The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Regional economic differences apparent on road trip
Last week I had the opportunity to drive to the Midwest to visit family and friends. My travels took me to Sewickley, Pa., a suburban town near Pittsburgh; Cleveland, Ohio; Jackson, Mich.; back to Gettysburg, Pa., and to Philadelphia before returning home to Connecticut. I offer my itinerary, to provide a frame on my observations of economic differences and similarities between sections of our country.
When you drive on interstate highways, you miss some of the true texture of the various regions you pass through. Think about driving on Interstate 95 and the glimpse of Connecticut’s economic picture that is provided.
In broad stokes, I noticed that there are economic similarities and differences between regions. Franchises and bigbox stores can be found in all the communities. Sometimes there were considerable distances between economic zones where the franchise and bigbox stores could be found. Additionally, I noticed a few regional food stores or clothing stores that offer a different regional feel with very similar inventory.
During my drive through Ohio, I passed through large areas of farmland. Corn was the primary crop and I could see the fields vanish into the distance as I was driving down twolane roads. The farmhouses and outbuildings had considerable distances between neighbors and centers of commerce. Numerous businesses that supported the farming industry were visible, such as natural gas distributors, farm equipment sales and outbuilding support services, to name a few I passed.
Jackson, Mich., a town very dear to me for family and personal history reasons, has not changed much. Its economy, from my observation, appears to be dominated by small manufacturing companies, a large utility company and one of the largest prisons in the country. That economic combination provides an interesting town culture.
Gettysburg was as quaint and historical as ever. I believe there is an economic intention behind preserving its look and feel. This trip, however, I noticed a new Starbucks just off the town center, tucked in an existing storefront.
Philadelphia has changed in numerous ways over the last few decades. It has maintained its port, sports heritage, historical sites and, of course, cheesesteaks. The big visible
change there has been the growth of the “meds and eds” economy. Eds and meds is the shorthand version in economic development for educational and medical institutions sector of the economy. With all positive attributions, the eds and meds sectors in Philadelphia are on steroids. New buildings for educational and medical institutions, new neigh
borhoods and new urban social spaces seem to be popping up everywhere.
In the category of “haven’t seen that in a long time”: In Ohio, I passed a drivein movie with two screens. I passed them during the day, so movies were not showing, but there was no indication that the movie theater had closed. In Jackson, I rented a DVD with my cousin at a video store. A great restaurant in Ypsilanti, Mich., had an old, wooden phone booth repurposed as a cell
phone booth.
Among the similarities between the regions was the number of community colleges. It appears every region or town had a community college. Additionally, there were numerous water towers with the name of the town painted on the top of the tower.
There are many reasons for economic differences between regions. Some of those reasons draw us closer and some pull us farther apart. But if we want to find a common
economic rallying point, I suggest we start with the roads. Other than the interstate highways, every region I visited needed road repair. It is a small thing, but it is a start.
Cornell Wright is an author, trainer, consultant and an Executive Coach at The Parker Wright Group Inc. in Stratford. The firm assists clients to increase their market share by improved customer service. He can be reached at 2033774226 or cornell @parkerwrightgroup.com.