Attracting People

Central Ohio is the only region of Ohio that is growing. That means the region has to work extra hard to overcome the potential for population decline other parts of Ohio are experiencing.  The issue of attracting people is being addressed on a number of fronts including promoting the economic and cultural strengths of the central Ohio region. The Columbus Chamber of Commerce is engaged in a branding campaign for the metropolitan area of central Ohio.  This area includes 8 counties. It does not include Fayette, Knox, Marion and Ross Counties.

Partners in Attracting People

• Columbus Chamber of Commerce
  Focused on attracting and expanding businesses in greater Columbus, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce recognizes that people are the most important element. Their active efforts to attract talent and promote central Ohio as a great place to live, work and play have been aggressive.
• Columbus Partnership 
  The Columbus Partnership is a philanthropic group of central Ohio leaders committed to making central Ohio competitive through making great spaces including the redevelopment of the Scioto riverfront in downtown Columbus, through the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and by promoting the region as a great place through tools such as the annual Benchmark Report by Community Research Partners. 
• Compete Columbus
  Compete Columbus was formed in 2005 by the Columbus Chamber and the Columbus Partnership. Its purpose is to boost the central Ohio economy by focusing on the automotive, entertainment, health-care and logistics industries.
• Franklin University Leadership Center
  The Franklin University Leadership Center sponsors monthly leadership breakfasts, networking opportunities, an annual leadership symposium and on-line tools for building leadership skills.
• Local Tourism Offices
  While tourism may seem directed toward outsiders, it should also be directed toward educating residents about recreation and cultural opportunities. Linking local and state tourism offices provides customers with choices and promotes collaboration. Local tourism offices are listed on the Ohio tourism website, however there is no linkage between activities at a regional scale.
• MORPC
  The US Census will conduct the decennial survey in 2010 and many local governments have been involved in updating address files for accurate counts since late 2007.  Most counties in central Ohio participated in this effort which resulted in the addition of several thousand housing units to the total count. An accurate count will bring millions of dollars to central Ohio. Regional outreach efforts coordinated by MORPC will begin in 2009.