Editor’s Note: This guest column is part of an annual special section called Visions, in which Toledo Free Press asks local economic development and business leaders to share what they see ahead for Toledo and Northwest Ohio in the coming year.

This past year, the Board of Lucas County Commissioners streamlined its economic and workforce development efforts with the creation of the Department of Planning and Development. With this step, economic and workforce development in our county began anew — focused on driving economic growth through a data-driven, results-oriented process with a special emphasis on matching employers’ needs with potential employees’ skills.

Work Ready Lucas County

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While we are encouraged by lower unemployment figures in Lucas County, we recognize too many people are being left behind and too many businesses are having difficulty recruiting skilled workers. Businesses looking to improve, expand or relocate to Lucas County demand a strong workforce with demonstrable skills. That is why we were proud to launch Work Ready Lucas County.

RELATED: Ottney: Visions

It seems only fitting that the board begins its second decade of workforce development programming by ushering in this new initiative. The framework allows us to quantify and improve the skill levels of our workforce through a standardized skill credential and a robust data infrastructure that helps measure, identify and close skill gaps — part of a national strategy for work readiness.

Over the next two years, Work Ready Lucas County will endeavor to certify over 2,000 citizen job seekers and nearly 200 businesses. Once we hit that goal, our county will have earned its own certification. We will prove to the world that Lucas County has an excellent workforce with demonstrable skills — and businesses will take notice. Work Ready Lucas County is fully integrated into the county’s economic development efforts. We believe workforce development helps drive our region’s economic engine — and Lucas County isn’t going to step off the gas. For more information, visit OhioMeansJobs.com/lucas.

Urban revitalization

Lucas County has a proven track record when it comes to urban revitalization, having invested nearly $200 million in Toledo’s Downtown core. As the owner of Fifth Third Field and Huntington Center, we remain committed to the success of Toledo. Lucas County is proud to be a major partner of Hensville. We believe Hensville will help transform this rapidly growing neighborhood into a showcase for our region, which will attract even more residents, employees and visitors.

Most recently, the Lucas County Commissioners directed our community improvement corporation to purchase and demolish the former Hotel Seagate. We are busy forging a private-public partnership to ensure the elimination of this blighted building from Downtown’s skyline, provide a clean site for redevelopment and encourage further investment. We are also working with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to attract a strong nationally branded hotel Downtown.

Growing local businesses

Lucas County has been working to facilitate the growth of local businesses in our community. Some recent examples include facilitating Allermuir’s new North American headquarters in Monclova Township, helping Matrix Technologies add dozens of engineers in Maumee and ensuring that The Andersons new corporate headquarters will be situated in Lucas County. We also supported less traditional economic development strategies such as playing a major role in connecting local businesses to cutting-edge technology through the NASA Roadshow, hosted by the University of Toledo in June.

Regional strategic planning

The modern global economy has ushered in a new era in which regions must work together to achieve their potential. As a means of enhancing our global competitiveness, Lucas County joined the Regional Growth Partnership, alongside Wood and Ottawa counties in Ohio, and Monroe County, Michigan, to create a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for our region.

The CEDS will provide our region with an effective means to coordinate infrastructure, workforce, business and other capital investments and policies into a regional vision and plan of action, whereby projects, activities and decisions are prioritized and integrated to maximize economic development outcomes.

Going forward in 2015

Lucas County and our region offer incredible opportunities for economic prosperity and an outstanding quality of life. We will continue to work with our local economic and workforce development partners to ensure we provide a unified, regional approach to development. We are committed to furthering economic prosperity by enhancing our workforce, investing in urban revitalization efforts, growing local businesses and engaging in regional strategic planning.

On behalf of the Lucas County Commissioners, we look forward to working on these and new opportunities, as resources permit, for the benefit of our citizens throughout the New Year.

Carol Contrada, Tina Skeldon Wozniak and Pete Gerken are Lucas County Commissioners.

Editor’s Note: This guest column is part of an annual special section called Visions, in which Toledo Free Press asks local economic development and business leaders to share what they see ahead for Toledo and Northwest Ohio in the coming year.

