Newark's Steady Population Growth Leads Ohio Cities

 

Population estimates are in.

Newark is Ohio's 16th largest city and estimated to be growing, year over year, at a steady pace. In the 2020 Census, Newark was 18th.

Newark's pace leads Ohio cities. Newark's 0.67% pace is the largest percentage growth among the Top 20 in Ohio.

Newark remains Central Ohio's second largest city and has built it's spread over the third largest city, Dublin, by more than 2,000 people.

With multi-family apartments and single-family homes under construction in Newark, the population growth steady pace can be predicted to continue.

The steady growth is a positive sign for workforce development and economic development.

The source is World Population Review's 2025 report.

The March Madness of STEM Learning Hit Licking County

 

March Madness is upon us.  From my point of view, it’s already hit Licking County.  Three days of STEMfest! at The Works recently took place in downtown Newark and really brought a spotlight to how much STEM learning is part of our day to day.

STEMfest! has always been the science equivalent of a basketball tournament. Fueled by the energy of our kids learning about the value of science, technology, engineering, and math skills in a hands-on way, the 2024 edition didn’t disappoint.

Over 1,000 people went through the doors at The Works coupled with demonstrations by a dozen local manufacturers.  There were 100 teams from four counties, including students from public and private schools from most of Licking County’s school districts competing in industry challenges.

Our Licking County version of STEM learning has the greatest value because of local relevance.  There are places to learn STEM skills and there are places to work that need those STEM skills. 

Our industries crave STEM skills.  I’m glad to share just three examples on the Port Authority campus in Heath how STEM ties into their day, though it was really hard to stop at just three. 

Kaiser Aluminum’s hot rolled aluminum is a niche process that provides the strength essential to aircraft.  The metallurgical science involved is unique to Kaiser in Heath.

MISTRAS Group sees all of the metal for Space X rockets stream through their doors. Ultrasound, submersion, and x-ray techniques are the technologies behind their material testing processes.

Boeing inertial guidance systems require the precision ability to hit the equivalent accuracy of a pencil point on a football field.  Engineering aided by decimal point levels of math is what make their gyroscopes work.

STEM learning is what makes STEM careers happen.

Though inspiration for a STEM career can come from just about anywhere—that next door neighbor who tinkers in his garage to that aunt who leads a local manufacturer--it’s the school experience that counts. 

That’s why I’m impressed by Newark City Schools and their approach.  For more than a dozen years, Newark has embraced STEM in all grades.  Pre-engineering and robotics hit middle schools 10 years ago.  Advanced classes in engineering, math, computer science, and physics are now commonplace.  Newark’s STEM summer camp offerings are icing on the curriculum cake. 

Par Excellence STEM Academy is all-in on STEM too.  The school rebranded with STEM in a big way this school year.  Par has embraced engineering and project-based learning approaches that are already gathering attention.  National attention.  Later this month, Par’s elementary school students will meet one of our local company leaders to learn about brain tissue research.  Yes, brain tissue research is happening in Licking County and, now, it’s being demonstrated to fourth graders.

It’s important we keep introducing the next generation to the value of STEM learning and STEM careers.  The Works STEMfest! is a vehicle for that and has been for 15 years.

March Madness has already come to Licking County.

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This column is a regular development column for the Newark Advocate.

The Case For Thornwood Corridor Improvements

 

 

The Cherry Valley Bridge was shut down for more than half a year, and the reverberations were felt across several communities.  Those among us who weren’t sure we needed a new bridge, got their minds changed quickly.

The case for improvements to the Thornwood Drive Corridor are more than relieving the pain from a bridge shut down, though. 

Consider these points:

 

We Need to Get Prepared for Future Growth

Manufacturing is coming back to our shores and Licking County is a microcosm of this reshoring.  Our Port Authority campus in the heart of the Thornwood Corridor has seen a 40% increase in jobs in the last three years.

Intel benefits.  Traffic engineers tout the fact that the shortest distance and time of travel between Intel and points east, is the Thornwood Corridor.  Improvements will only make that through-flow of traffic for Intel suppliers stronger.  It’s notable that the first new Intel supplier in Ohio is located in a building in the Thornwood Corridor.

Getting the improvements to the Thornwood Corridor moving are critical to continuing to capitalize on the economic benefits of reshoring. 

