Much of the news in Albert Lea lately has involved Premium Pork, a new cooperative that’s looking for a place to set up shop and, they say, employ 1,000 people or more. Similarly, Ford Motor Company made headlines last year when it considered Albert Lea for a large regional warehouse. And elsewhere, airplane maker Boeing is now shopping around for a place to put a new plant, and dozens of states are falling all over themselves with offers to lure the company.

It’s probably natural that these high-profile courtships spring to mind when people think about economic development. A huge new plant with the promise of hundreds of jobs is the kind of instant gratification that gets noticed.

But research shows that most job creation in any community will come not from the rare occasions when a new company builds a headquarters or a big-name corporation moves a plant to town. Rather, it will come from homegrown businesses that spring up or expand. It will come from local entrepreneurs who have local ties and who reinvest in the local economy.

That’s why the Albert Lea Business Development Center is important. Its aim is to give those entrepreneurs a place to get their businesses up and running in a relatively insulated environment, where they can network with other business people, get expert advice and share services with one another. As part of their residency in the center, they must complete thoughtful business plans that give them a better chance for success than most start-up companies.

There are already four tenants in the center, which opened one year ago. Chances are good that some or all of those companies will move out onto their own and grow. Once a business lasts five years, their chances of sticking around for the long term increase dramatically. That means a better and more diverse economy for Freeborn County.

Getting the ALBDC project started was a noteworthy accomplishment for Greater Jobs, Inc., the Albert Lea Port Authority and other supporting partners. And while it may not be the subject of big headlines as often as Premium Pork or Ford, the center’s potential for bettering the local economy may be just as great.