Steve Stivers leads the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Pat Tiberi leads the Ohio Business Roundtable. Jared Weiser is the Ohio state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. Gordon Gough leads the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.
Recent opinion pieces featured in local newspapers have tried to cast doubt on Ohio’s economic development model.
From our vantage point, working with businesses across the state every day, the facts tell a very different story.
Over the past decade, Ohio has become one of the most competitive states in the country for economic development. From advanced manufacturing to emerging technology sectors, companies are choosing Ohio for major investments that are creating jobs and strengthening communities across the state.
So why are we seeing so much success?
Fifteen years ago, Ohio made a deliberate decision to rethink how it competed for jobs and investment. The result was JobsOhio, a public-private partnership that was designed to give our state the tools it needs to compete for major economic development projects. Its model allows Ohio to engage companies quickly, maintain the confidentiality that complex negotiations often require, and offer the support, incentives and resources that businesses seek.
This is exactly why JobsOhio was structured the way it was. Today, the results speak for themselves.
JobsOhio works for Ohio
As leaders representing Ohio’s business community, we can attest that JobsOhio has positioned our state as a national leader in economic development. The projects JobsOhio helps to secure create jobs for Ohio workers, generate billions in private investment and strengthen the tax base that supports schools, infrastructure and public services across the state.
JobsOhio’s work does not stop with big-name projects. They also help create economic conditions for small businesses to succeed. Major projects generate demand for a wide range of small business services like downstream suppliers, local contractors, logistics providers and other Main Street businesses. When Ohio attracts growth, small businesses are often the ones helping to support and supply it.
In 2019, JobsOhio announced an expanded strategy — “JobsOhio 2.0” — that focuses on three key areas: talent, sites and innovation.
The new approach further improved upon the time-tested model, introducing equity and convertible debt investments in addition to the usual grants and loans. It added plans to invest in earlier-stage businesses and increased prioritization of retaining, expanding and attracting federal operations. This shift showed that JobsOhio is adaptable; it is prepared to adjust to meet the state’s evolving needs.
In 2024, JobsOhio secured $19.3 billion in capital investment and 377 project wins. It helped create 19,338 new jobs and generate $1.61 billion in new payroll, while also protecting 54,962 existing Ohio jobs and $4.69 billion in payroll.
The data leaves little room for debate. This model works.
JobsOhio is not about hidden agendas
JobsOhio’s goal is to bring jobs and investment to Ohio, not to push hidden political agendas. In fact, it operates with far more transparency than is legally required. While active negotiations are kept private to protect client confidentiality, JobsOhio publicly shares all executed grant agreements and loans on its website once a project is complete.
JobsOhio is also funded entirely through a private, independent source (profits from JOBS, the JobsOhio Beverage System liquor enterprise), not taxpayer money.
JOBS and JobsOhio are audited annually and reviewed quarterly by a firm of independent CPAs selected in consultation with Ohio’s Auditor of State. The final financial audit report is provided to the Ohio Auditor of State, among others.
The reality is that every major project Ohio competes for has other states ready and willing to step in.
Right now, we are the envy of the other 49 states precisely because of JobsOhio. Few states have adopted a model like this, and Ohio’s results show why it works. Efforts to weaken JobsOhio may generate attention-grabbing headlines, but they also risk sending jobs and opportunities that should benefit Ohioans to competing states.
Those of us who work every day with Ohio’s employers know the state should always look for ways to improve how we do business, but we should also recognize success when we see it. JobsOhio is a proven engine for growth, investment and opportunity. Ohio’s competitors would love nothing more than to see us dismantle the very system that works for us. Ohio cannot afford to let that happen.
Steve Stivers is president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Pat Tiberi is president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable.
Jared Weiser is the Ohio state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
Gordon Gough is president and CEO of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: We know sensational headlines about JobsOhio’s ‘hidden agenda’ are wrong | Opinion
Reporting by Steve Stivers, Pat Tiberi, Jared Weiser and Gordon Gough, Guest Columnists / The Columbus Dispatch
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