 

Uncle Sam Has a Role

When jobs come back to our country, it’s the federal government that has the most to gain in tax growth.  Reshored jobs increase the U.S. tax base and manufacturing jobs strengthen the heart of our national economy.

So, it’s totally appropriate that Congressman Troy Balderson and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown were successful in getting $4 million appropriated for Newark in the recent federal budget.  These efforts are a big help to fund the next big Thornwood Corridor project.

When the final state budget comes out, we’ll be hopeful that additional state funding has been secured which will allow the corridor to advance sooner rather than later.

Local funding can close the gap.  The Port Authority has volunteered to help.

 

We Need to Answer Existing Companies’ Growth Demands

Though the news of 70 diverse companies making investments and creating jobs over decades doesn’t get the attention one big announcement can, the impact is no less vital at local, state, and national levels.

A recent look at the five industrial parks in the Corridor makes the case for devoting attention to getting the Thornwood Corridor advanced:

·       There are 1,600 acres with more than 500 acres ready to go for future, manufacturing-oriented development.

·        Manufacturing brings the highest-paying jobs and the combined $385 million payroll stands out.

·         Already, there are over 8,500 people employed in the Corridor with more jobs on the way.

·        The Corridor’s companies combine to over 10 million square feet of mostly manufacturing space.  It’s the largest manufacturing corridor in Central Ohio with a diverse mix of companies.

If population matters, we have that too.  Consider the fact that, if Granville, Newark, Heath, and Hebron were combined, they would rank as the seventh-largest City in Ohio.

Join us.  Supporters in the Corridor aren’t asking for a four-lane, divided highway.  We are asking for a safer and sensible route for our people and our freight to travel.  The case is clear.

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This column is a regular development column for the Newark Advocate.

 

STEM Learning Inspires

 

The seventh grader brought the bridge he made from mere toothpicks to STEMFest at The Works.  His special needs school aide and parents came with him. 

He put his bridge under test to see if it could withstand the pressure.  Then, he put himself to the test too with the pressure of presenting in front of the judges and competition.

The tears running down his parents’ faces and those of many in the crowd proved that that kid had passed a new threshold of STEM learning that even those closest to him wondered whether he could pass.  He nailed it!

Though he didn’t win the competition that day, there’s no doubt he won a new path for himself with STEM learning at the heart of it.  Inspiring.

This inspiring story is repeated in Licking County throughout our history and now.

The Newark Rotary Club, 100 years ago, put on an industrial exposition to help the special needs children of our community.  An April 1921 Rotary event was an early example of helping our community prepare for industry while also helping our children of all capabilities excel.

This summer of 2022 was inspiring with a new way to connect industry and learners of all kinds.  PCA, Boeing, and Covestro technologists showed off their day-to-day STEM skills to an integrated audience of YMCA summer campers and YMCA All for One campers. 

I watched an All for One camper put together his PCA cardboard cutout faster than most and faster, certainly, than I could have grasped doing it.  His determination was inspiring.

STEM learning in Licking County is reaching a wider audience and special needs children are a part of the audience. 

It’s all happening at the right time.  STEM skills in Licking County are in demand.

Boeing is hiring.  There are 28 different jobs, many requiring engineering skills, available at Jobs.Boeing.com right now.

Ohio Means Jobs Licking County is helping fill jobs at Ariel, Gathered Foods, and other STEM-skilled job creators. OhioMeansJobs.com advertises over 10,000 jobs within 50 miles with the keyword engineer included.

Plus, who hasn’t heard of that chipmaker coming to Licking County? Intel craves STEM skills.

These are my three suggestions for considering adding STEM learning to your children’s and your own educational backgrounds:

 1.    Take part in STEMfest at The Works.  The early March competition starts this Autumn by picking the industry challenge, forming a team, and preparing to both understand the science plus tell the STEM story too.  The Works is a spark to STEM learning and has a track record of more than 14 years at inspiring youth to STEM careers.

 2.    Sign up for your school systems’ STEM programs.  Many of our Licking County schools have STEM learning programming in addition to the regular curriculum.  For example, Newark City Schools offers pre-engineering to elementary school kids now.  Their STEM summer camps are a must-do.

