Spotlight: Greater Lafayette.

• Author: Bowker, Sharon L.
• Position: Economic conditions - Regional Report: North Central

Visitors to Greater Lafayette may have cause to wonder if the community has heard of the recession.

While the rest of the country tries to shake off what economists are calling the longest economic recession in history, Greater Lafayette appears to be thriving. The unemployment rate continues to be among the lowest in the state, and construction projects, both public and private, are booming.

Manufacturing operations account for a dozen of Tippecanoe County's top 25 employers, and include the Subaru-Isuzu Automotive plant and ALCOA's Extrusion Tube Division/Lafayette Works. An up-and-comer is Wabash National Corp., the third-largest manufacturer of truck-trailers in the country behind Fruehauf and Great Dane. Wabash National went public in November of last year, and revenues for 1991 were $199 million.

Another Greater Lafayette manufacturer that enjoyed record earnings last year is Great Lakes Chemical, a Fortune 500 company. The world's leading producer of bromine and brominated chemicals used in flame retardants, Great Lakes reported 1991 revenues up 21 percent to $1.3 billion. Construction is under way on the company's new $5.5 million corporate headquarters building, with completion slated for May 1993. Another $1.5 million is being spent on the expansion of existing facilities for a research and development center.

The role of Purdue University cannot be discounted when discussing the community's industrial base. In addition to being Tippecanoe County's largest employer, Purdue is recognized worldwide for its schools of agriculture, engineering, management and pharmaceutical sciences.

The university allocates more than $80 million annually to 400 campus-based research laboratories. The Business and Industrial Development Center at Purdue provides manufacturers with a direct line to university resources and services, including technical assistance, interaction with faculty experts and access to facilities. It's located at the Purdue Research Park, which is home to a variety of companies with particularly strong technological needs. Already, more than 100 acres of the park have been developed, and another 400 are available for future development. A high-speed fiber-optic data line connects the park with the main campus.

The university also figures prominently into Greater Lafayette's quality of life, providing not only educational opportunities but also an avenue for cultural exchange, the performing arts and Big Ten spectator sports...