Renier Construction Celebrates 30 Years of Thriving Business in Ohio

Bill Heifner, president of Renier Construction Corporation in Columbus, Ohio, founded the company in 1980 as a one-man operation, specializing in industrial and commercial construction. Today, Renier's long list of clients includes Germain Motor Company, Ross Laboratories and Dayton Freight Lines. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Bill about what has led to the company’s steady growth and overall success.

Bill attributed much of his company’s success to Ohio’s transportation infrastructure, providing Renier with superior market access. Heifner said, “Forward thinking by local and state leaders several decades ago laid the foundation for a transportation infrastructure that has Ohio well positioned for growth and efficiency.”

He also spoke with me about the Ohio Promise, which is that you can achieve professional success within the context of a fulfilling life.  Bill believes that Ohio offers a fulfilling, meaningful lifestyle with robust cultural and entertainment options, extensive green space and sports, and excellent schools and universities. Coupled with a business environment that is open and welcoming to newcomers and emerging leaders, Bill says, Ohio delivers on its promise.

Click here to read my complete interview with Bill.

Ohio Hospitals Use Advanced New Technology to Improve Surgical Outcomes

Physicians at Grant Medical Center and Riverside Methodist Hospital, part of OhioHealth, a not-for-profit family of hospitals in Columbus, Ohio, are using robotic surgery as an alternative to both open-incision surgery and laparoscopy procedures.

Robotic surgery, the newest and most advanced technology for minimally invasive surgery, helps patients achieve faster recovery, experience minimal pain and avoid complex, open incisions. This latest development underscores the fact that Ohio’s medical institutions are leaders in applying new technology to improve patient outcomes. In fact, robotic surgery is the most effective, least invasive surgical option available today.

OhioHealth’s surgeons perform the robotic operations from a console, while viewing a 3-D image of the affected area of the patient's body. The physicians use a patient-side robotic cart with four arms to perform the procedures. The surgeon's fingers grasp the master controls below the display, and the system translates the physician's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise real-time movements of surgical instruments inside the patient.

Click here to read more about OhioHealth’s use of new technology for surgical procedures.

Cincinnati Leads the Nation in Green Building Innovations

With Cincinnati leading the pack, Ohio is emerging as a leader in the green building movement. Changing demographics and lifestyles are making green choices more popular, and the success of projects in Cincinnati shows that the future of building in Ohio is about making it green, building sustainable and competitive industries in the region.

Chad Edwards is 2010 president-elect of the US Green Building Council Cincinnati Regional Chapter and an architect with Emersion DESIGN in Cincinnati, whose office is certified LEED Platinum, the highest green rating available. He says Ohio's green business expansion started in 2004 with initiatives to build new schools to LEED standards. In fact, Ohio was one of the first states to mandate LEED construction for schools. As a result of Ohio’s leadership in the area, Ohio now has more LEED certified schools than California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, New Mexico and Florida combined.

Click here to learn more about Cincinnati’s green building boom.

Advanced Energy Business Incubator to Expand Ohio’s Technological Strengths

Millions in state and federal funding has recently been secured to launch a green and advanced energy business incubator in Warren, Ohio. The purpose of the incubator is to help foster the development of technology businesses in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. Essentially, the businesses spawned from the incubator will produce parts for geothermal, solar and nuclear energy plants, increasing the number of tech jobs in the state.

The Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition (Nortech) will be lending its expertise on the incubator project. Rebecca Bagley, president and CEO of Cleveland-based Nortech, said that over the next 10 months Nortech will help to identify the site for the incubator. Nortech will also help the incubator's 26-person steering committee develop an operational plan.

So far, nearly $3 million has been secured for the project. About $2.2 million in federal funds will be used to help equip the site. Another $500,000 in state funds has been earmarked to purchase the incubator building. Operating capital is expected to come from both federal and state dollars, including Ohio Third Frontier, a bipartisan commitment to expand Ohio's technology business.

Click here to learn more about the advanced energy business incubator in Warren, Ohio.

Newly Released Study Finds that Ohio’s Investment in Tech Jobs is Paying Off

I recently read the results from an Ohio Business Roundtable study, which found that Ohio Third Frontier has provided a 22 percent annual return on investment. In fact, according to the study, 50 percent of Ohio Third Frontier investment has already been repaid in sales and income taxes – with the investment forecast to be completely repaid to the state by 2014.

The Ohio Business Roundtable’s study reports that employment growth supported by high-tech business development has created faster technology jobs growth in Ohio – the eighth-fastest pace of growth in the nation – than in nearly any other Midwest state, creating employment opportunities for Ohioans across all work backgrounds, at double the pay of non-tech sectors.

Employment numbers show Ohio is also gaining traction in the advanced materials, biomedical and power and propulsion sectors that Ohio Third Frontier specifically targets for business development. Since its inception in 2002, Ohio Third Frontier has created or capitalized more than 500 companies and has created $6.6 billion in economic impact in Ohio, a 9:1 return on investment. Click here to learn more about the newly released Ohio Business Roundtable study.