 3.    Inspire STEM learning in your home.  Call it STEM literacy.  I heard a stat once that four of five Nobel Prize winners were inspired outside of the classroom.  Seek out programming at Dawes or other STEM learning venues.  Look for that possible inspiration to a STEM career through exposure to a wide variety of STEM learning options.

I know from personal experience that STEM learning is an inspiration for a better future for all Licking Countians.  I know, because I’ve been inspired by our youth.

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This development column is a regular column in The Advocate.

See The Advocate story "Buckeye Family YMCA Holding STEM Camps, Learning Opportunities" for more.

Writing Our 2020’s Song About Growth

Songs from the ‘80’s and ‘90’s are part of my youth in more ways than one.

 

Now Main Street’s whitewashed windows

And vacant stores

Seems like there ain’t nobody

Wants to come down here no more

Bruce Springsteen’s My Hometown might as while have been about my hometown.  I grew up in a steel town that doesn’t make steel anymore.  Much of my classmates did what Springsteen sang about—packed up our bags, maybe heading south.

Springsteen sung a ballad about my father’s hometown too—Youngstown.  It’s a melancholy song of a declining place in a country that didn’t appreciate manufacturing and the nation’s cravings for steel.

 

Well my daddy came on the Ohio Works

When he came home from World War Two

Now the yards just scrap and rubble

 

Even Billy Joel got in the act too singing about decline in the ‘80’s.  Allentown was about Pennsylvania towns, but it spoke to many of us Ohioans back then.

 

Well we’re living here in Allentown

And they’re closing all the factories down

Out in Bethlehem they’re killing time

Filling out forms

Standing in line

 

My kids and grandkids (I’m grateful for one of those on the way.) won’t have the same tunes stuck in their heads that I did.  The lyrics about growth and progress are writing themselves in places like Newark and Licking County in the 2020’s. 

A whole new generation of song writers have new fodder of so-called “problems” in Ohio in the 2020’s—more jobs than people to fill them, more buyers than sellers of homes, and more interested industrial businesses than available industrial sites.

My generation has an obligation to remind later generations that these problems are not really problematic in comparison to the alternatives.  Trust me.  I watched decline, not just listened to it in songs.

It’s harder to figure out how to fund a shrinking school system than a growing one nearing capacity.  It’s a real task to rebuild old streets on a dime than pave new ones on a dollar.  Waiting for your job’s new electronic paycheck in your account beats waiting for the old paper unemployment check delivered to your porch.

I’ll suggest that Bruce could write about Intel.  It’s first new factory in decades is happening in Ohio.  Ground was broken in Licking County earlier this month to signal the realness of a whole new semiconductor industry coming to the Heartland.  Suppliers are already here in Ohio and the promise is more are on their way. These facts bring with it a new song of positive progress instead of an old song of stagnation.

Billy could write lyrics about blossoming manufacturing of all sorts like soy crisps at GB Food in Heath or polycarbonate at Covestro in Hebron.  I’d suggest song writers paint a picture about Behr paint soon to be made in Licking County or get fired up about gas compressor components assembled at the recently tripled-in-size Ariel plant.  The Tamarack Dairy milk plant is expanding.  So is the thin film plant owned by Transcendia.  Expansion story lines of the 2020’s sure beat the opposite story of U.S. manufacturing in the ‘80s.

Given decline or growth, who doesn’t choose growth for their kids and grandkids?

I think there really are some lyrics in there somewhere. Together, let’s sing about growth in the 2020’s in our hometown.

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This development column is a regular column in The Advocate.

Intel Amongst Us: We All Play a Part in Welcoming $20 Billion Investment

“What’s the blue light special?”

As an economic development guy, I was horrified at the thought of all that could go wrong.  Walmart executives, lacking a local Walmart store to stop at in Steubenville in 2001, went to the local Kmart to get the feel for the workforce and community.  They asked one worker to explain this technique for sparking impulse buying among Kmart shoppers

It was as if the fate of hundreds of jobs in Eastern Ohio rested in the hands of one person.  That’s because it did.

I witnessed as the gentleman was respectful and more than happy to explain.  He did a great job.  Little did he know what role he played and, if he had had a bad day or behaved differently, how he could have turned the story for the worse.

