Ohio Earns 2020 Silver Shovel Award for Jobs and Investment Projects

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 12, 2020 Release

Columbus – Ohio today was honored by Area Development with a Silver Shovel award in recognition of the state’s impressive roster of economic development projects begun in 2019. Area Development recognized high-value jobs and investment projects begun in 2019 through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements and other processes that attract new employers as well as investments in expanded facilities.

“Once again, Ohio is being recognized as a great place to do business,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “Our central location along with our reputation for a business-friendly climate and strong workforce continues to grow. We want companies to know that Ohio is a place where you can find success.”

Area Development presents Gold and Silver Shovel awards annually to the states that have achieved the most success in terms of new job creation and business investment. Each of the 50 states was invited to submit information about its top 10 job creation and investment projects in 2019. JobsOhio submitted projects representing more than 4,250 jobs and more than $3 billion in investment across seven industries: energy and chemicals, logistics and distribution, e-commerce and distribution, healthcare corporate offices, food sciences, steel and business services.

“This award is recognition of Ohio’s strong value proposition and is a testament to the results created through collaboration between businesses, workforce and many partners” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “We appreciate Area Development for acknowledging another successful year in 2019, and look forward to a strong economic recovery for Ohio this year.”

Ohio was among 12 states to earn a Silver Shovel while five states, each representing a different population group, were awarded Gold Shovels. Shovel awards are given to the states with the highest weighted scores based on the number of high-valued added jobs per capita, amount of investment, number of new facilities, and industry diversity. Area Development is published quarterly and can be found online at www.areadevelopment.com.

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About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio though Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. For more information, contact: Matt Englehart, JobsOhio 614-300-1152 englehart@jobsohio.com