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A Special Advertising Section of Business Facilities

Ohio Grows

The Buckeye State’s innovative incentive programs and companies are luring economic development into its diverse geographical landscape. Welcome to Ohio.

By Santiago Santos

 

Welcome to Ohio

The state of Ohio, with over 11 million people across 44,825 square miles, has the highest population of any state not bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The population of Ohio is also one of the nation’s most diverse. From rural landscapes to bustling metropolitan areas like Columbus, expanding companies look to Ohio. The Buckeye State—located within an overnight drive of most of the U.S. and Canadian population—is literally a central distribution hub.

Ohio’s location lends itself to making the state a major producer of machines, rubber products, steel, and manufactured goods, as well as automotive and aviation products.

 

BUCKEYE POWER FUELS OHIO’S DEVELOPMENT FIRE

Escalating operating cost, congested roadways, expensive land, and limited office and industrial space are forcing businesses to more closely examine the benefits of locating near the small towns and communities outside the metro limits and beyond the suburbs.

Companies are drawn to these less-populated areas, many of which are served by the cooperatives of Buckeye Power, by their competitive business and living costs, trainable workers, easy access to major markets, and overall quality of life.

Consider this: 65% of the entire U.S. and 74% of Canada’s population is within overnight trucking distance of Ohio. Ohio also has one of the country’s best highway systems, an outstanding rail system, and more than 100 commercial airports.

Wittenberg University More than 200 people attended a press conference at Wittenberg University in which Qbase, a data management and technology company, announced it would locate an office in Springfield, OH.

The Ohio countryside offers relaxed pace, high-quality public schools, recreational areas and friendly neighbors—with all the benefits of country living and within virtual shouting distance of Ohio’s major metro areas.

And there’s one more great advantage of the Ohio countryside—land is priced by the acre, not by the square foot.

Location is the most important word in real estate, whether a person is looking for a new home site or a business site. If a company is thinking of opening, expanding, or relocating its business, it needs to look into both types of sites.

Ohio’s exurban area leaders have the geographic location tools and expertise to give companies a competitive advantage in gaining access to the marketplace. Here you’re within a one-day drive of the majority of the U.S population. This allows companies to save in processing and distribution of merchandise and materials.

Ohio is also home to international cargo airports, intermodal facilities, and rail-served industrial parks geared toward the distribution and logistics needs of today’s companies.

Buckeye Power serves 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties through 25 electric cooperatives—from individual, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Buckeye Power assists companies in the site selection process by working in concert with the state of Ohio, the individual cooperatives, and the local community to negotiate financial incentives.

SPRINGFIELD: OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Springfield, OH may have a common name, but when looking for a perfect business location it stands out. There are at least 28 Springfields in the United States, but none are more strategically located to serve a company’s varied needs than the one in Ohio. Springfield offers access to Interstate highways, airports, and colleges and universities. Distribution, manufacturing, technology, and services are key elements of the local economy. Located between Dayton, OH and Columbus, OH, Springfield has easy access to four major interstate highways.

H.E.F.-USA Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce President Michael J. McDorman, H.E.F.-USA President Ken Metzgar, County Commissioner John Detrick and Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland cut the ribbon at the entrance of the company’s new office.

An important attraction for businesses considering Springfield/Clark County is the cooperative and streamlined process established between the city, the county, the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s Community Improvement Corporation, the state of Ohio ,and the federal government through U.S. Congressman Dave Hobson.

Educational opportunities are plentiful in Springfield and Clark County, whether for traditional schooling or workforce training. Within 45 miles of Springfield are 13 traditional colleges and universities, including the University of Dayton and Ohio State.

Technology is taking on a growing presence with the construction of Nextedge Applied Research and Technology Park. The Advanced Virtual Engine Test Cell soon will break ground on a 45,000-square-foot collaborative facility in the park, while construction has begun on the first of three planned 55,000-square-foot office buildings. Qbase, a data management and analysis firm that will concentrate on medical applications, plans to occupy space in the first office building.

Ritchie Brothers Auctions Ritchie Brothers Auctions chose Clark County, OH to sell heavy industrial equipment because of the county’s strategic location.

A number of companies that combine manufacturing, distribution and/or technology recently have made Springfield home, including Rhode-Island based TPI Composites, which began manufacturing platform decks for freight cars in early 2007 in Air Park Ohio. The company also makes parts for an Army Humvee prototype that is being tested.

H.E.F.-USA, which is based in France, opened its doors in the Springfield Industrial Park in early September. The company is known for its expertise in the science of tribology and surface mechanics, a treatment used to sustain the life of equipment components.

Also in 2007, Ritchie Brothers Auctions held its first sale in the Clark County community of South Vienna; the Canadian company auctions heavy industrial equipment in 90 locations throughout the world. CEO Peter Blake cited the location being within 500 miles of the total U.S. population as extremely important to his site selection decision.

GREATER AKRON: WHERE LEADING COMPANIES EXPAND

An aerial view of Greater Akron.

In Greater Akron, government, businesses, academia and other institutions collaborate to create unique growth opportunities for commerce. More than 21,000 businesses, including over 150 Fortune 500 companies; have facilities in Greater Akron. Greater Akron companies benefit from strategic industry clusters that allow them to leverage common technologies, a shared labor pool, and proximity to suppliers and buyers.

Companies select Greater Akron as a perfect place to start, expand, or relocate their businesses because of the area’s central location, efficient transportation network, abundant water supply, cluster industries, low cost of living and conducting business, and outstanding educational and research facilities.

FirstEnergy Corp., Sterling Jewelers Inc., and InfoCision Management Corporation are all examples of companies that have expanded in greater Akron recently.

FirstEnergy Corp., the nation’s fifth largest investor-owned electric system, has broken ground on its new 206,000-square-foot, approximately $30 million campus building in Greater Akron. The building, which will be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) specifications, is expected to be the first high-performance green building of its size in Akron. The campus initially will house approximately 550 employees and those from the company’s FirstEnergy Solutions subsidiary. In addition, around 150 new jobs will be added in the first three years, bringing the company’s total employment in Summit County to more than 2,500.

Sterling Jewelers commitment to Greater Akron has endured since 1910, when the Shaw family opened its first jewelry store in downtown Akron. This past February, Sterling Jewelers Inc. renewed its commitment to keeping its corporate headquarters in Akron, expanding its campus, which currently includes its 350,000-square-foot headquarters in West Akron. The city of Akron plans to assist with public improvements that may be needed on the property.

Sterling President and CEO Mark Light said, “We are very pleased to help support the future economic development of Greater Akron since both Sterling’s 2,300 and FirstEnergy’s 900 team members will remain located here.”

Sterling operates 1,333 stores in all 50 states, including the nationally recognized Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry brands, and emp-loys more than 20,000 people.

Finally, InfoCision Management Corporation, the second-largest privately held teleservice company, will construct an expanded corporate headquarters in Greater Akron. The 160,000-square-foot, $20 million corporate headquarters will combine with two existing adjacent structures to form the company’s corporate campus. Currently, more than 700 employees work for the company locally. InfoCision employs 4,000 people at 32 call centers in 13 locations. This expansion will allow for InfoCision to expand its headquarters to 1,000 employees.

 

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