FEATURED STORY:
Ohio Wins the Governor's Cup an Unprecedented 4 Straight Years.

More than 380 capital investments occurred in Ohio in 2009, making the state the nation's top location for company expansions and new locations for the 4th straight year. Of the many factors driving this trend, here five key reasons why you should consider Ohio for your next capital investment project.

Supply Chain and Location - Companies continue to locate and grow in Ohio because its concentration of businesses in several key industries, location within 600 miles of 63% of U.S. and Canadian manufacturing operations and world-class transportation infrastructure. Ohio gets products to market quickly and efficiently, reducing shipping costs and simplifying just-in-time delivery

Business Climate - Thanks to a sweeping tax reform, Ohio is now 1 of 2 states without a general tax on corporate income or personal property. 3rd party experts confirm that Ohio has the lowest taxes in the Midwest.

Skilled Workforce and Education - Ohio has a rarely matched ability to supply skilled employees across many industries, which can significantly increase productivity and reduce operating costs. Ohio's workforce pipeline is annually replenished with 180,000 high school graduates and more than 120,000 graduates from the state's renowned system of over 160 higher education institutions.

Financial Incentives - Ohio also has worked to differentiate itself from other states through high-tech innovative incentives to fuel growth such as the $1.6 billion Ohio Third Frontier and $1.57 billion Jobs Stimulus Program. Ohio incentive programs reduce business operating costs, encourage investment, and fuel growth.

Balance Without Compromise - Ohio offers businesses many unique qualities that contribute to better balance and, ultimately, optimal business performance. Company executives invest here because Ohio offers balance between work and life unlike anywhere else. Individuals can achieve both their professional and personal aspirations without having to sacrifice one for the other.

381 capital investments occurred in Ohio in 2009 for a reason.

FEATURED STORY:
Seamless Connect Between Programs, Capital, Credited with Ohio's High-Tech Rise

Tony Giordano has been around the block. He's started successful companies in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He has a good job as assistant dean of research and business development at Louisiana State University's Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

So why is he moving his new cardiovascular company, TheraVasc, from Louisiana to Cleveland? Quite simply, he says, there's no place like Ohio.

"There's this continuum of capital that I didn't see anywhere else in the country," says Giordano, whose company has received $100,000 of debt financing from the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise, $250,000 in venture capital from Portal Capital and $250,000 in convertible debt from JumpStart. "(Cleveland) had a phenomenally organized angel network, GCIC (Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center in Cleveland) was sitting out there and focused on cardiovascular opportunities. And the Third Frontier itself, when you started to look at it all, it became very clear. I stopped (looking at) Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Texas, and just focused on Ohio."

Last week, the Ohio General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to place on the May 4 ballot a $700-million bond issue to extend the life of Ohio's signature economic development effort -- the Ohio Third Frontier -- through 2016. Proponents, who include numerous business groups, say approval is critical to continued creation of high-tech jobs.

While some have disputed how much money should be spent to continue the initiative, few have argued about the success of the Ohio Third Frontier and two other linchpins of the state's economic development efforts: the Ohio Capital Fund, which acts as a "fund of funds" to support tech-related venture capital deals, and the Ohio Technology Investment Tax Credit, which further incents investors to put money into Ohio tech companies.

FEATURED TOPIC:
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