Ohio’s Manufacturing Base is On the Rise

Ohio's economy is built upon a historic legacy of manufacturing. From the processing of raw materials to the creation of finely tuned products, Ohioans have served as the world's experts in the manufacturing sector. Ohio is home to 21,250 manufacturing companies -- and leads the nation in production of general-purpose machinery and is second in metalworking machinery production. Ohio cities rank at the top of the list for manufacturing jobs in the U.S. -- Cincinnati ranks sixth, followed by Cleveland (10th) and Columbus (19th).

Legacy industries within Ohio's manufacturing sector are adjusting -- for example, the state's historic rubber companies are engaging in advanced plastics applications, and chemicals firms are on the cutting edge of fuel cell and other alternative energy creation solutions.

As manufacturing evolves to meet the new economic realities, Ohio's legacy as a strong manufacturing state will drive growth in the redefined global marketplace. In fact, the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee reports that more than 19,600 manufacturing jobs were added across the state during the last year.

hiVelocity, an online magazine highlighting the people and businesses that are helping to transition Ohio’s economy for future generations, recently interviewed manufacturing companies across the state about how Ohio’s manufacturing base is on the rise.

Click here to read the full story.

Enterprise Appalachia Offers Ready Access to Capital

For entrepreneurs, raising start-up funding is one of the most critical and challenging elements of launching a business. Do local officials support companies looking to raise investment capital and other start-up funding by maintaining relationships with angel investors and angel funds, venture capital firms, private equity groups, and investment banks? Does the location offer funding sources not available elsewhere and does it work with entrepreneurs to make access to capital easier to obtain? The cost of doing business is the other part of this equation. How efficiently can precious capital be utilized? Lower costs for real estate, rent, transportation and labor allow the entrepreneur to devote more precious capital to product and service development.

Huge incentives exist for entrepreneurs looking to start their business in Ohio’s Enterprise Appalachia Region. Access to business capital is just one of them. In addition to ready access to capital, Appalachia Ohio also offers ability to deliver on the ideal location criteria for an entrepreneur-friendly environment: ready access to knowledge and labor, and access to supply chains and markets. To learn more about the strategic advantages of Ohio’s Appalachia Region, click here.

One example of a company that recently benefited from Enterprise Appalachia’s access to capital is Butech Bliss, a company based in Salem, Ohio that designs and manufactures processing equipment for the world's metal processors and producers. With local ties dating back some 150 years, the company's leadership team is looking to – and effectively utilizing the resources offered by – Enterprise Appalachia to secure a stable, globally competitive position in the industry.

Butech Bliss was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal in an article exploring the standards of small-business lending. Despite the economic slow down, Butech Bliss has remained profitable throughout the crisis. Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article.

Supply Chain Know-How, in Ohio

Access to commercial networks and markets in Ohio's Enterprise Appalachian Region supports best practices in supply chain management, giving companies a significant edge in profitability, quality and service, according to a recent Inc. magazine white paper.

"Real Best Practices for Supply Chain Optimization," is the third in a series of Inc. white papers discussing ideal selection criteria for business startup – access to supply chain and markets, access to business capital and support services, access to knowledge and labor and access to a balanced life. It offers a prescription for efficiently managing the supply chain – the continuum of materials, information, and finances needed to convert raw materials or resources into a product or service delivered to the final customer.

"Savvy entrepreneurs know that choosing the ideal location to start a business can mean the difference between success and failure," said Ed Burghard, executive director of the Ohio Business Development Coalition. "The Appalachian Ohio Region has become a hub for entrepreneurial enterprise, in part because its location in Ohio's manufacturing heartland provides access both to a strong supply chain and a ready market for products and services."

One company that has thrived as a result of its location in Appalachian is Rocky Brands. CEO Mike Brooks cites the area's hardworking 21st century workforce and location within 600 miles of 60 percent of the U.S. population as factors that created an ideal location for this world leader in rugged outdoor and occupational footwear headquartered in Nelsonville, Ohio.

He says excellent schools and low cost of living make it easy to attract and retain talent, while his employees stay sharp through study in Ohio's first-class higher education system at Hocking College and Ohio University. A strategic location in Enterprise Appalachia supports efficient product distribution through more than 3,000 outlets nationwide.

In addition to business success, Enterprise Appalachia offers the avid outdoorsman a work-life balance he has found nowhere else. Through the airport in nearby Columbus, he takes easy day-trips to meet with customers, often returning home in time for dinner and a walk in the area's pristine woodlands with his wife. He can have it all – professional success and a rewarding personal life – without sacrificing one for the other.

Visit here to learn how Ohio's Enterprise Appalachia delivers the ideal location criteria for business start-ups: access to supply chain and markets, access to capital, access to knowledge and labor and access to a balanced life.

Ohio Executive Finds His Perfect Balance: Jim Tennant, Ohio Coatings

As president of Ohio Coatings Company, a $200 million tin plate steel business, Jim Tennant gives credit to Ohio -- for allowing him to have professional success and make a true impact in his community.

Tennant is the latest business leader featured in the "State of Perfect Balance" Wall Street Journal ad campaign. The Ohio Business Development Coalition, the nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment, and AEP Ohio sponsor the ongoing ad campaign.

In addition to serving as both president and chief financial officer of the Ohio Coatings Company, Tennant achieves personal balance by lending his professional expertise to help enrich students' educational experience in his community. He currently serves as treasurer of three community school organizations and is helping to build a first-of-its-kind athletic stadium and sports facility at a local high school.

Watch a video of Jim here.

"The opportunity Ohio has given me is really a lifelong dream. To have this job, in this state, is what I've always wanted," Tennant said.

According to Tennant, Ohio's support – through tax abatements, low-interest loans and infrastructure improvement through the Ohio Department of Development – made the decision of locating his business in Ohio a simple one. After more than a decade of calling Ohio home, Ohio Coatings now provides the state with jobs, revenue and a profitable commodity.

Equally important to Ohio Coatings' success is its partnership with AEP Ohio, a company that shares a stake in the state's economic vitality. The preferred energy partner provides affordable and reliable electricity to thousands of Ohio businesses like Ohio Coatings, helping them compete on a national and international scale.

For Tennant, the "State of Perfect Balance" means a fulfilling career and helping today's youth fulfill their potential.

"Ohio has helped me achieve my dreams, but the best part of my success is the opportunity I have to help our kids achieve their dreams. I hope to finish my career here. I love my job, and I love helping my community."

The campaign can be viewed here.

Achieving a Victory for American Heavy Equipment Manufacturing

Butech Bliss, a company based in Salem, Ohio that designs and manufactures processing equipment for the world’s metal processors and producers, has endured decades of a tumultuous industry. With local ties dating back some 150 years, the company’s leadership team is looking to – and effectively utilizing the resources offered by – Enterprise Appalachia to secure a stable, globally competitive position in the industry.

Over the years, despite poor domestic steel sales, Butech Bliss grew from just a few employees to more than 250 employees and even in this economy the company has remained profitable. Nearly all of Butech Bliss’ domestic competitors have been driven out of the industry as a result of the devastating closures and consolidations within the U.S. steel industry. Today, Butech Bliss is one of the last American-owned large steel mill equipment builders in the U.S.

By leveraging the resources offered by Ohio’s Appalachia Region, Butech believes that the company is armed to achieve a victory for American heavy equipment manufacturing. They attribute much of the company’s success thus far to two key advantages provided by Appalachia Ohio – access to a skilled workforce and access to supply chain and markets.

Click here to read the full Butech Bliss story.