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Wayne County will continue to grow
By TOM KANE
HONESDALE, PA — There are clear signs of business growth happening
in Wayne County these days and if Bob Suhosky has anything to do about it,
that growth is going to continue.
Suhosky is executive director of the Wayne Industrial Development
Corporation (WIDCO), a quasi-government group independent of government control
that promotes economic development in the county.
Within the last four years, Wayne County has gained 1,900
jobs, Suhosky said. “That’s an 11.2 percent increase, meaning there were
40 new jobs a month,” he said.
Four years ago, unemployment in the county was 6.2 percent.
Today, it’s 5.4 percent.
“With the economy slowing down within the last two years,
that’s kind of remarkable,” he said.
One of the ways WIDCO is going to keep this growth going is
to build a business park. “We have options on some properties in the southern
part of the county to build a business park within the next three years,
if all goes well,” Suhosky said.
Companies today want a site that is ready to go with infrastructure
already in place, he said.
“The world today is operating so fast with new technology
that you’re at a disadvantage if you aren’t ready,” he said.
The county is competing for businesses with companies in Karachi,
Tokyo, Europe and elsewhere.
“They want it now,” he said.
The new 250-acre park must have water and sewer, fiber optics,
a speeded-up permit process and be located near a major highway.
“Wayne County has a real advantage on this last requirement,
since Route 84 runs right through the county,” he said. “That puts a company
an hour and a half from New York City and three hours from New England.”
The county currently has an 18-acre business park near White
Mills, PA.
The park, which has access to a railroad service, was the
subject of a protest by area residents when WIDCO wanted to sign on a company
making foam products.
The company withdrew and moved its project to Lackawanna County
when it saw the extent of the local opposition.
“The complaints against the company were unsubstantiated,”
Suhosky said. “We didn’t do a very good job explaining the project to the
people. We did with officials, but not with the people. It taught us a lesson.”
The casinos that are expected to be built in neighboring Sullivan
County will also affect Wayne, he said.
Wayne County, with a population of 49,000, has a work force
of 20,000 workers. The biggest employer is the hospitality industry providing
1,015 employees, seconded by the school systems with 815 jobs. Restaurants
and eateries are third with 748 jobs.
“There’s going to be competition for employees,” Suhosky said.
“We need to face that in our planning.”
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