From left, Terry Farris from Terra State Community College, Nichole Fifer from Bowling Green State University, and OCIC Director of Workforce Innovation, Katherine Adams, participate in a panel discussion led by Kassie Cooper of the Center to Advance Manufacturing at the CEDS summit. (Submitted photo)
BY SHERI TRUSTY
OTTAWA COUNTY – On March 6, leaders from Ottawa County joined representatives from Sandusky, Seneca, Lucas, and Wood counties to discuss the economic future of Northwest Ohio at a Lake Erie West Regional Council summit in Bowling Green featuring keynote speaker, Ohio Department of Development Director, Lydia Mihalik. The summit was an opportunity to unveil the Lake Erie West Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
Lake Erie West Regional Council was formerly known as the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG).
The Lake Erie West Region CEDS creates a long-term plan for growth and sustainability and allows the five county members to collaborate on a wide-scope economic development blueprint that will help attract more federal dollars to the region. Oak Harbor Mayor Quinton Babcock and Ottawa County Improvement Corporation (OCIC) Executive Director, Chris Singerling, sit on the Lake Erie West Region CEDS board, which includes members from all five counties.
“This Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy gives our region a shared roadmap for the next five years. It builds on our manufacturing legacy, our strategic location along Lake Erie, and our strong education partners to ensure Northwest Ohio continues to innovate, attract investment, and create opportunities for the next generation,” Singerling said.
The CEDS board met for the first time in February, so the summit was a chance for the board to formally introduce the CEDS plan to stakeholders across Northwest Ohio.
“The purpose of the event was to get everyone on the same page, raise awareness, and learn how to connect your project with resources,” Babcock said.
Ohio Department of Development Director, Lydia Mihalik, left, and Lake Erie Regional Council Executive Director, Sandy Spang, speak at the CEDS summit. (Submitted photo)
The Lake Erie West Regional Council is working toward gaining designation as an Economic Development District (EDD) by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). Developing a CEDS is a vital step toward acquiring the designation, which could attract federal dollars for local projects such as airport, lakefront, and riverfront infrastructure.
“We’re trying to establish an EDD. We’re working to get federal approval,” Babcock said. “A lot of EDA grant money goes to EDD projects.”
The big-picture purpose of the CEDS is to improve quality of life in the five-county region. According to the CEDS plan, the CEDS “outlines a unified vision for the continued growth of the region. It focuses on expanding access to economic opportunities, cultivating a skilled workforce, investing in infrastructure and communities, and fostering a resilient, diversified economy that benefits residents across the region.”
The CEDS supports road, rail, air, and port infrastructure and creates objectives to bolster business, industry, housing, economic resilience, education, and more. It outlines economic development strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats across the region and sets specific goals to ensure strong, future economic development. For example, the CEDS has a goal to increase access to childcare to support the labor force. Among the strategies to meet the goal are identifying incentives for new or expanded childcare centers and supporting flexible childcare solutions, such as nontraditional hours, remote work, and employer-sponsored care. At the summit, OCIC Director of Workforce Innovation, Katherine Adams, participated in a panel discussion that addressed childcare needs.
The CEDS gives local leaders a practical outline for economic development that could help Ottawa County improve quality of life for local residents. The March 6 summit brought stakeholders together to take a collective first step into the future of Northwest Ohio.
“The Summit kicked off the next chapter in this effort and focused on some of the most important issues facing our region and how together we will address them,” Singerling said. “I am also pleased to have Sandusky and Seneca Counties join us – they play an important role in the long-term viability of the region.”