The Economic Development Administration (EDA) branch of the United States Department of Commerce has granted a $401,333 Federal Award to Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs to aid in efforts promoting economic growth in Appalachian Ohio and West Virginia. This award will be matched with other funding sources for a total of $802,666 that will be applied to economic advancement projects over three years.
The Voinovich School, partnered with the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC), the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District and the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning District service areas, will strategize ways to improve the economy in the region. This collaborative effort will help economically distraught counties in Appalachian Ohio and West Virginia identify areas their communities could strengthen in order to recover; be it business creation, attraction, retention or expansion.
A meeting among the Voinovich School and local development districts was held October 26th to officially kick-off the project.
This venture will take place over 36 months and will be split into two “phases” for each 12-month period. The first phase will be dedicated to analyzing the communities of four sub-regions within the project’s area. Because there are a number of communities who will be gaining technical assistance via the Voinovich School and its collaborators, only a few will be focused on at any one time.
Phase two of each year will involve the project leaders conducting Economic Adjustment Implementation workshops. These workshops assist communities in accessing resources vital for carrying out their economic growth strategies. The plans created should help sustain current jobs and lead to the creation of future jobs. Communication and collaboration between communities’ leaders and the business sector will be essential in promoting the kind of economic growth the areas currently require.
Statistically speaking, the largely rural region targeted for the project is a distressed area that boasts below average income, above average unemployment rates and a manufacturing industry that has suffered from limited growth and subsequent job losses due to the recent economic downturn.
The community projects that will be funded by the Federal Award are components of existing regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDSs). For example, members of the Voinovich School have already been working with the nearby county of Jackson on a “10 in 10” initiative, with a goal of creating 10,000 jobs in the region over the next decade.
This EDA-funded technical assistance will enable Jackson County’s Economic Development Board to continue the process they started a year ago when stakeholders came together to analyze economic data and inventory their assets. Knowing strengths and weaknesses of the area’s economic structure will help when strategizing where job creation can occur.
“We are now ready to move forward in more targeted marketing to specific industries and retention and expansion of our existing business” said Jennifer Jacobs, Executive Director of the Jackson County Economic Development Board. “I am excited to continue to work with Ohio University’s Voinovich School and OVRDC on this important project.”
Impact of the executed economic growth strategies from all communities involved will be evaluated after a three year period and then again every three years for an additional nine years following the end of the program.
For additional information on the project, please contact Marsha Lewis at 740-593-1435.