Who knows what areas of Clinton County society will crumble first if the full extent of jobs predicted to depart the area — 6,000 — actually leave.

“We’re frankly still unsure as to the magnitude of all the changes, and it appears that DHL is almost as in the dark as we are,” said Christian Schock, executive director of the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission.

Businesses at DHL Commerce Park, adjacent to the DHL Air Park, that use their convenient location to airlift freight, may be affected.

“If DHL closes up shop, I don’t know what happens to them,” said Dr. Steve Szeghi, an economics professor at Wilmington College.

But nothing is known concretely yet, including how the housing market or service industry will be impacted.

“Obviously the serious economic impacts are hard to model,” said Schock, “and we’ve been working on that the last couple days.”

“Creative things can be done with small towns when a major employer moves out; but it takes ingenuity and creativity to do this,” said Szeghi.

He cited the examples of two Arizona towns that both lost large employers. Instead of becoming ghost towns, they developed a strong presence of artsy shops and entertainment, drawing students from colleges in bigger cities surrounding them, and drawing tourists who stayed overnight to take in the “Art Mecca” experience.

“I’m not exactly proposing this for Wilmington, Ohio,” said Szeghi, “but it’s just an example of what can happen with a little creativity.”

Catering to students and professionals at Wilmington College itself is one option the city could investigate. Wilmington lacks the “college town” feel that places like Yellow Springs and Oxford, Ohio have, said Szeghi.

“Still, that’s gonna be a drop in the bucket compared to a DHL,” he said.

One recurring question seems to be, “How many people will leave the area?”

Schock — and undoubtedly other public officials — hope that number is minimal, because a sizable, hardworking labor force is the Planning Commission’s biggest bargaining chip for attracting other employers to the area.

Schock said: “The county, city, and local stakeholders believe strongly in the competitive advantages our area has in the marketplace. That same advantage brought ABX and then DHL to the community, and that makeup has certainly not changed. It’s just a matter of marketing that, and looking for new opportunities, and having a vision for the future.

“Vision is what brought us to this point,” he said, referring to the point where DHL was in full force, as opposed to the ironic interpretation.

The task of marketing the county’s workforce has gone into overdrive recently.

“Even though we’ve been working on it prior to this news, it’s now more of a time than ever to work on marketing and diversification,” Schock said.

Schock said that surrounding areas are also feeling great pressure.

“It won’t affect Clinton County that much more than it will impact lots of surrounding areas in the region,” Schock said. “That’s why I feel the state is being so aggressive in focusing on the next steps.”

But Szeghi’s evaluation of the situation is less optimistic.

“The most profound effects are going to be from Clinton County. … When you look at the jobs lost as a percentage of total employment in the county, it’s obvious.”