From Scotland, Aitken admits during the recruitment process, his only knowledge of Cincinnati revolved around the 1970’s hit television show, “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Ask Aitken his opinion of the Queen City now and he can’t stop bragging about his current hometown that he likes to describe as a diamond in the rough. “My entire family loves it here,” says Aitken. “The downtown and surrounding areas has so much to offer young families.”

Employing more than 1,900 people in 30 offices in Europe, Asia and the Americas, dunnhumby serves a prestigious list of companies including The Kroger Co., Tesco, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark, Macy's, Panera Bread Company, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble.

According to Aitken, Ohio’s support of companies of all sizes with access to capital and business incentives helped leverage the Cincinnati location for dunnhumbyUSA. “Ohio and Cincinnati really stepped up with job creation incentives for ten years,” says Aitken, CEO of dunnhumbyUSA. Another deciding factor was the proximity to The Kroger Co., which owns fifty-percent of dunnhumbyUSA. Aitken says his company also received a start-up loan from Kroger as well as overwhelming support from the community as a whole. “There is no way we would have had the support we’ve found here had we been in a bigger city”, say Aitken. “We are unbelievably spoiled by the treatment we receive here.”

Knowledge Company Benefits From Knowledgeable Workforce

dunnhumbyUSA is committed to helping companies put customers at the center of every decision by analyzing data for some of the world’s biggest retailers from over 350 million people in 28 countries. With those kinds of statistics, the company relies heavily on a skilled and highly educated workforce. With 205 institutions of higher education, Ohio is ranked 5th in the nation when it comes to a robust workforce which is a major advantage for a knowledge-based business like dunnhumbyUSA. Also, Ohio’s colleges and universities graduate more potential employees than many states combined, in addition to the state’s pool of skilled workers across nine key industries. Prime location allows Aiken to pull interns and talent in from several directions, including Miami University, Xavier, and co-op programs from University of Cincinnati. “Universities in Ohio, such as Miami University, are big feeder programs for our company. Last year we hired 30-plus graduates. We also work closely with area students on major research projects.”

For a fast growing company, Aitken admits filling middle management jobs can be challenging right now. In 2003, the Cincinnati location started with four employees. In 2011, the company employed more than 500. Aitken sits on the CincinnatiUSA Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to help attract even more talent to the city, especially for highly technical jobs that can be hard to fill. “We need people with 10-15 years of experience in mathematics, statistics, retail & marketing and manufacturing,” says Aitken. “Those people aren’t living here right now and they should be. So many people who left this area end up coming back because of the work-life balance Ohio offers.”

A Great Place To Work And Live

A big recruitment tool for employees is the reputation dunnhumbyUSA has earned both on a local and global scale. dunnhymbyUSA placed first or as finalist for five years since 2006 in Greater Cincinnati’s Best Places to Work. The Sunday Times, a major paper in the UK, also placed the company in their “Best 100 Companies To Work For.” Aitken emphasizes the importance of community involvement across the company, employing significant efforts towards volunteerism and financial support of nonprofit organizations within the Greater Cincinnati community. Aitken himself is involved in the local community as vice president on the board of directors for the European-American Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of trustees for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Aitken also encourages his employees to achieve work-life balance by spending valuable time with family and enjoying extra-curricular activities in Cincinnati. Having previously lived in major cities such as San Francisco and Dallas, Aitken truly appreciates Ohio’s access to a balanced life. “My commute here is unbelievable. I am maybe ten minutes late if I get caught in heavy traffic,” explains Aitken who enjoys a quick ride home. “Experience a bad traffic day in those other cities and your schedule for the day is over.” Living in Cincinnati has allowed Aitken more time to do what he loves: spend time with his family and two small children. “I get to coach their soccer teams, we go biking, and we also love to experience all Cincinnati offers, ranging from professional sports to an amazing arts scene.”

Prior to joining dunnhumbyUSA, Aitken held a variety of retail marketing positions, most recently as the executive vice president/chief marketing officer of Michael’s Stores, Inc. He spent nine years with North American grocery retailer Safeway, Inc. in a series of senior level marketing and loyalty reward positions, where he managed card & loyalty marketing, data mining/innovation and category management. Aitken earned a B.A. and M.A. in information management from two universities in Scotland.

If Aitken has one complaint, it’s the small fortune he pays to fly across the pond for both business and pleasure, but admits it’s a small price to pay for the Midwest values and extra time he now gets with his wife and children in Ohio. “This is about bringing up family the right way.”

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.

