Ohio Ranks Number One For Fourth Consecutive Year

It's not surprising to executives who live and work in Ohio that Site Selection magazine has awarded Ohio with the annual Governor's Cup Award for the fourth year in a row.

The Governor's Cup Award is based on the number of private capital investments for new or expanded facilities that involved an investment of at least $1 million, created a minimum of 50 new jobs or added at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area. Ohio came in first place with 381 projects. Texas ranks second in the nation with 374 projects, followed by Michigan (371), Pennsylvania (333) and Tennessee (234).

There are many reasons why Ohio continues to be the ideal place to establish or grow a business but three key reasons include the purposeful redesign of Ohio's business climate, the state's world-class assets in advanced design, advanced materials and advanced manufacturing; and focused academic support that enables business success.

Read more about the award and why Ohio continues to beat out all the other states in the nation in the race for new business.

Ohio Third Frontier Saves and Creates 21st Century Jobs

The Ohio Third Frontier is providing Ohio workers, businesses and organizations with funding and development tools needed to create the 21st century jobs that will launch Ohio’s economy into the next generation. Since its inception, the Ohio Third Frontier has created or commercialized more-than 500 companies and has attracted $3.5 billion in private investment to Ohio, a 9:1 return on investment.

This commitment is the reason one Ohio worker was able to transition into a new high-tech job after being laid off from an automotive manufacturing facility.

After Shannon Swift, a father of five from Moraine, Ohio, lost his job at the General Motors DMAX plant, he wasn’t sure how he would transition his manufacturing skills into a new line of work. At the same time, Ohio Third Frontier was helping Dayton-area Renegade Materials Corporation complete construction of a $5 million facility to bring the next generation of advanced materials for the aerospace and defense industries to market.

Ohio Third Frontier provided the bridge needed to bring Renegade Materials and Shannon Swift together. Working through a State of Ohio Workforce Development Specialist, Renegade tapped into the pool of displaced workers from the DMAX plant, including Shannon Swift. Ohio Third Frontier has been with Renegade at each step: from support for its initial research and development, to help from the Innovation Ohio Loan Fund to build this state-of-the-art facility, as well as business advice from the Dayton Development Coalition’s Entrepreneurial Signature Program, which is also funded in part by Ohio Third Frontier. Shannon Swift received on-the-job training and is now working for Renegade’s high temperature polymer business.

To read more about Shannon Swift’s story, click here.

Why Ohio? Aerospace, Bioscience, Polymers

Over the next three posts you’re going to hear from two members of the Ohio Business Development team about the aerospace, bioscience and polymers industries in Ohio – Marlon Cheatham and Kristi Tanner.

A Cincinnati native, Marlon has held brand management positions at Abbott Nutrition in Columbus, Ohio, and Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. As brand manager for the Ohio Business Development Coalition, Marlon works with the advanced energy, aerospace, automotive, financial & insurance services, logistics and professional services.

Raised in Portsmouth, Ohio, Kristi was the assistant deputy director of the Economic Development Division within the Ohio Department of Development prior to joining the Ohio Business Development Coalition. She works with the agribusiness, bioscience, manufacturing and polymers industries.

Their posts will explore what Ohio has to offer in the aerospace, bioscience and polymers industries. And how, in Ohio, industry leaders are not only reaping professional success, but also experiencing the one-of-a-kind work:life balance that only Ohio can provide.

Ohio Business Leaders Discuss State’s Best-Kept Secrets

Over the past year-and-a-half, I’ve spoken with Ohio business leaders and executives from across the state. Each shared with me their “best-kept” Ohio secrets. From these conversations, I’ve compiled my list of Top 10 Ohio’s Best-Kept Secrets.

1. Home. Small-town feel with all the benefits and resources of a major city. In addition, short commutes to and from work make time for you to pursue personal passions.
2. Low cost of living. You can have more house while providing your family with a balance of culture and some of the best public and private schools around.
3. Excellent education. From preschool to higher education, Ohio is graduating students that will lead the world in business development and innovation.
4. Central location. It’s easy to conduct business around the state with six international airports and 600 miles within 60 percent of the U.S. population and 50 percent of the Canadian population.
5. Industry leader. Ohio is a leader in innovation and home to many great industries – agribusiness, automotive, bioscience, logistics, manufacturing, polymers, energy and aviation, and professional/financial services.
6. Talented workforce. Ohio offers a diverse and talented labor pool of workers in a variety of key industries.
7. Profitable business environment. Ohio’s business environment is designed to promote business development and entrepreneurship. The state has many strong workforce training programs and innovative job-creation and worker-retention programs such as the Ohio Third Frontier Project and the EnterpriseOhio Network.
8. Lowest cost in the Midwest. Ohio is executing tax reform to substantially lower the cost of doing business in the state – with the lowest taxes in the Midwest by 2010.
9. Strong supply chain. A strong supply chain across numerous key industries helps improve company efficiencies and profits.
10. You can make a difference. In Ohio, you can make a meaningful difference in your community because you are not simply a "small fish in a big pond."

To sum it up: business leaders agree that when it comes to opportunities for business development, education, low cost of living, community impact, supply chain management and tax reform, Ohio truly is "The State of Perfect Balance."

Educational Investment in Ohio’s Polymer Industry

A world leader in the field of polymers, Ohio's polymer industry is the state's most expansive - and important - economic sector. The state's universities and colleges are stepping up to provide students with essential job skills to continue to allow this vital industry to expand in a 21st century global marketplace.

Through a National Science Foundation grant of nearly $1 million awarded to the Ohio Supercomputer Center, The Ohio State University, the University of Akron and the Ohio Learning Network, new educational opportunities will drive continued innovation in the polymer industry.

PolymerOhio, a networking group committed to the global competitiveness and growth of Ohio's polymer industry, provides programs and services to advance the industry. In collaboration with the grant, PolymerOhio will provide forums for the introduction of cyberinfrastructure resources and workforce training to key leaders of Ohio’s 2,800 polymer firms.

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