'Tis the Season for STEM Learning

Thanksgiving family gatherings are a time to reflect on the year behind us and the year ahead. Join me in putting our holiday gatherings to work with a double purpose this year.  Enjoy time together but, also, persuade those gathered to stay in Ohio or return to Ohio.  STEM jobs in manufacturing are at the heart of that convincing.  

Try a little word association with your family and friends.

STEM is the acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math.  Make these holidays the season for STEM learning.

S  is for stuffing.  It’s also for science. 

Life sciences, in particular, have made huge gains in Central Ohio.  Amgen makes its medicines in new fill lines here in Western Licking County.  Pharmavite’s Nature Made brand gummy vitamins are made right here too.  [Note: It was a homesick Ohioan CEO who brought the new plant here.]

OhioMeansJobs.com shows nearly 50 job openings with these two companies among over 300 chemistry jobs within commuting time of Columbus. Science is indeed a career path in Ohio and a reason to return to a job here.

T is for turkey.  Technology is the T in STEM.

That delicious bird is the star of the season’s family dinner and technology is the star in STEM learning.  While all the technology talk for the last three years has been about Intel, the real story is that the same technology skills that a semiconductor manufacturer needs—fabrication, mechanical, industrial maintenance, and material handling—are, today, needed by growing Central Ohio manufacturers.

In our Port Authority park, manufacturing jobs have increased by 150% in the last ten years.  Reshoring of manufacturing is real and technology skills are behind every one of those new jobs.  One estimate has over 1,800 manufacturers and 89,000 jobs in manufacturing in the Columbus region.  Ohio is the third largest manufacturing state with nearly 700,000 jobs in manufacturing.

E is for that edible cranberry thing.  E is for engineering too.

Grandma brought that cranberry mold again.  Yes, it is edible.  To make that thing hold up, she put her engineering skills to work for sure.  Engineering skills are in demand and manufacturing is where it’s most in demand in Central Ohio. 

Unique engineered products are a standout in our region.  Covestro in Hebron can turn an idea at 9 into a new product line and a bag of material to make it by 5. Anduril needs both mechanical and software engineers for their products to be made in Pickaway County. A job search in Newark shows more than 8,000 jobs open with “engineering” in the title.

M is for mashed potatoes.  In STEM, it’s math.

Math is an essential part of every manufacturer’s day.  Plaskolite couldn’t deal in volumes and tolerances of its plastic sheets without math skills at its core.  Ariel compressors rely on multiple decimal points after zero levels of accuracy.  Boeing’s missile guidance systems miss their mark without precision math.

Enjoy your STEM dinner.  Partake of STEM learning talk too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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This column was submitted as a regular development column for The Dispatch and The Advocate.

Talking Points for Thanksgiving Day Table

 

There’s a lot to talk about this Thanksgiving Day.  Be careful.  It’s always true but especially true this year, politics should stay out of the table talk. 

I’m in the industrial development business as a career. I subscribe to the point of view that everyone has a role in industrial development though.  Accept my humble list of things to consider as talking points for your Thanksgiving Day turkey time.

Homesick Ohioans.  The number one illness among former Ohioans is homesickness.  The antidote may very well be served at the family Thanksgiving table.  The reasons to move back to Ohio are more and more numerous.  Visiting grandma is good.  Job opportunities are the top draw to bring people back to Ohio.

Less People Moving Out.  Out migration is something demographers track.  Trends are trending in our state’s favor.  Many will be surprised to learn that Ohio is net positive for out migration in recent years.  As a state, we’re number one in improving this measure since 2015.  Ohio ranks eighth for retaining college students.  

More People Moving In.  We have seen some anecdotal trends in the last few years of more people moving into Ohio. My mind goes to new families I’ve come to know from New Jersey, California, and Missouri among those moving here in just the last year.  One report showed 87,000 job seekers moving to Ohio since 2019.

JobsOhio has tied the Ohio “Heart of it All” campaign to successful efforts to help connect opportunities for homesick Ohioans and people new to Ohio at FindYourOhio.com.

STEM Learning.  Ohio needs to fill jobs requiring STEM skills more than ever.  STEM careers span many growing industries in Ohio. It starts before kindergarten.  I’ve found that STEM learning experiences as a family are key.  Inspiration is the key to finding that STEM career path and the higher paying job it brings.  It happens in more than just our schools.

Reshoring Manufacturing. Reshoring of manufacturing is real and Ohio is high ranking in achieving investment from manufacturers.  Despite some tough economic factors this year, the list is growing.  Behr Paint opened in Licking County in April with the ability to make seven million gallons of latex paint a year.  Joby Aviation is hiring in Dayton.  Honda/LGES nears day one in Fayette County.  Ohio is a vital part of this national trend that has truly just begun.

Energy Independence.  Manufacturers need electricity.  Ohio is at the heart of our national energy independence.  80% of U.S. energy independence is owed to three states—Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.  We need to seize our strengths and emphasize that Ohio does have power.