The Marcellus Shale formation stretches from the edge of Maryland to Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and the Appalachian Ohio region along the Ohio River. The boundaries of the deeper Utica Shale formation extend under the Marcellus Shale region and beyond. Shale gas has the potential to meet the total U.S. natural gas demand for generations.

Ohio's state geologist estimates that recovering 5 percent of the reserves in the 100-mile wide Utica Shale formation in eastern and central Ohio could produce 5.5 billion barrels of oil and 15.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making the Utica a significant contributor to the national fuel supply while creating thousands of jobs in the state. At the lower 1.2 percent recovery rate being seen in the Bakken Shale formation in the West, the Ohio play could produce 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 3.75 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Energy companies looking to achieve the fastest return on their start-up investment benefit from the Ohio Appalachian Region's optimal location in the five-state Marcellus and Utica Shale region and the state's manufacturing know-how and its world-class logistics infrastructure. Everything that made Ohio the ideal location choice for suppliers to the automotive industry is in place for Tier I and II suppliers to leverage to efficiently and affordably supply the Marcellus and Utica Shale gas industry over the life of the shale gas reserves. This standing capability results in lower operating costs and maximum return on investment.

Each natural gas well itself involves about 75 jobs ranging from highly skilled positions such as seismologists, engineers and geophysicists to construction positions and others to check meters and tend the wells. There are also a number of indirect jobs associated with the production of natural gas. The shale gas development could trigger work in many trades, from environmental consultants, to lawyers, to truck drivers, to those who train for jobs at well sites, making it important to have access to a readily available skilled labor pool.

Energy companies have a growing need for engineers, researchers and skilled manufacturing workers, which are readily available in Ohio. Ohio's colleges and universities are ready to meet the need for new technologies and skilled green collar workers through new research, degrees and training specific to the advanced energy industry through programs such as The University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio (UCEAO) and investments through Ohio Third Frontier.

In addition, a number of colleges and universities throughout the state, such as Kent State University, Hocking College, Marietta College, The Ohio State University, and Zane State University, offer world-class natural gas industry training programs.

Youngstown State University recently announced the development of a new institute designed to educate professionals and provide research for the emerging multi-billion dollar shale natural gas industry. The YSU Natural Gas and Water Resources Institute will provide bachelor's degree level courses in science and engineering that will lead to an academic minor in gas technologies and also will provide research opportunities for industry focusing on analysis of water used in the shale gas extraction process.

Read more about how Ohio's affordable, skilled labor pool is ready to meet the demands of the shale gas industry in today's press release.

While serving as director of adult learning services at a major state institution, his passion for quality education inspired him to seek a better way for his distance-learning students to obtain their course materials. Finding none, he created his own.

Two companies later, Dr. Mark is credited with creating a niche industry around the fulfillment of content and course materials for distance learning, career and multi-campus colleges.

A native New Yorker, Dr. Mark went to college at Ohio University and found that Appalachia was “just too pretty a place to leave.” And, when it came time to start his companies, the serial entrepreneur found the ideal business startup location in Ohio’s Enterprise Appalachia.

“I am here because of the Ohio Promise,” Dr. Mark shared in a recent interview with me. “My favorite thing about living in Ohio’s Enterprise Appalachian Region is that you can achieve professional success within the context of a fulfilling life.”

Click here to read the rest of my interview with Dr. Mark.

That's why Ohio is the perfect location for Girindus, a technology-driven company creating solutions for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Ohio's extensive university system delivers to Dr. Laskovics the high-tech talent he needs. He knows that Ohio's reasonable cost of living and easy lifestyle keep career-minded scientists and specialists here in the state. Once they land here, highly skilled workers embrace a work-life balance found nowhere else.

And Ohio's supportive business climate has been instrumental in the company's growth. A $1.2 million Ohio Third Frontier grant enabled Girindus to build a production facility for a unique class of compounds.Tax abatements and grant possibilities through local government helped lay the foundation for the company's success.

Dr. Laskovics relishes the relaxed pace and focus on family in Ohio. He is free to enjoy a range of leisure activities, from biking along the network of trails in southwest Ohio to attending major league sporting events.

After living all over the world, Dr. Laskovics has constructed his dream team in Ohio's business-friendly environment, capitalizing on the state's many assets. Watch this video as he discusses Ohio's bioscience strengths and how he and his employees have found the perfect work-life balance.

According to small business experts, there are four criteria that make up an ideal location for business development: access to knowledge and labor, access to business capital and support services, access to supply chain and markets and access to a balanced life.

Ohio's Enterprise Appalachia Region offers an ideal start-up environment, providing all the criteria to develop a successful small business. The region offers access to these resources and much more. Read success stories of executives growing their business in Ohio’s Enterprise Appalachia Region.