AUGLAIZE & MERCER COUNTIES

The I-75 corridor of western Ohio is center stage for the auto industry. But it is also one of Ohio's richest agricultural regions, perennially ranking near the top in farm output.

And therein lies the appeal of Mercer and Auglaize counties for the plastics industry. Auto and agriculture are two of Ohio's biggest users of plastics.

Auglaize County is on I-75, smack in the middle of auto alley. Mercer County, 20 miles west of I-75, has good access to the interstate via U.S. routes 33 and 127 and State Route 29.

This tremendously productive agricultural region supports the huge plants of Dannon (yogurt), Dairy Farm Products (milk products), Cooper (turkey processing) and AGCO (farm equipment.)

NUPCO Plastic Tubing in New Bremen, Auglaize County, has been directly connected to the farming industry for 50 years. NUPCO makes drainage tile from high-density polyethylene, blowing air to force hot plastic through moving corrugated molds. The continuous line of tubing that emerges is run through a slitter that cuts the tubing so water can infiltrate when the tubing is laid in the ground. Using about 50,000 pounds of pellets a week, the company creates eight million feet of tubing a year.

Profile of Auglaize & Mercer Counties
Location: West Central Ohio
Population:
Mercer County: 39,972
Auglaize County: 45,983
Transportation:
Road: I-75 and U.S. 33 through Auglaize County. U.S. 33 and 127 through Mercer County.
Rail: CSX, R.J. Corman shortline
Major Employers: Huffy Bicycle; AGCO; Cooper Foods; and Reynolds & Reynolds in Mercer County. Crown Equipment; Dannon; Goodyear Tire & Rubber; Minster Machine Co.; and Amcast in Auglaize County.

The plastic tubing -- which replaces the ceramic drainage tiles of old -- pulls double duty: when there has been too much rain it drains the excess moisture from the fields, and when rainfall is insufficient it wicks up water from lower levels to the plant roots. The tubing sees other uses in exterior foundation drainage around new buildings, under floors for protection against wet basements, and on top of fences to direct water away from playing fields.

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NUPCO, in Auglaize County, makes plastic tubing for use in the agriculture and construction industries.
Many companies coming to the area are impressed with not only the start-up assistance but also the regular follow-through a company receives after locating in the region. One example is VersaPak, a maker of custom plastic packaging, such as toy bags for Little Tikes, anti-static bags for PPG and shrink wraps for boats and jet skis.

VersaPak came to Mercer County in 1983. The company had been put on the back burner of the development agencies in other areas, waiting for answers to its site questions for months. When it discovered Mercer County, the Economic Development Dept. jumped to attention, finding the company a vacant building and answering all their questions in just five days, says Bill Barga, VersaPak's owner.

Since then, VersaPak has built its workforce up to three dozen employees, and the Mercer County Economic Development Dept. has assisted in each expansion, helping the company get a grant to buy additional equipment.

VersaPak ships pellets to its plant via the R.J. Corman shortline, saving a cent and a half a pound over trucking. "Every rail car that comes in here represents a $3,000 savings," says Barga. He says the availability of the shortline service is a major factor impacting his profitability in Celina. The Corman line hooks up with four major carriers in nearby Lima.

Praise of the area's workforce runs high. Says Jim Sharp, V.P. and general manager of Huffy Bicycle's Celina plant in Mercer County: "What we have in Celina today is an even greater rarity than when we came 40 years ago -- the work ethic, the honesty, the literate workforce.The things that were a competitive advantage for Celina 40 years ago are really unique in this day and age."

Similar plaudits come from The Reynolds and Reynolds Co., which has its largest automotive forms printing facility in Celina. Says David Holmes, CEO: "You might think that a blue-collar workforce in a small Ohio town would be resistant to change. In fact, they put their arms around it. The workforce is very adaptive and right at the top in terms of productivity, customer service and time to market."

It should be no surprise that the region's workforce is exceptional. It is the product of an area that places highest priority on education. For example, 98.5 percent of high school students in Mercer County graduate, and it is the only county in Ohio where every student passed the ninth grade proficiency test in 1994.

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A bubble of bags forms in the blow molding machines at VersaPak in Celina.

Quality of life also sells the region to new business and industry. A major recreation resource is Grand Lake St. Marys; at 17,000 acres, it is the second largest man-made lake in the U.S. Celina (pop. 9,900) ranks among the 100 Best Small Towns in America.

Mercer County is eligible for the 13.5 percent M&E tax credit because of downsizing at one of its major industries.

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