in our town.
The mayor was very quick to point out how many different people worked together to make this event a reality. There were several other cities in the running, but Lafayette came out on top. That’s what happens when people avoid petty bickering and senseless arguments and instead roll up their sleeves and find ways to get things done together. The mayor has assembled a great team around him, and our community owes them a tremendous debt of gratitude today.
Acknowledging God’s Blessing
I’m glad we have a man with sincere faith comittments leading our city. What a great blessing.
Giving Honor
Scripture tells us to give honor to whom honor is due. In these days of divisive politics and dysfunctional government, I’m thankful for a city of governmental leaders from both parties who sincerely attempt to work together to get things done. I agree with Alcoa and Nanshan–Lafayette is a great place to call home.
