Ohio Seeks to Capitalize on Rising Stars in the New Economy

W

ith an economic slowdown hovering over the Midwest, at least one state's leaders think they hold the keys to a revving economic engine in the new century.
     Ohio -- the state that gave birth to both human flight and professional baseball -- is embarking on an ambitious plan to remake its economy on the fly. And if the initial returns from the year 2000 are any indication, the Buckeye State stands a better-than-even shot at launching a home run.

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     Consider the growth evident in these numbers from the past year:

• Ohio ranked No. 3 among all 50 states in Site Selection's annual Governor's Cup facilities race for new plants and expansions -- with 1,131 total new projects -- beating out much larger states like New York and Texas.
• Ohio placed more cities (22) in America's Top 100 Small Towns for new plants and expansions than any other state in the nation.
• Youngstown and Akron, Ohio, ranked as No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, on the Brandow Company Small Metro Business Migration Index. The rankings are based on the number of corporate relocations nationwide to small metro areas. Also making the top 60 were Toledo (33) and Dayton (58).
• Overall job growth in Ohio accounted for some 100,000 new positions in 2000, with job growth in the Internet-related high-tech sector, rivaling even the job growth in Northern California.

     What does all of this mean? Well, if you're Gary Ross, president of the Americas Division of Liebert Global Services, it means you select Ohio as your corporate headquarters.
     Ross, who's responsible for the strategic direction of all Liebert operations throughout the Americas, made the decision that the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Westerville is the best place in the Western Hemisphere for his company to do business. Liebert, part of the Emerson Network Power Group, provides services for a comprehensive line of power protection and precision air-conditioning products.
     So why did Liebert choose Westerville for its 320-employee services division headquarters? "It really comes down to labor force issues," says Ross. "We need to do things that will retain our people, and we think that being in the Westar Center of Business in Westerville is a positive for that. The bottom line is that this is a good, centralized location."
     Westar scored another coup this past year when the Daimler Group announced it would build a $35 million corporate project in the 941-acre business park near I-71 in Delaware County. The project will include two office buildings totaling 300,000 sq. ft. and a retail center.
     Shannon Hamons, economic development coordinator for the city of Westerville, says that Westar is attracting companies like Daimler and Liebert because "in Central Ohio, we have a higher educated work force because of the presence of Ohio State University and the other colleges in the area. As a result, companies like Liebert are moving out to where the workers are. Duke-Weeks has been approved for developing another building of 150,000 sq. ft., and we expect to have as many as 10,000 people working here."