Three months later, the community would receive the incredible economic news that a new $75 million Walmart Food Distribution Center would be built.  Today, it’s the largest economic base employer with 800 employees in Jefferson County, Ohio.

It’s always been my personal example of how everyone in the community has a role in economic development.  Everyone.

I have some new stories on the heels of this recent Intel announcement. Intel is amongst us. 

A visitor to a local museum questioned his host about natural sites and the history of Licking County.  After the Intel announcement went off last month, the host connected the dots.  The visitor was identified as working with Intel and have Licking County connections.

The informal tour and chance encounter could have been a turning point.

Just a few days into the new year, a big bus stopped at the Midland Theater and other venues in Newark.  Mine was the only local, familiar face.  No names were shared.  No corporate wear was spotted.  No business cards were handed out.  I’m sure many wondered what was going on.  The bus was the event crew for Intel and state officials scouting out locations for a then-upcoming announcement. 

Though the deal was a done deal, the announcement venue was certainly not decided.  All local stops showed the sort of capability that has long been our county’s mantra—big enough to have the resources, yet small enough to care about one company at a time.

The rest, as they say, is history.  The Midland and Newark will be forever associated with Intel and the day Ohio’s largest economic development project ever was announced.

What happened between June and January that could have been our local equivalent of the blue light special quiz?  A shopper at Granville Milling in Johnstown.  A pet owner at the Kennel Club in Jersey Township.  Hikers at Blackhand Gorge.  Guests at Cherry Valley Hotel.  There have been numerous past encounters that could have been the turning point too. 

There will be more in the future. 

The role we all play in economic development will continue.  The community has the opportunity to capitalize on the $20 billion Intel news, gain on Intel’s plans to grow their investment to $100 billion, and attract supplier facilities.  It will take all of us.

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This development column is a regular column in The Advocate.

Newark Boosts Population, Rises in City Ranks

 

The 2020 U.S. Census numbers have been published now.

As expected, Newark has risen on the list of Ohio's most populated cities from 20th in 2010 to 18th with 2020 Census results.

Newark remains the second largest city in growing Central Ohio.  

Here's the updated 2020 Census rankings as compared to 2010.

With a 5% population gain, Newark has a 49,934 population.  That's quite an achievement.  World Population Review estimates have tended to show Newark having crossed the 50,000 population threshold. 

Some cities in the bottom quarter rank of Top 20 cities surprised the estimators in a good way.  Cuyahoga Falls, Middletown, and Cuyahoga Falls were seeing estimates with populations falling under 50,000 but found Census numbers holding them above that population number.

The last few years have aided Ohio's largest cities in population.  Overall, cities in the Top 20 did better than the earlier trends showed.  Ten of the 20 cities saw population gains versus 2010.  Estimates in 2016 had as few as three in that category.

Congratulations, Newark Mayor Jeff Hall on the news front.

Population Preview: Newark's Population Gains Stand Out

The annual look at U.S. Census Bureau estimates for cities isn't due out until May.  However, WorldPopulationReview.com has given us a preview based on 2018 Census estimates.

Newark is now Ohio's 15th largest city.  The preview predicts Newark will stand out with another rise in the rankings again this year.

Newark's 1.8% estimated population increase versus 2017 estimates is best among Ohio's twenty largest cities.  There were four Ohio cities--Columbus, Lorain, Newark, and Middletown--that predicted population gains among the top 20 cities.

Further, Newark will retain its status as the second largest city in the Columbus metro area. It's hard to ignore a rise like Newark has seen among its peers.

Population growth is a measure of as well as a predictor of economic success.  Newark's growth among it's Ohio city peers stands out as a sign of its economic gains as well as a strong predictor of its ability to sustain a growing workforce to accommodate future growth.

Congratulations, Mayor Jeff Hall and Newark.

Job Talking Points for Thanksgiving Dinner

This is an opinion-editorial piece which ran in Sunday's edition of The Advocate and aimed at tapping that homesickness.  Thanksgiving is a time to promote a "return to Ohio" message.

Record levels of employment. Major new investments. A great economy. Licking County has much to be thankful for and Thanksgiving Day sure seems timely to give thanks.

My kids and I will gather on Thursday to do just that. I'm thankful that I can get them all together, but I know I may not always be able to do that. As they advance through their education, I fear someday that I may see them leave the area for work. That's a fear many parents face already.

