Good indicators

Recently the Southeast Missourian has published several stories indicating positive local economic news.

* The former Thorngate Ltd. building on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau has a new occupant with Blair Best Box, a company that specializes in creating custom paper packaging. The business, which has 30 full-time employees and another 35 temporary workers, is producing boxes for video games and DVDs, three-ring binders and folders at a rate of up to 10,000 sets a day.

* This year Cape Girardeau will have more than $101 million in new construction projects, and Jackson has seen $12.7 million in commercial construction and alterations or additions to commercial buildings receiving permits from January through July. The Cape Girardeau construction boom is an 85 percent increase from all of 2010.

* Through mid-August of this year 556 homes have been sold in the Cape Girardeau County area. This is compared to 561 at the same point in 2010. The median sale price of homes this year is $120,000. Compare this to $116,000 last year. And the average sale price this year is $145,200, up from $138,200 last year.

Yes, national economic indicators are still concerning. But throughout this downturn, our local economy has held its own -- and in some cases improved.

We're grateful to all those who drive the economic engine in Cape Girardeau. From skilled entrepreneurs to real estate and construction personnel to consumers who buy goods and services locally, our local economy benefits from your leadership.