How does one reconcile the frightening news about the global economy with the upbeat forecast of 6,100 new jobs for 2009 heard at Tuesday’s Wichita Area Economic Outlook Conference? By recognizing that Wichita has its own unique strengths, including a roaring aircraft manufacturing sector with sizable order backlogs, and that it mostly sat out both the housing bubble and bust at the root of Wall Street’s woes. Wichita isn’t an island, especially when it comes to credit availability and energy costs, but cautious optimism seems in order. With a company such as FlightSafety International able to announce new plans this week to add buildings, simulators and 250 to 320 jobs at its Wichita facilities despite these uncertain times, Wichita is looking like a great place to ride out this financial storm.
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