Making Chips.  The semiconductor industry is a rollercoaster, and Ohioans have been on that rollercoaster now going on three years. Stay the course is what I say. We can’t forget that Intel is part of a ten-fold increase in investment in the chip making industry in the U.S. that is absolutely vital to our national security.

Bottom Line: The job opportunities promised, in both the high-profile projects as well as the less high-profile reshoring of manufacturing, are going to materialize over the next few years.  The end result of our collective efforts to prepare will be Ohio better seizing the opportunities that exist.  We all benefit.

It all could start at our Thanksgiving Day tables.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Yes, Vienna, There is a Santa Claus (And He Likes Ohio)

 

An open letter to my granddaughter for Christmas.

Yes, Vienna, there is a Santa Claus. I talked to him and, just like every year, there will be a toy, a tool, and a toothbrush in your stocking. You will have a couple nice gifts too. 

My conversation with Santa went beyond your stocking and what was to be under the tree.  I also talked to Santa about some economic gifts, and my wish for a bright future for you. Grandpa thinks that way. 

Manufacturing. Grandpa subscribes to the thinking that a strong economic base is found in industry that makes more than it would sell locally.  Manufacturing has been the beating heart of the Heart of It All.

When I was your age, the factories were strong and kids watched their parents go to work earning good pay. For much of my lifetime, though, a robust Ohio manufacturing scene was not the case.  However, it sure looks to me that your future sees a growing manufacturing base again. Ohio is leading the way among the states with onshoring of manufacturing jobs.

In your hometown, Behr Paint will open a new manufacturing facility next year.  Behr is creating jobs that would have gone overseas just a few years ago.  Boeing is at its highest level of employment in the last twenty years. 

We don’t have to drive far for more signs of growth. Ohio has seen its share of onshoring good news for a few years in a row now.  Intel’s plant should be more visible at some point next year.  Honda and LG Chem are already above ground near I-71 in Fayette County. 

Workforce. Grandpa also believes that a healthy economy requires population growth among the working age population. Ohio has some challenges there. My hope is that efforts to get homesick Ohioans back home and put out the welcome mat for new Ohioans is part of the mix of building our healthy state economy. 

My hope for your generation is that a good economy is a reason to stay in Ohio when you are working age. My generation scattered and created a long list of people homesick for their home state.  The cure for homesickness is coming home, or never leaving in the first place.

STEM Learning. My wish is for you to experience a country with a different outlook on women in STEM careers. Girls, at a younger age, talk about STEM careers, but statistics show more tend to stop talking about them as they get older.  I don’t get it. There’s no reason for women to only fill 25% of STEM jobs.  I hope you and your generation reverse this trend.

If your God-given talents call you towards a science and technology career, answer the call.  Opportunities are here, in Ohio.

Your hometown science museum, The Works, has had a STEM learning focus and so do many of the schools in your home county.  There’s a clear link between STEM learning options and STEM career opportunities.

It’s no surprise that companies that have chosen Ohio remark on the history of manufacturing, a manufacturing culture, and STEM learning infrastructure as key reasons to invest in the state. 

Santa didn’t leave these under the tree, but they are gifts Ohio enjoys nonetheless.

So, yes, Vienna, there is a Santa Claus.  And he likes Ohio.

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This column is a regular development column for the Newark Advocate which also appeared in the Columbus Dispatch.

Get Used To Growth, Ohio

Get used to growth, Ohio.

Whether it’s the two biggest capital investment announcements in Ohio history in 2022 or the very real statewide manufacturing resurgence, Ohio is on a trajectory for growth and opportunity which most Ohioans haven’t seen in our lifetimes.  Governor Mike DeWine is right to say, “It’s Ohio’s time.” 

Though the idea of getting used to growth could mean different things in different parts of our state, there’s clearly one thing in common:  Ohio is poised to grow in a way that hasn’t been experienced for generations. 

Manufacturing never truly left, but certainly the narrative about its importance to Ohio and the nation is back in a way that we can expect will continue.  “We are amidst a once-in-a-generation shift of global manufacturing footprints, and 2023 should continue to be a year of opportunity for manufacturers in the United States,” predicted national site consultant Michelle Comerford in January.  Axios reported that U.S. manufacturing growth at the end of 2022 outpaced the rest of the planet year-over-year, and the report added the comment, “for the first time in recent memory.” 

Ohio is the third largest manufacturing state.  Per capita, Ohio outpaces the other two. Therefore, national manufacturing growth equals Ohio manufacturing growth. 

Big cranes and big earth movers are the early signs of growth.  It’s great to see cranes are arriving and concrete is waiting to get poured at Intel’s Ohio fabs in Jersey Township in Licking County right now.  A drive by on Interstate 71 through Jefferson Township in Fayette County shows work has already begun for Honda as well.  

Jobs are the next sign.  Manufacturing employment in Ohio is very nearly back to pre-pandemic levels even before new hiring has started for the announced projects.  At least a quarter of Ohio’s counties are within commuting distance of the Intel and Honda sites. 

