State wins Area Development Silver Shovel Award for significant boost to economy COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 9
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio's ability to attract
multi-million dollar business development projects is being recognized by Area
Development magazine, which awarded the state with its 2008 Silver Shovel
Award. The Silver Shovel is awarded to states that have generated top
job-creation and capital investment projects and are highly active in business
development initiatives. Ohio was one of only two states in the nation with
populations greater than 10 million to receive the Silver Shovel Award.
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"This recognition highlights the continued collaborations with our
partners across the state that help drive Ohio's economy and stimulate future
growth," said Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, who also serves as the Director of the
Ohio Department of Development. "We had many important achievements in 2007 in
the areas of business and industry attraction, community and urban
development, and innovation and technology. The hard work of our community and
business partners is crucial to our economic growth and is what makes Ohio a
state of great strength and promise."
The magazine highlights several of the state's 2007 capital investment and
business successes, including Amylin Pharmaceuticals' expansion of its
manufacturing operation in West Chester, Ohio; PCC Airfoils' new manufacturing
facility for aircraft engine turbines in Painesville, Ohio; and Avon Products'
new $115 million distribution center in Washington Township that will handle
distribution for 50 percent of its U.S. sales. The three projects combined are
expected to create 1,150 jobs.
According to the Ohio Business Development Coalition, the nonprofit
organization that markets the state for capital investment, Ohio's business
growth initiatives are part of a purposeful transformation of the state's
economy. From sweeping changes to its tax climate, investments in advanced
renewable energy technologies and a strategic plan for higher education, the
state has taken several recent steps to be more business-friendly and better
compete in a 21st century global economy.
Earlier this month, the Ohio Department of Development unveiled its
strategic plan, a forward-thinking plan to change the state's economy by
purposefully redesigning its business climate.
The state has determined the following three main areas to measure its
success:
1. Grow the income of Ohioans
2. Create and retain jobs for Ohioans
3. Expand productivity through innovation
To view the strategic plan and the state's fifteen strategies to achieve
these goals, visit www.ohiomeansbusiness.com.
One of the most significant initiatives supporting business growth is the
state's Third Frontier Project, a 10-year, $1.6 billion initiative to help
catalyze connections between companies and academia. The project is the
state's largest-ever commitment to expanding high-tech research capabilities
and promoting innovation and company formation that will create high-paying
jobs for generations to come.
"Executives are realizing how, in Ohio, they're able to find the perfect
balance between successfully growing a business and still enjoying life
without sacrificing one for the other," said Ed Burghard, executive director
of the Ohio Business Development Coalition. "Business owners profit from the
bottom-line benefits of better work-life balance for their employees. Ohio
offers low-cost, low stress communities in a combination of micropolitan and
metropolitan cities. This diversity provides executives and employees the
resources and time to make any ambition achievable. Ohio truly is the state of
perfect balance."
For more information on Ohio's business development, business relocation
and capital investment opportunities, visit www.ohiomeansbusiness.com
SOURCE Ohio Business Development Coalition
