MANSFIELD — Cliff Mears said Tuesday that Richland County residents are getting their money’s worth in terms of economic development efforts.
The county commissioner’s comments came after a meeting with Jodie Perry, president and CEO of Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development and several members of her staff.
Commissioners meet twice a year with Perry as part of their decision in January 2021 to invest $100,000 annually with the chamber to assist in business attraction, retention and expansion.
“(The money) is intended to pay the cost of someone to advocate for the Mansfield-Richland County area and to promote economic development,” said Mears, a former Mansfield City Council president and member.
“We need someone who’s available to interface with the private-sector representatives when opportunities arise,” he said.
Perry was joined in the session by chamber staff members Barrett Thomas, director of economic development; Clint Knight, director of workforce development; Jessica Gribben, economic development liaison to the City of Shelby and northern Richland County; and Sandy Messner, hired in December as the newly created marketing and communications director.
Perry said the $100,000 from the county has created “greater capacity” within the chamber’s efforts.
During a similar meeting with commissioners in November, Perry and Thomas said local economic activity was surging. That trend is continuing, officials said Tuesday.
“Economic development is booming and we’re doing our best to make sure Richland County is well positioned to take in as much of that as possible,” he said.
In addition to 93 visits during 2021 to offer assistance to local companies for retention and expansion, the chamber responded to 30 “attraction opportunities,” supplying requested information for entities seeking to create new projects that could fit into Richland County.
Thomas said nine new projects were closed in 2021, efforts that resulted in commitments of 133 new jobs, more than $5 million in annual payroll and $23 million in capital expenditures.
“That doesn’t include companies that were already here and the millions more they invested,” Thomas said.
He said the chamber is working on 28 active projects. “That is an unbelievable number,” Thomas said.
He also said the addition of Messner will help complete the loop on successful efforts.
“By the time projects close, I have been working on (many) other projects and we haven’t been good at telling the story,” he said. “Sandy gives us more story telling capacity to illuminate (the successes) that happened.”
Knight told commissioners about ongoing efforts to improve the local workforce, including the “career institute” that links students and employers.
“We are working to create seamless talent pipelines in the county, develop the talent we have here, to offer opportunities for adults to learn new skills, get new jobs and earn higher wages,” Knight said.
“We are trying to ensure our young people understand what types of careers are available in Richland County,” he said.
Knight said the chamber is working with the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, Richland County Job & Family Services and the Area 10 Workforce Development Board, as well as local employers like Major Metals, MTD and Adena Corp.
Perry and her staff said it’s too soon to tell what local opportunities may come as a result of Intel’s announcement in January it will build a $20 million chip-manufacturing site in central Ohio.
Barrett said companies who supply materials to Intel will “want to be close, but not too close,” to the site planned in New Albany.
