Name:   Lifer - Subject:   Wikers Point? Date:   2/13/2020 9:26:12 AM

Yep, Auburn is booming but it has little to do with an educated work force when it comes to the teir 1 and teir 2 suppliers that have located in that area.  These manufacturing jobs require very little education other than life lessons, such as work ethic, and simple things like show up on time ready to work.  We have crappy schools, but schools are crappy everywhere.  They are run by liberals so sucking is what they do.  In some instances a highly educated work force can be a detriment to their staffing.  if you want to know who works at these mid level manufacturers simply go to Renfroes in Dadeville any day at lunch and you can meet any number of them, and ALWAYS let them go ahead of you because they have 30 minutes to get there, order, pay, eat and get back to work .  Good folks who are proud to have a decent job with benifits.  Remember that Russell went form local to global with this same workforce.

Auburn and Opelika have benefitted greatly from the auto industry yes, but it is logistics and not the edcuation level or the schools that facillitated it.  They are right on I85 which is direct access to both the Hyundia and Kia plants in Evergreen and Lagrange.  They have very close proximity to the Airport both in Auburn and Montgomery which is always a plus. You have to understand "just in time" manufacturing that the auto industry uses now to understand the importance of logistics when these mid level manufactuerers make location decisions.

But here in Tallapoosa County we can't even come together and build a decnt industrial park with the infrastructure needed to support heavy industry if any should be looking.  Instead we have to have competing indusrial parks on both ends of the county. The plant in Lagrange is currently expanding and as soon as that is complete a new plant is going to be built nearby leading to thousands of new jobs.  That will mean many suppliers that are currently shipping form other locations will be looking to locate new plants closer. Is anybody even talking to some of these folks?  I doubt it because it is all about tourism.  What a joke.