It is heartening to see activity at the Ceres Research and Industrial Interplex off Interstate 20 in Flowers. The announcement Sunday that a chain-maker plans to move to the industrial park is welcome news in an otherwise down economy.

Laclede Chain Manufacturing Company LLC of Missouri will move into the former Yorozu Automotive Mississippi facility, which has been shuttered since Yorozu left in 2008. The chain-maker is expected to employ 42 people at Ceres and will manufacture chains for car, truck and bus tires, as well as accessories such as rope clips and grab hooks.

It also will mark the first major industry to move into the Ceres site since Yorozu left. Company CEO Jim Riley said the move was not prompted by tax breaks or financial incentives, but the facility’s location. The Ceres plantation site has direct access to the main east-west interstate thoroughfare between Dallas and Atlanta. The company already has a facility in Missouri and Washington state, but Riley said this addition will allow manufacturing closer to his customer base in the Southeast.

Ceres has been considered by Warren County supervisors as the site of a new county jail, though no physical movement on a jail has been completed. However, talks within the city and county are ongoing.

The future of Ceres is still in limbo. Having companies choose that site, without financial incentives from the taxpayers, shows the logistical advantages and expansion possibilities of Ceres.

Positive financial news is rare as the country struggles with a housing crisis and high unemployment. The move to Ceres is positive, hopefully for all parties involved.