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OHIO plan seeks to aid Valley, state economies
Youngstown will be home to one of 12 state economic development centers.
YOUNGSTOWN — A long-range plan to stimulate the state’s economy will benefit the Mahoning Valley, said Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.
“Every single initiative will help the Mahoning Valley grow,” Fisher, who is also the head of the Ohio Department of Development, told The Vindicator on Friday. “The 33 new initiatives are applicable to the Mahoning Valley.”
The plan — Ohio, Home of Innovation Opportunity or OHIO for short — focuses on increasing the state’s per-capita income, the number of jobs, its population and expanding productivity through innovation by the year 2020.
It also includes components to improve the state’s perception, create a more globally competitive economy, grow and attract an educated and entrepreneurial work force, build sustainable and vibrant communities and operate government at the speed of business.
Most of the programs should be launched or in operation within two years.
OHIO is the first time in decades — and maybe ever — the state has had a “road map for economic development,” Fisher said.
Among the programs is the Check Ohio First initiative that will help link businesses in the state to each other.
“Big companies in Ohio often go to companies outside the state for services,” Fisher said. “This program will make the big companies aware of the small and medium-sized companies in Ohio that can provide those same services.”
Also, the plans create at least a dozen regional economic development centers that would bring together innovation and higher education to foster new business investment.
One of those locations would be in Youngstown and promote further partnerships between Youngstown State University and business owners, Fisher said.
“This is a way to help create a hub for the Mahoning Valley for business,” he said.
The plan calls for Ohio to improve its image both as a place to do business and a place to live.
“Ohioans are humble people by nature and we don’t boast about our state,” said Kristi S. Tanner, brand manager for the Ohio Business Development Coalition, which is heavily involved in this program.
There are incorrect perceptions that Ohio is not a good place to operate a business, and that has hurt the growth of the state, she said. That misconception, she said, is lessening among business executives.