In my new role with the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, I had the opportunity to spend time with even more chamber members than usual in 2014.

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Without fail, every company cited talent attraction and retention as one of its key challenges.

This came as no surprise, as people are the No. 1 asset of any organization. We must be able to grow local talent, recruit talent from other regions and hold on to talent when recruiters want to lure it elsewhere.

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As a first step toward connecting with emerging talent, the Chamber created EPIC Toledo in 2007. EPIC, which stands for Engaging People, Inspiring Change, is based on the belief that a region that is influenced by diverse young professionals is a region that can attract and retain them.

In 2009, the  Toledo Region branding initiative was developed to promote the region’s quality of place and economic assets. Last year, the initiative enhanced its message with a new campaign: It Matters Where You Make It.

In 2015, the chamber’s main goal is to help companies in the region with their efforts to recruit top talent by promoting the diverse opportunities and benefits of working and living in the Toledo region.

We will accomplish this in two key ways. The first is to promote the diversity of jobs within the region, while the second is to showcase the quality of life that can be attained for those who relocate or choose to remain here. For those who wonder if there is a regional economic development strategy and if “all of those organizations talk to each other,” rest assured there is and we do.

While many groups throughout the region have economic development as a part of their mission, this does not necessarily mean that there is confusion or duplication. The business of growing our economy is complex and requires focus in key areas. When each organization focuses on what it does best and communicates regularly with the others, success is not only possible but likely.

The chamber is proud to play a key role in this regional effort through our advocacy efforts and member services. Our team is eager to move into this next phase of talent attraction and recruitment in 2015 as we illustrate for the world exactly why “It Matters Where You Make It.”

Wendy Gramza is president of Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Editor’s Note: This guest column is part of an annual special section called Visions, in which Toledo Free Press asks local economic development and business leaders to share what they see ahead for Toledo and Northwest Ohio in the coming year.

The Regional Growth Partnership  (RGP) is the lead economic development group serving the Toledo region and 17 counties of Northwest Ohio.

As a privately led organization, the RGP focuses on meeting the site selection needs of corporate clients in a confidential, innovative and time-sensitive manner.

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The RGP offers a full range of traditional business development services, working in conjunction with our partners at the regional and state levels, to most effectively manage the site selection process.

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These services include: comprehensive site and facility searches; incentive packaging; project development, planning and expediting; facilitating projects in collaboration with regional and state partners; and providing access to Northwest Ohio’s premier venture capital firm.

To support these business development efforts, the RGP serves as the network partner in Northwest Ohio for JobsOhio, a private, state-created corporation leading Ohio’s job-creation efforts. The RGP partners with JobsOhio to provide project management and administration resources throughout the 17 counties it serves.

The RGP’s business development efforts are focused on six cluster industries: advanced and alternative energy; advanced materials and manufacturing technologies; automotive; food processing/agricultural business; transportation and integrated logistics; and bioscience.

Site consultants are the primary audience for the RGP because of the central role they play in the site location process. Our business development team focuses on direct outreach efforts to this target group. This includes direct market visits and hosting consultants for special events.

The RGP’s business development efforts also include an international component focused on cultivating the region’s infrastructure to serve both foreign-owned businesses and companies looking to expand in the global marketplace. Much like domestic business attraction, the international investment strategy is geared toward site consultants and targeted industry executives.

As chief marketing arm for the region, the RGP takes a lead role in pitching and selling Northwest Ohio’s assets to a national and international audience. Our editorial marketing campaign has generated coverage for the region in such prominent outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, ABC World News, CNN and Newsweek.

To help foster technology development, the RGP created Rocket Ventures, which serves as Northwest Ohio’s top resource for entrepreneurs and startups seeking capital and commercialization assistance. Client companies are eligible for funding consideration and access to a professional team which offers unparalleled knowledge and assistance and a track record of success in launching early-stage tech companies.

Dean Monske is president and CEO of the Regional Growth Partnership.