Manufacturing brings wider growth opportunities too. Some of the best jobs and tax base growth are with suppliers.  Intel already finds suppliers in 22 of Ohio’s 88 counties as they look to find more vendors in the state.  Honda boasts a supplier presence in 55 Ohio counties with the potential to widen. 

Getting ready for growth also means preparing to welcome back homesick Ohioans and new Ohioans.  Put out the welcome mat.  Over the years, Ohioans have been dispersed.  Job opportunities are the pathway back home.  

It’s already happening.  For two of the last three years, U-Haul has ranked Ohio in the top 10 states for growth when it looked at its rental truck trends as an indicator.  Returning to Ohio is a one-way U-Haul trip.

To me, a guy who grew up in a steel town that doesn’t make steel anymore, growth equates to opportunity.  I’m optimistic that my kids’ and my grandkid’s future opportunities to make a living in Ohio are better than they were when I grew up.  I am lucky to know Ohioans in all corners of our great state, and I’m certain that sort of parental aspiration is a statewide sensation.

 It will be great to get used to growth commonplace in Ohio.

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This column is a regular development column for the Newark Advocate also submitted to The Columbus Dispatch.

Thanksgiving Talking Points Memo

A gathering for Thanksgiving and the holidays is a time to talk about keeping our family in Ohio and persuading our homesick Ohio relatives to come back home.  It always is.

The case to be made is even stronger now than ever.

There are 20 billion new reasons in Ohio since last Thanksgiving to be making that point hit home.

Intel’s January 2022 announcement in Newark of a $20 billion investment promising 3,000 direct manufacturing jobs is taking shape before our eyes in Jersey Township, Western Licking County. As the Intel fabs take shape, the job opportunities will get closer and closer to reality too.

There’s no reason to wait for your persuasive message to your family members though.  Go for it!

When’s the right time?  Now.

I asked a training expert for the list of skills that Intel might be needing in the future.  Here’s the short list:  Robotics, Automation, Fabrication, Health and Safety, Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Networking, Quality Control, HVAC, and Material Handling were among the needed skills on the list.

Guess what?  These skills are already needed with job opportunities with employers already in the job market.  Manufacturers may make different products, but their skill needs are very similar to each other.

The list of companies already here in Licking County is too long to list in this memo, but here’s just a few:  Hendrickson Auxiliary Axle Systems, Kaiser Aluminum, THK Manufacturing of America, Tech Tire, Holophane, Nature’s One, MISTRAS Group, Ariel Corporation, Owens Corning, Boeing, KDC/One, Anomatic, Covestro, Ampacet, Amgen, and Gathered Foods.

Pick on just one career field title—multi-craft maintenance.  The maintenance part is keeping equipment up and running.  The multi-craft part means skills in multiple areas of equipment.  

Every manufacturer needs multi-craft maintenance technicians.  Demand has never been greater.  The pay is tops among the top.

Where do you go to get some of these skills?  Close by.

C-TEC and Central Ohio Technical College are ready with the curriculum right now.  The training and educational capabilities of these two places has a long, proven track record for individuals in Licking County for decades.  

Employers know that and seek out graduates.

One example.  The Port Authority sponsored a new STEM scholarship at OSU-N and COTC this school year. One of the first students to find it is proving to be a rock star.  A young woman at one of our area manufacturers seized scholarships and is upping her skills to advance her career.  She proves that you can find the training and you can find the funding help to achieve.

It's all of our jobs to make sure our family members know what opportunities are being served up for them to stay in Ohio or come back to Ohio.

Don’t put whipped cream on that piece of pumpkin pie until you’ve made your case.  

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This column is a regular development column also appearing The Advocate.

EcoMOMic Development Depends on Thanksgiving Dinner Talk About Returning Home

 

Call it EcoMOMic development.  Families have an extra job this Thanksgiving Dinner.  Don’t let your holiday visitors leave without talking to them about a return home.

Homesickness has a cure.  Moving home!

There are job opportunities in Licking County and Ohio that make that easier right now.  Unfilled jobs are unfulfilled economic growth potential upon which Licking County’s future depends. It’s, therefore, all our jobs to promote job opportunities.

Talk about three reasons to help family feel more ready to return.

Higher paying job opportunities are emerging.  In July, Ohio labor market reports showed Licking County manufacturing jobs grew 40%, adding over 9,300 jobs since 2010.  Those reports showed the manufacturing sector remains the largest in Licking County, with growing wages too.

Reshoring and onshoring of manufacturing are contributing to future trends.  New Albany’s Beauty Park in Western Licking County is a shining national example of where overseas manufacturing has successfully returned to U.S. shores. Statewide, JobsOhio has seen five large projects announced of products being made in Ohio, including Peloton bikes and American Nitrile gloves.

Diverse industrial development is happening.  Licking County enjoys a diversity of industry that is unparalleled.  Our job base is not dependent on one or two large employers.  The manufacturers hiring include well-known companies making a wide range of products with openings at all skill levels. Owens Corning, THK, Covestro, Lear, Hendrickson, Ariel, Samuel, Boeing, and Goodyear are among the mix.  They aren’t alone. In fact, the list hiring is too long to name them all. 

