The deeper America

Four and a half hours by coach. A ride through the countryside that connects the Northwest and the Midwest. We soon leave Michigan and enter Ohio.
The scenery is dominated by green, the green of fields and of little woods, here and there. This is the lesser known America, the deeper, more conservative America. After ending his election campaign here, like his rival McCain, Obama conquered the White House, also thanks to the votes of the eleven million inhabitants who, thus far, had almost always chosen the Republican Party. Although Benton Harbor is known throughout the world for being home to the headquarters of Whirlpool, Greenville owes its lesser, albeit important, notoriety to KitchenAid.
On every pole in the town, there are two American flags, and a banner remembering the Greenville Treaty, which was signed on August 3, 1795, in the then Fort Greenville, by a delegation of native Americans and the Western Confederation.
In more modern times, another historical date is 1919, when KitchenAid opened its first factory. What effect the factory has on the local economy can be understood from the attention that the local authorities too dedicate to it during our tour. At the dinner in the Bistro on Broadway, which was the site of KitchenAid’s first production, as well as the county’s Director for Economic Development, there was also the Mayor, Mike Bowers, who explained, in great detail, why he is proud to have this company here. “They speak about us throughout the country, and dozens of coaches come, bringing people to see the factory, and now, also its showroom.”