MANSFIELD — Barrett Thomas understands economic development. It’s his career and his passion at the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development.
But he doesn’t begin to claim to have all the good ideas.
Now he and others involved with the 2022 U.S. Corridor Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy want public input into a project aimed at creating a regional plan that includes Richland, Ashland, Crawford and Wyandot counties.
“If (people) wanted to have a hand in economic development, but they don’t want to have to sit at this desk every day, here’s their chance. Look through the plan and give us ideas,” Thomas said.
“There’s probably more ideas out there and there might be great ways that we can work that into the plan. Give us your ideas,” he said.
“We want feedback, even if it’s, “This looks good,” or ‘Hey, what about….’ Folks don’t have to have huge divinely inspired responses,” Thomas said.
The public is invited to provide feedback on this report by clicking here.
A CEDS is required for programs funded by the federal Economic Development Administration, including the public works, economic adjustment assistance, local technical assistance program, and the short-term planning program.
It’s the kind of plan that can create a flow of money for needed infrastructure like roads, water, sewer and electric. It’s also the kind of plan that can be shown to companies looking to perhaps locate a facility in the region.
“(CEDS) is a tool used by the EDA that is key to triggering those funds. They don’t do a lot of economic development. They fund those of us who are doing it. The thing that makes communities eligible for their funding traditionally has been the CEDS,” Thomas said.
The four counties worked with the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University in a process that began in January 2021.
The effort included more than 30 one-on-one interviews and more than 600 survey responses with residents in all four counties.
PDF: U.S. 30 Corridor CEDS report draft
Members of the five-member CEDS strategy committee are Thomas; Aaron Pauly, economic development coordinator for Grow Ashland; Gary Frankhouse, economic development director for the Crawford Partnership; Erin Stine, community development director for Crawford Partnership.
The group also worked with a community advisory committee, comprised of more than 45 public officials and private industry representatives from the four counties.
It’s the first time Richland County has been involved in such an effort since 2012.
That plan came after the 2010 GM closing in Ontario, a “lighter” effort, according to Thomas, that included the large factory’s primary workforce areas of Richland, Ashland, Crawford and Huron counties.
“We put together a study that helped us get funding for certain projects. But it wasn’t really like (the current) study. This is at a much higher level. It’s much more thorough. Frankly, I was really pleased with the way this has turned out,” Thomas said.
Among other things, the 54-page study, largely funded by an EDA grant, examines the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the region.
Thomas said three of the biggest strengths are U.S. 30, market similarities and cooperation.
“If a company’s interested in being in Mansfield, they’re interested in that smaller-city experience, where if they’re gonna come in with 500 jobs, you know they’re gonna be a big fish in a small pond.
“They’re interested in getting that attention from local communities, They would also be interested in Ashland, they’d also be interested in Galion and Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky.
“So we are more similar to each other in that way than we are to Cleveland or Toledo or Columbus. So we thought this was a good way to go about doing some marketing for companies that are looking for this experience,” Thomas said.
U.S. 30 is key to the region’s success, said Thomas, an Ohio Certified Economic Developer who was listed on the 2019 top 50 Economic Developers in North America by Consultant Connect.
“We based it on U.S. 30 because it is a huge underutilized asset. When you talk to the Department of Transportation, they will rate freeways in terms of travel reliability, which is what percentage of the time you can travel at or above the stated speed limit (U.S. 30) has a 92 or 93 percent travel reliability rate, which is the highest in the state,” Thomas said.
Thomas he is hopeful the marketing and development cooperation developed locally will be found in all four counties.
“I am really, really proud of what we have built in Richland County (in terms of cooperation),” Thomas said.
“The collaboration that we have really is unusual. I get economic development people who come in from other places and they ask ‘Who runs this part of it and who runs this part of it?’
“I tell them these are all different organizations, but don’t worry. We all work together. And they don’t believe me. But we actually do. And we’re really effective.
“We get a lot of stuff done and when they actually see it, they’re all shocked that we weren’t lying because they think it all just sounds like marketing,” said Thomas, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business systems and an MBA from Taylor University.
The study also identifies perceived weaknesses in the four-county region, including outward migration, an aging workforce and the inability to attract and retain younger skilled workers; low entry-level wages in many industries; inequitable access to broadband; lack of retail shopping and dining options in the region; and lack of investment in technology infrastructure including automation by private and public sectors.
It also pointed to a lack of political leadership and pipeline for future leaders; poor condition of parts of U.S. 30; lack of affordable housing and updated housing stock in some parts of the region; lack of regional marketing and branding for business and talent attraction and retention; unevenness of the perception and academic offerings of K-12 schools in some parts of the region; lack of diverse populations in the region.
The study includes a vision statement that identifies the corridor as a “well-connected resource hub with a forward-thinking and collaborative culture that is home to a growing well-skilled workforce, diversified and competitive-wage employment base, and high quality of place that drives job creation, talent attraction, and revenue generation.”
It also identifies six goals:
— take advantage of the region’s economic development assets to diversify and grow the employment base, particularly in high-wage occupations.
— continue to develop the region’s infrastructure to connect the region’s people, goods, and services to the state, nation, and world.
— foster a forward thinking and collaborative culture that embraces change and is willing to take risks to develop new sites, buildings, and initiatives to improve the economic future of the region.
— build a resilient, dynamic workforce ecosystem that attracts and retains workers in the region, provides a diversity of cutting-edge training opportunities for residents, and aligns training and educational programs with the current and future needs of employers.
— develop a coordinated regional approach to expanding a diverse stock of housing options to allow more residents the opportunity to take advantage of employment opportunities and the region’s high quality of life.
— continue to pursue new recreational, tourism, placemaking, and retail opportunities that increase the quality of life for all residents of the region.
Thomas again stressed cooperation among leaders throughout the corridor.
“The thing we’re leading with is all of us economic developers, we will all work together. That’s made a difference. We work together on all of this stuff.
“All of these goals, we’re all on board with all of these and how the stuff gets done. And we all wanna see these things happen,” he said.
The public is invited to provide feedback on this report by visiting: https://bgsu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1WSymC6PrmXhLYW