Talk about diversity.  Six plant-based food industry companies have found their way to Central Licking County making everything from baby formula and plant-based seafood to soy crisps and sterols.  Plant-based food is the fastest-growing segment of the food industry.

STEM jobs are all the rage.  One of Licking County’s largest engineering and technology skills employers, Boeing, secured an 18-year, $1.6 billion contract extension that brought news of economic stability.  Boeing anchors the Port Authority campus which saw 20+ employers combine to increase employment 13% in 2020 despite the crisis.  Sparked in part by a homesick Ohioan, Amgen recently broke ground for 400 biomedical-related jobs in Western Licking County.  There’s more to come.

I suggest talking about two actions to take.

Stop by OhioMeansJobs Licking County.  Licking County’s workforce services are a gem and a big part of why the county agency received and maintains a stand-out national accreditation.  In fact, most of the workforce customers for the one stop operation are job seekers already employed but looking to upgrade in this labor market.  Just stop by 998 E. Main Street in Newark or visit OhioMeansJobsLickingCounty.com. 

Seek out upskilling.  That ticket back home may be just one more credential or skill away from being a reality. C-TEC, Central Ohio Technical College, and Ohio State – Newark offer job training opportunities for job seekers.  Denison has joined in too with Denison Edge, a new approach to career-readiness offerings.  LickingCountyWorks.com is a launching pad for resources, including a cool tool for exploring career options. 

Just stick to it.  Don’t stop after the pumpkin pie.  Keep the important EcoMOMic development work going long past the holidays.  Licking County’s future depends on it!

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This development column is a regular column in The Advocate.

An Ohio Pejoratives Elegy

I confess.  I've not, yet, read the book.

I've heard "Rust Belt" used a bit too much to market the book.  I also fear the title "Hillbilly" could invoke stereotypes and cause a broad brush stroke on all of us in Ohio.

But I liked the messages J.D. Vance, the author, has sent recently with his highly-visible return to his home state of Ohio.  It's clear Elegy is the emphasis in the title.

For one, he's a homesick Ohioan who took the first opportunity to return to his home state when his circumstances permitted it.  At brief remarks he gave in Licking County Sunday night, he said he was hearing too many people where he lived in California who were disparaging Ohio to want to stay there.

Secondly, he gives a message of upward mobility.  His personal story is one of upward mobility, but it's also clear he intends to send a message for a wider audience with his personal story as example. He told a Licking County Republican Party audience on Sunday that the GOP should be "the party of working middle class people."

Perhaps, most of all, Vance is triggering an elegy for the phrases that have been used to disparage Ohio for decades.  It's time we mourn the death of the Ohio pejoratives like "Fly Over Country" and "Rust Belt."

Welcome Home, Lebron

Lebron James' essay at Sports Illustrated published today and titled "I'm coming home" is a heart-felt, heart-tugging piece.  It's a tale of a homesick Ohioan wanting to return.

He describes wanting to raise his family in Ohio.  He describes wanting to help kids in Ohio appreciate what they have here.

These are all the sentiments that many homesick Ohioans report.

"I want kids in Northeast Ohio. . .to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get."

That's an economic development message if I ever heard one.

Thanks, Lebron.  Welcome, home.

Our Economy Is Growing Faster Than Our Population

 

 

At a recent gathering of economic development and workforce development professionals in Central Ohio, Columbus2020 CEO Kenny McDonald made a telling statement.  He remarked, "Our economy is growing faster than our population."

 

He knows it and his audience does too.  This is a phrase that can mean both good things and bad things.  It was a call to arms.

 

Central Ohio can now boast to be among the few in the country and the first in the Midwest among metro areas where employment levels are now above pre-recession levels.  That's the growth part and that's a good thing.  The employment growth came with investment and filling vacant buildings.  The economy is growing.

 

The lack of population growth to go along with it is the scary part.  That's a forecast that some of our employers in some economic sectors could be increasingly having difficulty finding the skilled labor (even unskilled for that matter) they need to fulfill their production needs.

 

That's the call to arms part.

 

We need to focus on an arsenal of tools designed to overcome this deficiency brought on by good news.

 

For me, one of those tools is attracting the homesick to return to the Midwest and return to Ohio. 

 

Ohio State's alumni association, with their massive list of alums, has it within their power to be a big part of turning around the population vs. growth equation.  That's one.

 

Ohioans, regardless of their college affiliation, are like an alumni group of their own.  "Return to Ohio" is a campaign in its own right for attracting the talent to fill our economy's employment needs.

 

Let's focus on the homesick returning to Ohio as part of the solution.

Ohio Just Being Ohio Proves a Winner

An Associated Press story on recent Census data didn't get much play. It's a shame. There's good news in there.

AP reports Ohio gained in the category of youth population that, just this last 2010 Census, was a loss. Ohioans have come to expect "brain drain" every Census report.

Why the reversal of this long, negative trend? The story doesn't make a good case.

