BuckeyeBlog

The United States Playing Card Company has decided to join DHL in the lifeboat leaving Ohio. Where is it going? To a location about 10 miles southwest of its current campus; the short distance makes a big difference due to a invisible, intangible line that lies between the two locations–Ohio’s border with Kentucky.

Phil Dolci, President of USPC, comments on the move:

We have a rich history of manufacturing in Cincinnati and Norwood. From the introduction of the Bicycle(R) and Bee(R) playing card brands in the late nineteenth century to the production of World War II escape decks that helped prisoners of war map their way out of Germany to the more recent Texas Hold’m Poker cards and sets, we have enjoyed a long and successful history. USPC is committed to growing our leadership position in the future and enhancing the appeal of our iconic playing card brands. To continue to compete in the global marketplace over the next 100 years, it was obvious we needed to modernize our equipment and facilities. Over the course of the last year, we conducted an exhaustive search in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky for a new location that would position us to retain our employees and provide the best platform to serve our global customer base in the most efficient manner.

Obviously, Ohio lost in this comparison of states. Why? Martin E. Franklin, Chairman and CEO of the Jarden Corporation (USPC’s parent company), offers insight:

We believe the technological and logistical advances that will be made from this move will provide excellent returns on our investment.

In other words, management determined that the most successful business climate existed in Kentucky, not Ohio (or Indiana). Companies such as DHL and USPC that are leaving the state are only part of the picture. It is relatively easy to identify and quantify these companies. What can’t be easily quantified are the numerous companies that choose not to move to Ohio or establish themselves here in the first place. Were we able to identify and count these companies and determine the loss of their potential economic influence to our state, Ohio’s economic picture would look even worse. Northern Kentucky is the winner in this story; it landed a thirty-plus million dollar investment and what will be one of the top ten manufacturing employers in the region, and Ohio provided its sales pitch. Will Kentucky at least pay Governor Strickland a commission?

Tags: business climate, Economy

This entry was posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 5:15 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.