Choose your neighbors carefully

Have you ever been suspicious of a building or office down the street from your factory -- perhaps you wonder if there's some drug dealing or manufacturing in the neighborhood? Don't assume that everything's OK. Kristen Calis, a reporter for the Durham, Ontario, Metroland Durham Regional Media Group, has a story this week about a small plastics company in Pickering, Ontario, that's seen its business turned upside-down after a crystal meth lab next door exploded in November 2006. Ramona Williams, owner of Durham Plastics Display Co., relocated shortly after the explosion, but she still estimates that the explosion cost her small business C$845,000. "I went from being a completely debt-free company to plunging over my head in debt, and soon to lose my house," Williams told the newspaper. Financial papers going back 14 years had to be destroyed. As a result, now she's having a tough time getting bank financing. Williams has turned to the city for help, and the city has turned over the case to its legal department and its insurance company. Like buying a home, location is critically important when choosing a manufacturing site. But who would imagine a business worrying about a crystal meth lab moving next door?