It quotes Governor Kasich as saying something about being cool, as a state. The Governor, if he said that, distanced himself from that remark by the time a widely-distributed email come out. His email said, "A key to maintaining Ohio's momentum is the belief by job creators that our state is growing, innovative, and supportive of its business community."

That's better.

Ohio doesn't have to be anything it's not to retain our population of young people in my book.

I tend to think homesick Ohioans, inspired by Ohio job options, are returning to their home state too and that is part of the good news story.

To be fair, some of the reason may be that our college graduates aren't finding out-of-state job opportunities as well as the past so they are staying home until the national economy improves.

Whatever the case, here's hoping this trend continues. Ohio can win, just being Ohio.

Our Future's So Bright. . .

. . .And we get to see how bright when we get a chance to talk to and listen to the next generation.

It’s my pleasure this afternoon to again judge the work of the Licking Valley High School students’ globalization class.  I was mightily impressed a couple of years ago to even find out such a class existed in the first place.  I expect to be impressed again this year with the quality of our youth.

They usually give me a chance to talk to the students after I’ve heard their presentations and judged them.  These are the four points I’ll try to make today:

What’s Changing?

The students read the book The World is Flat to form the basis for their class.  Though a good one to read, I’m also suggesting Joel Kotkin’s The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050.  Kotkin’s look at global and domestic demographics provides the basis for predicting a brighter, global picture for the U.S. and the Midwest in particular.  Since he wrote it three years ago, some of his futuristic predictions have already started to formulate.  The rebirth of manufacturing in the Midwest is one such example.

What’s Coming Up?

The Licking Valley computer classroom project is one sign of a changing World. There's more. These students can fully expect to ride in a driverlesscar.  Google has one that has already logged more than 300,000 miles without causing an accident.  There are already “3D printers” able to make usable products out of plastic, metal, and, even, edible materials.  You can buy one on e-Bay today.  Our manufacturing future is bright for our country. 

How Licking County Is Ready

While many were selling the idea that we would be a service economy, Licking County never stopped being totally focused on serving the needs of the manufacturing industry.  We’ve invested in highway capacity, rail lines, and preparing industrial sites. That rail line that runs through the Licking Valley is part of that equation too.  It’s those investments, even during lean years that we’ve had for most of the past dozen years in Ohio, that will pay off in the next 30. 

Diamond in Your Own Backyard

If those students are anything like most of their fellow students, they are already thinking about how fast can they get out of town.  That’s normal and not just in Ohio.  Though many may want to spend time convincing them to never leave, I’ll, instead, tell them that when they discover the diamond they were always looking for was in their own backyard all along that we welcome them back.  Homesick Ohioans outnumber the people who leave every day.  The welcome mat is always out to bring your talents back home.

Let's Do More EcoMOMic Development

EcoMOMic development needs to become a bigger part of economic development in Ohio.   Recall, I labeled EcoMOMic development the process whereby moms (and Dads) let their out-migrated offspring know about available jobs closer to home.

Though many are starting to increase talk about a new brain drain prevention strategy in Ohio, including Gordon Gee at a recent, publicized event, there's few out there talking about reaching out to the homesick Ohioan.  It merits more attention.

This doesn't have to be tied to some sort of big, new government expenditure. 

The ecoMOMic development approach can be aided, for example, by reaching out to the alumni of Ohio's public universities with a message of return and a simplified path for returning.  The State of Ohio already paid for that alumni list once and the already-existing OhioMeansJobs.com website can fulfill the path part with ease.  Thus, it shouldn't be a big, new expense to build it and market it.

Frankly, we need to focus more efforts on those people who, in their minds, never left. I'm not alone in that thinking, as NewGeography.com gave guest blogger status to that very concept in January.

Richie Piiparinen said, "So, to all Rust Belt cities—this is where your attention must be turned: not on the ones who are leaving for good reason, but on those returning who have not left for good. They have brought the path of their self-discovery back to your doorstep. Don’t close the door by screaming at the backs of others."

Focus on Returners, Not Departers

Joel Kotkin's Newgeography.com turned the blog over to an Ohioan last week and got a taste of RustBeltChic.com and a message not unlike the one put forth here at RickPlatt.com.

Richey Piiparinen's piece titled "Rust Belt Cities: Invest in Odysseus, Not Barney Fife" was a must read piece for economic development folks pondering spending their time on ways to stop the out flow of Ohioans vs. attracting talent to come back.

His core message was right on.  Focus on the people who, in their minds, never left.

His wrap-up says it all and is a reason to read the whole thing:

"So, to all Rust Belt cities—this is where your attention must be turned: not on the ones who are leaving for good reason, but on those returning who have not left for good. They have brought the path of their self-discovery back to your doorstep.  Don’t close the door by screaming at the backs of others."

Indeed.

Call Upon The Geography of Your Own Past

Bruce Springsteen's song "My Hometown" is about a town that bears no similarity to anything that my kids could go see today nor to anything I experienced growing up either.  But, it speaks volume to me as a person who grew up in what some would call a "Rust Belt" town.

