Business & Industry

NORTHERN OHIO MEANS BUSINESS!

While manufacturing continues to play a significant role in the area’s economic development, business diversity has catapulted the area into the forefront for economic growth. Since the 1970’s there has been an influx of white collar, high-tech, specialized service and entrepreneurial opportunities. An increasing percentage of the local economy is driven by research and specialized service industries.

Each of the three metropolitan areas has earned impressive credentials as business centers. Entrepreneur Magazine has called Canton, Ohio one of the 25-best cities in the country for small businesses. The city is home to companies in areas such as metals, ceramic, paper, food processing and plastic. Yet, Stark County retains a solid agricultural base ranking in the Top-10 counties in the state in four areas of farm production.

Akron, Ohio, in Summit County, once was known as the Rubber Capital of the World. Today, as a result of vision and committed work force, the area has been re-dubbed ‘Polymer Center’ with worldwide research, engineering, technology and development. The region has over 1,200 companies engaged in manufacturing coatings, plastics, resins, molds and extrusions.

Probably no major city in the world has enjoyed as great a turn-around as has Cleveland. Business is finding the environment of Greater Cleveland to be very favorable!

Cleveland is regarded as the third best metropolitan area in the nation for attracting new and expanded business facilities. Twenty-eight Fortune 500 companies are located in the Greater Cleveland-northeastern Ohio area, making the region the fourth largest.

Cleveland also is regarded as one of the best cities in the nation in which to start a small business, according to INC Magazine. More than 6,000 business start-ups occur each year in Cleveland, which has been named by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top-10 city, nationally, for small businesses.

Over 2,000 area companies are engaged in international trade. In fact, World Trade Magazine says Cleveland is one of the 10-best cities in the U.S. for achieving global business success. The city is U.S. Headquarters, or has major offices, for 70 foreign owned firms.