HOWLAND TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Ohio is now fifth in the country for top states to do business with, according to CNBC.
Drew Cooper, director of government affairs and external engagement at JobsOhio, said that was not always the case. When JobsOhio, a private economic development agency, was formed in 2011, the state lagged in the bottom five. Through aggressive advocacy by JobsOhio, state, local and regional chambers and others, policymakers were encouraged to help make Ohio more attractive, Cooper said.
During the Ohio Chamber’s 2025 Mahoning Valley Regional Impact Ohio Conference on Friday at The Grand Resort, Cooper explained that JobsOhio’s focus has expanded from offering incentives to bring capital investment in jobs to new partnerships and programs.
And efforts are working, not just in Columbus, but here in the Mahoning Valley, bringing new projects, jobs and increased payrolls, he said.
“And we believe that trajectory is only going to continue to go up now that we have a regional partner, Lake to River here, that’s operating with a specific focus on this four-county region,” Cooper said.
Cooper said that by marketing Ohio – not just regionally but across the country and internationally too – Ohio has become the top state to do business with in the Midwest. Cooper said since 2020, 68 companies have moved to Ohio from a coastal area of the country.
He added that Ohio needs to employ incentives to ensure top employees and talent live in the state. For instance, the JobsOhio Relocation Incentive program, launched about six weeks ago, will offer employers up to $15,000 for each out-of-state employee hired in certain priority fields if those employees establish residency in Ohio.
“As we’ve lost population over the last 50 years, one of the best ways we can possibly reverse that trend is to bring more of those workers and families here to our state,” Cooper said, “because we know that 85% of people that relocated to Ohio in the last year did so because they had a job opportunity here that motivated them to move.”
Eighty-five companies have already applied, with the vast number of them being small- or medium-size businesses.
Mike McGiffin, vice president of engagement and investor relations with Lake to River Economic Development, said the recent formation of Lake to River is giving the region a chance to plan strategically and form its identity as it brings economic growth that benefits all four counties. McGiffin said there are 31 projects in the pipeline representing about $3 billion in capital expenditures.
Cooper and McGriffin outlined some of the current and recent successes, including the partnerships that brought Kimberly-Clark Corp. to Warren and True North to East Liverpool; the creation of the Advanced Defense and Aerospace Innovation Hub in Youngstown; and the anticipated SoftBank investment in Lordstown. McGiffin pointed out the importance of infrastructure and sites that are right for a new project.
And while 11% of jobs are tied to manufacturing in the region, McGiffin noted the importance of diversification for continued growth.
Housing and Child Care
Earlier in the day, the event focused on two of the barriers of employment in the Mahoning Valley – housing and child care.
Led by moderator Maria Spencer from the Early Childhood Resource Center in Boardman, a discussion focused on barriers to quality, affordable child care and statewide initiatives. The discussion included Paula Vandergrift, administrator at Believers Early Learning Center; Brittany Boulton, vice president of Groundwork Ohio; Kara Wente, Ohio Department of Children & Youth; and state Sen. Jane Timken, R-29th.
In Ohio, the labor participation rate is at 57%, but Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, said the goal is to increase it to 63% by 2030. To achieve that goal, more people, including those staying home to take care of their children, need to be brought into the workforce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Untapped Potential Report estimates that child care barriers cost Ohio’s economy $5.5 billion annually.
To get employers and employees to come to the region, affordable homes both near city centers and in rural areas are needed, he said.
John Demmler, CEO and president of 717 Credit Union, led a panel discussion on the challenges surrounding housing. The panel included James Kinnick, executive director of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments; Bill Beagle, executive director of Ohio Housing Finance Agency; state Rep. David Thomas, R-65th; and state Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-3rd.
“Two of the top initiatives that the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber has as a focus is trying to improve our housing situation and trying to improve our workforce and talent and population situation,” said Brenda Linert, director of community impact at the Regional Chamber, which organized the event. “We knew immediately that those were two panel discussions or two areas that we wanted to focus this event on, because it’s so important.”
Linert said that through the work of JobsOhio and Lake to River, the Mahoning Valley knows there are jobs coming and more in the pipeline. But unless barriers such as housing and child care are figured out, those jobs won’t do anyone any good.
Pictured at top: Drew Cooper, director of government affairs and external engagement at JobsOhio.