Orange County Benchmarking and Target Industry Analysis: Spotlight

Appendix C: Summary of
7/21/2011 Employer Focus
Group
The Orange County Economic Development Partnership (OCEDP) organized a focus group discussion
to provide input into the creation of a list of potential industrial sectors to target for recruitment. This
effort is part of a larger project to update the county’s economic benchmarks. The focus group discussion
was led by Thayr Richey, Ph.D., president of Strategic Development Group, Inc. (SDG). Attending the
meeting were:
1. Brent Buckalew, Vice President, Liner Products, LLC
2. Charles Dooley, President, Crestwood/IHC
3. Alan J. Friedman, President, Pluto Corp.
4. Sheila Morgan, Office Manager, Hudleson Machine and Tool
5. Dave Stagnolia, Director MCR, Paoli, Inc.
6. Michael Friedman, Guest.
7. Judy Gray, Executive Director of the OCEDP
Q & A
1. Why is your company located in Orange County?
� Basically each company represented in the group was founded by local business people. Some of
the companies are now owned by out‐of‐state entities, but all are doing well here.
� Some of the companies have changed or broadened their product/service line.
2. What geographic areas does your company serve?
� The answers ranged from a market within nearby states, to the United States, to the U.S. and
selected countries. Some of the companies’ geographic territory has moved as established
customers ask the local company to serve their new locations.
3. How would you rate Orange County as a place to do business?
� I would rate it 8 out of 10 with 10 the top.
� The workforce is dedicated.
� Traditional family farms and those values sustain the workforce.
� Central location gives us a competitive edge over East Coast competitors.
� The negatives:
o Transportation in and out is an issue.
o Truck lines have difficulty going North and East.
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