That's why I was sorry to have missed, until now, David Brooks' June 25 op-ed in the NYT titled "The Power of the Particular."  It speaks volumes to me too.

It wraps up Springsteen and an inside look at understanding the value of hometown into one piece.

It speaks to me in many ways beyond what Brooks writes. 

There is something to this geography thing.  There is hope for places like Ohio that may have a boring or "Rust Belt" persona to outsiders yet have a huge appeal to the homesick and people who never lived here--if we can figure out how to tap it.

Brooks' advice to politicians and business leaders could have been advice to economic development people in Ohio:  "Call more upon the geography of your own past.  Be distinct and credible. People will come."

Sorry to not have shared this one sooner.

Ohio Traditions: County Fairs

It's Spring Break so I'm digging into the archives for postings this week.

HomesickOhio.com was a social media concept for a website started back in 1995.  My website connected Ohioans all over the World with their fellow Ohioians still living in Ohio and elsewhere.  The site got national recognition in 1998 when featured by the Toledo Blade in a feature article and not one, but two editorials. This is an online revival of the Ohio Traditions columns that I wrote on the site 14 and 15 years ago.

Ohio Traditions: County Fairs
by RickOHIO

April 1998 (Update: June 2002)
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Every one of Ohio's 88 counties has a county fair and, along with some independent fairs, you can pretty much find a fair going on any given summer or early fall day somewhere in the state. The fair schedule is complete for 2002.

The traditions of having a fair is pretty well set. The traditions at each fair, though, vary greatly. No two county fairs are truly alike.

In most counties, the county fair is really intended for the youth of the county. It's the chance for young people involved in groups like 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) to have recognition for their skills. Many counties still go out of their way to make sure the tradition of calling their county fair the "Junior Fair" is retained.

Agriculture is a big part of every county fair, even in larger counties like Cuyahoga. Animal pens and show barns are the stages at these events where athletes and fields are at sporting events. The big difference? At a sporting event you can't bid on the athletes. At a fair, you can bid on the hogs or the steers and have them processed. It teaches the kids farming and what it takes to make a living too.

Many fairs try to claim the be the biggest in some category or another. However, no county fair is bigger than the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County. This fair, always held over Labor Day Weekend, is a huge event. This fair does everything bigger than any other fair in Ohio. There are rows and rows of animal pens here. The carnival rides are more plentiful. The vendors are big in numbers and, in an election year, the politicians are ever-present too. Even parking here is an event. Good luck getting near the gate.

You don't have to be a big county to have a big county fair though. Monroe County in eastern Ohio has an entire county population less than 12,000 people and has no four-lane divided highways through it's boundaries, but it attracts a decent audience to its fair every year. Medium-sized counties like Portage, Wayne, and Darke counties have among the largest-sized fairs.

Besides looking at animals, eating is the next most-practiced activity at a county fair. It wouldn't be a fair without fresh squeezed lemonade, elephant ears, and pork loin sandwiches. Italian sausage, fresh cut potatoes, apple cider, corn dogs, and ice cream are common. Peirogies and haluska are fair foods in Northeast Ohio. Cincinnati chili and three-ways are found in the Southwest part of the state.

At Clark County's fair, they always have an old antique steam engine for making up steamed corn which, when dipped in butter, is hard to beat. Fairs held at the harvest time of year mean corn and other fresh agricultural products abound.

It also wouldn't be a fair without amusement rides and grandstands too. These are fair staples. Horse races and country singers are common grandstand attractions for many fairs. The Stark County fair has a demolition derby every year which attracts alot of amateur drivers to the spotlight.

Meet your elected officials here too, especially if they are campaigning. One long-time politician, Tom Ferguson, used to send his staff to every fair to hand out yellow bags. Hordes of bag-toting fair goers would fill up those bags with handouts from other booths while serving as walking advertisements for the former state auditor. U.S. Senator Mike DeWine, known for his grassroots approach to politics, has probably been to more county fairs than anyone.

Politicans, even statewide candidates, come into a county for the fair. You can meet and greet a lot of potential voters just walking around a fair. Local radio stations broadcast live from fairs and this is also, often, your best chance to get on television.

Today's fairs are, no doubt, more commercialized and less agriculture-focused than in the past. Family entertainment has replaced the agricultural reasons to put on a fair. Some will say the tradition of the county fair has been lost. However, the county fair is still very much a part of life in all of Ohio.

This Ohio Tradition stands out for sure.

Ohio Traditions: High School Football

It's Spring Break so I'm digging into the archives for postings this week.

HomesickOhio.com was a social media concept for a website started back in 1995.  My website connected Ohioans all over the World with their fellow Ohioians still living in Ohio and elsewhere.  The site got national recognition in 1998 when featured by the Toledo Blade in a feature article and not one, but two editorials. This is an online revival of the Ohio Traditions columns that I wrote on the site 14 and 15 years ago.


