Tide Is Shifting On U.S. Exports

Little noted amid the pervasive gloom, however, is that Ohio is the only state in the nation where exports have expanded in each of the past eight years.

"I think that the average Ohioan would view trade as losing jobs to other countries," said Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who heads the state's economic development efforts, with 13 offices around the world aimed at attracting foreign business. "But there are other aspects of trade that are less understood."

Richards' Boxterman agreed. As far as he is concerned, exporting has saved his company. "I remember when people asked, 'How are we supposed to sell valves in China?' " Boxterman said. "Now, foreign sales are a huge part of who we are and what we are and why we've been able to survive as a small company."

The growth in exports has meant just a handful of new jobs. But in its employment listings Richards notes that it has never laid people off or reduced work weeks under 40 hours -- a proud record that at times has been kept intact by having workers come in to paint and clean the plant. Besides job security, the firm also offers full benefits, including a company-funded 401(k) plan and profit sharing. Entry-level jobs start at $12 an hour.

To remain economically competitive, Richards, which does about $30 million a year in sales, began buying component parts overseas about a decade ago. China, India and Italy were the places to go for low-cost, basic valves that Richards customizes -- a reality that company executives acknowledge must have cost jobs in some other U.S. plant, even while saving them at Richards.

"When I interviewed here, I was asked: 'Do you think you can get us globally sourced?' " said Charles Page, the firm's vice president for customer service and a minority owner who began working at Richards in 1996. "I said 'yes, sir,' even though I didn't know exactly what that meant."

Now, Page sees outsourcing as "a necessity." He also knows that cannot be good for U.S. makers of basic valves and other components used by Richards. But when it comes to custom valves that are controlled by pneumatic or electrical devices and used in such places as sophisticated pharmaceutical or petrochemical plants, Richards officials say U.S. firms have the advantage.

"We sell a niche product. The ultimate irony is that in some of these fast-growing countries, firms don't want to buy their own stuff," Cooper said. "They don't trust it."

Polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.