While the city of Columbus has been sending elected representatives on economic development missions to Japan for more than 40 years, Bartholomew County government has never sent one of their own.
Until now.
On Sept. 28, Bartholomew County Commissioner Tony London will be the only elected county official to join Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. (GCEDC) President Jason Hester in visiting several corporation headquarters in Japan through Oct. 6.
As city officials have done for several years, Hester and London plan to call on corporations that might consider bringing new jobs to the area, as well as companies with an existing plant in Bartholomew County.
In the Japanese business culture, it is important to visit those who have already built a local manufacturing facility, the late Columbus mayor Robert Stewart said frequently in the 1980s.
“I’ve had my own business for well over 30 years, and I know the importance of a customer service visit,” London said. “It absolutely means the world to them, and we want them to know they mean the world to us.”
The economic development visit is just the latest step that Bartholomew County government has taken to put themselves on a near-even footing with municipalities such as Columbus in terms of economic development.
The largest step made in that direction was taken on Jan. 8, when the commissioners agreed to pay GCEDC $110,000 annually – the same amount paid by Columbus – to become a “Platinum”-level member of the corporation. Prior to this year, the county paid $15,000 for two seats on the corporation’s board of directors.
Being a Platinum-level member provides the county a seat on the GCEDC executive board, which London currently occupies. It essentially assures that GCEDC will work as hard to bring new industries to the county as it has for the city.
If the additional funds to GCEDC had not been allocated from economic development income tax revenue, the county would have been forced to hire at least two employees to handle the same responsibilities, Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said last winter.
Another reason for the county to step up its game in luring new businesses is that the city of Columbus has begun to run out of room for commercial development, according to Bartholomew County Council President Jorge Morales.
London and Hester will travel to Toyama, Japan, to visit the parent company of Tsune America, which manufactures circular sawing systems near Edinburgh. The delegation will meet with officials at the main headquarters of the parent company that owns Capco, LLC. The company has an automated production company on Arcadia Drive.
There will also be a visit to Nagoya City, where a number of local manufacturers are headquartered, London said. Nagoya is the fourth most populous city in Japan with a population of 2.3 million residents.
Nearly all economic development officials in every community are extremely careful not to reveal the identities of corporations they are courting out of concern the news might tip off other communities looking for new jobs.
But London said he and Hester will be trying to sell Bartholomew County to corporations located in both Tokyo and Hiroshima.
“For this history buff, I just can’t believe that I’m going to Hiroshima,” London said. “That’s not a place I thought I would ever get to visit.”
Miyoshi, which is located in Aichi Prefecture, has been a sister city to Columbus for 30 years. On July 5, 1994, a resolution to adopt a sister-city relationship was signed by then-Columbus Mayor Robert Stewart and then-Miyoshi Mayor Michio Tsukamoto. At the time, Miyoshi was home to four Toyota plants and 240 business sites related to the automotive industry.
A visit will be made to Miyoshi in observance of the landmark anniversary, London said. His company, which makes promotional items, has manufactured pins featuring the Robert Stewart Bridge. The pin bears both Japanese and English printing that proclaims a “bridge to friendship.” London says he intends to hand out as many of the pins as possible.
Finally, London is planning on participating in the Sept. 30 Bartholomew County commissioners meeting via Zoom video conferencing. He will join the 10 a.m. Monday meeting while in Hiroshima, where it begins at 9 o’clock Monday night.
“Look at this,” the commissioner said with amusement. “I’m going to my commissioners’ meeting while I’m literally halfway around the world.”
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to reference the location of Miyoshi.
