Chamber unveils 'Shop Jay' drive

The Jay County Chamber of Commerce kicked off its "Shop Jay County First" campaign this week at the chamber's monthly luncheon meeting.

The campaign, developed by the chamber's marketing committee, emphasizes the importance of recapturing tens of millions of retail dollars that could otherwise be lost and the "multiplier" effect those dollars have on the broader community economy.

The Commercial Review and radio station WPGW both unveiled "Shop Jay County First" promotions for print and broadcast advertising this fall.

Chamber members will be urged to use the chamber's logo in their advertising and post a membership decal a their place of business.

Trade mission

Local officials including Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier will represent the region as part of an economic development mission trip to China and Japan in September.

Hosier and executive director of Muncie-based Energize-ECI Roy Budd will be part of an economic development trip led by Gov. Mitch Daniels. The group will travel to China from Sept. 6 to 11, then will visit Japan from Sept. 11 to 16.

The group will meet with government and business leader in both nations and will host three business receptions to showcase the state to potential investors.

Japan, a major investor in America, has more than 200 companies employing more than 42,000 people in the state.

The governor has stated he would like to see growth from Chinese companies in the state to mirror continuing growth from Japan.

Award winner

A Bluffton contractor was recently honored by an announcement that it will receive an excellence in building award from the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc.

Briner Building Inc. will receive the Pre-Engineered Building award of excellence for its work on the Baekgaard Co. office and warehouse near Roanoke. The project met multiple complications throughout the building process, including the diagnosis and death of the project superintendent due to cancer just before the building's completion.

The award will be presented at a ceremony on Sept. 30 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.

Plant to close

Whirlpool Corp. announced Friday that it will close its refrigerator factory in Evansville, Ind., by next year and cut 1,100 jobs as it continues a push to trim excess capacity, The Associated Press reported.

Whirlpool said it will move the production of refrigerators with freezers on top to a company location in Mexico, where they are cheaper to produce. Ice makers produced in Evansville will be moved to a yet-to-be-decided location.

Createc Corp., which has a Portland plant, has been a Whirlpool supplier in the past.

The jobs will be eliminated in mid-2010. The Benton Harbor, Mich.-based appliance maker has aggressively cut costs as demand for big-ticket items has shrunk in the recession.

Whirlpool spokeswoman Jill Saletta, speaking at a Friday morning press conference Webcast by Evansville television station WFIE, said the plant closing had nothing to do with worker performance.

"This decision is around cost," she said. "We had to take a look at which plant we could get the best cost position in, and because top-mount refrigerators are not in the demand that they used to be and they're more of a commodity item, Mexico offers us the best cost platform to continue to produce (them)."

The "difficult but necessary decision" to close the plant allows Whirlpool to streamline its operations and reduce product overlap, said a company spokesman.[[In-content Ad]]