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It might be unbelievable in this era of unbridled competition, but St. Joseph may have an unequalled record for teamwork. From efforts by business leaders to salvage companies threatened with closure to rebuilding the city's core, St. Joseph has an unusually successful track record for banding together in the face of challenge--or to take advantage of opportunities. St. Joseph's trend toward teamwork was first noted following the 1993 flood, when large portions of the community and adjacent areas of Kansas were flooded. Business leaders and residents quickly banded together and recorded one of the most dramatic rebuilding efforts in the Midwest that year. More recently, the Snorkel Equipment Company, manufacturer of aerial work platforms that employed up to 300 people in the St. Joseph community. The company closed in early 2002, but a group of Kansas and Missouri investors recently purchased the facility and plan to reopen with former employees from the St. Joseph area. This success reflected a similar example two years ago involving a food processing facility. The most visible example of St. Joseph collaboration may be the five-year-old Mitchell Woods Business Park. Led by a public/private partnership consisting of the Buchanan County, the city of St. Joseph and the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce, this team has acquired and developed the land, even constructed and marketed shell buildings. To date, the development of Mitchell Woods has resulted in the creation of 1,726 new jobs and $252 million in new development. Even with these examples, the most dramatic case of St. Joseph teamwork may be the 21st Century Jobs program. Buchanan County, the City of St. Joseph and more than 200 local businesses have partnered to support this community-wide economic development program. The effort has exceeded its goals for new investment, quickly climbing half way to the $2.14 million goal originally set for a five-year program. The effort involves traditional business recruitment, as well as cutting-edge development such as St. Joseph's Life Sciences program. Already, the 21st Century Jobs program has brought to St. Joseph 4,100 new jobs and more than $500 million in new investment. This growth has come from both existing business expansion and new businesses locating in the community. |
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