How do you explain to somebody, whose never been there, what walking on the moon feels like? That’s the challenge the Daily News will face, over the next week, trying to describe to local citizens what the impact will be of Honda coming to Decatur County.
I sat down to write this column minutes after the 200-mile drive from Marysville, Ohio back to Greensburg. I will not, and should not, attempt to fit the two-day experience into this short piece - but I can start.
It was unbelievable.
The Marysville plant is 3.9 million square feet and employs 5,300 people. It is a city unto itself. There are four exits off Ohio State Road 33 all leading into different sections of the facility; including the motorcycle plant, research and development and, of course, assembly. There is also a Honda Wellness Center with an Olympic-size pool and a weight room which rivals any Division-One football program in the country. The Wellness Center does have one drawback, however, it costs a whopping $25 per year for a family membership.
The auto plant manufactures 1,800 Accords, Civics and now RDX's each and every day in two shifts and the lineworkers make approximately $23-to-$24 per hour. The 260,000 square-foot motorcycle plant makes 75,000 bikes and engines annually and employs 600.
Since opening its doors in 1982, Honda has made $3.3 billion worth of investments in the Marysville plant.
I and our publisher Pete VanBaalen were invited to spend two days in Ohio to see the plant for ourselves and to be part of an international unveiling of Honda’s RDX. I’m sure the turbo-charged vehicle was something special but we turned down the opportunity to be among the first in the world to take it for a spin on the test track in order to spend more time meeting people and gathering information.
We wanted to know what it was like to have Honda as part of the family. Next week, when we publish our special section on Honda, we will go into greater detail but here’s just a taste.
Eric Phillips, executive director of Union County Ohio Economic Development and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, put it best.
“Without Honda, this area wouldn’t be all it is today,” he said. “We think they make the world go around. Decatur County should feel blessed Honda has decided to move into that community. Any city in America would dream of having them.”
There’s so much more to tell you and, as we roll out this special section next week, we look forward to sharing it all.
Keep reading the Greensburg Daily News, it’s your daily news.”
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