It doesn't need to happen. Experience tells us that people who leave often find themselves homesick for Ohio and craving the chance to come back. A job is the number one reason to come back.

2018 is a year when it can happen.

Consider these suggestions for Thanksgiving Dinner table conversation with family from out of town. Will you?

There are well-paying jobs open right now in Central Licking County. Right now.

Boeing in Heath is hiring. There were two jobs on Boeing.com this week for Electrical Design. Engineers of all sorts and manufacturing talent are in demand. Ariel Corporation's Newark plant has jobs open for machinists, heavy equipment mechanics, and equipment maintenance technicians. Covestro and Anomatic are hiring systems analysts and multi-craft maintenance workers.

OhioMeansJobs.com shows over 5,000 jobs posted within 50 miles of Newark with the title "engineer" in them. There are 1,287 jobs open within just 10 miles of Heath.

It's clear that many firms are looking to hire workers, and it's easy to predict that out-of-state returnees would find a welcome mat to a new job at many local companies.

New job opportunities are coming too.

Facebook, Amazon, and Kohls have grabbed the headlines, but there are countless other job-creating projects that haven't become as well known.

For example, three new food manufacturers are in various stages of development on the Port Authority's Aerospace Center campus. Someone who knows how to properly handle food and work with food processing equipment is going to be in demand in 2019 with those firms.

One of those, GB Food, already attracted talent to return to the area. A Granville resident is now heading up the protein food additive ingredient manufacturer's new plant in Heath.

He'll be leading an early 2019 hiring effort. A baby formula manufacturer and plant-based seafood manufacturer are predicted to be doing the same here later in 2019.

You don't have to be out of a job to want to return to Ohio and Licking County.

Ohio Means Jobs Licking County is the area's one-stop place for job seekers. Get to know them.

They can quickly connect job seekers with employers. You don't have to be unemployed to use their very capable services. How about suggesting a stop by their 998 East Main Street office in Newark before heading back?

I'm sharing these thoughts in hopes that your Thanksgiving Day time with family is a joyous one and one filled with conversations that cause those many homesick Ohioans to come back, not just for the holidays, but for a job right here in Licking County.

Census: Newark Moves Up The List, Again

Steady population growth is a key to meet growing employer workforce demands.  That's why the recent news on Newark is good news indeed.

The U.S. Census Bureau published the cities data for 2017 estimates on population.  It's being widely reported around the nation today.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer published a database and a list.

A little analysis shows:  There's good news to be found for Ohio cities in this latest release.  There's good news for Newark especially.

Newark, Ohio can boast being Ohio's 16th largest city.  That's up from 20th in 2010 when the last full Census was taken.  Newark's growth rate since 2010 is at 3.9% and only Columbus surpasses that growth rate among cities Newark's size and larger.

Newark remains the second largest city in growing Central Ohio.

Last year, Newark was one of only three Ohio cities in the top 20 that saw an increase.  This year, the news is better for Ohio with 11 of the top 20 cities reporting a growth in population from the originally-reported 2016 census information. *

Here's the Top 20 for 2017:

Congratulations Newark Mayor Jeff Hall on this news.  Celebrate success, again.


* (Note: the Census updates its 2016 numbers so this comparison uses year-to-year data, not updates)

Changing to Reach the Immersive Generation

A March 2018 preview of the dome being installed at The Works.

The Works science museum in Newark, Ohio recognizes the need to keep changing and has, for years now, been adapting how it brings STEM learning to its core audience.

The Pre-K to Grade 6 audience is from a yet-unnamed generation I call the "immersive generation."  It's an audience that demands more than multi-media and a digital form of hands-on interaction.  The are growing up playing Minecraft and want immersed in an environment that they control.

When Ohio State - Newark offered to team up and move its astronomy classes and astrophysicist downtown, The Works seized the opportunity.  The immersive generation is reaching colleges and high schools now too.

The community responded with major philanthropic funding to build a SciDome, add programming, and maintain it.

It opens to the public on June 9.  Get ready for change!

The Next Smart City Is. . .A Suburb

Two pieces out there on autonomous vehicles and what they mean for suburbs--places like Newark, Ohio--are music to the ears for suburban economic development-minded folks.

