Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

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Depressed are not only the former employees of Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc. or the Hays State Bank; the whole area economy is still suffering from the closing of Travenol. The community ' s hopes are based on a future successor for Travenol, SORRY -The Sorry, we‘ re closed signs have become more frequent uptown. Rumors about stores and restaurants closing down exaggerated, but indicated the seriousness of the situation. (Photo by Robert Bunting) crys is hurting. A change of the de- pressed local eco- nomy does not seem to be in sight. But economic development leaders and the local community remain optimistic despite the tight economy of the past couple of years. Direct and indirect factors deter- mine what happens to a com- munity when a major employer closes its doors. The closing of the Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc. in December of 1935 resulted in the layoff of more than 650 people in the I lays area. Since the closing of the Travenol plant iii December, the unemploy- ment rate in Ellis County had gone from 7.8 percent in January 1986 to its highest point of 9.9 percent in March 1986. In October 1984, a month before Trcrvenol ' s announ- cement, Ellis County ' s unem- ployment rate was 4.1 percent. The closing of the Travenol plant affected the community as a whole including some university students. Sylvia Kinderknecht, Ellis sophomore, worked at Travenol full-time and went to school part-time. Travenol paid for six of her credit hours. After Travenol closed, I got some aid from the state for VICTIM -When the Hays State Bank closed in December, it was the second Hays bank to close in at semester (Photo by Robert Bunting) HAYS WANTS LEDERLE -Approximately 3,000 people are posing for a community portrait to show Lederle Laboratories, New Jersey, how much Hays want them to come to the area. (Photo by Robert Bunting) schooling but that didn ' t last too long, so I got my job on campus at Forsyth Library. Kinderknecht said. Right now I ' m barely hanging in there, and I don’t know what’s going to happen with all tire budget cuts and work-study hours being cut at the university. A community economic development specialist for the Kansas State University Extension Service has worked for the past two years with local community leaders in determining what impact the closing of the Travenol plant had and will have on Hays. David Darling ' s most recent studies, using data up to the end of 1985, estimate that the closing of Travenol would take about $20 million out of the Flays economy each year . Community leaders have worked since the announcement to find another company to fill the building and to replace tire jobs lost with the Travenol closing. Dick Compton of Midwest Energy in Hays, said he believes the optimism of the community remains high. Compton has led the search for a new tenant for tire Travenol building since January 1985, Eventually, yes, we will get the building filled, Compton said. It is just a matter of finding a company that can use a building of that size and with those specifications. A variety of recruitment tools and techniques have been tried in the attempt to lure new businesses to Hays. Thousands of packets of infor- mation about Travenol and Hays have been mailed to prospective companies . Besides mailings, numerous tele- phone calls have been made and advertisements havedoecn placed in business publications. The closing announcement by Travenol has generated a large amount of support for local economic development, Compton said. This support was at its best in October when between 2,000 and 3,000 people posed on Main Street for a community portrait in an attempt to lure Lederle Labo- ratories to Hays. Lederle is a New Jersey -based pharmaceutical company which, has shown some interest in the vacant Travenol facility. « Compton said he feels comfort- able with the current level of community support both in the governmental and private sectors . Now it is just a matter of contin- uing the recruitment process and continuing our efforts, he said. by Janet Schaller Local Economy

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Local Economy

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SOCIAL COMMENT -The cast of Working gave a realistic, believable performance of the musical that stresses the individual ' s value, (Photo by Steve Larson) W orking. A word calling for negative associations? Not so for the cast and audience of the first fall theater performance. For them, Working meant an evening of high-quality enter- tainment. Under the direction of Stephen Shapiro the musical based on the book by Studs Terkel came across as a production the audience could easily relate to, The audience reception was about what we expected. People related to different characters, the steelworker, the teacher, the house- wife etc, Shapiro said. For the actors Working was a chance to get acting experience in small roles. Dramatic involvement is always a source of both learning experience for the cast and entertainment for the audience. Two fall productions offered a well-balanced variety in content, first featuring a musical commenting on society, then old-time favorite comedy. I meant to do something with opportunity for lots of new actors. There were many small roles that wouldn ' t intimidate new persons, Shapiro said. The text is taken from non-fiction individuals. I wanted to do a play with some substance, rather than some frivolous escapist entertainment. The play centers on the value of any individual, on the fact that regard- less of the perception of the job, every job has tho potential to bring out the best in an individual, Shapiro said, According to Shapiro, Bruce Bardwell, Hays graduate student, was the outstanding actor because of his ability to deliver a credible performance, his energy, and his singing ability. Bardwell portrayed Mike, the steelworker, ctnd Dave, the trucker. The second fall production was Play It Again, Sam, directed by Lloyd Frerer. The comedy about the neurotic Alan Felix , who dreams about taking on Humphrey Bogart ' s personality, starred Dennis Grilliot, Castle ton senior, as Alan. Grilliot enjoyed his role, and the audience seemed to enjoy Grilliot. “He (Alan) is a nerd. I loved playing him because I got real nerdy, and people laughed. I was very pleased with the whole production, and the audience seemed to love it, Grilliot said. The elaborate set and the deft handling of the lighting under the supervision of Steve Larson, tech- nical director, enhanced the entire production. by Bettina Heinz Fall Theater