The closure of International Paper Co.’s Franklin mill has few silver linings, but one is the unprecedented regional cooperation on economic development that has resulted from arguably the single most traumatic economic event in Western Tidewater’s history.

Within days of IP’s announcement last fall, Franklin, Southampton County and Isle of Wight County joined forces and tackled the economic recovery as one.

One of the early outcomes of that cooperation is a regional marketing campaign dubbed the “Sweet Spot,” aimed at convincing the warehousing, distribution and logistics industry that our region is prime territory for a job sector that is projected to see rapid growth in the decades ahead.

The slogan is clever and accurate. We commend economic developers Lisa Perry in Isle of Wight County and John Smolak in Franklin/Southampton County for their efforts in developing the campaign. We hope Hampton Roads and Virginia economic development officials will get behind it and help spread the word: Western Tidewater indeed is a sweet spot.