ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Labor Force

Fulton County Asset



In last week’s Archbold Buckeye, an article reported about positive economic development possibilities in Fulton County. Joe Short, Fulton County commissioner, said Fulton County has an outstanding labor force.

“Even as some businesses restructure and consolidate expenses, company owners have told me time and time again, workers in Northwest Ohio have the desire to work and produce a good product,” Short said.

“They show up on time, and are ready to work.”

There are many other superlatives that can be applied to Fulton County workers, and for that matter, those from surrounding areas such as Henry and Williams counties.

There are companies that moved to other regions because of lower wages and other competitive advantages. They discovered poor quality of work, absenteeism, and faced many other difficult issues. Such problems are fewer in Northwest Ohio.

In this area there are reports of workers who show up early and stay late. Some employees complain when there is nothing to do, even though they’re on the clock and being paid to do nothing.

There are many people who do a full day’s work, then go to a second job.

Stellar examples of our labor force are the employees of ConAgra. When the company announced in 2006 the Archbold plant would close, the employees could have simply cruised, putting in their time waiting for the axe to fall, and no one would have blamed them.

Instead, they turned the plant into one of the best performers in the ConAgra corporation, convincing top executives to keep it open.

Where does such a work ethic come from? Short said he “would like to think it comes from the values and ethics that have been instilled into us.”

Many can trace their family heritage back to the first pioneers, who took this area known as The Great Black Swamp and through hard work, turned it into the productive farmland we know today.

Many employees have roots to the family farm, where hard work and long hours were the order of the day- every day. Life on the farm taught important lessons. Such lessons could be harsh. Lessons about life, about the value of work, about the importance of a job done right the first time.

Our workers have benefited from such lessons, as have the companies that employ them.


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