Tuesday brought positive economic news to Mount Airy and Surry County with the announcement that Catalina Tempering will open a facility expected to employ 20 people.

Both the city and county worked with the Surry County Economic Development Partnership to land this new employer, each putting up incentives of about $77,000.

While some people question the use of economic incentives to lure businesses, this was unquestionably the right move by Mount Airy and Surry County officials.

The company will invest in the facility to the tune of $1 million to $4 million, which grows the city tax base. And sometime between the planned January opening and the year 2012, the firm will employ at least 20 people there.

That is 20 full-time jobs putting payroll dollars in the pockets of local citizens. It won’t take long for both the city and the county to earn back the economic incentives they put on the table for this firm.

This is the second announcement in recent weeks. Little more than a month ago, Central States Manufacturing Inc. broke ground on its new facility in Piedmont Triad West Corporate Park in the city.

That firm makes and delivers metal building components to commercial and residential customers, and expects to hire 45 workers locally when up and running.

And still more announcements await. The city and county have recently discussed additional incentives for at least one more company promising more than 200 new jobs.

In addition to the raw number of 20 new jobs with Tuesday’s announcement, another positive is that the company produces heat-tempered glass, a niche product that helps diversify the local economic base. The more different types of businesses come to the community, the better, because diversification allows a local economy to weather downturns in any industry or a particular field.

Tuesday’s announcement, along with other recent events, show the EDP, the city and the county are on the same page, and on the right path in revitalizing the local economy.