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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The Ohio Valley is on the radar of both national and international companies looking for places to locate, according to information shared Thursday with the city's Community Improvement Corporation (CIC).
Patrick B. Ford, executive director of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle (BDC), offered a positive outlook for the area while addressing the CIC, which is also focused on economic development of the city.
The Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle is a private, non-profit economic development agency for Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia.
Ford said when he was hired in 2009, "Nothing was landing in Brooke and Hancock counties. We weren't getting squat."
He said a "sobering conversation" with leaders led to discussion on what was needed to change that and make it possible for the area to compete.
Ford said, "If you want to do it right, it costs money, and we didn't have any money," so an application was made for a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration which required a 20 percent cash match. Part of the match was paid by the county, the rest with in-kind services.
It was determined that economic development hinges on having available sites, knowing what makes the area unique and knowing how to sell it, according to Ford, who said a company was paid to go through the community and interview current leaders, study the heritage and understand the "muscle memory" of its work force.
"What they figured out, based on the labor force, the industry cluster we need to go after is chemical, energy, value steel, travel and health care," Ford told the group, adding the company also advised what sites would be ideal for those industries.
"We had to get creative. We had no sites and no money. Our land is on a hillside and in a flood plain," he said, adding, "So, we went after brownfield sites."
Ford said many of those in economic development don't want to touch brownfield sites, "so we already had our niche," and said since the group is non-profit, it was able to secure funding not available to private industry which it used to acquire and re-purpose sites for businesses.
"We've found no sooner do we have a site ready, a business goes in. You want to have sites ready. Companies will keep going up and down the river until they find a site," Ford said, adding, "We've never lost one deal because of the labor force or housing stock. When we lose a site, it's because they found a better site."
According to Ford, there is $66 billion in investment going on between Monaca, Pa. and Dillies Bottom, W.Va. and "all we wanted to do was get a percentage of that."
When the BDC began, the unemployment rate in its area was more than 13 percent and now, eight years later, is about 6 percent, with nearly 3,000 jobs and $150 million in payroll added, Ford said.
"This valley is on the radar of national and international companies now. Now that they're coming here, they're looking on both sides of the river. We put ourselves in the game, but economic development is a contact sport: You win one day; we won one the next day. It's great to have that competition, but we have to work together," he encouraged, saying this area is competing against areas like Houston and other large industrial hubs.
He said companies are looking for a labor force, education and sites, saying, "We have 1.4 million in the labor force. People in our area will drive 45 minutes to an hour for a job."
Statistics show that the work force in this area has the lowest turn-over rate in manufacturing than anywhere in the country and the third lowest turn-over in all industries, he said.
"That's what companies are looking for. We're relationship people in this valley. We still do business on a handshake."
Asked by CIC member Al Fricano how the city can engage the assistance of someone like him, Ford assured him, "We're all in this together. We get paid from a variety of sources. Someone helped us out; we're here to help you out."
He told CIC members any time they want to meet for a work session, to let him know.
In other matters Thursday, the CIC approved a recommendation from its property committee to pursue transfer of property on which the former East End fire station once stood to Tri-State Ford.