2021 Annual Report: Introduction

Founded 11 years ago, JobsOhio is a first-of-its-kind private economic development corporation that invests in Ohio’s prosperous future. We empower world-class corporations, entrepreneurs, and talented individuals to build their businesses and careers in Ohio. We act as a catalyst for high- growth business investments and job creation that are driving the state’s ingenuity and ambitions forward.

JobsOhio’s four strategic initiatives — talent, sites, innovation, and inclusion — continue to help position Ohio in the minds of new and expanding businesses. Despite national economic instability, JobsOhio’s 2021 initiatives created records of more than 29,000 new jobs, new payrolls of $1.6 billion, and new capital investment of $6.9 billion. Ohio’s economy as a whole prospered, gaining 99,000 private-sector jobs in 2021, more than any year since 1997. A record 197,010 businesses were formed in Ohio, up 15% from the previous year.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit corporation wholly funded by an independent private source—the profits from the JobsOhio Beverage System (JOBS) liquor enterprise—that JobsOhio purchased in 2013 and manages today. JOBS liquor profits provide a stable funding source which allows JobsOhio to utilize a longer-term horizon for funding economic development activities. No public or taxpayer dollars are used. Ohio’s mix of affordability, high quality of life, diverse industry and communities, and geographic location near 60% of the U.S. and Canadian population make Ohio the future. Also, in an increasingly remote world where office proximity is a thing of the past, tens of thousands of workers and their families are fleeing the coasts. Attracted to our generational opportunity, Americans are looking to Ohio for their next once-in-a-lifetime chance.

The future is Ohio.

In 2013, JobsOhio acquired Ohio’s liquor enterprise to fund economic development activities. Private funding gives JobsOhio a competitive advantage because it enables us to make long-term commitments. This flexibility also allows JobsOhio to respond quickly to the needs of businesses and communities, providing customized solutions. As a business, JobsOhio focuses on strategic investments to ensure that every project provides a direct benefit to the state. We invest funds in projects that will have a positive impact on Ohio, promising long-term, in-state growth and good-paying jobs for Ohioans.

At JobsOhio, the relationship comes first. JobsOhio focuses on companies, building trust with them and cultivating long-term relationships by providing outstanding service. A network of six regional partners and local economic development organizations across the state collaborate with JobsOhio to ensure that companies’ needs are met at every level. As a private company, JobsOhio can respond more quickly to trends in business and industry, implementing programs and services that meet specific needs, including efforts like: the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant, investments in innovation districts that lay the groundwork for the jobs and businesses of the future, Find Your Ohio to attract in-demand talent to Ohio, and Ohio To Work to help displaced Ohio workers find their next career in partnership with workforce partners across the state.

The management team at JobsOhio includes experts in Ohio’s key industries. Guided by their many years of experience, these leaders connect companies with resources, organizations, academia, and partners. JobsOhio was created with businesses in mind. Its resources and its independent operations give it the ability to meet business needs. Dedicated to driving economic investment in Ohio with strong capabilities, JobsOhio serves companies at every stage of the business process.

• Private nonprofit corporation 501c4
• Private, stable funding
• Staffed by seasoned professionals with over 2,094 years of experience in the sectors we work with and economic development
• Work with six regional partners known as the JobsOhio Network who deliver a local touch and help us to scale the work we do across the state

This is the JobsOhio formula for creating a competitive advantage for Ohio.