Hi Gman,
Originally, from Jersey. Had to go west for a while & when 1st child was born we came back but Jersey had changed so we came to Bethlehem hoping to fit into the changing environment due to the Steels closing.
At first things looked bad but like I attempted to point out in the post, the original or "natives" of Bethlehem, "took the Bull by the horns" and due to their tenacity, farsightedness and above all a willingness to listen and try things from the “New Generation,” were able to court businesses which were part of new by providing incentives such as tax incentives, "tax free intermodal yard (combines rail, over road and air freight systems to interact) and a "Foreign Trade Zone", (this is also on the mills old site and is tax free for all manufacturers IF they assemble and ship their products from the zone. Companies can even bring in materials from out side the country, tariff free!)
I am not a business person but I believe they did all this because the many colleges here were included in the discussion and recommended and informed the "older generation" about the new technologies out there and pointed out, other areas of the country were not aggressively pursuing these types of companies. Bethlehem got the jump by customizing a business environment suiting the needs of, say a "nano" company. Other towns, city's etc. were not at the time aware of this.
Berlin NH, IMO, is in a very similar position as now the paradigm shift in business is towards "eco" friendly technologies and they have the chance to emulate Bethlehem.
JMO,
but they should strike while the iron is hot and I think they will if what happened here is any indicator.
Nez
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Benjamin Franklin
AI