Ohio Traditions: High School Football
by RickOHIO

November 1997 [UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 1999]
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Ohioans are a rare breed. Known for hard work, Ohioans aren't fans of what comes easy. High school football fits that image too. That's why so many turn out for prep football in the Buckeye State.

They say you shouldn't build a church for Easter Sunday, but in Massillon, Ohio they built a stadium with room for 20,000 in a town with a population just over 30,000. The place was built with the big game of the year versus cross-county rival Canton McKinley in mind.

The big place has another use too. For 30-some times this decade, the state football association has held the high school football title games at Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. In 1999, it's scheduled for the first Friday and Saturday in December.

Massillon, even with it's stand-out record of over 700 wins and 22 state champion titles, isn't the only team with a strong high school football tradition in the Buckeye State. Down state, the Cincinnati Moeller tradition is strong too with more top-level state championships than any other team since Ohio started playoffs in 1972. Cleveland St. Ignatius and the McKinley Bulldogs are powerhouses too. In Steubenville, football is big too.

Perhaps more than any other state, Ohio's city streets and rural countrysides are dotted with high school football stadiums. From late August to late November, Fridays and Saturdays in Ohio are reserved for a little hard-hitting action.

It's no accident that the Ohio State Buckeyes have produced so many professional athletes over the years. The Ohio football tradition is solidly based in high school football.

It's also no accident that Ohioans were so angered to see their pro team, the Browns, stolen from them. Their love of the game is rooted in high school football.

This Ohio Tradition stands out for sure.

Ohio Traditions: Script Ohio

It's Spring Break so I'm digging into the archives for postings this week.

HomesickOhio.com was a social media concept for a website started back in 1995.  My website connected Ohioans all over the World with their fellow Ohioians still living in Ohio and elsewhere.  The site got national recognition in 1998 when featured by the Toledo Blade in a feature article and not one, but two editorials. This is an online revival of the Ohio Traditions columns that I wrote on the site 14 and 15 years ago.


Ohio Traditions: Script Ohio
by RickOHIO

November 1997 [UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 1999]
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Script Ohio is among the most inspirational acts an Ohioan can witness. Buckeye football fans get chills when the Ohio State Marching Band starts to play Le Regiment and the "incomparable Script Ohio" begins to take form on the field.

Few other schools and, thus, their states, can brag of such a grand tradition as that which Ohio State and the state of Ohio enjoy.

The first Script Ohio was in 1936. My grandfather and great uncle were among the first members of that band formation and tell me that they never expected it would become so well-liked.

During the anniversary for the script in 1996, my grandfather had the distinct honor of joining with his fellow bandsmen from that 1936 TDBTL crew in dotting the "i" of the script. It's a tradition within a tradition for a band member.

One doesn't need to participate on the field, though, to enjoy the event. Listen to the music start. Clap in unison with the Buckeye faithful as the "Block O" forms and then the signature begins. See the drum major lead the sousaphone player to the dot. The final product is a thing of beauty. Even more inspiring is the quad of scripts that forms on Alumni Band day each year. All this is bound to pump up the Ohio Stadium crowd every time.

This Ohio Tradition stands out for sure.

Ohio Traditions: County Courthouses

It's Spring Break so I'm digging into the archives for postings this week.

HomesickOhio.com was a social media concept for a website started back in 1995.  My website connected Ohioans all over the World with their fellow Ohioians still living in Ohio and elsewhere.  The site got national recognition in 1998 when featured by the Toledo Blade in a feature article and not one, but two editorials. This is an online revival of the Ohio Traditions columns that I wrote on the site 14 and 15 years ago.

Ohio Traditions: County Courthouses
by RickOHIO

January 1998
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Ohio has 88 counties and, therefore, 88 county courthouses. Ohio counties and Ohio's beautiful, old courthouses are a standout Ohio tradition in every community.

The traditions that follow the Ohio county courthouses are well-established and repeated many times over, county by county. The courthouse is the hot bed of activity in every county and, in most cases, stands out very easily.

Want to know where to get in most downtowns? Just ask for directions in relation to the courthouse. Ask the natives, "How many blocks from the courthouse?" and you're sure to get an answer and sure to find your way.

Most of the time, county courthouses are old structures that have survived the years. More than just the place to go to find some old records, the old buildings have a lot to do with the character of a county seat.

Auglaize County, which proudly portrays it's courthouse on the front of its website, is typical among county courthouses.

Most courthouses have a cupola which is ornate and stands taller than any other building in the community like the one in Fayette County.

It used to be that the courthouses housed not only the courts but also all the county elected officials' offices and their staffs. Today, maybe as a sign of the largess of all government, its a rare courthouse that does house all of county government. Courthouses today, often, house only the courts with room for no one else.

Most courthouses are at the center of town. Most likely, the downtown formed around the courthouse not the other way around. The exceptions are in Wood and Ottawa counties. Their courthouses are a few blocks off the main streets of what their cities' downtowns are today.