Joel Kotkin writes in summation of both pieces: "By one estimate, as much as a trillion dollars of real estate value could swing to locations far from job centers that will become more attractive due to autonomous vehicles."

"Autonomous Cars Are About to Change the Suburbs" is in Forbes.  

Medium.com has a piece titled "~$1 Trillion of Real Estate is On The Move. . .Here's Why."

Must reads.

Infrastructure Needed

The biggest beneficiary of improved infrastructure is the federal government.  Even with tax reform, the federal government gets more income from growth of GDP than any other entity.

Licking County's most glaring infrastructure need is to replace a bridge that was originally a viaduct, or aqueduct really, that carried water and freight to the Ohio and Erie Canal and was built in the 1830's.

Yes, 1830's.  

Today, it carries freight and passengers across Racoon Creek at the northern end of the largest manufacturing corridor in Central Ohio.

A plan to replace it is underway but lacks the funding to get started.

A picture speaks a thousand words.  Here's four thousand.

Did I mention that the base of the "bridge" is wood?  And that wood is under water and has been since the 1830's.

See a bit on the history:  NewarkAdvocate.com

Manufacturers, Hidden Among Us

In Licking County, we are pleased to have Boeing making navigation devices and antennae.  We're glad Amazon is here with data and distribution.  We are fortunate to see Bath and Body Works' suppliers making bath and body works.  Nothing, though, beats the local manufacturers among us when it comes to providing a stable, economic base of jobs.

I was reminded of that today by a speaker at our Newark Rotary Club's Tuesday program.

Peter Larson, CEO of Klarity Medical Products, was the speaker.

Peter is familiar to Newark Rotarians because he's a member.  He also plays the piano and leads the song portion of our program every week.  His visible role in our community's music scene makes Peter a well-known person around town.

It was his day job that was the topic though.  And, for that, he is hidden among us.

Klarity has a 28-year history that began in Peter's garage.  It's grown the business in Newark designing, distributing, and making medical products primary in the radiation therapy and occupational therapy arenas.  His products are specialty plastics that take the form, literally, of the consumer.  A mask that is shaped to perfectly fit a person's head is a must for targeted therapies.  A pillow that holds one's head in place aids to comfort and results.

Klarity is international and exports 50% of its products to nearly every continent yet they are locally-rooted. Their design shop for product development is here.  Their engineers are here.  Their supply chain integration is here.   Their manufacturing is here.

Klarity also proves my long-standing view that innovation knows no population density.  They deploy 3D printing to make low-rate production of components.  Technology has made Klarity an even more stable supplier of jobs, locally.

Peter's company is one more example of manufacturers, hidden among us.

Newark: We're Moving On Up, Again

The 2016 Census estimates were recently published.  It means adjusting Newark's numbers again. We're moving up, again.

Now, Newark is the 17th largest city in Ohio and one of only three in the top 20 that are growing.  A 3.3% increase in population is significant compared to it's fellow city brethren.

It also means that Newark is the second largest city in Central Ohio.

Here's the chart:

A Dome That Immerses The Immersive Generation Into a STEM Future

Convincing parents and kids that there is a reason to care about gaining science, technology, engineering, and math skills is a never-ending job.  The Works does STEM better than most and is a national-model for a STEM experience hub.

That hub will get even better, Newark-style.

Yesterday, I was pleased to serve in my role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Works and share the stage with an amazing Managing Director, Marcia Downes, and our partners at Ohio State University Newark in announcing the SciDome that will open next Summer in Newark.

Yes, it's a planetarium.  It's more though than meets the eye.

I predict this dome will greatly appeal to the "Immersive Generation" that comes through the doors of The Works right now.   When the kids can experience things happening all around them and control the environment they are in, the wants of this new generation are best met.  No app can do that.  No computer screen.  No VR goggles. Nothing found in 99.99% of homes can give the experience that this dome can do with the right programming.

The dome is the key to opening an even greater STEM future for the Immersive Generation.

Stay tuned.  It's coming soon!

Community Localism: Adding Dreamers to The List

Steve Layman was the spark to Licking County's Community Capitalism effort a few years back. That effort has had a quiet but significant role in everything from a better downtown in Newark and stronger schools to STEM education partnerships and incubator space.

