| Marion County |
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Location, labor and costs are three of the most critical elements in any site search. Often, a company has to compromise, winning some points, sacrificing others.
Marion County distinguishes itself as a "best in class" location for all three criteria. Its location in north central Ohio is one of the state's densest concentrations of automotive industry activity. Operating and living costs have been documented at up to 40 percent less than in Ohio's big cities. And Marion has an available work force in a region acknowledged to be the tightest labor market in Ohio.
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Marion is no yuppie suburb of Columbus. It's a hard-working city with a long manufacturing heritage. Though it is just 45 miles north of the capital city and in the fast-moving line of growth, Marion retains a distinct small town identity that is so appealing to its staple industries -- Whirlpool, Parker-Hannifin, Wyandot, Mack Foods, Marion Power Shovel and GTE, among more than 150 others.
The industrial community singles out Midwest work ethic, loyalty and low turnover as one of the county's strengths. These are the attributes that many multinationals -- like Whirlpool and Parker-Hannifin -- seek out. Work ethic, proximity to Columbus and low operating costs also lure service and back office activities, like software producer Macola, Kable Fulfillment Services and GTE, which placed its three-state regional headquarters in Marion. |
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An Ohio Edison/Battelle study identified any activity related to the automotive industry as one of Marion's top prospects for growth. The conclusion was based in part on the skill levels of the work force, particularly those developed at one of Marion's oldest industries, Marion Power Shovel, and a location well within the just-in-time range for Ohio's automakers. The four-laned U.S. 23 bisects the county and State Route 95 puts shippers within 20 minutes of I-71.
Marion has all the accoutrements manufacturers need: three Class I railroads, an abundance of water and a wealth of ancillary services, such as 1.4 million sq. ft. of warehousing and distribution space at the Marion Industrial Depot. Among many uses, the depot provides 80 acres of outside storage space for autos and other goods.
Marion County's several thousand acres of sites include the Marion Airport Industrial Park, with industrially zoned acres adjacent to dual, all-weather runways. The park is in Marion's Enterprise Zone, where industries can benefit from local property tax abatements as well as Ohio's Job Creation Tax Credit program.
Marion has aggressively pursued economic development since the late 1980s, when a major industry almost failed and unemployment approached 20 percent. That was the reason the county structured CAN DO!, a coalition of business, civic and government leaders that galvanizes action to keep infrastructure fresh, proactively cultures existing firms and engages in high-contact support for new companies.
For example, Marion development officials know that Ohio is particularly attractive to Japanese companies, which are grafting their manufacturing operations to the Midwest landscape by the scores to serve Honda and Toyota. But they also know Marion's small town qualities and rural environment might be confounding to foreign investors. To increase the psychological comfort level, Marion is working to create sister city relationships with Japanese communities. Also under development are Japanese language classes at Ohio State University-Marion, which will help blend the cultures of small town Ohio with those of the multinational investor.
While the employment picture in Marion has been improving for years, there is still a deep labor pool in the area. It is well-trained and becoming more so because of the county's three strong education institutions -- Marion Tech, OSU-Marion and Tri-Rivers Joint Vocational School. The schools have shown many times that they are willing to go the extra mile to train employees for expanding industry.
With the presence of a major university and several multinational companies, Marion County carries a greater sophistication than its population of 65,000 would suggest. The mid-sized city of Marion, for example, houses the exquisite Palace Theatre (circa 1920) which hosts 100 performances a year. The city also has two top-ranked medical centers, a good stock of new housing and the shopping choices only a retail center for seven counties can support.