Region should feel good about decision by Axion

An announcement that a company with about 20 employees is establishing its headquarters in the region generally isn't front-page news. And yet, on Page 1 of Tuesday's Vindicator was the story -- above the fold, no less -- about Axion Power Battery Manufacturing moving its executive offices to the New Castle area.
The company already is operating in the former New Castle Battery plant off Pa. Route 18 in Neshannock Township, so why the attention to this week's announcement?
Because Axion Power Battery is a Canadian company and its president, Tom Granville, has been living in Buffalo, N.Y. Granville also is chief executive officer of Axion Power International.
On Monday, Granville made known the relocation of the company's headquarters from Toronto to its Neshannock Township plant with these words: "It's something that is the perfect storm. We've landed in a place that's a friendly business environment, has a work force that wants to work, and then we found Pennsylvania was going out of its way to help us."
He also added this: "I'm very encouraged by the work ethic I see here."
Gov. Ed Rendell has provided more than 1.2 million in state funds to help Axion Power pay for the relocation of its headquarters.
But here's the importance aspect of the story that justifies front-page coverage: A Canadian company has not only opened a plant in the region, but is going to have all its top executives working and living in Lawrence County.
Viewed in the context of the recent history of manufacturing in the Shenango and Mahoning valleys, Granville's comments about the friendly business environment, a work force that wants to work and a cooperative state government should be the foundation of a regional marketing campaign.
Exodus
Why? Because the region's storyline for the past several years has involved companies moving out and, more often than not, establishing plants in other countries.
The loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys has played a major role in the region's slow recovery from the collapse of the steel industry more than two decades ago.
Most of the jobs being created today are in the service industry -- and they don't pay as well.
That's why the comments by Axion Power President Granville about the region's positive attributes and his company's commitment to Lawrence County command front-page coverage.
Granville said he expects the company to hire as many as 86 new employees over the next three years. The jobs will range from those in research and development to sales and manufacturing.
Axion has been described as a cutting-edge research and development firm that is working on mass producing a new carbon-based battery that could be used to make hybrid cars, solar and wind energy more affordable and efficient.
The plant in Neshannock Township now produces the traditional lead acid 16-volt batteries used in drag-racing cars and classic vehicles. Company officials say those operations are generating enough money to enable the company to work on the development of its new lead/carbon battery.
Even the story of how the Canadian company found out about the New Castle area is intriguing. Ed Buiel, vice president and chief technical officer, was searching the Internet for battery production equipment when he found the former New Castle Battery Co. Its assets were going to be auctioned by a local bank. Buiel showed Granville what he had found, Axion made a nonrefundable deposit on the assets, the auction was called off and by April 2006 the defunct New Castle Battery plant got a new lease on life.
Now that's a story worth repeating.