Geauga County could have a comprehensive plan for economic development by this December, Geauga County Department of Development Executive Director Dave Favorite told members of the Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce at their luncheon April 16.
Geauga County could have a comprehensive plan for economic development by this December, Geauga County Department of Development Executive Director Dave Favorite told members of the Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce at their luncheon April 16.
Favorite said the county has work to do in marketing its assets, like a growing medical industry, solid retail and commercial sectors, and educational and recreational facilities.
“We have it all, but we also have the challenge of messaging that,” he said.
Favorite explained his department was created at the end of 2017 to incorporate the county Building Department and the CED department.
Until she retired last summer, Anita Stocker worked as director of the CED for almost 32 years. Favorite said in that role, she built the county’s revolving loan fund, which has benefitted the public.
“I think I figured out they revolved about $5 million dollars to over 200 businesses in the county,” Favorite said.
Earlier this month, Jessica Kaluga was appointed program administrator for the Geauga County CED Department. She brings previous experience obtaining grant funding and will manage the county’s Revolving Loan Fund Program, as well as the allocation grant projects that are awarded to the CED department by the state of Ohio.
As part of his role to encourage businesses to relocate into Geauga County, Favorite has met with local trustees and business owners. He said many are third and fourth generation Geauga County families whose businesses or farms have been passed down.
“When you look at the county, look at the formation of the business community,” he told the group, “Most of the businesses started here. Very few businesses have relocated into the county and that’s a big challenge for us now as far as a plan to attract new businesses into the county.”
Since deciding to embark upon the creation of a new economic development plan for the county, Favorite has researched plans used by counties and municipalities across the country. He also made himself familiar with the county’s inventory of shovel-ready sites available for development, the resources available to businesses in the county, and, critically, worked to identify infrastructure needs.
One issue facing the county is the need to develop telecommunications infrastructure, including universal high speed Internet access. The county also faces challenges in railroad and highway access.
Offering tax abatements or other incentives to lure businesses can be controversial, Favorite said.
“But on a level playing field, everyone is offering them,” he added. “So that’s the game we’re playing.”
His department sent out requests for proposals earlier this year. Favorite said the department should be awarding the work this summer and most of the planning consultants who have submitted proposals say they have a six- to seven-month working window, meaning by December, the county could be putting an economic development plan into action.
Favorite said a plan has to set realistic development goals for the county, while the real estate market will determine the direction development can take.
“We’re probably not going to attract Amazon or General Motors or Ford,” he said. “But we will fill niches for businesses that could be here, including corporate headquarters.”
