Area wins $5 million jobs grant

Southeast Missouri will receive $5 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Labor for jobs and economic development, labor secretary Elaine Chao announced Wednesday.

The funds are part of the department's Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, or WIRED, initiative. Twelve other regions across the nation will receive $5 million each for the initiative.

The purpose of the grant is to bring together the work force, education and economic development of the 14 counties in Southeast Missouri. The program will develop innovative technologies and focus on higher productivity, foster entrepreneurship and business growth. Its intent is to further develop talent to meet existing needs and encourage new business startups, according to the Southeast Missouri WIRED partners.

Buz Sutherland, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Economic Development Alliance, said the grant is the result of the "can-do" attitude of the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri. "They weren't going to let this opportunity pass," he said.

Each governor was allowed to submit two grant proposals to compete for the third generation of WIRED grants. There were 70 applicants, Sutherland said.

The money will be disbursed over a three-year period, according to Mitch Robinson, director of the Cape Girardeau Area Magnet industrial recruiting association. Robinson and Sutherland are members of the Workforce Investment Board, which along with the alliance will govern the local WIRED initiative. The labor department, civic organizations, academic institutions and business leaders will also be part of the leadership committee.

During the first year, the committee will work with economic development leaders like the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission and the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission to identify the businesses that could be sustained and expanded in the counties.

U.S. Sen. Kit Bond said Southeast Missouri has taken some blows in recent years with the tornado in Caruthersville and the loss of manufacturing jobs. He said the WIRED initiative will rectify some of the damage. "I am confident it will be a great boost for the economy," he said.

The industries that will be targeted in the region are the ones with the fastest projected growth. Those include but are not be limited to manufacturing, health care, biofuels, transportation, agribusiness and tourism.

"We have a challenge, and a responsibility, to match people with the educational and work experiences that lead to job successes and growth," U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, said in a statement. "This funding will facilitate that type of coordination across Southeast Missouri, and also foster entrepreneurial ideas and assist communities with business recruitment.

"It's seed money, basically, to maximize the ingenuity, work ethic and many talents of the people of our area. This is a program about forming strategic partnerships."

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

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