Ohio's world-class logistics capabilities help manufacturing companies reduce operating costs by getting components and finished goods quickly to their destination anywhere in the U.S. or around the globe. Ohio's extensive logistics management network supports the state's 21,250 manufacturing companies with multi-modal and inter-modal networks allowing efficient import and export of products-180 public airports, eight interstate highways, 36 freight railroads and 25 waterfront ports.

Ohio's strategic location also plays an important role; the state is within 600 miles of 60 percent of the U.S. and Canadian population and is within a one-day drive of 70 percent of North America's manufacturing capacity.

Strategic investments and tax reforms enable Ohio companies to compete - and win - in the 21st century global economy. In fact, businesses incur only a flat $150 fee on out-of-state sales of up to $1 million. A recent report by the Quantitative Economics and Statistics Practices (QUEST) of Ernst & Young in conjunction with the Council On State Taxation (COST), ranks Ohio as third in the nation for friendliest tax environment.

Companies continue to discover the benefits of investing in Ohio, finding a preferred location for capital investment, a competitive business environment and a perfect balance between business pursuits and personal aspirations. Find out more.

Since its founding, JackThreads has grown from selling six brands to selling more than 500 brands to its over 1.5 million members. Ross named the company JackThreads because “Jack” is his grandfather's name, and “Threads” is slang for clothing. This year the company is expected to post revenues of $25 million, says Ross.

The road to success has been hard work for Ross. After a time-consuming two-and-a-half years of development, Ross started JackThreads with a Small Business Association loan and his own money in 2008. With support from a professor in the Computer Science Department at The Ohio State University, students built the original sales site as part of a class project.

Ross says his personal love for fashion and the success of similar European sites, spurred his entrepreneurial idea.

“I was always really into men's fashion, especially clothing that was different and hard to find, but these items were also usually crazy expensive,” shared Ross with hiVelocity, an online e-zine about Ohio business news. “Post-college, I was a big online shopper and I realized there was no outlet for the types of brands I was interested in to sell their close-out merchandise.”

Ross credits Ohio’s retail talent, central location and traveling and shipping infrastructure as key to JackThreads' success.

Last year, JackThreads was acquired by Thrillist, a New York City-based digital men's lifestyle publication and website.

Top-Tier Men’s Fashion Brands at Discounted Prices

Ross is committed to providing top-tier men’s fashion brands at discounted prices for JackThreads’ members. “We're always on the lookout for new brands that are unique and of course, high-quality and that appeal to our diverse group of members,” said Ross.

At the business's start, Ross had very few contacts in the fashion industry. He garnered them through old-fashioned networking that led to the development of his current sales model.

“Finding the brands to work with involved an endless stream of trade shows and a ton of research to find the best balance between the brands' needs and the greatest value for potential customers. We often purchase at the end of a season from a brand's excess merchandise, or at the beginning of a season to help the brand push specific initiatives,” he said.

Ohio: A Fashion Leader in the Midwest

Though Ohio isn’t known as a fashion hub like New York, the state's central location paired with the ease of travel in and out of state and shipping infrastructure has contributed to the company's success, with headquarters in Cleveland and Columbus.

“The centrality of our location has been advantageous with the amount of travel required to both coasts in order to access the brands in the big fashion centers,” Ross said.

Ohio’s central location gives businesses easy access to profitable markets and lowers the cost of doing business. Crossed by eight major interstate highways, the state allows easy southbound access through the Mid-Atlantic states to the Southeast. Ohio's east-west corridors traverse the country from coast to coast and into the Rockies. Interstate access also provides major benefits to in-state commerce with easy travel possible from any market in the state to another. In addition, Ohio offers access to five international airports.

“We benefit by being in close proximity to a lot of our consumers, allowing us to get their merchandise to them in a timely manner,” continued Ross.

As an OSU graduate, Ross greatly benefited from the entrepreneurial resources and retail and logistical talent at the university. “The retail talent at OSU has helped us out in a big way,” said Ross.

In addition, Ross believes that Ohio’s dedicated, hardworking workforce has played a part in the company’s growth. “We’ve been able to hire a great workforce in Ohio - one that is loyal and works hard. For our Ohio team, we haven’t recruited anyone from outside Ohio - it’s been all Ohio-based hires that we’ve made – many of whom are OSU grads,” said Ross.

Ohio Means Home

What makes Ohio truly perfect for Ross is the state’s commitment to work-life balance and low cost of living. “Ohio has always been my home. I love the pace of life in Ohio, and it’s nice to have this as a home base with a lot of my work taking place in New York City. The short commutes have helped simplify my life in a big way – giving me more time to build my business and enjoy life.”

JackThreads employs more than 45 people at its Columbus, Ohio headquarters and in New York. Their team has quadrupled over the last year.

Ross holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Ohio State University. While a student, he was involved with the Center for Entrepreneurship program at Ohio State University and the Business Builders Club, which is the student entrepreneurial group on campus. Ross grew up in Medina, Ohio and today lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Read more success stories about executives on how locating in Ohio has enabled them to achieve both their professional and personal aspirations without having to sacrifice one for the other.

Ohio is the State of Perfect Balance, where world-class companies and those who aspire to be don't have to sacrifice professional or personal satisfaction in pursuit of their ambitions. The same goes for Ohio executives and their families and the employees they lead.

Locating your business in Ohio affords you the gift of time. It provides you an opportunity to have a life in perfect balance. In Ohio, you can achieve your personal and professional dreams, without having to compromise. 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.

Read stories of executives who have found the perfect balance between work and life in Ohio.

Additionally, Ohio’s seven Edison Technology Centers located around the state provide a variety of product and process innovation and commercialization services to both established and early-stage technology-based businesses. Ohio’s no-surprise regulations and impressive R&D sector provide a perfect mix to foster innovation.

The state's supportive business environment doesn't stop there. Ohio lawmakers dramatically revamped the state's tax structure to create the lowest tax rates in the Midwest and an extremely profit-friendly business climate for companies that locate in the state.

Ohio's location and tax structure makes it cost effective for companies to serve customers in North America and around the world. A recent report by the Quantitative Economics and Statistics Practices (QUEST) of Ernst & Young in conjunction with the Council On State Taxation (COST) ranks Ohio as third in the nation for friendliest tax environment.

The state is recognized nationally and worldwide as a business location with unbeatable access to Midwestern, Central Canadian and East Coast markets. With a sophisticated transportation infrastructure and multi-modal capability, Ohio represents a strong global platform to route goods and services to anywhere in the world. In fact, Ohio is within 600 miles of 60 percent of the U.S. population and 50 percent of the Canadian population.

Learn more how Ohio's public-private support eliminates obstacles, accelerates start-up and reduces risk to business growth.

Locating in Ohio affords you the gift of time. It provides you an opportunity to have a life in perfect balance. In Ohio, you can achieve your personal and professional dreams, without having to compromise. The convenience of travel, with short commutes from work to home, lower stress and give more time to priority family activities and personal aspirations. From anywhere in Ohio, you are 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. It's no surprise that 27 Fortune 500 companies call Ohio home.

Work-life balance means opportunity – the opportunity to achieve professional success and still have personal happiness, to grow a successful business and still have time to put dinner on the table or to achieve optimal business performance. Ohio delivers a fulfilling life with friends and family.

Read these interviews with Ohio executives about how the state's promise of work-life balance has contributed to their personal success and contributed to their company's bottom line.