MANSFIELD — Sondra Palivoda said some of the data she presented to business leaders in Richland County on Friday reinforced what they already knew.
“Everyone in the room probably already knows this, but the data shows one of Richland County’s competitive edges is manufacturing,” she said.
“Richland County has 3 and 4 times the regional average of people employed in manufacturing, which signals to us that there are major operations and major talent in those areas.”
The research director for Team NEO, an organization dedicated to advancing economic development in Northeast Ohio, was a featured speaker at the eighth annual economic forecast breakfast.
Glenn Richardson, JobsOhio managing director for advanced manufacturing and aerospace, discussed statewide trends in capital investment and job growth.
The breakfast was hosted by the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, Destination Mansfield, the Richland County Foundation and North Central State College.
Jessica Gribben, economic development manager to the City of Shelby and northern Richland County, said the Chamber’s economic development team usually picks the speakers with the help of Lee Tasseff, president of Destination Mansfield.
“The reason we chose these two this year is we wanted to have a state perspective, which Glenn brings and a more regional perspective, which Sondra has,” she said. “There’s a lot of interesting things happening in Ohio, and the two of them really helped to illustrate that.”
NCSC president Dorey Diab also shared new data from the Lumina Foundation on higher education attainment levels and median household incomes.
The percentage of Richland County’s population with education post-high school is 29% as of 2022. Richland County ranks 61st of 88 counties in educational attainment.
“Locally, we are working very hard with our business partners to make sure our students are prepared for the workforce and their futures,” Diab said.
“There’s a strong correlation between education attainment and better salaries, better benefits, better quality of life and more community prosperity for all of us.”
Professional & scientific service sectors show predicted local growth
Palivoda highlighted higher education attainment in the state in different employment sectors. Over the past five years, she said young adults earning degrees or certifications in business, engineering, law enforcement and technology increased.
Computer and information science, as well as health professions certificate earnings have decreased since 2018.
Palivoda said this is useful information for different industries that need to attract educated workers.
“It requires buy-in from students, and employers need to be willing to engage in meaningful ways with them,” Palivoda said.
“Some businesses might just need help making people aware of the pipelines and opportunities that exist, or maybe Team NEO needs to allocate more resources in different directions to upskill that workforce.”
Palivoda also presented 5-year local employment forecasts from Moody’s Analytics.
“Richland County is predicted to grow at a larger rate in professional services, and entertainment and recreation compared to our region at large,” she said.
“Northeast Ohio and Richland County are both on track to see 5% job growth in educational services, especially as some of these advanced jobs that require more training.”
Intel’s New Albany site is set to begin chip production in late 2026, according to a Thurdsay announcement, a year later than originally expected.
Palivoda said Team NEO is focusing on increasing the supply chain of semiconductor chips including plastic and electrical parts.
Richardson highlighted Intel and other billion-dollar “mega projects” in his presentation of statewide data.
“Intel said they needed 1,000 acres of a shovel-ready, available site,” he said. “They went to Team NEO, who shared that information with us, and JobsOhio looked at the entire state and the only site that met those requirements was New Albany.
“As we kept talking over about six months, we worked with Governor DeWine and business leaders from across the state to share what Ohio was all about and how they could be successful here.”
Speakers say automation & housing strong indicators for 2024
Richardson said JobsOhio recorded 16,000 new jobs in 2023, 40% of which were in advanced manufacturing.
“We were number six in the nation for job creation last year,” he said. “There’s still some challenges, but we’re all focused on looking at how we can do better and launch new programs for a better Ohio.”
The state also ranked fourth nationwide for capital investment, with $14 billion committed for new projects.
“Many many states are vying for these mega projects, and we’re working to win more than our share,” Richardson said.
“Companies usually have two priorities when they want to build: a site that meets their requirements and a skilled workforce.”
The mechanical engineer applauded Richland County’s economic growth last year, including the 179th Cyber Wing stationed at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.
“The cyber wing is a big deal,” he said. “That will drive the need for more educated workers and quality tech jobs, so that’s a win for your region.”
Richardson emphasized site readiness, including utility capacity, to entice large businesses. He predicted automation and artificial intelligence to be indicators to watch for 2024.
“Automation drives productivity. If you’re innovating in that realm, your workers become more productive,” he said. “AI really hit the market last year and it’s just another tool for companies and employees to do their jobs better and faster.
“Giving employees new training and innovation opportunities is a recipe for success.”
Palivoda highlighted Richland County’s expected population growth of young adults in her presentation.
“Census estimates came out this year showing growing levels of younger people and what we might say are key working-age populations,” she said.
“I think affordable housing is going to be key for young workers. Whether you’re a college graduate or not, Gen Z wants a nice place to live.”
