Becky McCray continues her series of observations from the heart of the US.

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Would you believe that small town manufacturing is a bright spot in the US economy? It is.

You’re more likely to hear about plant closures, mass layoffs, and jobs shipped off to countries with cheaper labor. But small town economic development expert Jack Schultz of Agracel, Inc., can cite example after example of small town manufacturers expanding, adding jobs, opening new facilities, and searching for more suppliers. What’s driving this expansion? Exports.

As our older massive manufacturers stagnated and have downsized, smaller manufacturers have sprung up in small towns. These modern manufacturers have seized the opportunity of the lower dollar to export a huge range of goods at more attractive prices.

In American Manufacturing - Booming!, Schultz lists the manufacturing expansions his firm is working with. They include companies in food processing, ag equipment, animal feed, furniture, metal fabrication, machinery, medical equipment, printing and building accessories. Small businesses added more jobs in May than the overall economy lost, according to the ADP Small Business Report, which monitors businesses with fewer than 50 workers.

Even as the nationwide US economy fluctuates, expect small town manufacturing in the US to continue to expand. I’ll take that as good news.

ADP | agracel | exports | US economy