Steve upped the ante with remarks at a Newark Rotary Club program yesterday.  Steve suggested adding "Dreamers" to the list of essential elements needed when one sets about improving one's community.  He cited Newark area "dreamers" from Rev. Charles Noble, inspired by the needs of several of his parishioners to uplift their housing, to Gib Reese, "the biggest dreamer of all time" who strategically has uplifted Newark and Licking County in countless ways.

Steve punctuated his point with aerial photos from the past and old photos mingled with current shots in an impressive lesson for all on how Newark is Newark today.

Rotarians rightly pointed out.  Steve, humbly, left himself off the list.  In addition to Community Capitalism, he's dreamt of a self-sustaining Port Authority able to keep having an economic impact even in the face of adversity, past and future. That dream hits close to home for this author.

He's really written a new chapter on Newark's version of Community Capitalism.  Call it Community Localism now.

His conclusion was an appropriate quote from John Lennon (who knew people who live in Liverpool are Liverpuddlians?) and a call to action from the audience to be dreamers, "Our community needs you."

Upbeat Commercial Real Estate Report Like Good Medicine

Starting with this photo of Newark in the early 1950's, Steve Layman of Anderson Layman Blog fame spoke to Newark Rotary about commercial real estate in Licking County.  It was a reprisal of his annual presentation to the Community Leadership Class of Licking County.  I hadn't heard it for a few years, and needed a dose.

He pointed out major employers that had left or, at best, significantly downsized.  He just as quickly, though, pointed out that predictions of doom and gloom didn't come to be.  He labeled our town a healthy place indeed for commercial real estate and, by extension, our economy.

He cited "economic heroes" of Licking County who took huge personal risks and built their businesses for the benefit of the health of our local economy.  There's Jack O'Neill and his spec buildings and industrial parks, which continue with a fervor.  There's Herb Murphy, Alan Benton, Tom Harvey, Larry Dickson, and Don Blake too on Steve's heroes list.

Layman's remarks ended up right where he started--looking at downtown Newark.  He predicted 2018, when a series of key infrastructure projects have come to fruition, as a great year ahead for downtown Newark.

Rotary got their dosage of upbeat medicine.  I think we're going to have to make Steve give this speech every year.

First Glance at A Tale of 2000 Cities: Go Ahead, Look

I can't say I've heard of the Demand Institute before.  Their creative, data-filled web-based report on states and cities is going to catch attention though.   It's memorable and worth a deeper look.

Blue collar, Ohio cities beware though.  The "R" word is present, in name and data.

The graphics version of the report shows the ups and downs of median housing prices in the nation between the Years 2000 and 2018.  California never reaches their peak.  Ohio does, before 2018.

 

 

The graphics also allow one to zoom in on states and cities.  There are 2,200 cities in the list, meaning the Demand Institute drilled down into metro areas and looked at city boundaries, not just metropolitan areas like most reports tend to do.

 

As one might expect, red is bad and green is good. 

 

Cleveland got red.  Green got green.

 

Purple sort of lets you off the hook--Cincinnati got one of those and so did Pittsburgh. 

 

Orange means there's a mix of news--Newark got one of those along with 524 other cities in the United States.  25 million people live in places labeled like Newark, Ohio.

 

The only other place making the list in Licking County was Pataskala, getting a near-green dot for its growing population factors.  Mayor Compton will be pleased to learn his city is contemporary with "distinctive services" and "wide-ranging amenities."  Pataskala is one of only four Ohio cities with this status.  The others were Pickerington, Dublin, and Avon.

 

It's hard not to take it personally.  Apparently, I've never lived in a "green dot" place.  Even Oxford, Ohio didn't garner green-shaded status.  I've proudly lived in Massillon, Canton, Springfield, and Steubenville--all which garnered red dots.

 

I've not read the text report, though a quick search found "Rust Belt" mentioned twice with Ohio alongside the term both times.  That's a red flag to me.

 

I'm betting from the graphics version of the report that the criteria favors white collar cities over blue collar ones.  Since it takes a look back to 2000 and relies on past data, it can't tend to predict a return of manufacturing giving a boost to blue collar towns in the Industrial Midwest. 

 

Let's face it.  The last dozen years or so have been tough on Ohio's economy.  Reports like this bear that out.

