It may seem a bit odd that, with a 32-page Honda section in today’s newspaper, I chose to write about the county’s soon-to-be newest resident anyway. It really isn’t.

We used those 32 pages to give you the nuts and bolts, pardon the pun, of the Honda deal but little was shared from a personal perspective. This is my chance.

As I said last week, I had the privilege of being invited to a major announcement by Honda as they unveiled the company’s first-ever turbo charged production vehicle. The RDX was a neat looking SUV but the experience left a far greater impression in my mind.

It still amazes me each time I meet a Honda representative they remember or even know my name. From the first time I met them, back on June 27 the day before the big announcement, these people have been fans of our newspaper. They could rattle off the titles of articles we’ve written and knew how important we feel sharing news with the people of this county is.

I thought for sure the newness of the Daily News would have worn off a month later as I headed out to Marysville, Ohio. It hadn’t.

Each new Honda person I met, and those I was seeing for a second or third time, came up and said “Hi Jim, we’re so glad you could make it.” More impressively, I could tell they meant it. They didn’t need to put on a good show as they’d already won over the hearts of most of Decatur County and Indiana for that matter. They were genuinely interested in the fact I was there and they weren’t stingy with their time.

This event garnered worldwide coverage, and dealt with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, but they made me feel like I was the only reporter there. Furthermore, I wasn’t even there to cover the release of the new RDX. Honestly, I don’t know what a turbo engine adds to a vehicle other than it sounds fast. I was there asking about employment for the people of Indiana and how local people will benefit from Honda’s presence here. Still, they took the time to answer my questions and help me to understand the role they desire to play in this community.

In addition to the individual detail they gave me, I learned they treat their 30,000 employees much the same way. Yes, the $2 billion payroll turns heads but so does watching the CEO blend in with the factory workers as they all walk the halls together in their white Honda suits. There’s no pretense and Honda’s philosophy toward every employee being empowered to not only share ideas but to help implement them is everywhere. Furthermore, everyone parks in the same lot, with no assigned spaces, and eats in the same cafeteria. Even the office suite where executives work has no cubicles or doors. Openness means everything to them and they showed it to me like they do their employees every day. Cars and trucks are nice but relationships are what drive Honda.

I can’t tell you how excited I am for each and every person in Decatur County right now. It’s hard to fathom just what a tremendous impact Honda will have on this area and all of southeastern Indiana. This impact will be felt not just by the 2,000 employees but by each man woman and child. Much like last week I’ll leave you with a quote from Eric Phillips, executive director of Union County Ohio Economic Development and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce.

“Economically, sure Honda’s impact is easy to quantify. They paid $14 million in property taxes last year and we consistently have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Ohio,” he said. “But, there’s so much more to it. Honda contributes to a huge list of programs from the YMCA, the hospital, the Chamber, pediatric brain disease treatment and more. They have a program called Honda’s Heroes where money is donated when an associate volunteers his or her time. The truth is, it’s Honda who’s the hero.”

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