Negative image holding back area, tech experts say

The Youngstown incubator is the best-kept secret in Ohio, an official said.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Northeast Ohio technology-based economic development organization envisions great things for the area's future.
But officials with NorTech said one of the area's major hurdles is an overall negative image those living in Northeast Ohio have of the area.
"Some may look at our goals and say, 'You've got to be kidding,'" said Dorothy C. Baunach, NorTech's president and chief executive. "We've been our biggest detractors. It's primarily about an attitude change and believing in ourselves."
NorTech's goals for 21 Northeast Ohio counties -- including Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana -- are ambitious but are obtainable, said Baunach and Chris Varley, the organization's vice president.
Here are goals
By 2020, NorTech wants the area to:
Be a recognized leader in one to three of the fastest-growing technology markets.
Have a per-capita income 15 percent above the national average. The area has been below the nation's per-capita income since 1999.
Have at least 12 Fortune 500 companies in the region. It currently has 10.
Have more than $1 billion in venture capital invested in the region annually. NorTech officials don't have that current annual figure.
To achieve the goals, the area must focus on its technological and industrial strengths and heritage, Baunach said.
But more importantly, the area must address its shortcomings in talent and workforce development and investment in high-tech industries and build an infrastructure that encourages innovation, she said.
NorTech, based in Cleveland, seeks federal and state technology funding -- including the state's Third Frontier high-tech program -- as well as private investments for the 21 counties to accomplish these goals, Varley said. It also works to foster regional cooperation and support for technology entrepreneurs, he said.
NorTech officials had high praise for the Youngstown Business Incubator on West Federal Street that provides free rent and services to fledgling technology companies.
"The incubator here is a great success," said Baunach, who once ran the Cleveland business incubator. "Youngstown and Akron are the two best incubators in the region. ...The Youngstown Business Incubator is the best-kept secret in Ohio."
University research
One key to turning around the economy of Northeast Ohio is to increase the amount of research done at the state universities in the area, Baunach said.
"We have IT [information technology] graduates, but not enough jobs in the area to keep them," she said.
Between 2001 and 2003, Northeast Ohio saw a 4 percent decline in jobs, higher than the state and the nation, NorTech officials said. Without investing in technology and new industry development, the area will continue to lose jobs, they say.
NorTech officials said it is important that economic development benefits all parts of the region and not just some.
"The technology capabilities aren't limited to just the big counties," said Les Vinney, NorTech's chairman as well as president and chief executive officer of Steris Corp., a Mentor pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer.
skolnick@vindy.com