Editorial: Finally, some positive economic news
htrnews.com
With unemployment still high, the stock market on a roller coaster and the national debt causing uneasiness, any bit of good economic news is welcome.
It has been awhile since news of job creation has made headlines in the Lakeshore area. Thursday we received word that Formrite Companies, a Two 
The agreement is still being finalized, but Formrite owner Dave Wage said the $9 million annual deal would be for a period of three to five years. Better yet, it will create 60 new jobs in the next 18 months, he said.
He is talking with state and Two Rivers officials about expanding the 100,000-square-foot plant to accommodate increased business from the Caterpillar contract.
Sixty jobs won't of itself cure Manitowoc County's 8.6 percent jobless rate, but it sure beats the layoffs and long-term unemployment that has dominated economic news in this ongoing downturn that some label recession.
Wage credits Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and state Economic Development Corporation President Paul Jadin with helping broker the Caterpillar transaction.
That, too, is encouraging. We hear much rhetoric about Wisconsin being "open for business," but this particular deal offers some tangible proof of that. Much more is needed to right the economic ship, of course, but small victories always are a welcome sign.
The extension of Formrite's contract with Caterpillar is one of those small victories. We don't have a crystal ball to predict the future, but active state-private partnerships like this one can indeed prove fruitful and put people to work.
People working, despite countless theories to the contrary, is the most tangible sign of the economic recovery we all seek.
