The state has attracted companies and talent from around the world in the development and manufacturing of high-tech, advanced technology, preparing the state to become a global hub for the instrument, controls and electronics industry.

Ohio's leadership in instruments, controls and electronics spans the high-tech industry. For example, Parma, Ohio-based GrafTech International has developed a high-tech microns-thin material to dissipate heat in smart phones. YSI, Inc., an international company based in Yellow Springs, Ohio with revenues of about $100 million, has created sensors that can measure oxygen and particles leading to algae blooms.

Innovative programs support Ohio's high-tech industry, such as the Ohio Third Frontier. The program promotes economic growth by expanding the availability of investment capital needed to form new companies, supporting product innovation in established companies, facilitating commercialization of new products, funding collaborative projects between private companies and Ohio colleges and universities and nurturing Ohio's increasingly experienced pool of entrepreneurial management.

The state’s talented workforce and strengths in manufacturing make the state the ideal global hub for the instruments, controls and electronics industry. In addition, Ohio's offers low-cost, low stress communities in a combination of micropolitan and metropolitan cities. This diversity provides executives the resources and time to make any ambition achievable. Ohio truly is the State of Perfect Balance.

The National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF), a global nonprofit organization that promotes investments in seed and early-stage companies by supporting entrepreneurship and job creation through the formation of innovation capital programs, will establish the organization’s first “brick and mortar” headquarters in Ohio at the Lorain County Community College in early 2012. This decision further supports Ohio's commitment to entrepreneurs and business growth.

“NASVF is committed to accelerating innovation capital and the opportunity to develop a strategic partnership with the State of Ohio and Lorain County Community College further enhances our ability to deliver new programs to the state and our worldwide members,” said NASVF President and CEO Jim Jaffe. “The opportunity to establish the new NASVF Education Institute in a state and region that is aggressively deploying assets to grow the economy through innovation and commercialization is key in producing new jobs. The Innovation Fund, established by LCCC and its partners, provides a unique foundation for our partnership and reinforces the synergy between our organizations."

"Seed and early-stage innovation capital is an integral part of growing the businesses that will create the jobs of the future,” said Mark D. Kvamme, President and Chief Investment Officer for JobsOhio. “NASVF has a record of helping investors find the capital and other resources they need to support businesses and we welcome them to Ohio."

Read more about NASF's decision to locate their headquarters in Ohio in The Plain Dealer.

One key element to achieve a balanced life is access to time; time to devote to family, to personal passions, to building a personal legacy.

Due to its low cost of living and low-cost, low-stress commutes, Ohio offers a work-life balance for executives, their employees and their families available nowhere else. Money magazine recently recognized five Ohio small towns on their list of “Best Places to Live,” making Ohio the best among Midwest states. Ohio cities ranked in the Top 50 are; Solon (3), Mason (24), Highland Heights (30), Twinsburg (32) and Springboro (42).

Money magazine based the rankings on statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics for U.S. towns with populations between 8,500 and 50,000. Other Midwest states with small towns ranked in the top 50 are Minnesota (three cities), Indiana (two cities), Wisconsin (1 city) and Illinois (1 city).

These Ohio small towns offer executives, their families and the employees they lead many unique qualities that contribute to access to more time and personal balance, ultimately, optimal business performance. Company executives invest in the state because Ohio offers a perfect balance between work and life unlike anywhere else.

Read today's press release to find out more.

Fuel Cells 2000, an organization that promotes fuel cell technology, recently released a report placing Ohio in the top five states when it comes to fuel cell development. The report, "State of the States: Fuel Cells in America," touts Ohio's unique pro-business environment and innovative incentive programs to attract fuel cell companies to the state.

The 2011 Fuel Cells 2000 report provides comprehensive state-by-state coverage of policies, deployments, installations and funding occurring in the past year. The report singled out California, Connecticut, New York, Ohio and South Carolina as leaders in moving the industry forward in the U.S.

"Ohio is committed to capitalizing on its strength in fuel cells to create and attract 21st century businesses and jobs," said Pat Valente, executive director of the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition, the largest state fuel cell association in the nation. "Ohio is not only home to world class companies in all phases of fuel cell development - from R&D to all aspects of the supply chain to final product manufacturing, Ohio also has the added advantage of cross-sector support from business, government and educational institutions to further innovation and commercialization opportunities."

Read more about Ohio's fuel cell innovation in today's press release.

Research tells us that happy and healthy employees are more productive at work. Companies are trying harder to help their employees achieve better work-life balance because this positively impacts a company’s bottom line. Top-level executives who have a true work-life balance will perform better at their jobs and the company will only achieve greater success.

Because the population is distributed throughout the state, commutes to work are shorter and less intense than in most major U.S. cities, leaving ample time for achieving personal aspirations. Ohio is within 600 miles of 60 percent of the U.S. population and 50 percent of the Canadian population, making it easy to see why companies are turning to the State of Perfect Balance to grow their business.

Warren Anderson, owner of Anderson-DuBose, a Cleveland-based logistics company that specializes in food service distribution, credits Ohio’s transportation infrastructure and easy commutes for both his business and personal success. The company delivers practically everything needed by McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia – from fries and napkins to straws and cups.

Anderson was able to grow his business due to the low cost of transportation in Ohio. However, he also found a personal advantage to running a successful business in Ohio. The same interstate system that speeds his trucks to their destinations also speeds him home to family where he can attend his children’s sporting events and ballet classes or see a Cleveland Cavaliers game. Cleveland ranked sixth on Kiplinger’s list of best commutes. According to Kiplinger, Cleveland has an average commute of less than 24 minutes.

“In Ohio, everything is easy to get to, and to me that’s an important draw for anyone choosing a place to live and work,” Anderson said. “Like most people, I don’t want to spend my time tied up in traffic. Running a successful business is incredibly rewarding, but having time to enjoy that success with my family is the most rewarding of all.”

Ohio offers a work-life balance for executives, their employees and their families available nowhere else.

Read more success stories of executives who have found both professional and personal success by leveraging Ohio's assets for business and family life.