| There was no business or industry
of any kind in the early 1800s when settlers first entered what is now called Shelby
County, Ohio. The area was heavily forested
and farming of a very primitive sort was the main enterprise. Survival was an
all-consuming occupation with families working from dawn to dusk to eke a living from the
inhospitable landscape. As people gradually began to gather together, (at first for
joint survival and then for social interaction), the seeds of commerce were also
‘planted’. The economic climate of Shelby County, vibrant and on track in the late 1990s, owes a large part of its success to the aggressive innovation and leadership of its early industrial entrepreneurs. This community is blessed by a tremendous industrial engine that continues to create jobs and economic benefits for its citizens. Recessions have had less of an impact here than across the nation because of the variety of manufacturers and businesses that make Shelby County their home. It is easy to take such a positive economic oasis for granted but these benefits did not come into being by accident. Sidney has always been noted for the diversity and strength of its industrial base. Earliest recorded history shows that community leaders made a continuing effort to build this base by expanding existing businesses and attracting new ones. Change was a constant throughout Sidney's industrial history, as it was across the nation. As technology advanced and new products appeared, some companies survived, but many did not. A number of successful enterprises flourished here, but now no trace remains. School desks, candy, beer, automobiles, and road scrapers are examples of products that were once made locally. But, even in their failure, these enterprises created an economic climate and labor base that supported new businesses that developed and remain today, with companies such as Copeland, Stolle and Amos Press. [Back]
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