Editing Marion, Indiana (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Iwustudentcenter.JPG|thumb|[[Indiana Wesleyan University]] campus]]
Marion's manufacturing sector produces automotive components, paper products, foundry products, machinery, wire, and cable. The paper plate industry was born in Marion; in its infancy, five of the nation's nine plants were located in the city.

The area surrounding Marion is part of the [[Corn Belt]]; as such, agriculture remains a significant component of the region's economy. Corn, soybean, and hog production are supplemented by specialty crops such as tomatoes.

[[Thomson SA]]'s Marion facility was shuttered in 2004 leaving the city in an economic slump. On June 13, 2007, the Thomson building's northern portion was destroyed by a fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=70&ArticleID=70939|title=Abandoned Marion properties are experiencing different fates – Indiana Economic Digest|work=indianaeconomicdigest.net|access-date=7 June 2015}}</ref> Other Marion plant closures in the past few decades include those of Ball-Foster, SCM (later Ampad) Paper Company, and the Malleable Iron Works (both on the far west side along Miller Avenue). The city has made inroads in attracting new businesses in the mid to late 2000s, however. Marion has been the only Midwest community selected as one of the Top 100 Micro-Enterprises for Economic Development by Site Selection Magazine for the years 2007 and 2008. TriEnda Plastics LLC selection of Marion in 2008 was one of the top 5 Manufacturing Projects in Indiana and received the coveted Silver Shovel award from Area Development Magazine. By spring 2011, TriEnda has ceased production. In the last ten years over $1,113,000 has been invested by private sector employers in Marion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/About%20Us/Electronic%20Reading%20Room/EB-5%20Regional%20Centers%20-%20Static%20Files/Energize_-_ECI_Regional_Center.pdf|title=ECI Regional Center|website=Uscis.gov|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref>