Manufacturing executive endorses importance of school bond and jobs.

Letter to the Editor: Manufacturing executive endorses importance of school bond and jobs.

Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Mason County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to MCP’s Op/Ed policy. 

By Eric J. Erwin, President/CEO FloraCraft Corporation, Ludington.

Dear Editor,

As a new resident to Ludington/Mason County (less than three years) with five children grown, each launched and out on their own, I enthusiastically endorse the plan to bring Ludington’s educational facilities up-to-date.

I can speak first hand to the importance of a community infrastructure investment that encourages economic growth, civic pride, and provides enhanced and improved educational opportunity.  I believe that a strong and healthy Ludington/Mason County starts with a strong and growing business and enterprise environment.   To achieve that we all have a responsibility to:  (1) lift up those around us by providing opportunity, which starts with education; and, (2) by recruiting talented individuals to our community who will help us remain competitive into the future. 

As a leader of one of the largest employers in Mason County, FloraCraft, I can tell you that we have had problems recruiting people to live in Ludington due to our out dated educational facilities.  Young business executives who are looking for a great environment to raise their families look for communities that invest in education.  I have heard from some that they may ‘love the area, love the business,’ but can’t bring their families to our schools. 

For a company like FloraCraft it forces us to rely on a ‘distributed’ work force, hiring well paid and talented employees who live, not in Ludington, but in other areas of the country.  We either do this or we miss out on getting the talent that we need to compete.  Our vision at FloraCraft is to grow through innovation and acquisition, to remain independent and in Ludington, and to continue to provide a safe and secure work environment for our workers and for future generations.  Being able to attract and retain the best talent is central to remaining competitive in a very competitive world.  Investing in our infrastructure, investing in education, is paramount if we are  to achieve this vision.  We need to have schools that reflect our commitment to our future and our belief that this is great place to raise a family.

I endorse the LASD school bond proposal. I proudly stand for a strong, prosperous, with opportunity for all,  Ludington, and encourage you to vote YES on May 7.