One of my favorite movie lines is from the Miracle on 34 th Street. Near the end of that movie, Natalie Wood repeats over and over again, "I believe, I believe, I know it’s stupid but I believe." The movie has an immediate happy ending, not always the case in real life.
If there ever was a mantra for the work of the Community Development Corporation of Butler County, it is "We believe, we believe, others think it’s stupid, but we believe." The CDC puts money in the ground in site development in projects that private developers shun, believing that companies will come. Many said that investment in the former USX Sintering Plant in Clinton Township was stupid. There are many believers today. Without the few believers at the beginning, there would be no Victory Road Business Park.
Our sister corporation, Butler Economic Development Corporation, puts money into speculative buildings, believing that businesses will need space. Many declared construction of office buildings at Pullman Business Park a stupid idea. But, there are many believers today. Without a few believers at the beginning, there would not be 50,000 square feet of taxpaying assets in the City of Butler instead of vacant land.
Another sister corporation, CDC Environmental, Inc., invests precious resources in environmental cleanup to return even the smallest building acreage to a useful asset. More declarations of stupid efforts, but small successes continue to prove the concept worthy.
I wonder if the CDC’s founding fathers, who believed that they could influence the future of Butler County by creating something called an Industrial Development Corporation, would be proud of what has been accomplished in the last 50 years. Did they believe that their vision would build such a diverse economy that includes global companies as well as creative entrepreneurs?
Ask the current Board of Directors – they believe. In spite of operational challenges of the past, critical sustainability questions of the uncertain economic present, we will not falter in believing that our mission "To develop and maintain an environment that creates and retains jobs, improves the quality of life and establishes a positive image and business climate". We believe, we believe, others may think its stupid, but we believe.