LETTER: LOOKING FOR INDUSTRY

To the editor:

The Aug. 13 editorial on the loss of VisionAire to Ames, Iowa, was titled "Industrial growth works best through partnership." However, the editorial's approach to partnership was that if it involved local investors, it was unfair to the city. Ames definitely felt that partnership had a different meaning and got local investors for a small percentage of the company's startup costs ($2.7 million).

Why did we lose this once-in-a-lifetime chance to attract a clean, high-tech production facility that offered excellent potential for growth, airport revitalization and good-paying jobs? Why, after the loss, are we saying that they "probably were not coming anyway" and "prudent investors here would not invest in VisionAire while investors in Ames would"? Are we saying we are happy they didn't come or we weren't good enough to compete with Ames? I think the loss of VisionAire by Cape Girardeau is a major loss and was due to a lack of leadership and a true long-range commitment to bring new industry to the area.

Ames started courting VisionAire before October 1993, the same time that VisionAire expressed an interest in Cape Girardeau and offered to come here for presentations on their single-engine business jet concept. Several real estate and development people worked to keep the concept alive in Cape Girardeau. Our excellent location, transportation and airport kept us in the selection process along with several other cities. However, Ames had city and community support. Early in the process, VisionAire made presentations to local investors in Ames showing that some of the top leaders and designers in the aviation industry, not just in our country, but in the entire world, were involved with this new venture. Cape Girardeau had its first investor meeting June 20 this year -- just five weeks prior to VisionAire's announcement of Ames as its city of choice. Ames was able to establish a strong partnership through limited local investors. Cape Girardeau couldn't accomplish in five weeks was Ames diligently worked on for almost two years.

The results of the very successful election on the transportation half-cent sales tax show that good planning, community involvement and leadership can lead to development and growth. As a member of one of the boards involved with the election, I have seen the effort first-hand. My question now is: If we can get this much leadership on raising taxes for the needed street improvements, why can't we get leadership on attracting new industries like VisionAire, which would help build the area's tax base?

Are we going to be satisfied with being second, or can we learn from this loss? We need to develop a plan as aggressive as the transportation tax plan to keep and brink good, clean industrial jobs to the area. I know from being involved with local retail and support developments that an industrial base is desperately needed for our city. For every new industrial job we create, three service or support jobs are added.

The economic development staff in this city needs true support and resources from Cape Girardeau's community leaders if we are to become competitive in our search for industries, just as our economic development staff needs to solicit local community and business support to attract new industries to Cape Girardeau.

DENNIS J. VOLLINK, President

DSW Development

Cape Girardeau

EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer makes some good points on the necessity for a strong cooperative effort to attract new industry to Cape Girardeau. To keep the record straight, however, the Aug. 13 editorial didn't say that involving local investors would be unfair to the city. The editorial pointed out that local investors were given an opportunity to make a financial commitment in the VisionAire enterprise and chose not to, while investors in Ames pledged enough money to cinch the deal. This is a different -- but not necessarily bad -- approach to industrial development that didn't seem to appeal to individuals in Cape Girardeau who have the ability to make large financial commitments to projects that are unproven. The suggestion for an aggressive plan to attract industrial jobs to Cape Girardeau is a good one. Others who were intimately involved in the negotiations with VisionAire may want to step forward and offer their insight and suggestions for a partnership with economic development officials to accomplish that goal.