ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICIALS VISIT DEXTER

Representatives from the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Department of Finance in Jefferson City visited Dexter Monday to look at local industries.

The Dexter Chamber of Commerce showed the seven representatives the Purolator facility, industrial park, and C.H. Parson farm.

The Chamber financed the visit to let the departments see what Dexter has to offer prospective industries.

Janet Coleman, executive vice president of the Chamber, said the Chamber sends the information to Jefferson City but it does not have the same impact as actually seeing the buildings.

Coleman said some of the representatives were impressed with the Purolator facility when they saw it in person.

Purolator manufactured automobile filters and employed 400 workers with about 200 on each shift. It is zoned as light industrial.

It has use of the Union Pacific railroad service and is fully fenced with three access points. It has about 14,000 square feet of air-conditioned offices featuring a conference room, general work and administrative areas, lunch and break rooms and several private offices.

The total size is about 221,400 square feet on 17 acres. Coleman said she treated the representatives like prospects. They were given packets of information about Dexter and Dexter schools, as well as the utilities and what Dexter has to offer.

The group toured the downtown area and previewed the Sherm Smith car museum which is anticipated to open in mid-July.

Coleman also described the recently approved Land for Jobs Program.

The Chamber developed the program to reward the purchasers of its 35 acres in the industrial park for creating jobs.

The cost is $10,000 per acre but will be reduced up to $5,000 per acre if the purchaser creates enough jobs.

For every job over 10 per acre, the buyer will get a refund up to $5,000 per acre after a two-year investment time in the community.

Coleman said all the facilities that the tour visited were in excellent shape and said she hopes to get some recruitment out of state.