For many here in Elkhart and LaGrange counties, it probably still feels like little has changed since the ceiling of the RV industry collapsed on top of them. They’re still unemployed and still struggling to pay even the most basic of expenses with little or no income.
While the unemployment rate in Goshen did improve from 15 percent in August to 13.9 percent in September, our county’s economic progress is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Those who have been called back to their plants can see it. Those who haven’t cannot.
The numbers, however, do indicate that the deep gash these counties and the RV industry suffered with this recession has clotted and is healing ever so slowly. According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, wholesale shipments in August (17,800 units) were up nearly 32 percent over July and by 5 percent over August 2008. The numbers were down slightly in September.
While that is encouraging, it is hardly the kind of math that is going to tip Elkhart and LaGrange counties back into economic prosperity. Last year manufacturing jobs were lost by the thousands. This year we seem to be gaining them back five, 10, maybe 30 at a time.
CrossRoads RV, for example, recently announced it will reopen its plant in Topeka to produce a new Sunset Trail model. As a result, 125 jobs are coming back to that town in western LaGrange County. According to CrossRoads RV President Mark Lucas, the jobs will be added at a rate of between 25 and 30 a month over the next several months.
Gulf Stream Coach has also reported calling back 50 laid-off workers over the past six weeks. Slowly the news out of the RV sector is getting better. Slow is better than stopped. Elkhart County is and must continue to make every effort to diversify its manufacturing base so its economic health isn’t tethered quite so exclusively to the RV market.
So many people are working hard to help steer us out of this economic fishtail. Keep up the hard work and hopefully our headlights will be pointing straight ahead again soon.
