So if someone is asking: "where are the jobs the stimulus package was supposed to create?" here's a two-part answer:
- It takes time for the government to disburse large amounts of money in a responsible and accountable way that accomplishes the intent of the funding. (This is a good thing, for us taxpayers.)
- Here's a great example of federal stimulus funds, partnered with state government and private financing, that will be creating 150 good jobs in Central Vermont. WCAX TV News has reported on a new factory that will manufacture capacitors for electric vehicles, a key component of the energy storage/conversion system for such vehicles.
A new factory is a pretty big deal anywhere these days.
An empty field in Barre's Wilson Industrial Park is Ed Sawyer's field of dreams.
"In a year to 15 months, you'll be seeing a 50,000 square foot, brand new facility, a world-class manufacturing facility," said Sawyer, president and CEO of SB Electronics.
The company will be making parts for electric vehicles in the new space. A prototype has already been produced at the company's existing facility in Barre.
As they say: "We're from the government, and we're here to help!"
(What a concept, eh? We'd almost forgotten that that line can be used without sarcasm.)
The $18 million facility is largely funded by a $9 million federal grant. It will allow SB Electronics to quadruple in size, adding 150 jobs to its current 50 employees.
"The parts of the business that require engineering and start-up we're already hiring now," Sawyer said. "We'll start training new production people in about a year and we'll be ramping up production in 2011."
Sawyer said the expansion would not have happened without significant investment from the federal government.
"We were planning on building some of this product in China," he said, "and the Dept. of Energy brought capital to the table; the state brought capital to the table; and our company brought capital to the table. And we can now automate these areas and make ourselves cost-competitive here in Vermont."
You mean, all this crap about alternative energy actually being good for the economy..... it's true???
Besides electric cars, the company says its technology also converts solar and wind energy into electricity. Green business that development officials say is the future of Vermont's economy.
This is a lot of jobs in a small state. It's good to report a small example of federal investment starting to have an impact, both on jobs and our energy future.
Here's the full text of the story on WCAX TV News