NORTH LIMA, Ohio – Officials with Lake to River Economic Development hailed last week’s $800 million plant announcement by Kimberly-Clark Corp. but assured partners and stakeholders Thursday morning that it is just the beginning for the four-county region.
The seventh JobsOhio region, which was formed just a year ago, held its first annual meeting at The Lake Club, just a week after Kimberly-Clark announced it was moving forward with a 1 million-plus-square-foot manufacturing facility on land it purchased in Trumbull County in December 2023. Lake to River encompasses Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
“I can say with confidence that this past year has been one of the most consequential years in our region,” exceeding all expectations, said Chuck George, chairman of Lake to River’s board of directors. The Kimberly-Clark project “is, by any standard, a once-in-a-generation kind of project” that also “changes the narrative for the region about what kind of projects are possible,” he added.
“This was a hard-fought win for the region, and it demonstrates the power of Team Ohio,” JP Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO, said in a video message.
“The Kimberly-Clark win is historic. It’s transformational, and it perfectly underscores Lake to River’s value to the region every day,” said Alexa Sweeney Blackann, Lake to River’s interim CEO.
“This isn’t just a big win. It’s proof that when we align our efforts, work with partners and stay aggressive, we can successfully compete for world-class investment,” she said.
“But friends, one project, even one as monumental as Kimberly Clark, is not enough,” she said. Now that that project is moving into execution, the priority is rebuilding and expanding the project pipeline.
Since its formation, Lake to River’s team has been “laser focused” on its mission involving site development, business attraction and expansion and workforce growth, she said. She also praised JobsOhio’s support in integrating Lake to River into its statewide network.
“This is huge for our region, and I think it sets us up for a really great trajectory,’ said state Rep. Nick Santucci of Niles, R-64th.
Santucci, who also serves as Majority Whip in the Ohio House of Representatives and is chairman of the House’s Lake to River Caucus, said that he and his fellow representatives in the Lake to River region now work collaboratively when projects come to one of them.
“In the past, the way it’s happened is, we all kind of worked in silos,” he said. “We communicate all the time, multiple times a week. We sign on to each other’s letters of support.”
Part of Thursday’s program was devoted to a panel discussion focusing on ways to maximize the impact of the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense, which was announced in February.
“The innovation hub offers the community “an opportunity to really amplify the brand that you’ve created for the Valley around additive manufacturing, because you’re already doing it,” said Terry Slaubaugh, vice president of sites and infrastructure for JobsOhio.
“You already have the partnerships. You already have everyone in place. And what this is going to do is be able to allow you to amplify the impact,” he said.
Stephanie Gaffney, vice president of additive manufacturing programs at the Youngstown Business Incubator, which will operate the manufacturing hub, said YBI is “maxed out” of space, so the hub “is desperately needed.”
“This building will help this region become an epicenter in aerospace and defense,” she said, YBI already is in discussions with four or five companies across the United States, as well as some outside the country, including a Swiss drone manufacturer that’s looking to come to the region.
Ohio has identified 71 priority occupations that are going to need 540,000 people to fill positions over the next decade, including 20,000 in the four Lake to River counties, Slaybaugh said.
“It’s primarily engineers, technicians, operators, [artificial intelligence and information technology] – those are the positions that we need to grow,” Slaybaugh said.
People already are taking notice, Sweeney Blackann said. Since the announcement of the innovation hub, Lake to River has been engaged with several companies, mostly ones involved in advanced manufacturing.
“We’re working alongside America Makes and the YBI to entertain five individual inquiries that we received from outside of the market for connectivity in the region and an interest in working with the innovation hub,” said Sarah Boyarko, Lake to River vice president, economic development. “So they’re aerospace and defense opportunities.”
Also during the meeting, Sweeney Blackann presented the inaugural Lake to River Champion awards to Penny Traina, who recently retired as CEO and executive director of the Columbiana County Port Authority, and Greg Myers, executive director of the Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County.
“Economic progress doesn’t happen in isolation. It takes collaboration – which all of you know is one of my favorite words – among community leaders, businesses, elected officials and residents, each of whom played a vital role in driving our region forward,” Traina said.
Myers said, jokingly, that he should have asked to go on before Traina, who leaves “some very large shoes to fill” and congratulated the Western Reserve Port Authority for its work to help land Kimberly-Clark.
“That just sets the stage for the future of what will happen within the Lake to River region,” he said.
“It’s just the beginning,” said Mike McGiffin, Lake to River’s vice president, engagement and investor relations. “What’s most exciting to me isn’t just any single announcement. It’s the fact that the momentum is real. It’s building, and it belongs to all of us.
“And here’s the reality – if we want to keep this momentum going, it’s going to take all of us pulling in the same direction,” he continued.
Lake to River’s board is in the process of looking for a successor to its current leader, as Sweeney Blackann had agreed to serve as CEO on an interim basis to launch the organization.
“We’re working with JobsOhio to hire a search firm to do a national search to get the best candidate that we can find in the world,” said George, who also is a partner in Sapientia Ventures, which owns The Business Journal. Sweeney Blackann has agreed to remain in the role “until we get the right person in position,” which she expects by the end of this year.
Pictured at top: Alexa Sweeney Blackann speaks during Thursday’s event.