In recent years, The University of Toledo has stepped up to the plate to help drive economic development throughout Northwest Ohio and 2014 was no exception. This past year marked some exciting changes that impacted the entire innovation ecosystem in our region. In 2015, UT is poised to take its passionate commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship to another level.

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At the core of this change is the newly branded UT’s Rocket Innovations enterprise (formerly UT Innovation Enterprises). Rocket Innovations consists of an investment fund, a technology transfer office and the LaunchPad Incubation program, which all work together to stimulate economic development.

Rocket Innovations’ focus is to invest in technology-based pre-seed companies in three sectors: IT, biomed and renewable energy. The new structure will enable UT to more effectively leverage assets and resources and collaborate with partners, including Regional Growth Partnership and Rocket Ventures to drive job growth, capital investment and wealth creation to Northwest Ohio.

LaunchPad Incubation, a program that provides intensive assistance to tech-based startups, underwent a complete makeover in 2014. The result was a 400 percent growth in clients that helped launch 20 new companies and generated over 30 new jobs.

LaunchPad also experienced two graduations. Roost, an IT-based push notification company that recently attended the prestigious Y-Combinator accelerator program in Silicon Valley, graduated in August. Nextronex, an alternative energy-based company that manufactures inverters for solar arrays, graduated in September. Both were also finalists in the Seed Financing category at the inaugural VentureOhio Awards event in September, which acknowledges significant milestones in early-stage startup firms in Ohio. Nextronex came out on top as the winner.

Another notable company in UT’s portfolio is Blue Water Satellite (BWS), an IT company that has developed a proprietary algorithm using satellite imaging to detect specific mineral contents in water and on land. This startup, now part of the LaunchPad Incubation program, was created at Bowling Green State University. Growing exponentially, BWS has been selected as a Trusted Tester by Google and has garnered some terrific press lately, partially in response to the Lake Erie water issues.

In addition to modest funding through investment (Rocket Innovations) and grant awards (LaunchPad Incubation), the focus in 2015 for both programs will be to provide business assistance, management services and mentorships to startups, and experiential learning through Student Entrepreneur In Residence opportunities. Through these activities, students and faculty are given the opportunity to receive hands-on experiential learning through active engagement in research, technology commercialization and economic development in our region.

UT was also chosen as one of the first four National Science Foundation-backed Innovation Corps (I-Corps) sites in the nation. The program allows interdisciplinary students from engineering, business and law to work collaboratively with industry to research the market and create new products through the use of a new maker space, which is a joint partnership with UT’s College of Engineering, the I-Corps program at UT and LaunchPad Incubation.

Our end goal for 2015 is to continue to leverage the assets available within UT and Northwest Ohio; develop essential resources such as time, talent and treasure (access to capital); foster engagement among students and the community partners who can help make the biggest impact to the companies we serve; and further build the programs and partnerships to provide the biggest impact to the region. O

Molly Reams Thompson is director of LaunchPad Incubation at University of Toledo, Rhonda Wingfield is interim CEO of UTs Rocket Innovations (formerly Innovation Enterprises) and Jessica Sattler is director of economic engagement and business development programs at UT.

The Toledo African American Chamber of Commerce (TAACC) advocates and promotes the economic growth and development of African American-owned businesses by focusing on the development of business opportunities, business alliances and legislative advocacy.

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There are several tactics that will help create an environment of economic stability and help create jobs for one of Toledo’s most underserved communities. If we can help our businesses grow and expand, they in turn will hire those within our community who want to turn their lives around and those whom mainstream businesses do not employ. These tactics have worked successfully in other communities around the country and can work here.

It is a well-known fact that our community has traditionally been among the most marginalized and underrepresented. It has the highest rates of unemployment, lowest per capita individual income, highest crime rates, highest teen pregnancy rates, lowest life expectancy rates, one of the highest rates of homelessness, the most uneducated and unhealthy group and the highest rate of underfunded businesses. As you can see from this list, the needs are great.

