Notes from Jim Doutt, Executive Director 

MCEDC Strategic Plan
Work is well under way on an updated MCEDC Strategic Plan.  A Steering Committee composed of the past Presidents that I have had the pleasure to work with over the last ten years has been formed to oversee the process.  This committee is being chaired by the current MCEDC President, Will Koran, and is composed of the following individuals:  Gary Hallman, Medina General Hospital; George Paidas, retired Executive from FirstMerit Bank; Frank Festi, Rea and Associates; Jim Ruhlin, The Ruhlin Company; Dan Sondles, The Westfield Group; and Ron Paydo, FirstMerit Bank.  The Steering Committee first met in April and selected six areas of focus for the Strategic Plan.  These focus areas were then formed into committees: Business Retention and Expansion which will be chaired by Bill Hanigan, Director of MedinaWorks; Centers for Excellence, Chair Thomas Whelan, President, Lodi Community Hospital; Funding, Chair Russ Gregory, The Ruhlin Company;  Medina County Port Authority & MCEDC, Chair Tom Steinke, Steinke, Vertal, Langdon and Drum; Organizational Relationships, Chair Chris Easton, City of Wadsworth; and Workforce Development, Chair Jim Boyes, Medina County Educational Service Center.  The committee chairs met with the Steering Committee on June 12 to review their progress.  The timeline for completion and adoption is December 1, 2008 just in time for the start of a new year at MCEDC. 

Victoria Tifft/Clinical Research Management, Inc. winner of the 2008 Ernst & Young "Emerging Company" Award
June 11, 2008 the Ernst & Young Awards which were held at Cleveland Playhouse Square announced that Victoria Tifft, President of Clinical Research Management, a MCEDC Member headquatered in Hinckley, will now join the other Entrepreneur winners in California in November for the "next round". This is a tremendous achievement. Congratulations Vicki and CRM!

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, is the largest and most prestigious gathering of entrepreneurs in America. Each year the awards recognize and honor the accomplishments of outstanding men and women across the the U.S. who develop the products and services that create jobs, support communities, and keep our economy moving forward. All U.S. winners will be honored in November, 2008 at a black-tie gala MC'd by Jay Leno in Palm Springs, CA. The overall winner will compete in Monte Carlo in May, 2009 for the World Entrepreneur of the Year. MORE>>>

Defense Department Gives the University of Akron $500,000 for Corrosion Engineering Program - June 17, 2008 Press Release
The University of Akron's proposed new corrosion engineering program — the first bachelor's degree program of its kind in the United States — is moving closer to reality with a recently announced $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).  Read the entire Press Release here.


Congratulations Commisioner Steve Hambley
State Representative Bill Batchelder and fellow Medina County Commissioner Sharon Ray were present on June 13, 2008 when the  Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) announced that Medina County Commissioner Steve Hambley was the winner of the 2008 Walter F. Ehrnfelt, Jr. Award for Outstanding Regional Contribution. Commissioner Hambley accepted  the award at NOACA's 9th Annual Summit at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center.

The Ehrnfelt Award, established in 2004, recognizes an individual who has significantly contributed to the betterment of the region.  Qualifications for the award include leadership, regional impact, cooperative attitude and dedication.



Commissioner Pat Geissman was among the  Northeast Ohio leaders who were given the opportunity to ask Ohio Senator George Voinovich some  important questions. The Spring 2008 issue of Municipal Leader Northeast Ohio magazine's Q & A featured the former Governor of Ohio and Mayor of Cleveland.

Commissioner Geissman asked:  "In order to encourage and facilitate economic development, local communities are often required to expend significant amounts of funds for infrastructure improvements. Certain types of improvements, such as water treatment facilities, require adherence to federal standards that typically add to the cost. Should the federal government take on a greater partnership role with local communities in order to stimulate economic development opportunities?" Read the answer and More>>>

EBO Group - $1M Receipent from the Ohio Third Frontier Grant Program
The Third Frontier is the state's $1.6 billion, 10-year funding program aimed at moving new technology from "the laboratory to the street" creating a high-tech manufacturing economy in the process.

EBO Group of Sharon Center, a MCEDC member, received $1 million to further develop and commercialize an oil-cooled electric motor for use in truck or bus hybrid drive systems. Oil-cooled motors can run at higher speeds than air-cooled motors and therefore would be smaller and lighter. EBO president Dave Heidenreich said he expects to have the system ready for market in 2010. MORE>> 

Welcome Michelle Masica
I would like to congratulate and welcome Michelle Masica as the new CEO of the Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce .   MCEDC looks forward to working with Michelle.

Michelle replaces former CEO Beth Workman, who left the chamber in early May for a human resource position with Soprema USA of Wadsworth.  We wish Beth the very best in her new position.
 
Medina County Transportation Improvement District (TID)
Most people probalbly don't know what a "TID" is and what it does.  Or even that Medina County has one, but we do! The Medina County TID, which includes all of the county, was formed in 1995 to work in participation with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in managing roadwork projects. The TID's mission is to serve the general public of Medina County by helping local entities plan and build a safe, efficient, accessible transportation system for the entire county in an effort to foster personal travel safety and economic growth. The TID identifies specific projects to be constructed and determines the priority of the roadway projects. The TIDs may use the state assistance payments for any purpose authorized under Section 5540 of the Ohio Revised Code, including administrative activities and the purchase of property and rights for the construction, maintenance, or operation of a projects. The current Board is comprised of Chairman Conrad Sarnowski-Villages' representative, Vice Chairman Jim Gerspacher-Commissioners'/MCEDC representative, Secretary/Treasurer Lee Kehoe-Townships' representative, Rick Monroe-Townships' representative and Patrick McNamara-Cities' representative.

