Creating and retaining jobs, promoting innovation and growing the income of Ohioans are the major goals of a sweeping strategic plan just unveiled by the Ohio Department of Development. One of the five major goals of the plan is to retain and attract top workforce talent and it outlines two new initiatives to help meet the goal: Ohio Means Home, a program to reintroduce the benefits of living and working in Ohio to former residents and students while encouraging them to return, and Ohio ASAP, a network to connect businesses with available talented people who have been displaced or are at risk of displacement.
The plan also calls for investment in Ohio's regional assets and invigorating our cities and regions as centers of commerce and community. One new program outlined to to help achieve that goal is Ohio Green Places, an initiative to develop policies to make Ohio the leading state for sustainable green development. There are also new programs to encourage companies to maximize the use of Ohio businesses when making purchases; a Customer Experience Initiative that includes an annual survey to improve the state's response to its customers, and an Ohio Economic Growth Scorecard with measures and performance targets to assess progress in meeting the strategic goals.
The Ohio Department of Development engaged thousands of Ohioans in developing the plan through seven regional outreach sessions, forums and focus groups, and multiple presentations and discussions with state, regional, and local economic development partners. The aim of the plan is nothing less than "redesigning our business climate to increase the global competitiveness of Ohio's employers," says Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who also serves as director of the Ohio Department of Development.
Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Kelly Schlissberg, Ohio Dept. of Development
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