These conditions exist for a variety of reasons (including conditions we have caused within our community). The entire community will be strengthened as some of the issues that have plagued our community for decades are addressed and eliminated.  The tactics are as follows:

• Recycle our dollars as many times as possible within our community by patronizing our businesses. We can help create jobs in our own community by helping our businesses grow. This growth cannot occur without consistent and sustained support of our local businesses.
• Ensure that our businesses have the same level of access to public contracts as other groups.
• Work with governments, public institutions and others to develop job creation strategies that include our community. For instance, the University of Toledo, City of Toledo, Lucas County Commissioners, Mercy, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Neighborhood Health Association and the State of Ohio have all made commitments in writing to include minority-owned businesses in their procurement processes. These organizations understand the importance of granting underserved communities the opportunity to grow their businesses by doing business with them. Other organizations, like the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and Metroparks of Toledo Area apparently do not. The library has refused to adopt similar written inclusion polices and has refused to release evidence of its procurement performance to underserved communities even though it is public information. The Metroparks have indicated for more than two years now that they intend to adopt a policy but have not.
• Unite and work together to develop plans that address blight, safety, infrastructure improvement and the delivery of services in and to our community.
• Refrain from aligning with people who do not have a proven track record of supporting economic initiatives that have benefited our community. This includes elected officials, political candidates and levy sponsors.
• Require that politicians and organizations we support with our votes and dollars reciprocate by supporting initiatives that focus on investing their resources in our community.
• Set the leadership tone by requesting that corporate welfare (such as tax abatements, development assistance, public grants and block grant allocations) be given only to those entities that have a proven track record of including underserved communities in their hiring and procurement processes.

  TAACC believes that if we do more to help ourselves, along with the support of those outside our community, the entire Northwest Ohio community will benefit, grow and prosper.

Jay Black is president of the Toledo African American Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at (419) 407-6697 or [email protected].

Editor’s Note: This guest column is part of an annual special section called Visions, in which Toledo Free Press asks local economic development and business leaders to share what they see ahead for Toledo and Northwest Ohio in the coming year.

In 2014, the effects of the Great Recession could still be felt, with perhaps the single greatest indicator of this economic downturn seen in the per capita income of the average Toledo citizen.

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The most recent data demonstrates that the average Toledoan earned less than $20,000 per year. Of all of the political subdivisions in the State of Ohio, Toledo ranked in the bottom half in terms of per capita income. This is simply unacceptable.

To combat this stark reality, the city’s economic development department has focused its efforts on fundamentals. Studies have shown that 80 to 90 percent of all economic growth comes from the existing business core. Accordingly, the city is focusing its energy and resources on an outreach program to Toledo businesses to provide support for those companies considering expansion. In partnership with the Regional Growth Partnership, more than 300 businesses were contacted in 2014.

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This outreach program has already produced results. As of Dec. 20, 712 jobs have been retained and 648 jobs have been created in the community. From an income tax standpoint, these jobs will generate more than $1.6 million that will flow directly into the general fund.

Job creation will continue to be a focus of my administration.  Job creation is the result of private businesses feeling comfortable investing capital in an environment where there is an appropriate labor force and land and facilities to accommodate their business models.

Toledo has a rich history of an exceptionally skilled workforce. This is why the slogan “It Matters Where You Make It” is so powerful. Any business engaged in manufacturing must consider Toledo as a location for its production facility.

In 2015, the city, in conjunction with its economic development partners, including the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, is going to work to ensure that these skills remain sharp. A specific example of this can be seen in the relationship between the Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, the contractor community and the residents of the city. A number of programs are being developed that will provide training and employment opportunities for the youth of Toledo. The emphasis here is providing a career that will increase the per capita income for our residents.

Toledo’s industrial legacy has been a double-edged sword for our community. On the one hand, a skilled workforce has been assembled to advance this manufacturing cluster. However, this industrial legacy has left strategically located properties in need of environmental remediation before they can be put back into the stream of commerce.

Between the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the City of Toledo, more than 350 acres of property have been acquired and remediated so that jobs can be created. Most recently, the city closed on 30 acres of property near Fiat Chrysler’s Toledo North Assembly Plant. In 2015, this land will be remediated and redeveloped.

