NILES — The need for a workforce boasting hard and soft skills was a key topic at the State of the Economy Breakfast Wednesday morning, but so was the state of overall economic growth the Niles area is experiencing.

The Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce-hosted event filled the seats of The Supper Club by The Morris Center, 1245 S 11th St. in Niles. Leaders of the area’s business and nonprofit communities were present, from entrepreneurs to CEOs.

“You guys are important partners in this battle as well, to really be as many champions and ambassadors selling the benefits of this area as anything else,” said Greater Niles Chamber president and CEO Jeff Rea to his audience about the economy.

Rea is also the president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, and he touted that both neighboring areas have a growing relationship, despite a state border. Residents of one area go to the other to work, eat and play, he said.

That relationship, he said, along with business and educational leaders, has allowed the Niles area to be at a strong point in its history of economic development. He called 2019 its biggest year ever.

He cited current and finished projects to support his claim. This summer, the $1 billion Niles Indeck Energy Center broke ground. The Niles-Buchanan YMCA is undergoing a major renovation to provide more services while merging into an area YMCA association.

He also cited Niles DDA Main Street’s work to support entrepreneurship, the construction of Niles Community Health Center and housing initiatives, such as work on Berkshire Niles Apartments, the Niles post office apartment project and Four Flags Plaza Apartments renovations.

“When you’re in school, you’re like, ‘I can’t wait to leave. I can’t wait to go someplace else,’” said Charles Nelson, owner of On Base Productions in downtown Niles. “I left. We had our first kid. We came back because we wanted to be in Niles.”

Nelson was one of four men that sat on a panel during the event, providing an entrepreneurial perspective to the state of the economy.

The other panelists — Dan Applegate, Niles Community Schools superintendent, Scott McFarland, CEO of Honor Credit Union, and Peter Carpenter, plant manager of NSG Group — implied that more people who either moved to the Niles area, such as Nelson, or stayed there after graduating were needed.

A larger workforce with hard and soft skills became a frequent example of the challenges the Niles economy faces.

“We are growing, but what keeps me up at night is if we continue doing the work, where am I going to find these people?” Carpenter asked rhetorically.

Carpenter provided the perspective of a manufacturer. He said that while employees in manufacturing could be promoted, trained, have an education paid for and receive good pay, finding workers with strong soft skills and with some training was difficult.

McFarland appeared to agree, stating that Honor Credit Union promotes from within to keep team members from moving to metropolitan areas, such as Chicago and Grand Rapids.

“That whole adage of work-life balance is kind of gone,” he said. “It’s more of a work-life mesh and how people mesh with their work and their life, and how they work in their community.”

Applegate said that while colleges often market to students to join their institutions through emails, calls and letters, businesses do not promote themselves in high schools.

This reality, he said, has encouraged county school districts to promote businesses themselves through educational initiatives.

“We want to promote careers,” he said. “We want to get as many kids to understand.”

By talking about the end result, rather than the means to get there, students may be able to find employment in local businesses after graduating. So, county districts are making a larger effort to promote career and technical education programs as a result, Applegate said.

Despite the need to retain residents and bring more to the Niles area, Rea noted the benefits the place offers: affordable housing, various environments and proximity to tourist spots and major metropolitan areas.

Rea also reiterated one point: keep the upward economic momentum going.