 

The report greatly is weighted on housing value.  Expensive housing is the magnet for better dot status.  The "Affluent Metroburbs" group accounts for 20% of the housing value among listed cities yet only 9% of the population lives in such places.  There are no such 'burbs in Ohio and only one in the five surrounding states. 

 

I'd say A Tale of 2000 Cities is worth a look.  However, don't go in with blinders on. 

Generational Views of Suburban Downtowns: Patient Investment Pays Off

I'm going to pick on my hometown to make a point about how it takes time, but the cycle of generations can bring positive change.  I shared a condensed version of my thoughts with a developer yesterday to whom I was trying to preach patience.  Readers get the long version.

The passing of generations is the key to understanding suburban downtowns today and, I would argue, in the future.

My hometown in 1966

This is downtown Massillon, Ohio in 1966, before I was born.  I could be talking about any downtown in a suburban Ohio city or pretty much any large suburb in the U.S.  The pre-baby boomer generation and the first wave of the baby boomer generation remember downtown as a hustling, bustling place with lots of traffic and lots of retail.  In the 1950's and 1960's, it was, especially, busy at nighttime.

The Baby Boomers' View
This is Massillon to my parents' generation.  When they look back and remember what it was like, they see downtown today as a lesser place.  Frankly, even today, it's neither a place to go nor invest to this entire generation.

My hometown in 2006

From the time the nearby mall was built in the early 1970's until this photo was taken 40 years later, Massillon's downtown saw a lot less retail.  I'm an early wave Gen X'er, and I can remember seeing a movie at the downtown theater, shopping at the downtown JC Penney's, and going with my mom to the clothing stores. 

I'm the exception.  Most of my generation, hardly ever ventured downtown and, though not stuck on a rosier past as the reason not to, they just lacked any real reason to go downtown.  Perceptions, really misconceptions, were created to justify never going there. Run down and crime-ridden were the adjectives at work in this brand.

Downtowns like Massillon's needed help and got it.  Pretty much everything you see in this photo involved some form of government subsidy to even be there today.  The tall building is a senior apartment complex.  The building in the left foreground is a museum now.  Philanthropic funding brought murals to occupy walls exposed when other buildings got torn down.

The news wasn't all bad, if you could get past the negative rhetoric and the unfair comparisons to the past.  During the day, offices occupy building space once used by retailers.  Those offices produce better jobs and more tax base than the retail ever did.  Just no one could get themselves to realize that fact.

The Gen Xers' View
This is Massillon to my generation.  A place that never really had its act together and, except for some summertime bar hopping in my college days, never saw many of my retail dollars either.  My generations' view of downtown is warped by our parents' generation too. 

As my generation has grown into the developers and investors, I can name only one of my friends who invested downtown, and he may regret it.

A view of a revamped downtown in Pennsylvania

I'll contend that suburban downtowns have a future, though, with the next generation.

The Millennial generation didn't grow up with a view of downtown as a rundown, crime-ridden place.  They also didn't grow up hearing about the hey day and how downtown today pales in comparison to the past.

They work downtown.  They find retail downtown.  They, even, live downtown--big city and suburbs alike. 

It's changing.

The Millenials' View
The Millenials are quickly heading toward being 40% of the U.S. workforce and, by the year 2020, are predicted to surpass the 50% point.  The next generation of workers and investors are already among us.  And they take a much different view of downtowns.

My kids are proof of that.  We have numerous choices of pizza places and my kids never pick one place over another because of geography.  In fact, their favorite is downtown.

My one son, from the time he was four, has said he wanted to live in Downtown Newark. They have favorable memories of events and activities in their hometown's downtown.  These put a positive "brand" on downtown in their minds.

I think my kids are illustrative of the next generation.  Downtown is another place, another option.  It has to look new, feel clean, be affordable, and be safe, but any place that is these things can get their attention.

And the Millenials are becoming investors!

Thus, one key to the future of downtown Massillon--or any downtown in suburban Ohio--is to get ready for the next generation and start building a product that appeals to them now, not one that tries to be apologetic to past generations for being something it's not.

And be patient.  The economy slowed opportunity down a bit, but it didn't zap it forever.  It's just got to wait for the passing of the torch to another generation.