![]() Article originally appeared in the Springfield News-Sun on December 17, 2015 Champaign County now has a countywide economic development agency, the Champaign Economic Partnership. Launched on July 1, the CEP is a partnership of the Champaign County Community Improvement Corporation, local government subdivisions of Champaign County — county, City of Urbana, villages and townships — and private businesses. The CEP hosted an open house on Dec. 10 in its new offices in the Security National Bank building, at 3 Monument Square, Urbana. About 75 people attended to learn more about the role of the new agency. The CEP became Champaign County’s sole economic development agency through an agreement between Champaign County and the City of Urbana. Operating as a Community Improvement Corporation, the CEP is authorized under the Ohio Revised Code to advance the industrial, economic, commercial and civic development of Champaign County. With our motto “working together for success,” the CEP brings together private business and local government to advance local economic development and create jobs. To strongly focus the CEP on private business development and growth, our 18-member board of trustees must consist of at least 60 percent private business representatives and no more than 40 percent local government representatives. Our current board is composed 67 percent of private business representatives and 33 percent of local government representatives. Formerly the economic development coordinator for the City of Urbana, I was appointed director of economic development of the CEP with the agency’s official launch in July. Todd Michael, president of Michael Family Farms of Urbana, serves as CEP president; Andy Yoder, administrator of the Village of North Lewisburg, is vice president; and Bill Heitman, vice president of Civista Bank in Urbana, is treasurer. We are funded by our two public sponsors, Champaign County and the City of Urbana, and two private business sponsors, Pioneer Electric Cooperative and Dayton Power & Light. Security National Bank supports the CEP as an in-kind sponsor. We are recruiting additional private sponsors. This funding enables the CEP to carry out our mission to: • Promote Champaign County as the place to do business • Coordinate public and private resources to help businesses grow • Help existing businesses build capacity and retain and add jobs • Attract new business compatible with local needs • Improve business conditions and quality of life in local communities • Maintain a listing of available commercial property Businesses and others may call on the CEP for assistance when: • Their company plans to expand • They need property for commercial development • They need help developing and training a workforce • They need other assistance in expanding or establishing a business • They have a lead about a company needing a site In addition, the CEP partners with the Champaign County Manufacturers Council, which represents local manufacturing companies. The council: • Addresses mutual concerns such as workforce needs • Partners with local schools to promote manufacturing careers • Collaborates on marketing and other special projects The CEP office, at 3 Monument Square in Urbana, is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and may be called at 937-653-7200. For more information, visit the CEP website, cepohio.com. ![]() Local manufacturers took center stage on Tuesday at the county Community Center during a “Manufacturers Thank You Breakfast” hosted by the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP). The event, attended by state and local officials and representatives from some of the county’s 18 manufacturing companies, was organized by the CEP to “honor and thank the employers for their dedication to Champaign County.” “Almost everybody that is represented in this room on the manufacturing side has either had growth this past year – whether it be employees, expansion or new investment in equipment – or is getting ready to,” said CEP Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey. The list of manufacturing companies in the county includes Bundy Baking Solutions, WEIDMANN, KTH, Ultra-met, The Hall Company, Rosewood Machine and Tool Company (RMT), Advanced Technology Products (ATP), Sarica Manufacturing, ORBIS Corporation, Desmond-Stephan Manufacturing, Hughey & Phillips, Parker Trutec, Rittal, Johnson Welded Products (JWP), Robert Rothschild Farm, Colepak, International Fiber Corporation and Honeywell Aerospace. Bailey remarked that even with an ever-growing list of manufacturers in the county, no one is in stiff competition with the other and, in some cases, local companies are helping one another. “The uniqueness is still there in that none of you make the same product and some of you are each other’s customer, so we want to continue that,” she said. “We want to continue the diversity that we have and bring more people here.” Proclamations Three local manufacturers were highlighted during the event for reaching anniversary milestones in 2015. Urbana Mayor Bill Bean and Champaign County Commissioners Steve Hess, Bob Corbett and Dave Faulkner jointly presented Ultra-met (50 years in business), JWP (45 years in business) and KTH (30 years in business) with “Keeping Champaign County Strong” proclamations in recognition of their “long-standing dedication and service to the community.” “We thought it was unique that three companies are celebrating anniversaries all in the same year,” Bailey said. Representatives from the three companies were also presented with pumpkins from the CEP painted by local artist Vicki Deere-Bunnell. Each pumpkin was decorated with the company’s logo and fall scenes. Also in attendance was Sandra Brasington, the western Ohio regional liaison for Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s office, who presented each manufacturer with a proclamation signed by Kasich and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. “On behalf of the governor’s office, we want to thank you for your investment in Ohio as businesses in manufacturing,” Brasington said. “You guys are the ones making it happen, so we really want to thank each of you.” Brasington also thanked the county’s manufacturers for “changing lives” for the thousands of workers they employ. “You are making a difference,” she said. “You guys are doing a great job here in Champaign County, and we want to recognize that.” Bailey presented data showing job creation is on the rise. In 2013, Champaign County manufacturers employed 2,928 people, and by 2014, the number rose to 3,487. As of September of this year, Bailey said, the number of employees working in the county’s manufacturing sector stands at 3,832. “We’ve had over 900 jobs created in a three-year time period just here in Champaign County in manufacturing,” she said. (Pictured above: Champaign County Commissioner Steve Hess presents Lilli Ann Johnson, president of Johnson Welded Products (JWP), with a “Keeping Champaign County Strong” proclamation during Tuesday’s “Manufacturers Thank You Breakfast” hosted by the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP) at the county Community Center in Urbana. From left are Urbana Mayor Bill Bean, Hess, Johnson and Rachel Lewis, CEP administrative assistant. ) http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local/champaign-county-to-change-economic-development-mo/nmPB4/
