MANSFIELD — Barrett Thomas told Richland County commissioners on Tuesday that economic development activity is surging in Richland County during 2021.
Thomas, the director of economic development for Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, was joined in a presentation by Jodie Perry, the chamber president and CEO.
The news was welcomed by commissioners, who in May awarded a one-year, $100,000 economic development contract to the chamber and its Richland Community Development Group arm as the region continues to come back from the 2020 shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The number of active projects going on at the end of a quarter is normally four, five .. maybe eight. This year has been off the hook,” Thomas told commissioners.
“We have so many projects happening right now it’s difficult to keep things going,” he said. “But that’s what you pay us for.
“We are working three times as many active projects as normal, and seeing many growth projects in both small and large companies.”
Perry said the 17 projects active at the end of September could result in “hundreds” of new jobs in the area down the road.
Barrett, with the chamber since 2016, told commissioners that efforts continue in attempts to both attract new business and retain/expand existing companies, working closely with other economic development entities around the county and region.
“The attraction projects are much harder to pull off. You might have a 1-percent chance with some of those projects. It’s difficult,” Thomas said, adding that, “… 80 percent of the outcome metrics come from companies that are already here.
“Business expansion and retention visits really help uncover that stuff.”
In a two-page written report, Thomas noted the chamber had made 61 unique business retention and expansion visits to local companies through the first three quarters of 2021 and provided 25 responses to companies considering coming into the county.
Thomas reported there had been local business commitments for 127 new jobs with $4.86 million in new payroll thus far in 2021, along with $22 million in capital expenditures.
Other highlights this year cited by the duo included:
— a new 160,000-square foot “spec building” at 1750 Airport West Road that is “three to four times larger” than anything we have seen in recent years.” The industrial building/warehouse project, being constructed by Airport West I, 1310 W. Fourth St., involves an estimated building investment of $9 million on 15 acres.
The project, which was granted a tax abatement by Mansfield City Council in late 2020, should be ready for lease or sale in the second quarter of 2022. The project has also been supported by the JobsOhio Ohio Site Inventory Program, which offers grants and low-interest loans to support speculative site and building development projects with no identified end user.
— coordination with the Richland County Land Bank to support reuse of brownfield sites.
— improved regionalism efforts with Ashland, Crawford and Wyandot counties. That project “will allow us to develop a regional economic development strategy” that will allow local officials to access U.S. Economic Development Administration funds. Efforts to create the regional cooperative effort are expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2022.
— a rebirth at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, including an investment from Niss Aviation as the fixed-base operator, providing fuel, maintenance and other services. A new effort is also underway to develop a new website for the city-owned airport.
— assisted in the pitch that helped land a cyberwarfare wing to replace the flying mission for the Ohio Air National Guard unit at the airport. “The Air Force’s investment in the cyberwarfare wing in Mansfield can be a pivotal change in the workforce available to attract new business,” Thomas said.
