There’s a lot to talk about this Thanksgiving Day. Be careful. It’s always true but especially true this year, politics should stay out of the table talk.
I’m in the industrial
development business as a career. I subscribe to the point of view that
everyone has a role in industrial development though. Accept my humble list of things to consider
as talking points for your Thanksgiving Day turkey time.
Homesick Ohioans. The number one illness among former Ohioans is homesickness. The antidote may very well be served at the family Thanksgiving table. The reasons to move back to Ohio are more and more numerous. Visiting grandma is good. Job opportunities are the top draw to bring people back to Ohio.
Less People Moving Out. Out migration is something demographers track. Trends are trending in our state’s favor. Many will be surprised to learn that Ohio is net positive for out migration in recent years. As a state, we’re number one in improving this measure since 2015. Ohio ranks eighth for retaining college students.
More People Moving In. We have seen some anecdotal trends in the last few years of more people moving into Ohio. My mind goes to new families I’ve come to know from New Jersey, California, and Missouri among those moving here in just the last year. One report showed 87,000 job seekers moving to Ohio since 2019.
JobsOhio has tied the Ohio “Heart of it All” campaign to successful efforts to help connect opportunities for homesick Ohioans and people new to Ohio at FindYourOhio.com.
STEM Learning. Ohio needs to fill jobs requiring STEM skills more than ever. STEM careers span many growing industries in Ohio. It starts before kindergarten. I’ve found that STEM learning experiences as a family are key. Inspiration is the key to finding that STEM career path and the higher paying job it brings. It happens in more than just our schools.
Reshoring Manufacturing. Reshoring of manufacturing is real and Ohio is high ranking in achieving investment from manufacturers. Despite some tough economic factors this year, the list is growing. Behr Paint opened in Licking County in April with the ability to make seven million gallons of latex paint a year. Joby Aviation is hiring in Dayton. Honda/LGES nears day one in Fayette County. Ohio is a vital part of this national trend that has truly just begun.
Energy Independence. Manufacturers need electricity. Ohio is at the heart of our national energy independence. 80% of U.S. energy independence is owed to three states—Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We need to seize our strengths and emphasize that Ohio does have power.
Making Chips. The semiconductor industry is a rollercoaster, and Ohioans have been on that rollercoaster now going on three years. Stay the course is what I say. We can’t forget that Intel is part of a ten-fold increase in investment in the chip making industry in the U.S. that is absolutely vital to our national security.
Bottom Line: The job opportunities promised, in both the high-profile projects as well as the less high-profile reshoring of manufacturing, are going to materialize over the next few years. The end result of our collective efforts to prepare will be Ohio better seizing the opportunities that exist. We all benefit.
It all could start at our
Thanksgiving Day tables. Happy
Thanksgiving!
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This column is a regular development column for the Newark Advocate.
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