By Matt Sanctis Champaign County’s economic development model could change this week under a plan that will include cooperation and funding from the county, city of Urbana, private businesses and other entities. Urbana City Council members recently approved the proposal, and the Champaign County commissioners are expected to finalize the deal Thursday. The proposal has been in the works for almost a year, and if approved, will eventually create a one-stop shop for business services. It would include offices for economic development, the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Coalition and other entities under a single roof. The new structure could take effect about 30 days after the county finalizes the agreement. The Community Improvement Corporation of Champaign County will take over control of economic development and will be called the Champaign Economic Partnership, said Steve Hess, Champaign County Commissioner. The city has provided the brunt of the funding in recent years after the economy soured. But the county and other entities will now chip in additional resources to attract and retain business, Hess said. “We felt like the county needed to step up and help with the effort more than what we were,” he said. The city will continue to provide about $50,000 per year in funding for economic development, and Champaign County will now donate an additional $50,000 annually, paid for through a portion of county conveyance fees that until recently went instead to the general fund. The Pioneer Electric Cooperative and DP&L will also spend $15,000 each to fund the entity. The commissioners raised conveyance fees, added to each county real estate sale, by $2 in 2009, with a portion being used to pay for economic development. But at the worst of the recession, that money was diverted back to the county’s general fund to hold off other cuts. “I said at the time I saw that as a temporary thing,” Hess said. “Once things loosened up a little bit financially for us I wanted to push to get it put back on.” About $1.30 from Champaign County’s $4 conveyance fee will fund its portion of the effort. Other local businesses that are interested will also be able to donate to the organization. Marcia Bailey, who previously worked for the city, would continue to lead economic development efforts locally. She would report to an 18-member board governing the Champaign Economic Partnership. That board would include local government officials, school leaders and private businesses, among others. Local officials organized the new structure based on a similar model in Shelby County, which has involved cooperation from Sidney and Shelby County for more than two decades. “We feel that’s a sustainable model,” Hess said. “It’s a wheel that’s already been invented and it’s worked pretty well in Shelby County, and I feel like it ought to work in Champaign County, too.” Shelby County’s program started in 1983, during a period of high unemployment and inflation, said Mike Dodds, executive director of the Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership. Several area businesses at the time wanted to be more aggressive in competing for business, and the result so far has been effective, Dodds said. One of the benefits is it allows both Sidney and Shelby County to pool resources instead of competing, Dodds said. Business owners in Urbana said they are optimistic the change will benefit existing businesses as well. Pam Bowshier, who owns a small business in downtown Urbana, moved to the area 16 years ago from Florida and remembers the majority of downtown shops were vacant at that time. “Shop window after shop window was just empty,” she said. Over time that has changed, and she hopes the new coalition will enhance that growth and development — especially for tourism and attraction to the area. Bowshier’s local shop, Cosmic Charlie’s Breads and Threads, 116 Scioto St., has had a storefront downtown for the past year. As a small business owner, she was excited to hear the county, city and private enterprises were uniting in the venture, she said. The group could create more opportunities together than each could do individually. “We need everyone working together,” Bowshier said. If successful, the new model in Champaign County will benefit schools, existing businesses and local government, said Ron Salyer, CEO of Pioneer Electric. The company has been involved since efforts began to find a more effective plan to pay for economic development. “One thing we think is really neat about it is the board is made up of 60 percent private businesses, and 40 percent public entities,” Salyer said. “That way, we have a pretty nice balance between the private focus as well as the public and it gets everyone on the same page when opportunities come to the county.” Pioneer has a significant investment in electric infrastructure in the county, so attracting new businesses helps build a stronger base of customers, Salyer said. The Champaign Economic Partnership is already looking for suitable office space in Urbana that could house several agencies under one roof, Bailey said. Creating a single location for business development would allow local organizations to share resources and time, and make things easier for businesses who are interested in expanding or relocating to the area. The money the county raises from its conveyance fees could generate between $90,000 to $100,000 per year, Hess said. After the county’s initial $50,000 investment, the rest could go toward other needs like hiring an additional part-time staff member to assist Bailey, setting up a revolving loan fund or funding a separate project. The money must be spent for economic development purposes. Although it was a long process, the new organization’s board members have so far shown they are committed to making sure the new model works, Urbana Mayor Bill Bean said. “We’ve had our ups and downs with economic development in Champaign County over the years,” Bean said. “Yes, this is new; but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right now we’ve got people interested in doing what’s right for the communities.” Staying with the story The Springfield News-Sun is committed to covering business and the economy in Clark and Champaign counties. For this story, the paper spoke to local government officials and private businesses about this year-long effort. By the numbers $50,000 — Amount Urbana and Champaign County are donating $15,000 — Donation from Pioneer Electric and DP&L $90,000 to $100,000 — Estimated amount county conveyance fees could raise for economic development 18 — Board members on the Champaign Economic Partnership |
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