Economic development projects over the past year were the topic of a gathering Wednesday morning at the Chillicothe Country Club. Kevin Coleman was there.
Tammy Eallonardo is the Director of Economic Development for the organization Greater Chillicothe & Ross County Development. In the annual presentation, she listed 13 projects that involved almost $70,000,000 of capital investment, created 297 new jobs, and retained more than 5,000. (She says the projects are listed individually in their Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and she listed them in audio below.)
She also hosted two speakers from the regional and state organizations for economic development who implied one message: There is a very strong need for sites and buildings in our area for immediate industrial use.
Eallonardo said announcements of the New Albany Intel project and Fayette County Honda plant have developers and industrial suppliers looking for any space anywhere in the region. She said they need "turnkey buildings" and greenfields to be developed, and urges anyone with an unused building or land for development to contact her office.
The two speakers represented state regional development organizations: Mike Jacoby, president of OhioSE, the regional organization - and Tyler Yaple of Jobs Ohio, the overall organization. Eallonardo said her office works with them continually, and most of her funding comes from them.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom or Kevin Coleman