Maytag and Central Iowa

The folks at Iowa Progress wrote about the Maytag closure and asked how it would effect the surrounding area. Since I live a mere 20 minutes or so of Newton, I thought I would weigh in.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the Maytag closure is bad for Newton and bad for Iowa. I also know of a couple people that commute from where I live to Maytag, so it is a very difficult time for them. However, I don't think my town will be hurt more than other Iowa communities since people in Newton are more likely to travel to Des Moines for shopping than to where I live. In fact, they could benefit from it if other businesses in central Iowa pick up the slack.

I have heard second hand from someone in management at one of the main employers in town that they are always looking to hire good workers and have had a hard time finding them. If this is true then the Maytag closure is a great chance for this company to add some good workers to their workforce. We will see if this company takes this opportunity to grow their workforce and add to the community.

Check out the good post from Iowa True Blue about Republicans blaming the Maytag on the workers.