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Chamber forums to spotlight development in the Valley
By Guy C. COVIELLO
Hundreds of people are working for businesses that recently located inside Ohio Commerce Park in Lordstown.
Dozens more will soon be working in the $100 million Matalco aluminum factory currently under construction in the park.
Anticipation abounds about the impending announcement of an $800 million Clean Energy Ohio gas-to-electricity plant in the village.
And NorthPoint Development projects 1,500 jobs on vacant land surrounding the General Motors Lordstown complex, which already employs thousands. NorthPoint obtained the land from the RACER — Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response — trust.
Lordstown has emerged as the Valley’s diva of economic development, but there are many more potential divas throughout Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
Presentations
That’s why the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber is hosting two, invitation-only, site selection presentations for the Valley’s elected officials, city managers and township administrators. Every elected official, city manager and township administrator in the two counties is invited to attend and, quite frankly, should make it a priority to attend if creating job opportunities for constituents and a larger tax base for his or her home town is a priority.
The site selection primers for elected officials are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at ITT on Meridian Road in Austintown and 1:30 p.m. Thursday on Ridge Road in Howland. The identical presentations are offered at different times and locations to make it more convenient for elected officials to attend one.
Regional Chamber Vice President of Economic Development Sarah Boyarko will walk elected officials through the site selection process. And I, as the chamber’s vice president of government affairs, will be on hand since government affairs and economic development are almost always inextricably linked. We will both explain how, by working together with elected officials, we can improve on a lengthy record of success.
As a side note, we will also take a moment to update elected officials on a potential state capital budget and how they can best help their communities fare well in that process.
This is part of an ongoing series of forums that the regional chamber is staging to help community leaders understand and assist in economic growth.
Economic development
The regional chamber is the Valley’s lead economic development agency. Since 1993, its economic development team has assisted in 487 projects with investments totaling well over $4.4 billion and resulting in nearly 50,330 new or retained jobs. In 2014, the chamber’s efforts resulted in $126,555,680 in investments; 13 completed projects; 484 new jobs; and $24,950,840 in new payroll.
Our local partners — the Western Reserve Port Authority, the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corp., the Eastgate Council of Governments, and local economic development officials — played vital roles in these projects. Success is not attainable without their assistance.
Success, though, can increase by fostering new relationships with the Valley’s elected officials. Whether large townships like Austintown or small townships like Weathersfield; whether urban communities like Campbell or rural hamlets like Gustavus; opportunities abound.
So the site selection presentations will cover what companies look for when considering locating in the Valley. They will cover actions that local leaders can take to make their communities more attractive. And they will cover mistakes, such as breaching confidentiality, that elected leaders sometimes make that kill projects.
We look forward to embracing all elected officials as our partners in business attraction and job creation. Together, we can speed up the rate at which the Valley is shedding its Rust Belt image.
Coviello is vice president of government affairs & media for the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber.