By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Tom Turner,  director of Marshall County’s Economic Development Corporation, has been a busy man.
Addressing his second gathering of county government officials within the past week, Turner gave an update to the Marshall County Council at a meeting Monday morning, outlining some of the items the corporation has been working on.

While still trying to attract major investment to the county, he pointed out that a shift has occurred in economic development towards working with existing companies to create new jobs and expand operation.
Many times attracting a major new plant, such as a major automotive manufacturer, will result in a community “overbidding” — giving far more dollars in incentives for locating in an area than the area will realize in return. While the payoffs of such a plant are possibly high, retention of jobs and expansion can provide more benefits to a community at less cost in incentives and infrastructure.
Turner told the council that he has been in touch with owners of existing industry in the county, determining what can be done to help them expand. Current concerns are with area infrastructure and training of workers. He also pointed out that drug abuse can be a problem stating that one local company told him that they reject 33 percent of their applicants for not being able to pass an initial drug screening.
He feels that along with current industry in the area that Marshall County also stood in a strong position in the transportation, logistics and warehousing field, an area that has much more potential than has been tapped. He stated the industry is attractive since it is very resistant to outsourcing and thus more stable.
Work also continues on a web site for the county that would act as the area’s initial portal into attracting new investment. Site consultants and others that make initial “short lists” of communities where business should locate new investment make their lists through internet contact.
So far as infrastructure, Turner feels that the nanotechnology center in South Bend will have an effect on economic development, and pointed to fiber optic capability and the proposed T Squared Technology Park as “…really important things for us to have.”