In recent activity, Medina County Highway Engineer Mike Salay was notified that the Ohio TID Controlling Board approved the release of $250,000 from the FY 06 Roadway Development Account and $250,000 from the FY 07 Roadwork Development Account to the Medina County TID. Taking action with these funds, the TID disbursed $372,000 as follows: Brunswick City - $75,888, Medina City - $57,660, Wadsworth City - $42,408 and Medina County -$196,044. Commissioner Hambley has stated that this demonstrates the countywide distribution benefit of the TID and the importance of its assistance with local projects throughout the county.

GrowNOW provides interest-rate reduction on qualified loans to Ohio small businesses
Ms. Tara Brown, Special Projects Portfolio Manager, Ohio State Treasurer's Office, presented the GrowNOW program at the MCEDC Board of Trustees meeting onThursday June 19, 2008 at the Medina County University Center.

The GrowNow program, overseen by Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray,  is aimed at creating and saving jobs as well as helping small businesses adapt to changing circumstances as they grow.  GrowNOW provides an interest-rate reduction on loans to Ohio's small businesses and, as long as the business is  creating or protecting jobs, the loan can be used for any purpose.  Altogether, a business could save up to $24,000 over two years, money that effectively stretches the value of the loan, and can help a business to expand or adapt to the changing market place.

Operating a small business takes creativitiy and innovation, along with long hours and persistence. GrowNOW is an investment in Ohio's small businesses. Learn more or apply for the GrowNOW program at www.grownow.ohio.gov .

Medina County Farmers' Market 
With the ever increasing cost of both gas and food, it makes sense to take advantage of the locally grown products. You can buy locally grown produce, flowers, bedding plants, baked goods and crafts at the Medina County Farmers' Market. Celebrating its fifth season, the 2008 Farmers'Market will be held rain or shine from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.on Saturday mornings June 7, 2008 through September 27, 2008. Also, each week there will be a cooking demonstration provided by a local chef using produce from the market. Become a Locavore which is the 2007 "Word of the Year" for the Oxford American Dictionary and is defined as a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place" and is considered to be a part of the broader sustainability movement. It is part of the concept of local purchasing and local economies, a preference to buy locally produced goods and services.  

Welcome New Member: 
Granite Golf Properties located at 5588 Wedgewod Road, Medina is a golf course development and management company.  Subsidiaries include GGP Development, Shale Creek Golf Club, The Quarry Golf Club and Medina Country Club.

Save the Date - Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Medina County Economic Development Corporation will hold its Autumn Speaker Series/2008 Medina County Business Awards at 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at the Blair Center in Westfield Center. The keynote speaker for the event will be Mark Barbash, Chief Economic Development Officer for the State of Ohio.  The 2008 Medina County Business Awards event is once again being sponsored by Westfield Bank. Medina County will honor the companies and individuals who have made an impact on the business commmunity for work completed in the 2007 calendar year.  

Step up and nominate a deserving company or individual. 2008 Business Awards Nominiation Form and a list of previous winners available here.

Medina County Port Authority - Digestive Disease Consultants Project 
Through the cooperative agreement between the Medina County Port Authority and the Summit County Port Authority, Digestive Disease Consultants will finance the construction of a 40,000 square-foot, $6M medical facility in Brunswick.   More>>>

Medina County Fiber Network
The Medina County Port Authority (MCPA) recieved four responses to the most recent request for proposals (RFP) for the development and operation of the Medina County Fiber Network (MCFN). The MCPA has formed a RFP Evalution Team and that group met on June 2 to begin the process of preparing a recommendation to the MCPA and the County Commssioners.

University of Akron/Medina County University Center (MCUC) 

MCUC May 10, 2008 Community Open House

On May 10th, the Medina County University Center welcomed nearly 600 visitors to the first annual Community Open House. The event featured workshops for high school students and their parents as well as adult students. Families with their children enjoyed activities that included meeting local fire fighters, participating in a fire extinguisher demonstration and making crafts. The event also featured the UA Steel Drum Band, Jazz Ensemble and complimentary subs from Jimmy Johns. Visitors also enjoyed learning about the various academic programs including Nursing, Surgical Technology and graduate education.

Regional News: 

Great Lakes Manufacturing Forum
July 9-11 - Cleveland Key Center Mariott, Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson will open the Forum which brings together leaders focused on promoting, enhancing and preserving manufacturing in the Great Lakes Region.  Leaders from the eight Great Lakes States and the Canadian Provices of Ontario and Quebec will gather to develop robust plans and programs that address workforce, image, innovation, and borders and logistics issues in the Great Lakes...MORE>>>


Ohio Economic Report for March 2008
High skilled industries and jobs fuel continued growth in Northeast Ohio.  View the March 2008 Team NEO Economic Report.  



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