East Palestine Partners with Group to Help Revitalize Downtown

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – The village of East Palestine is teaming up with Small Nation to create a strategic plan to revitalize downtown in wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment nearly two years ago.

Small Nation’s team will visit East Palestine’s downtown Friday as it begins the process of accessing assets and growth opportunities. Additionally, the team will conduct a real estate and business strategy session tailored to the village’s needs.

Facilitated by JobsOhio, the partnership connects Small Nation’s expertise in revitalizing Ohio’s small downtowns with the local knowledge to empower business owners, property stakeholders and entrepreneurs with a developmental strategy for the future of the village.

“The partnership between the village of East Palestine and the experts at Small Nation is a first step in driving new economic development opportunities for the close-knit downtown community,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “JobsOhio and our regional network partners at Lake to River have witnessed the resiliency and commitment of the people of East Palestine and look forward to the recommendations that this collaboration will generate.”

Jason Duff, founder and CEO of Small Nation, will be working with the village and business community through the process. Small Nation is a group dedicated to revitalizing small towns, recently working with Bellefontaine, Ohio, northwest of Columbus, which renovated historic buildings, created new businesses and injected more than $30 million in private investment into the community.

A group of East Palestine residents recently visited Bellefontaine to look at the process the town of 13,000 took toward creating a sustainable business community. Small Nation also met in May with members of the Community Improvement Corporation, presenting information about the techniques that have worked in other communities with the help of local leaders and property owners. 

As part of Friday’s visit, Duff will share proven techniques for downtown property and business development. 

“This initiative wouldn’t be possible without the support of JobsOhio, whose funding made Small Nation’s involvement a reality,” Councilman Lenny Glavan said. “JobsOhio’s regional network partner, Lake to River, has also played key roles in aligning regional resources and enthusiasm behind East Palestine’s revitalization.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.