Norwalk, Ohio has a population of 16,000 and is “the biggest town in a county whose unemployment rate sits at 15.4%, among the worst in the country.”
The major employer in the town has been Norwalk Furniture. “This time last year more than 300 people worked on the floor, producing hundreds of pieces of furniture a day. Now the headcount is 59.”
But this is a story of what can happen when the citizens of a town pull together for the good of the community.
It’s been a difficult time, but things are now looking better for Norwalk – both the factory and the community.
As Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch reflects on the events she knows “the temptation for too many people is to throw up their hands and say it’s inevitable . . . We said, ‘Wait a minute, this is really, really important. We’re going to stand up and fight.’ ”
Read “The Factory that Refused to Die" in Business Week, August 3, 2009, p. 38.
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