There are challenges ahead for the national and state economies as jobless numbers soar and consumer confidence rebounds. Those issues are two of the reasons Bill Mrdeza, Mecosta County’s economic development director, is happy he’s working in Mecosta County.

“Overall, the county still has a fair amount of diversity, in retail and manufacturing areas,” Mrdeza said. “Combine that with Big Rapids where you have Mecosta County Medical Center and Ferris State. Those are excellent anchors in terms of providing long-term, stable employment. It bodes positively for the county in the long run to be that diversified.

“In this economy you just have to be diverse, and Mecosta County is.”

Much of what happens in the county for 2009, with several manufacturing companies that supply parts for the automotive industry, will depend on what happens with the Big Three. Recently, the White House stepped in and is providing $17.6 billion in loans to the Big Three.

Stability of those — Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp. — will depend on such things as advancements, like renewable energy. Whatever happens though to the auto companies in 2009, Mrdeza said he is confident local manufacturers are being as prepared as possible.

“(Those companies) have been smart, there are other companies who are hurting because they strictly supply the Big Three,” he said. “They’ve looked at how to integrate their operations, diversify and see what other areas they can be a part of. They know they can’t solely rely on the Big Three as much as they used to.”

Michigan Works! West Central Executive Director Paul Griffith believes Mecosta County’s diversified economy helps make the area a lucrative place to do business — and alluring to workers around the country.

Success and growth in 2009 will depend on a variety of factors, Mrdeza said, such as enrollment at Ferris, the public schools maintaining quality programs used to attract more students and a lot of planning by all.

“Mecosta County is blessed to have a major educational institution, and in the city of Big Rapids, to also have a hospital system, it provides a lot of stability and diversity,” Mrdeza said.

One area that is showing very positive growth is winter tourism, with snowmobiling and cross country and downhill skiing.

“Folks may be spending trips closer to home,” Mrdeza said. “We saw more people stay closer to home in the summer in 2008.”

While it may be easy to believe people will do what they “always” do, Mrdeza said that it’s hard to forecast exactly what will happen.

“One area that may be helping out is the price of oil,” he said. “There were huge impacts over the summer, with gas prices up around $4 a gallon. The lower costs, we’ll just have to see how long-term it will be.”

Many local companies are experiencing growth. Wolverine World Wide announced in January that it would add at least 70 jobs at its Big Rapids facility to help the company better compete for military boot contracts.

Mecosta County’s Top Employers
1. Ferris State University
2. Mecosta County Medical Center
3. Fluid Routing (formerly Mark IV)
4. Wal-Mart
5. Big Rapids Components*
6 Meijer
7. Wolverine World Wide
8. Big Rapids Public Schools
9. Chippewa Hills School District
10. Ice Mountain

Source: Mecosta County Development Corporation