In 2015, an increased emphasis will be placed on quality of life issues. Efforts continue to make our Downtown a vibrant, safe and socially friendly environment. The city is working with the Mud Hens, the Toledo Museum of Art and the Toledo Zoo on bike trails that will allow Downtown residents to have better access to some of the community’s most significant treasures.

Outside events forced many previous mayors to manage decline. I am confident, however, that through the hard work and passion of our residents and team members, I will have the honor of being in a position to lead and inspire economic growth in our community. Toledo’s best days are still to come.

D. Michael Collins is mayor of Toledo.

Editor’s Note: This column ran as part of an annual special section called Visions, in which Toledo Free Press asks local economic development and business leaders to share what they see ahead for Toledo and Northwest Ohio in the coming year.

The next time you’re on the East Side of Toledo, take a turn off Main Street down Riverside Drive. It’s the street that runs the length of the so-called Marina District along the Maumee River.

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If you’re there in the daytime, you’ll likely find at least a dozen cars with people inside, eating lunch, talking on a cellphone or contemplating life. Oftentimes, people get out of their cars to take a stroll down to the river.

As talk grows louder about a possible repossession of this taxpayer-improved riverfront site — owned but ignored by Chinese investors — we will likely need to get serious very soon about what the city wants to do with this property. Opinions and ideas are sure to run the gamut.  So here’s mine. Let it be what it is now and what it wants to be: a park.

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With minimal investment, this could become a premier park venue for Toledo. It may be a far better investment in the long term than just pouring more money and concrete into a “mixed development” project of retail and housing that may or may not be successful.

The last thing Toledo needs is another “failure.” We need positive momentum. A new riverfront city park would give us that. And it would be a much greater investment in the city’s future. Parks in general have been, with few exceptions, success stories.

Toledo’s major city parks are still just as popular as they were when they were developed 100 years ago. Even back then, park promoters and visionaries had to convince the naysayers this was money well spent and was a necessity, not a luxury.

In 1895, one of the top parks in the city was Walbridge Park along the riverfront, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. It still does. In West Toledo, in 1896, when Bancroft Street was still a dirt road, Ottawa Park was in its undeveloped infancy. It was a 280-acre acquisition that was highly controversial at the time, with critics claiming spending public money on such a large rural tract of land, far beyond the heart of the city, was a foolhardy waste of money and that no one would ever use the land for recreation.

After parks and public golf crusader Sylvanus P. Jermain was able to get a golf course built in the park, followed by ball fields and an ice rink as well as a shelter house, the park became the most popular in the city, drawing close to a million visitors a year. The voices of the naysayers were silenced and the rest, as they say, is history.

So let’s make more history. Think about giving Toledoans another park. And not just “another” park, but a “special” park. One that could become the centerpiece of a new commitment to recognize and develop our love for the greatest natural resource in the city: the Maumee River.

It could be that one signature venue that defines our city, helping to create a quality of life that makes the city more attractive in the eyes of prospective companies looking for a new home, or people looking for a great place to live. Or those Toledoans looking for reasons to stay.

Toledo has the best riverfront on the Great Lakes. We need to embrace that. We need to say it loudly every day. And we need to use our riverfront to our best advantage and not give in to those who would give this public treasure away to yet another private developer to soil with yet another a flavor-of-the-month mall concept.

So let’s start with the seeds already planted at the north end of the Marina District property: the new and popular National Museum of the Great Lakes. From those seeds it’s not an impossible stretch to think Toledo could grow and nurture a park-like setting that could easily include other museums, activities and facilities that are centered on celebrating the city’s heritage.

Whatever it is, it should be grand. We should have no quarter for little plans. We need to do something to stir our souls. Toledo needs to make a statement — a bold one to the rest of the world and to ourselves. This is our chance. This is our challenge. This waiting and vacant piece of our riverfront is our opportunity.

Email Toledo Free Press columnist Lou Hebert at [email protected].