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Recent moves add 1,300 jobs, $222M in investments to Miami Valley

Dayton region a crucial hub for supply chain managment

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By Doug Page, Staff Writer Updated 9:04 AM Monday, December 21, 2009

DAYTON — Who knew moving stuff around could make such a difference?

Over the past three years, 1,300 jobs and more than $222 million in investments have come or are coming to the Miami Valley in the form of a General Motors parts warehouse in Trotwood, Collective Brands distribution center in Brookville, the expansion of the Honda parts warehouse in Troy and the recent announcement of a Caterpillar distribution center coming to Clayton.

“Logistics is one of our four strategies for economic development,” said Dan Foley, president of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “It’s the major one.”

“The region is very attractive,” said Adam Murka of the Dayton Development Coalition. “We’re very centrally located. It’s cheap to live and do business here. We have a good quality of life. And we’re at the nexus of Interstates 70 and 75.”

There are also three major airports — Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati — within a 60-minute or so drive.

“Go to Atlanta. You can’t get to Hartsfield International Airport in 60 minutes from most of Atlanta,” Murka said with a sly poke at a certain former Dayton-based cash register company that relocated its world headquarters to an Atlanta suburb.

Local governments, schools and the state also seem to be working on the same page.

“We have an advantage because we are working together,” said Dwight Smith-Daniels, professor and chair of the information systems/operations management program at Wright State University. He and the university were an integral part of the Collective Brands and Caterpillar deals.

David Milton, division senior vice resident of Global Logistics for Collective Brands Inc., said community support was a big factor in deciding to locate the $35 million facility in Brookville. “Everyone worked hard and collaborated seamlessly to make this facility a reality,” he said.

Montgomery County officials made cooperation a big part of their pitch to Caterpillar, Foley said.

“When we went to Peoria, Ill., 15 months ago to talk with Caterpillar, there were two county representatives, two city representatives, two state representatives,” he said. “We told them, ‘You are not going to have to work through multiple layers of government.’ ”

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