Rick Platt

This column is a regular sharing of the family, work, and community perspective of Rick Platt, President and CEO of the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority.

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Three Thoughts: Economic Development Is Everyone’s Job

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I’ll never forget the question, 25 years ago, when hundreds of jobs in Steubenville, Ohio were on the line: “What’s the blue light speci...

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Three Thoughts: Local Impact Matters, Do The Math

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Imagine the euphoria from the reports that a project creating over 32,000 jobs was coming to Columbus. Huge. That kind of job creation...

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Three Thoughts: Spending Our Demographic Dividend

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Woody Hayes said, “You win with people.” His sports mantra might as well be a mantra for industrial development too. Like in football, e...

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Three Thoughts: STEM is More Than an Acronym; It’s Key to Our Potential

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Battelle’s Rich Rosen cited a national statistic twenty years ago: 80% of parents discourage their kids from science and technology care...

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Three Thoughts: Data Center Backlash

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Nationally, data center bashing is a bipartisan issue. The backlash is not going away either. The first time I heard about a data cent...

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About the Columnist

Rick Platt: Licking County, Ohio, United States; Dad of 4, Port Authority CEO, champion for manufacturing, STEM learning advocate, and avid promoter of all things Ohio.

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