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St. Joseph's success in landing its first tenant for its business incubator is earning praise from a wider audience, as well it should.

Local and area residents need to appreciate what others see in us. Proponents of an Animal Health Corridor recognize the remarkable assets that reside not only in the Kansas City metro area, but also throughout the nearby region - including Lawrence, Topeka and Atchison, Kan., and St. Joseph.

The Kansas City Area Development Council notes that regional companies - including those that operate in Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri - account "for nearly 34 percent of total sales in the $16.8 billion global animal health market."

That message got through, loud and clear, to Craig Woods, founder and chief executive officer of Imulan BioTherapeutics, an Arizona company that has chosen to locate here.

"We have been working with the Animal Health Corridor for almost two years," Mr. Woods said in a statement. "We realized from day one that this environment has more to offer than anywhere else in the world."

Imulan will become the first commercial tenant to lease space in our brand-new Christopher S. "Kit" Bond Science and Technology Incubator on the campus of Missouri Western State University. The company has conditional licensing approval for a product to treat leukemia in cats. It is focused on developing immune-regulating compounds that are environmentally and biologically friendly.

Projections call for Imulan to have its lab up and running by the middle of next year. Buchanan County has extended financial incentives, including $300,000 in forgivable loans predicated on Imulan creating at least 31 jobs over the next five years at an average annual salary of $74,000.

"Imulan is the perfect example of the type of company that we want to grow in Missouri," said Rob Monsees, executive director of the Missouri Technology Corp., which provided assistance for construction costs.

Or to put in a way we can appreciate: What is good for St. Joseph is good for Missouri. It's to our credit that others are recognizing this and are willing to partner with our business and education leaders to build a brighter future for all.