Most courthouses are old. However, one of the newest true courthouses is also the most boring and that's in Champaign County. The courthouse in downtown Urbana is in 1960's style architecture and is inclined to remind you more of a post office or police station than the kind of place you expect of a courthouse. Vinton County's is newer than most but also quite boring (except for the controversy over a cross erected atop the building) while Gallia County's was ruined by fire and you can't tell where the old and the new begin and end.

The most unique one is also the oldest one in Ohio. It's in Meigs County where many of the county elected officials have an outside entrance to their office. The courthouse looks more like an old, southern estate mansion than a building you'd find in an Ohio county seat.

The courthouse in Williams County is also quite unique. It's more like a castle from the outside.

Some of the old courthouses have seen some recent remodeling to restore their old charm. Stark, Athens, and Harrison counties have redone theirs within the last few years to restore the historic buildings while making them more practical and usable for today's society.

In Jefferson County, they never bothered to repair the top of the courthouse when it was damaged. Instead, today, the cupola is gone and the top floor is bare of the ornate woodwork that once was there.

You'll find some pretty amazing architectual glass in these old buildings too. Clinton County and Mahoning County stand out in this category, but many, many counties feature stained glass ceilings in their main courtrooms and hallways.

Even with electronic commerce and government, Ohio is likely to see the tradition of county courthouses continue for some time to come. This Ohio Tradition stands out for sure.

Homesick Ohio: A Special Commentary. . .

It's Spring Break so I'm digging into the archives for postings this week.

HomesickOhio.com was a social media concept for a website started back in 1995.  My website connected Ohioans all over the World with their fellow Ohioians still living in Ohio and elsewhere.  The site got national recognition in 1998 when featured by the Toledo Blade in a feature article and not one, but two editorials. 

This "Special Commentary" piece was a feature editorial on the website starting in 1998 and was meant to lure people back to Ohio to find jobs.  Though Ohio's economy has not had the same lure for the last 12 years that it had when I wrote this in 1998, it's starting to look like it may again soon.  Here's hoping this is relevant again soon.


Special Commentary
An Open Letter to People Considering a Move Back to Ohio

In 1995, I started my web page as a hobby. RickOHIO's Northeast Ohio Page I called it. I was surprised how easy it is to make up a page, put my thoughts into words on my computer, and then share those thoughts with thousands of people through the World Wide Web.

The most surprising thing, though, is how many people use my page and others like it to find out about what's happening in what used to be their hometown or their home state. The comments I get from former Ohioans now living in other places dominate the feedback e-mail I receive. It's a motivation for me to continue to work on my website.

In the 1980's, our economy was hurting. People left. At the time my generation, the Generation Xers, was ready to enter the workforce here, jobs were scarce. My college and high school friends moved all over the country to find work. The traffic to my website proves it was true all over Ohio.

Now, I'm happy to say, they're moving back! And I encourage them whenever I can.

Chris, an old college roommate of mine from Ohio who has lived in New York and Indiana as a kid, took a job in Houston. The unexplainable Ohio lure brought him back last month.

I exchange e-mail with my long-time friend Anj. She's thinking of moving back with her husband and their son from the Carolinas. "Yes," I told her. "You CAN find work here."

A high school classmate of mine, Lisa, lived down South and in Washington, DC. Then, one day, she and her husband decided Ohio was the place for them. They left their very good jobs and came back. I saw them around Christmas in 1996. They couldn't be happier with their decision.

My website gave me the chance to help Donna, a woman whom I know only through e-mail, with a job search in Ohio. She found work and moved back.

Stories like these repeat themselves in the e-mail I get from former Ohioans all over the world.

My message to any Ohioan thinking fondly of their beloved Buckeye State: COME BACK! We welcome you back. The jobs are here now too.

--Rick

Time For The Homesick Option Again?

Back in 1995, I started and ran a website called HomesickOhio.com. It was a hobby, though I made a modest profit from it every year after the first couple until family and job changes caused me to want to mothball it.

It was conceived as a small part of a strategy to connect with displaced Ohioans from all over the US and the planet. It was hoped that that re-connection would inspire people to return to jobs in Ohio at a time, 1995-1999, that Ohio was facing a labor shortage. While we had their attention on reliving Ohio memories or seeking out high school football stories from their hometown, the concept was they would check out job postings.

The site got national recognition in 1998 when featured by the Toledo Blade in a feature article and not one, but two editorials.


Well, Ohio is there again. A Dayton Daily News story is the most recent in-depth piece looking at how the bad demographics of parts of Ohio are colliding with the growth Ohio's now experiencing. The labor shortage is becoming more and more profound every day.

Licking County's positive demographics and robust post high school education efforts have left us more immune to this issue than most, but we can't rest on our laurels.

As the article points out, there is no quick, easy fix. Something like HomesickOhio.com, though could be part of the solution. It's time, again.

Let me be clear.  I'm not reviving HomesickOhio.com, I'm advocating for the concept to be used as part of government and corporate efforts to more aggressively recruit to fill job openings.

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Take action:   Learn more about HomesickOhio.com. I resurrected a few posts from that website to run every day next week during Spring Break.