Development
Chambers of commerce, local offices of economic development and local planning commissions are pivotal to development information and policies. The 12 counties of central Ohio have a variety of development focuses and are often competitive for businesses. There are a minimum of 129 Chambers of commerce in the region. Using tools that promote joint development incentive packages is becoming increasingly necessary.
Ohio has the fifth highest number of Fortune 500 companies in the country with 27. There are 6 Fortune 500 companies located in the central Ohio region which is comparable to the Cleveland and Cincinnati regions. The Central Ohio Fortune 500 companies include American Electric Power, Big Lots, Cardinal Industries, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Limited Brands and Nationwide Insurance. There are 15 Fortune 1000 companies in central Ohio. A map of the Fortune 1000 companies is available on the Ohio Department of Development’s webpage. Other major employers in the region include Whirlpool (Marion County), JP Morgan Chase (Delaware County), Kenworth (Ross County), Rolls Royce (Knox County), State Farm Insurance (Licking County), and Honda (Union County). Hospitals, school districts and county governments are often the largest employers.
The health-care industry is a growing part of the central Ohio economy. While a new hospital was recently built in Dublin, new hospitals are also planned in Delaware, Fairfield and Pickaway counties. Additionally, Nationwide Children's Hospital and the OSU Medical Center and affiated hospitals are investing in excess $2 billion to grow their research and patient care capacity.
Partners in Development:
- Building Industry Association of Central Ohio
The BIA is a member-driven organization whose membership is primarily builders. - Chambers of Commerce
There are many chambers of commerce throughout the region. Many villages and cities also staff their own development departments and have development information on their websites. The 411 page of the MORPC DataPort has links to community websites. - Columbus Chamber of Commerce Blue Chip Report
The Columbus Chamber of Commerce publishes an annual economic profile of the central Ohio region. The report, prepared by a panel of economists, includes a forecast of the economic conditions expected for central Ohio. Predictions for 2008 include a sluggish economy. - Community Planning Commissions
The development process is complex and heavily regulated. Site development must undergo several reviews before it is approved for construction. Many community websites include development commission agendas. The 411 page of the MORPC DataPort has links to community websites. - Mid Ohio Development Exchange(MODE)
Established in 1995, MODE is the regional economic development organization for the mid-Ohio region. MODE was founded to facilitate attracting new businesses to the area, to work with existing businesses on retention and expansion needs, to improve the education and training of development professionals and to address issues that affect the development and business community. It provides opportunities for collaboration in the areas of education and marketing, and provides networking opportunities for economic development professionals on a regular basis. - The Center for Regional Development at MORPC
An important task of the Center for Regional Development at MORPC is to be a pivotal point for building collaboration and providing economic development information. - MORPC
MORPC tracks development and makes information available on the interactive map on the agency Dataport. This dataset is not fully developed and there is great opportunity to build this into a much more robust tool. - Urban Land Institute
This member-driven organization has a new Columbus District Council. The membership includes the development community both from the private and public sectors.
